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 49: City of Blood
It was two days before the viewing party reconvened; Mia having given the excuse that she wanted everyone to digest what they had seen in the previous memory. In reality, it was more to give Thea a chance to calm down (and Mia as well, if she were being honest with herself), as she didn't want anyone else knowing about her role in Oliver's death.
Namely, that she had caused it.
So on the second day when everyone started streaming into the viewing room, Mia was conspicuous in her absence, and Roy and Sara were stuck covering for her.
"Is she okay?" Moira asked worriedly. "The way she bolted out of here…"
"Well, she really didn't want to see that again." Roy said reasonably. "And then she got pulled into another assignment. But she's fine, I promise." Roy finished with a smile. "How is Thea doing?"
"I wish I knew." Moira huffed. "She's taken to locking herself in her room."
Roy sighed. "I'm sure she's fine—"
"I am fine." The two started in surprise as Thea walked into the room. "I'm just tired of seeing people I love die. So lets get this over with so we can go home." Without pausing she headed over to the couch and sat down, drawing her knees to her chest. Moira soon joined her, and Thea nestled into her side.
"It won't happen, Thea." Malcolm promised, trying to reassure the girl. "I won't allow it."
Thea looked at the man, and for an instant saw the madman that had drove her to kill her own brother. Rage burned white hot for just a moment, before the image of a madman faded and the concerned visage of Malcolm replaced it. Thea stared at him for a moment, before turning her eyes to the screen.
"Okay," Sara began. "I know the last one was particularly hard. But we only have three more of these to go through, so we're just going to plow through."
"And please, remember," Roy added, glancing at everyone before settling on Thea, "these are events that haven't happened yet and, god willing, NEVER WILL. It will be up to you, when you go back, to make sure of that." Thea stared at him for a moment before her eyes moved back to the screen. Roy sighed. "All right, let's get started."
The memory set opened on the funeral of Moira Queen. Most of the elite of Starling City were in attendance at the graveside funeral, seated in neat rows of chairs lining the new grave. Diggle and Felicity sat a few rows back, as did Quentin and Laurel Lance. In the front row sat Thea and Walter, with an empty seat between them that should have held Oliver.
Moira shuddered. It was one thing to see your own death, it was another to see your funeral.
Thea frowned. "Where's Oliver?" she wondered.
"He took this especially hard." Roy explained. "From what I was told, he was off the grid for a while."
Meanwhile at City Hall, Sebastian Blood was being sworn in as the new Mayor. "I do solemnly swear that I will support, defend, and abide by the Starling City charter." He told the judge with one hand raised, and one hand on the bible. "And that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of mayor of Starling City. That I will tirelessly pursue justice on behalf of all of starling's citizens Impartially, to the best of my abilities. So help me God." There were applause from the small audience.
"That smug son of a bitch." Lance growled.
"He won't be getting the opportunity the next time around." Malcolm vowed.
At the grave, Walter slowly stood, picking up the pink carnation that was supposed to be Oliver's. He walked to the casket and gently laid both of the flowers down on the lid, and soon the rest of the guests followed.
Moira smiled sadly. It was nice to know that, despite everything, Walter had still cared for her in the end.
"We have to tell Walter." Thea said suddenly. Moira sighed and nodded.
"Yes, we do." She replied.
Later that day, the reception was in full swing at Queen Manor. Guests milled about somberly, quietly talking to one another and giving Thea their condolences. She was wandering the room aimlessly as Laurel approached her.
"Thea." Laurel said, getting the girl's attention.
"Hi." She said softly.
"I'm here for you." Laurel told her, bringing her into a hug.
"I know." Thea said.
"I'm here for you now, too." Laurel told the younger girl. Thea gave her a small smile and nodded in acknowledgment.
The two broke apart as Sebastian Blood approached.
"Ms. Queen. I wanted to offer my sincere condolences on your loss." He told the grieving girl. "Your mother was a good woman. She would have made a wonderful mayor."
"Wow, the nerve of that guy." Felicity said.
"I'd love to teach him about humility." Malcolm noted darkly.
"Finally, something we agree on." Roy said.
"Thank you." Thea replied dully.
"I'd love to speak with Oliver." Blood asked.
"Well, if you see him, tell him he missed his own mother's funeral." She replied shakily, moving off to be alone.
"No one's seen Oliver for a few days." Laurel told him.
"We all deal with grief in different ways." Blood noted. "And the loss of a parent is…" he cleared his throat. "Well, it changes you. When you realize that your ancestors now look to you; that your family's legacy, their continuing works, are solely in your hands." He shook his head. "If you see Oliver, please tell him that I came by." He asked.
"Of course." She said, watching him thoughtfully as he walked out.
"Well, THAT wasn't creepy or anything." Tommy said sarcastically.
"At least I'm starting to see through his bullshit." Laurel said. She paused. "Again."
In another corner of the room, Diggle approached a crying Felicity and handed her a handkerchief. "Hey." He said.
"Thanks." She replied, taking the handkerchief and dabbing her nose. "I don't even know why I'm crying. I didn't even like Moira." She said.
Felicity flushed crimson in embarrassment. Moira looked on her fondly, though.
"Relax, dear." She said with a hint of a smile. "Most of the people in that room probably hated my guts. At least you had the decency to be honest about it."
"Terrible thing to say about someone after they've just died. In my defense, she was not nice. She was diabolical. Not a word you often hear at someone's funeral."
"And really, you're a lot nicer now that I've gotten to know you. And you don't think that I'm sleeping with your son."
"Yet." Tommy said with a smirk. He braced for the hit from Thea, but it didn't come. He glanced at her in concern.
"You're not crying for her, Felicity, you're crying for Oliver." Diggle said.
Felicity sighed. "Where is he? How could he not be here?" she demanded quietly.
"I don't know." Diggle said.
"If Oliver's smart," the two looked at shock as Isabel Rochev came up to them. "He ran back to his island to hide. But maybe he'll attend your funerals." She smirked as she walked out, leaving the two speechless behind her.
"Mother puss-bucket!" Tommy exclaimed.
"Next time, I'll use a bigger gun." Diggle said, seething.
"You'd need to. She has the Mirakuru in her now." Sara pointed out.
"Great. So now she's even more crazy." Felicity groused.
The scene changed to the master bedroom. Walter was looking at a photograph of him and Moira when Thea walked in. "I always loved this photograph." He said. "I thought your mother looked particularly beautiful."
Thea looked at the picture. "Well, she didn't. She thought she looked bug-eyed."
He chuckled. "She never said. How are you holding up?" he asked.
"I'm not." She admitted.
"Your mother gave her life for you, Thea." Walter said. "She showed you how much she loved you in ways very few parents ever could."
"I know. She died thinking I hated her." She said sadly. "But all we ever needed was the truth. It was a lie that killed her."
Walter looked at her in confusion. "I don't understand."
"Slade Wilson." She spat. "He was on that island with Oliver. And despises him for some reason." She revealed. "There was a psychopath in our lives and my brother never warned us about him."
"Thea, your brother loves you more than life itself." Walter told her.
Thea sighed. "You should keep that photo." She told him before turning and briskly walking out of the room.
Thea closed her eyes and swallowed. The beginnings of her own madness were now on display and, knowing now how it ended, she almost couldn't' bear to see it.
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver, Sara, Anatoly and Peter climbed one by one down the coning tower and into the hull of the submarine. They shined their lights around the darkened space, looking it over.
"This sub is over 60 years old. " Anatoly remarked.
"It was carrying the Mirakuru during the war when it ran aground." Sara revealed. They moved into the next compartment.
Peter's light caught something, and he fixed the beam onto it. "Blood." He said.
"Slade's." Oliver replied. "He was bleeding out, dying. Until we decided to give him the Mirakuru." He said with a sigh.
"Not one of your better ideas." Anatoly remarked.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time." Sara noted sadly.
"What about my idea for you to fix this sub?" Oliver asked hotly. "You were in the Navy."
"So of course he can fix a submarine." Tommy shook his head. "Seriously?"
"We were all about long shots." Sara replied.
"The Russian Navy." He shot back. "They taught us how to sink Japanese sub, not pilot them."
"Anatoly, please." He begged. "I know it's a long shot, but if we get this sub operational, we can blow Slade and the Mirakuru out of the water and get the hell off of this island. I mean, unless you have a better idea, this is our only chance of getting home."
Anatoly looked around and sighed. "Ok. I try." He said, moving to get to work.
Tommy grinned at Felicity. "Do you want to say it, or should I?"
"Do or do not, there is not try." Both Tommy and Felicity looked to Laurel in surprise. The lawyer shrugged. "What? I liked 'The Empire Strikes Back'."
"Actually, you liked Mark Hamill, if memory serves." Sara replied with a grin.
"I met him at a Con, once." Felicity revealed. "He was quite the joker."
PRESENT
The scene changed to the SCPD, where Lance was filling in a detective on the latest on the Wilson case. "No one has seen Slade Wilson since the night of the attack. I mean, he hasn't made any further threats on the Queen family, but we got to find this son of a—" he looked up to see Laurel walking in. "Excuse me." He told the detective, and then moved towards his daughter. "Hey."
"Missed you at the reception." She said.
Lance sighed. "Yeah. I had to get back here, see what was happening with the case."
"Any leads?" she asked.
"No. Wilson's a ghost." He said, disappointed. "He's not the only one who's disappeared. You heard from your sister?" he asked.
"Nothing apart from a text that she needed a change of scenery." She said.
"Something else on your mind?" he asked knowingly.
"It's Sebastian Blood." She said finally, pressing on despite his uncomfortable look. "There's something that doesn't seem right."
"Laurel…"
"Dad, I know what you're thinking." She said quickly. "When I accused him of killing his father, I was upset. But just because I had a problem doesn't mean I was wrong about Sebastian."
"Please, don't go down this road again, ok?" he begged. He looked at his daughter seriously. "What's bringing this on?" he asked.
"I saw him at the reception." She said. "And it struck me that the only reason that he's mayor now is because Moira was killed."
"Yeah, by Slade Wilson." Lance pointed out.
"What if there's a connection?" she asked. "You once told me, a cop is only as good as his gut. Well, I'm the daughter of a cop, and I know in my gut Sebastian is not the man that you think he is."
He sighed. "You sure? Baby, last time—"
"I was a drunk." She said bluntly. "And you were right not to trust me. But, Dad I need you to trust me now." She pleaded.
"I trust your gut a hell of a lot more when you're sober." Lance told his daughter.
"And maybe if I had been sober earlier, we could have taken down Blood before he had Moira killed." She replied.
"Here's to second chances." Diggle said with a smile.
The scene changed to the Mayor's office, where Blood was signing new legislation in front of the press.
"This legislation is the first step toward making Starling City the jewel that it once was." He said, signing the paper as the cameras flashed. "The jewel that it can be again." He smiled as he finished, and handed the papers to an aide to file.
His assistant came up to him and leaned in close. "Phone call for you, Mayor Blood." She told him as the press started filing out.
"I'm still getting used to people calling me that, Alyssa." He told her with a smile. "Please take a message."
"Don't get too used to it." Laurel growled.
"The caller insisted." She said. "He said he's your father."
Blood blinked. "That's impossible." He said incredulously. Then he shook his head. "Never mind. I'll take it." He told her. He picked up the phone and waited until the door closed and he was alone before connecting the call. "Hello?"
'Hello, Sebastian.' Slade Wilson said from the other end. 'I'm sorry to bother you. I just wanted to check in and see how your first day is going.'
"And now playing the role of Darth Vader…" Tommy said sarcastically.
"Wouldn't he be the Emperor?" Felicity asked.
Tommy thought for a moment. "Good point." he conceded.
"Very well, thank you." Blood replied. "But I'm a little busy right now, so if you'll allow me to call you back, I'll do that as soon as I can."
'No need.' Slade said. 'I'm sure you have quite a lot of business to attend to. You are the mayor now, after all. So get to work.' The implied threat made, Slade hung up. Blood shakily hung his phone up, glaring at the phone.
"I think he's starting to realize he's in over his head." Lance said.
"That's the thing about making a deal with the devil." Malcolm stated. "You never see the fine print until it's too late."
"Speaking from experience?" Lance asked.
Malcolm stared calmly back at the Detective. "Yes." He said simply.
The scene changed to the Lair. Diggle and Felicity were standing around the med table, where Roy lay, still sedated. Dig looked at the bag of snake venom and frowned.
"We're almost out of snake venom." He said worriedly.
"Seeing Roy like this reminds me of Barry." Felicity said. "And Barry reminds me of S.T.A.R. Labs. S.T.A.R. Labs reminds me of the Mirakuru cure that they're working on, which we could really use…right now."
"Yeah, especially since Isabel Rochev was clearly injected with the stuff." Dig said crossly.
"How do you know?" she asked.
"'Cause there's no other way she could be walking around after being shot dead-on with a nine-millimeter hollow point." He replied. They both sighed. "I've left about a dozen messages for Oliver about Isabel being back. No response. You have any luck finding him?" he asked.
"Tons." She said worriedly, heading to her computers. "All of it bad. There's been no activity on his passport, cell phone, or bank accounts- what's left of them, anyhow. And facial recognition hasn't spotted him in any airport, bus, or train station."
"Right." Dig said. "What about Sara?"
"Nothing either." She said. Diggle let out a long breath. "Dig, people don't just go missing like this, unless—"
"Don't go there, Felicity." He warned.
"What if she is?" Felicity asked worriedly. "What if Oliver is? Maybe the reason we can't find him is because—"
"He's alive, Felicity." He said sternly. "If he wasn't, Isabel Rochev wouldn't be so shy about rubbing it in our faces. Believe me, he's alive."
"A man like Oliver would know how to get off the grid if he really wanted too." Diggle told the hacker.
"So, how do you find someone who doesn't want to be found?" she asked.
"Well, I hope you have some way on how to find him, because I am running out of places to look and people to ask." She said.
Dig glared at the screen "I know who to ask." He growled.
The scene changed to A.R.G.U.S. Felicity and Diggle were led into Amanda Waller's office.
Felicity sighed. "Of course."
"Yeah, Amanda liked to keep tabs on Oliver." Roy said with disgust. "Always wanted to know where her asset was, in case she needed him again."
"Like he'd willingly work for her again?" Tommy scoffed.
Roy looked calmly back at Tommy. "She got him to go to Russia, didn't she?" he stated calmly. "Never underestimate Amanda Waller. Ever."
"Thanks for agreeing to see us." Diggle said.
Waller looked up at Diggle with an inscrutable look. "Mr. Diggle." She greeted coolly. "Thought I made it clear after our last meeting. As far as A.R.G.U.S. is concerned, you're out of favors."
"I'm not asking for myself, Amanda. I'm asking for everyone in Starling City." He said, moving closer to her desk. "I need you to find Oliver Queen." He said.
Shortly, they were led into the command room. As Amanda talked to one of her techs, Felicity was drooling over the computers.
"Dig." She whispered excitedly. "That computer's running an XK-15 processor."
"Felicity…"
"But that's not even supposed to exist yet." She stared at the computer hungrily. "I want one."
Tommy and Laurel snickered at her enthusiasm. Felicity glanced over at Thea, who was watching with a face set in stone.
"Let me know what you find." Waller told the tech, and then turned back to Dig and Felicity. "I don't have time to keep track of your friends, Mr. Diggle." She said. "We deal with more pressing issues here."
"You don't understand. Oliver's disappeared." Dig said urgently.
"Maybe he needs some time." She said sarcastically. "Or is it possible that the two of you simply haven't been looking in the right place? Did you try facial recognition?" Waller asked Felicity.
"Yes, I ran it three times." He replied, insulted that Waller thought she hadn't.
"Amanda, please." Dig said, taking her by the arm and leading her across the room to a quieter spot. "Slade Wilson has an army of men just like him." He revealed.
Waller looked at him sharply. "How many men have been exposed to the Mirakuru?" she demanded.
"Enough to lay waste to this city. We need to find Oliver right now." He said.
"I'll see what I can do." Waller agreed.
"Of course, she was already looking. But until you said something about Slade, she was trying to figure out what kind of concession she could wring out of you." Roy said to Diggle.
"You seem to hate her as much as Oliver clearly does." Dig noted.
Roy chuckled mirthlessly. "There was a time when I was an asset of hers as well." He said darkly. "I may respect her, but I have no great love for her. And I want you to know exactly who you'll be dealing with eventually when you get back.
The scene chanted to Verdant. Thea was talking to her new hostess as they came out of the stockroom and headed back down to the main floor.
"Have you heard from Sara?" Thea asked.
"No."
Thea sighed. "Can you just call Mandy and see if she can cover the bar?" she asked. The hostess moved off to make the call, and Thea looked up when the door opened. Her eyes narrowed when she saw who it was.
"Isabel Rochev." Isabel said in greeting.
Moira stiffened. Isabel had reason to hate Thea even more than Oliver, and she was jumped up on the miracle drug.
"I know who you are." Thea said tensely. "What can I do for you, Ms. Rochev?"
"I'm sorry for your loss, Thea." She began.
"Go fuck yourself, bitch." Thea snarled.
"Is that why you came here? Offer me your condolences?" The asked sarcastically, turning her back on the woman.
"My condolences, and to give you this." Isabel said, holding out a piece of paper. "It's a notice to vacate the premises." She continued with a small smile as Thea spun and angrily took the paper from her. "This club and the steel factory in which it's located are all assets of Queen Consolidated."
"No, you-you can't do this." She argued.
"It's already done." Isabel said sweetly.
"How long do I have?" Thea asked shakily after a long moment of silence.
"A couple days." Isabel said. Her work done, she turned and walked out, leaving Thea alone in what used to be her club.
"I am going to enjoy ruining that bitch." Felicity said. "Repeatedly. And publicly."
"Count me in." Thea said.
"And me." Moira added.
"Ah, hell. Let's all get involved." Lance said. As everyone looked at her in surprise, he shrugged. "That was pretty damn low, and she's evil. As long as we aren't killing her, I'm game."
The scene changed to the Mayor's office. As his staff worked busily outside, Blood sat in his office going over more paperwork as his assistant finished filling him on his messages. "Councilman Tyson is asking about dinner." Alyssa said.
"I already have plans tonight." Blood replied.
"Hi." He looked up to see Laurel standing there. "Excuse me, I didn't mean to barge in. It's just that nobody was at your front desk, so…"
"Laurel, of course. Please come in." Blood said with a smile. He looked up at Alyssa. "Give us a moment." He told her. She left the office and Blood stood to greet his guest. "Twice in two days. To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked happily.
"I wish I could say that this was pleasure, but it's about a case." She said, holding up a folder.
"I've barely moved in and people are already asking me for favors." He said with a smile. "I guess I really have arrived."
"You certainly have." She smiled in return.
Blood chuckled. "So tell me, how can I help you?"
"Murphy vs. Dunleavy. The states charged a real estate developer for turning away low-income tenants based on his so-called 'morality'."
"Albert Dunleavy." Malcolm scoffed. "He's swine. I'd be happy to help you with him, too." He told Laurel.
"As long as you aren't killing him." Laurel said apprehensively. "I'd probably take all the help I could get."
"Have a seat." He offered, taking the file from her and looking it over. "Let me guess. Our dear fair housing commissioner isn't willing to testify as your expert witness."
"Exactly." She replied. "And your predecessor wasn't willing to lean on him."
"Well, lucky for you, I'm not my predecessor." Blood said. "You know, this actually reminds me of one I had during my days as a community organizer."
"I was hoping that it would. I've seen dozens of cases like this at CNRI." She said.
"Well, it's a good thing we both remember where we came from." Blood noted. "I'm happy to help."
"Thank you." Laurel said, she rose and turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.
"Laurel," he started, "I'm really glad you got your job back at the DA's office. I look forward to us working together for a long time." He told her.
"As do I." she replied with a smile. She turned and left, the wireless bug she had planted under Blood's desk blinking as it activated.
"Clever girl." Malcolm noted with appreciation.
"I have my moments." She replied.
"My father is now getting along with my sort-of girlfriend." Tommy shook his head. "Just when I thought I've seen it all…"
The scene changed to the SCPD a short time later, where Kelton was accessing Blood's computer via the bug as Laurel and Lance looked on.
"Is it working?" Quentin asked.
"We're about to remote access the computer right now." Kelton said.
"I'll tell you this, if you ever get tired of practicing law, you'd make a pretty decent spy." Quentin said to Laurel, who smiled back at him.
"Or vigilante." Sara said with a wink.
"You guys have a warrant for this, right?" Kelton asked. At the looks they gave him, he rolled his eyes. "Just terrific. Could you at least tell me whose computer you bugged?" he asked. Then his computer beeped, and the seal of the Mayor of Starling City came up on his screen. He stared at it in disbelief. "You're kidding. I voted for him." He said.
"Yeah." Quentin said.
"I need to know if there's anything incriminating in Blood's files." Laurel said, leaning in.
Kelton sighed. "What the hell, this is a dead end job, anyway."
Roy winced. "He has no idea…."
He started typing, pulling up files. "This all looks pretty benign. Lots of policy papers, old documents transferred from his campaign office. Draft press releases…"
"Wait, wait, wait, click back." Laurel said urgently. Kelton did so, and Blood's press release on Moira's death came up. "For immediate release- my thoughts and prayers are with the Queen family in the aftermath of this unspeakable tragedy." Laurel read.
"So he worked up a press release after Moira was killed." Quentin said.
"No, he didn't. He wrote that the day before Moira died." Laurel stated.
"She's right." Kelton said in surprise. "Look at the timestamp."
Quentin bent over and looked at the screen. Sure enough, the date read the day before Moira Queen was killed. "Oh, my God." He whispered hoarsely.
"Sebastian knew Slade was going to kill her." Laurel realized. Finally, she had her proof.
"I hope it was a good statement, at least." Moira said crossly. "Especially since he had extra time to write it up."
"Mom…." Thea groaned.
"Sweetheart, if I don't joke about it, I'll go insane." She said simply, pulling her daughter in closer.
The scene changed to A.R.G.U.S. While Diggle and Felicity were waiting on word of Oliver, Felicity was multitasking by openly lusting after their computers.
"Is that the satellite frequency communicator TX50?" she asked one of the techs. "Can I touch it? I know that sounds a little weird and creepy, but I've never seen one in real life." She reached out to pet the base of the monitor.
This time, even Thea snickered. Moira, however, looked over her with an appraising eye.
"You know what that equipment is just by looking at it?" she asked.
Felicity shrugged. "I keep up to date with my technical journals. And I have a Pinterest page with computers and accessories I want." She added in a quieter voice.
"Well, at least we know what to get you for your birthday." Tommy quipped.
"It's classified equipment, Ms. Smoak." She jumped up when Waller spoke.
"You must feel very powerful. Knowing everything about everyone." Felicity told her. Then realizing who she was talking to, she added, "Not powerful in an evil dictator Stalin way. More of a knowledge is power, way."
Felicity was saved when one of Waller's agents approached. "Ma'am. We have something." He said, handing her a tablet. She looked over the information and sighed. "I should have known." She said.
"What?" Diggle asked.
"Oliver's at the lair from which he conducts his operations." She told them.
Felicity looked at her in confusion. "But we were just there." She said.
"Not that lair." She said with more than a bit of satisfaction. She handed Diggle the tablet. "His other one." Dig and Felicity stared down at Oliver's A.R.G.U.S. file, that included two addresses- his primary lair, and his secondary facility.
Diggle nodded. "Of course he'd have a secondary base of operations that he wouldn't tell us about."
"The only person with more secrets than Oliver is Waller." Roy remarked.
FIVE YEARS AGO
Oliver looked around as the lights in the sub came back on, courtesy of Anatoly.
"Like riding bicycle." Anatoly said as the sound of the power plant spinning up could be heard throughout the ship. "Underwater." He added.
Tommy shook his head in surprise. "I'll be damned."
He moved to the engine controls and pulled back the lever. A rumbling sound could be heard, but it sounded…wrong.
"What's that sound?" Sara asked.
Anatoly moved to the wheel and tried to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. "We're stuck." He grunted, letting go of the wheel in disappointment. "Like Japanese were."
"Submarines have torpedoes, right? Can we blast our way out?" Oliver suggested.
"Wouldn't that run the risk of blowing up the sub?" Thea wondered.
"It's a risk, but it's doable." Malcolm noted. "Provided there are any weapons left on board."
Anatoly grinned at him "I can see why you two are made for each other." He said, running over to the engineers station and grabbing a tube. "You like your explosions." He upended the tube on the navigation table, and an ancient set of blueprints slid out. He unrolled them and looked them over. "Chert voz'mi." he breathed.
"What?" Oliver asked.
"These are Kaiten torpedoes." He said. "Manually operated. Someone needs to steer from inside." He explained.
"Okay, but then, how do they get away from the explosion?" Oliver asked.
"They do not." Anatoly said sadly.
Tommy blinked. "What the hell kind of torpedo is that?" he exclaimed.
"You remember learning in school about how the Japanese would kamikaze planes into Allied ships in World War 2?" Diggle stated.
"Yeah…"
"It wasn't just planes they'd fly into ships."
Tommy shook his head. "Jesus Christ…"
"The Japanese preferred death to dishonor." Malcolm stated. "It may sound like lunacy to us—"
"And it is." Tommy added.
"— but to them, it was a part of their culture." Malcolm finished.
PRESENT
Diggle and Felicity made their way down into Oliver's secondary Lair cautiously. They looked around at the place- again it was underground, but unlike the lair it was all concrete pillars with low ceilings, a few practice target dummies, and a couple of tables for making arrows. It was lit by Chinese box lights set around in corners and on the floor. As they made their way deeper into the space, they found Oliver sitting on the floor, his back to a column. He was dressed in a suit, minus the jacket, and was staring off into space.
"Oliver." Diggle called out softly.
"How did you find me?" he asked, not looking at them.
"Waller." Diggle said.
"We were worried about you." Felicity said.
"After you missed your mother's funeral." Diggle added.
"I'm sorry that I didn't go." Oliver said. "I left for the cemetery. But I ended up here."
"Here is…" Felicity started.
"Here was a secondary facility in case the foundry was compromised." He revealed.
"Okay, stupid question." Felicity started. "Then why aren't we using it?"
"Probably because he couldn't fit the salmon ladder in there." Laurel suggested.
"But it became somewhere that I could just go and…" he sighed. "Be alone. She's dead because of me." He said.
Thea winced. She agreed with him, and then hated herself for agreeing.
Oliver slowly made his way to his feet. "Five years ago I could have cured Slade. And that would have prevented all of this. And now, all the people left that I care about, we are all in his crosshairs. It ends tonight." He said.
"How?" Felicity asked worriedly as Oliver picked up his jacket.
"I turn myself over to Slade." He revealed. "I end this vendetta."
"Oh, god…" Moira moaned.
"Oliver, you think this ends with you turning yourself over to Slade?" Diggle demanded.
"Yes, I do." Oliver replied somberly. "After she was gone… he told me that one more person had to die. And then it would end. This ends for Slade when he kills me."
Malcolm shook his head. "No, it wouldn't end. He'd still raze the city, just to spite his memory."
"I don't accept that." Felicity said tearfully. She walked up to him. "You shouldn't, either. You can't just accept things, Oliver. If I had accepted my life, I would be a cocktail waitress in Vegas like my mother, and I never would have gone to college, and I never would have moved a thousand miles away to work at Queen Consolidated, and I never would have believed some crazy guy in a hood when he told me I could be more than just some IT girl. Please don't do this." She begged.
Thea reached over Tommy and grasped Felicity's hand. The hacker gave it a small squeeze in return.
He looked at her sadly. "Felicity… someone once told me that the essence of heroism is to die so others can live."
"It's not that simple, Oliver." Diggle said.
Oliver looked at his friend. "Yes, it is. Slade's whole plan was to take everything from me. He did. He wins. All that's left is for me to die." He said.
"No, there has to be another way." Felicity said, taking his hand to stop him from walking out.
"There isn't." Oliver said, pulling away. He gently pulled his hand free of hers and limped out of the Lair.
The scene changed to what formerly was Queen Manor, though by now it had been foreclosed on by the bank. Inside the house, with sheets covering the furniture and the personal possessions all boxed up, Walter was trying to talk some sense into Thea.
"Thea, please. I understand you're upset. This is an emotional time for all of us." He was saying.
Thea sighed in annoyance. "I'm not being emotional. I'm…I'm an orphan! I'm a jobless and homeless orphan." She exclaimed. "There's nothing left for me here."
"I'm here." He reminded her.
Thea smiled sadly at him. "I thank you for that, but," she sighed. "Honestly, I need to start over."
He stared at her sadly, and then looked up in surprise as another figure walked slowly into the room "Oliver." He exclaimed. "We missed you at the funeral." He said.
"And the reception." Thea added in quiet disgust.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't be there." He said sincerely. "What's going on here?"
"Thea's thinking of leaving Starling City." Walter began.
Thea cut him off. "No, I am leaving." She said firmly.
"Walter, could I speak to my sister for a moment?" Oliver asked. Walter smiled and walked over to him, clasping him on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll have better luck." He said before taking his leave.
"Ollie, please. Just don't even try to convince me to stay." Thea said tiredly.
"I won't. I think it's a good idea. You should get as far from Starling City as you possibly can."Oliver said to her surprise. He smiled at her. "In our family, out of you, me, mom and dad, you are the best of us." He told her. "You have the purest heart. And I can't ever have you lose that." He said shakily. "Ok? You promise me?"
Thea closed her eyes tightly, fighting the tears as they streamed down her cheeks. Moira hugged her tightly and Tommy gently squeezed her arm in support.
"Ok." Thea said. Oliver slowly walked over and hugged her tightly. "I know that I haven't always been the best brother, or friend, or whatever you've needed me to be." He said, trying to hold in his emotions. "But there has not been a day since you were born where I didn't cherish having you as a sister."
"I'll, um, get in touch when I get settled somewhere." Thea told him, wiping away a tear. She awkwardly moved past him and out of the room, leaving him alone.
Thea was squeezing her hand so hard, her nails cut her palm. She paid no attention as thin rivulets of blood slowly seeped down her palm and onto her pants.
After a moment, he pulled out his phone and dialed Isabel. "It's Oliver." He said. "This ends now. I'll be at the pier, I'll be alone." He hung up the phone and left the house for the last time.
"Damn it, Ollie…" Laurel said worriedly.
FIVE YEARS AGO
"I'll do it."
Sara looked up at the fourth man in their group. "Peter, you'll die." She reminded him.
"I'm already dead." Peter said, pulling up his shirt to reveal the same burns that Ivo had. "Radiation poisoning. Ivo's little gift. He said he needed to find out if Mirakuru could cure cancer." He scoffed. "Guess we'll never find out."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Peter, I didn't know." Sara said sadly.
"Ivo said the essence of heroism is to die so that others can live." Peter said, looking at the other three. "I held on to that. It's the only thing that gave me hope. So I'll go." He smiled at them. "I mean, I may not be saving millions of lives, but I'll be saving yours."
Oliver nodded, silently thanking the man.
PRESENT
Oliver stood alone on the pier, looking at the dock where 'The Queen's Gambit' once sat. He was looking out over the harbor when he heard footsteps approaching. "This is where it all started." He said without turning around. "Got on the 'Queen's Gambit' right over there." He shook his head. "I should have died on that boat. If I had, none of this would have happened. I never would have met you. Shado. And my mother would still be alive." He let out a breath. "No one else is going to die because of me." He started to turn, and that was when the tranq dart hit him in the neck. He gasped out in surprise before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
"Just had to drag it out, didn't he?" Tommy said, seething.
Sara smirked. "Wait for it."
When he awoke, he found himself in familiar surroundings- the Lair, the first Lair, under the club. He looked up to see Felicity standing there nervously, then Diggle walking up to him. "Diggle, what the hell?" he started, and then froze as another person appeared. As his vision finally cleared from the drugs, he looked on in shock as Laurel stood there.
"Huh." Laurel said. "I should have seen that coming."
"Slade Wilson." She said. "He told me who you were."
Oliver jumped up from his chair. "Did he hurt you?" he demanded.
"No. He was trying to hurt you." She replied, walking over to the three vigilantes. "And when you went missing, I reached out- to your partners. They told me what you were planning on doing." She said.
"Damn, in the dark for almost two years, and she still gets us pegged in two weeks." Diggle said, shaking his head in amusement.
"It is kind of obvious, when you know what to look for." Laurel replied.
"It's what I have to do." Oliver said stubbornly.
Laurel turned to Dig and Felicity. "Will you give us a moment?" she asked. The other two headed off to the far end of the Lair, and Laurel approached the glass case with the familiar green leather costume. "You thought about telling me," she realized. "The night of the Undertaking."
"I thought about telling you almost every night." Oliver admitted.
"Why didn't you?" she asked, turning back to him. "Tommy knew. Didn't he?" she asked. "You were with him. You were with him at the end." She realized as well.
"His last words were about you." Oliver revealed. "He wanted to know if you were safe. Sorry I couldn't save him. And my mother." He took a breath. "But I can save you. And Thea. I can save the city if this ends tonight." He said firmly.
"No." she rushed over and hugged him hard. "No! You can't commit suicide, Ollie." She pulled back to look him in the eyes. "You won't do that to me. Or to Sara, or to your friends. Or to Thea. Oliver She just lost her mother. Losing you would destroy her." He told her.
"But she'll be alive." Oliver pointed out.
"What kind of living is that?" Thea asked hollowly.
"I don't know anything about hoods and masks or human weapons or any of this." She said. "But I know you. I know you like I know my own name. And I realize it may sound crazy in light of your secret, but I know who you are in your bones, Oliver. And that person- that person doesn't give up." She said firmly. "That person, he always finds a way."
"Not this time." Oliver said despondently.
"You're wrong." She said through the tears. "You want to protect the people who you love? Then the only way to do that is to stop Slade Wilson."
"Laurel, I can't!" he said angrily.
"Yes, you can! By stopping Sebastian Blood, because Sebastian is working with Slade Wilson." She revealed. He stepped back and looked at her in shock. "I have proof. Slade Wilson killed your mother so that Sebastian could become mayor."
"What can he do to stop him, though? Kill the Mayor?" Tommy shook his head. "That wouldn't end well."
"Maybe not kill him." Malcolm stated. "Maybe just use Blood to his own advantage."
"You were right about him." Oliver realized. He walked past her and looked out over the foundry. "The man in the skull mask works for Slade Wilson. And this entire time, it was Sebastian."
"What's happening is bigger than you and Slade." Laurel said, looking past Oliver at his bow. "This city needs the Arrow."
FIVE YEARS AGO
As Anatoly showed Peter how to operate the torpedo, Oliver led Sara over to the door to the bridge and handed her the radio.
"What's this for?" she asked.
"I don't want you to be in here." Oliver told her.
"No, I'm going to stay with you—" she began to argue.
"Sara." He cut her off. "If this doesn't work, I need you to be safe." He told her. "We will come for you when it's over." He promised.
"Ok." She agreed finally. She headed towards the conning tower, and Oliver walked over to Peter.
"No, don't split up!" Felicity cried. "Haven't you ever watched any horror movies? Splitting up is always bad."
"You're not wrong." Sara said wryly.
"Do you know how the torpedo works?" he asked.
"I get in, he fires, I steer, you pray." He replied.
Oliver sighed. "Peter, what you're doing is—"
"Practical." Peter said. "My time's already up."
"Brave." Oliver finished. "You need to know that. "And I don't think that I could do something like this."
"You have." Peter told him. "What you did for us- coming back to that boat, setting us free?"
"I came back to the boat because I want to go home." Oliver said with a self-deprecating grin. "I wasn't thinking about saving anybody. It's…It's not who I am."
"At least he's honest." Laurel said.
"Just not honest with himself." Sara added.
"Maybe not yet." Peter opined. He held out his hand, and Oliver shook it. Peter climbed into the torpedo tube, and Oliver closed and secured the hatch. He ran into the bridge.
"Launch?" Anatoly asked.
"Is Sara clear?" Oliver asked in reply.
"Yes."
"Yes." Anatoly fired the torpedo, then jumped up and braced himself against the navigator's table. Oliver ran to the periscope and tracked Peter as the torpedo shot forward out of the ship. About a mile out, it suddenly reversed course and headed right back at the ship, dipping low and slamming into the rocky outcropping the submarine was stuck on. The two men were thrown against the bulkhead as the ship was shaken free.
"Son of a bitch." Tommy said in admiration.
Sara smiled and glanced up. "Thanks Peter." She whispered.
PRESENT
Sebastian Blood walked into Mai Lee, a trendy new Asian restaurant for dinner, and greeted several of his constituents as they left for the evening "Hello. Good to see you." He told them. He looked back at his body man. "Clinton. You can wait in the car." He told him.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Clinton asked.
Blood smiled. "Nothing's going to happen to me here." He assured the man. Clinton turned and headed back to the elevator as Blood made his way through the dining room, greeting the diners and shaking their hands warmly. He stopped in surprise as he reached his table, and found Oliver Queen sitting there.
"Sebastian, may I join you for dinner?" he asked evenly.
"Would you like anything to drink?" Laurel asked sarcastically. "Coffee? Tea? Arsenic?"
At the elevator, the door opened and Clinton got in. Just as the door started to close, he heard someone call out.
"Hey, can you hold that?"
Annoyed, Clinton stopped the door for closing, just in time for Diggle to jump in. "Oh, thanks a lot, man, appreciate it." He said. He pressed a button, then looked at Clinton and smiled. Just as the doors closed, a thud could be heard.
Diggle chuckled, and Roy grinned at him. "You know, you have a thing about taking out people in elevators. It's like your super power."
"Good to know." Dig said with a grin in return.
When Clinton awoke, he was in the boiler room of the restaurant, tied to a chair with a bag over his head.
"Clinton Hogue. I have some questions for you." Diggle said, ripping the black bag off of his head. Clinton saw who it was and rolled his eyes.
"Go to hell." He spat.
"You sure that's how you want to play it?" Dig asked.
"You think I've never took a beating before?" he shot back.
Dig smirked and leaned in close. "Pal, you're going to wish I beat you." He whispered.
"Hi." Clinton looked to his right as a smiling Felicity came into view, a tablet in her hand. "I'll be your interrogator." She said.
Laurel and Tommy snorted in amusement, and even Thea's lips turned up into a grin.
Clinton scoffed. "Is this a joke?"
"Clinton Hogue." She began, reading off his personal information. "Social Security number 306003894."
"What the hell's this supposed to be?" he demanded.
"Oh, look at this." Felicity said, walking around the bound man. "You have a bank account in the Cayman Islands. Wow." She exclaimed, pulling up more info on her tablet. "$2 million, quite the little nest egg. But," she taped a button on the screen, and money was siphoned off. "Looks like you just approved a wire transfer of $1 million to a charity here in Starling City." She said as Clinton moaned. "Very generous. What should I do with the rest?" she asked.
"Greenpeace." Diggle suggested.
"Great cause!" Felicity said, transferring the money. "And they really appreciate the support."
"You bitch!" he spat.
"Bitch with WiFi." She corrected with a smile.
Everyone laughed. "Well played, Miss Smoak." Malcolm said in approval.
"I have the feeling the only reason you didn't do that to me was because of Oliver." Moira noted.
"Probably." Felicity agreed.
She tapped some more. "Hey, Clinton, looks like your mom and dad have a really nice retirement portfolio, too, but they, oh, no, are just about to make some really bad investments..." She warned.
"Ok, wait, just wait-just-stop!" he demanded. He sighed in defeat. "What do you want to know?"
Diggle chuckled. "Wow. That didn't take long at all." He said.
"Men like that are easy to break. Still, a very effective technique." Malcolm said.
The scene changed to the dining room. "I missed you at your mother's memorial service." Blood was saying. "I wanted to offer my condolences."
"You're the mayor." Oliver stated. "Congratulations. You've always wanted that."
"Believe me, Oliver, I wish it had happened a different way." Blood offered. "Your mother and I, we-we didn't agree on much. But we both wanted what was best for Starling City. I will help this city find its heart again, I promise you that." He said.
Oliver leaned in. "Do you really think that he will let that happen?" he asked. At Blood's confused look, he clarified. "Slade Wilson."
Blood looked at him in shock. "How do you know I've been working with Slade Wilson?" he asked.
"Because I'm the Arrow." Oliver revealed.
"Huh." Felicity said. "I did not see that coming."
"What's he doing?" Tommy wondered.
"He doesn't expect that Blood will be mayor for long." Malcolm said.
"Surely you don't think—" Moira started, but Malcolm shook his head.
"No, I suspect Slade would consider him a loose end and deal with him accordingly."
Blood scoffed. "Of course." He said, chuckling. "It all makes sense now. It was right in front of me. You came to my office and you shook my hand. You said that together, we can save this city."
"You think that there will be a city to be saved after you unleash Slade's Mirakuru army?" Oliver asked.
"They'll only cause enough damage to make the city ready." Blood replied.
"Ready for your leadership?' Oliver asked incredulously.
"For my vision of what this city could be." Blood said passionately. "A better city. And after the storm they're about to suffer, the people of Starling will support and follow me to that city."
"I wonder if he realizes how crazy he sounds." Malcolm wondered.
Tommy gave his father a look. "I wonder when you'll realize you had THE EXACT SAME PLAN." He pointed out sarcastically.
"Whatever Slade promised you, he will not deliver." Oliver warned. "He wants to hurt me. You are a pawn in a much larger game."
Blood sat back, unbelieving. "Slade promised me city hall. And he delivered. He makes good on his promises. I understand he made you a promise, too." Blood added. Oliver grasped the dinner knife hard in his hand. Blood noticed and smirked. "What are you going to do?" he asked. "You going to stab the mayor in a restaurant full of people?" he shook his head and rose. "It's a new day in Starling City, Oliver. And there's nothing you can do to stop it." He told him, pushing in his chair and walking out.
"Well, he's number two on my credit report ruining list." Felicity stated.
The scene changed to Queen Manor. Thea, a backpack filled with clothes and essentials, walked down to the foyer in the darkened mansion for the last time. She paused, looking around once more, when her phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. Seeing it was Walter, she chose to ignore the call, sending the phone's screen back to its home screen- a picture of her and Roy. Sighing sadly, Thea turned off the last light and walked out of the door.
"You know, I kind of miss that house." Roy said.
Thea looked at him in surprise. "Ollie never got it back?" she asked.
Roy laughed slightly. "Actually, a nutjob burned it down."
"Another one of Oliver's enemies that learned his identity?" Moira asked.
Roy shook his head. "No, the son of a man your husband laid off when he closed the steel mill." Moira winced.
The scene changed to the Lair. Oliver and Diggle were gearing up as Felicity pulled up plans on her computer. Laurel watched from the sidelines, amazed at the synchronicity of the team.
"Slade's men are taking the city tonight." Diggle told Oliver as he grabbed his bow.
"They can try." Oliver growled.
"There's more men than we thought, all on Mirakuru. It could be a massacre." Dig warned.
"Not if we get to them first." Oliver said. "We stick to the plan, no matter what."
"Slade's using the sewer system." Felicity said, studying the sewer plans. "You can drop in at Rock Avenue and then head southeast. The lines converge at Water Street. If Slade's army's underground, that's probably where he'll be."
"Good. Let's go." He said. "Diggle, you ready?"
"Never not." Dig said, zipping up his bag.
"I'm coming, too." Laurel said.
Oliver sighed and turned back to the lawyer. "No, you're not." He said firmly.
"Felicity can give me a radio. I'll just be your eyes and your ears." She offered quickly. "I'll stay out of your way, I promise. Nothing will happen to me."
"What if it did?" Oliver asked. "Slade's men, one on one, they are nearly impossible to stop. I need you to trust me. And I need you to be safe."
"But not them?" she remarked, looking at his team.
"This started with the three of us." Oliver said. "It's time we got back to that." The three turned and walked out of the Lair as Laurel turned and looked at the computer, the map of the sewer system still up.
"Three of them against an army of super soldiers? That sounds like a horrible idea." Thea noted.
"Well, just remember that Laurel wasn't a badass yet." Sara said with a smirk.
The scene changed to a large chamber in a service tunnel under Starling City. As Oliver moved quietly through the tunnels, Blood sat in the dark, preparing himself before finally donning his mask. He turned to face his army, all of whom wore masks as well- the familiar blue and gold mask of Deathstroke.
Laurel shuddered. "Creepy."
"Oh, yeah." Felicity agreed.
"Tonight we forge a new history." Blood called out. "Tonight we rise up as one and take back this city."
Outside the chamber, Oliver looked in through a grate. "I have eyes on Blood's army." He whispered over the comms.
"Got it." Felicity said from her seat in their tactical van. "I'm forwarding Dig your ping along with the foundation schematics of the Topside Avenue." She said, doing just that. "Follow the route I laid out on the blueprints. You'll see structural joints in the concrete. Blow them all and Blood gets buried."
A short distance away, Dig pulled out his phone and looked at the plans. "Got it." He said, and then began setting charges.
"Sure, blow up some more of The Glades. Why not." Tommy said drolly.
"Short of having the cure, that's about all they could do." Roy pointed out. "And it would be a good bet that some, if not all, of them could survive and dig themselves out."
"Wonderful."
The scene changed to the Starling City Train Station. As Thea stood in line, waiting to talk to the service rep, she glanced over at the TV. 'The market opened today at 400 points thanks in part to the surprise rally of Queen's Consolidated.' The anchor was saying. 'New leadership has investors excited about the company's future in spite of this recent tragedy.' She rolled her eyes in disgust as she walked up to the counter. "Um, excuse me, why can't I board my train?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, it's just business class right now." The rep said. "Coach will be boarding soon."
"Ok." Thea said with a sigh. This was a new experience for her.
Laurel smirked at the girl. "Welcome to my world."
Thea grunted in annoyance. "Sure wished I'd signed those papers now." She said.
The scene changed to the SCPD. Lance and Kelton were still investigating Blood when another officer led a suspect in to the squad room.
"Come on, pal." The officer said, leading him on.
Lance looked at the criminal in surprise. "Isn't that one of the Iron Heights escapees?" he asked.
"Dumbass here tried to rob a convenience store but gave up as soon as I pulled in." the office said happily. "Mind if I just stick him here for a minute?" he asked.
Lance shook his head. "No, go ahead." He said. The man was pushed into a seat, and he looked around the squad room surreptitiously.
Lance looked at the man in dread. "Oh, shit…."
The scene changed to the van. "I'm just asking here." Felicity said suddenly. "Oliver, you've worked really hard not to kill anymore. Dropping an entire block on these guys is murder. Manslaughter, at least." She pointed out.
"They're not men." Oliver whispered in reply. "Not anymore." He stood, and then a clomping noise drew his attention. He looked over to see a Soldier stomping quickly towards him. "Have Diggle blow the charges the moment he's ready." He ordered.
"Oliver?" she asked worriedly as Oliver drew an arrow and fired. The bolo tied the soldier's hand to a nearby pie and Oliver ran at him, launching forward leap kick just as the soldier broke free. The Solder was thrown backwards and landed with a thud, but quickly got back up. Oliver kicked him again, ending him back a step, but a third kick was caught and Oliver was spun around and thrown down the tunnel.
"Shit, get out of there, man!" Tommy urged.
In the chamber, Blood was wrapping up his Churchill speech from hell. "We will lead this city out of the darkness, and each one of you will help me." He exclaimed
Oliver quickly rose and took the fight to the soldier, expertly blocking his clumsy yet powerful punches and launching a few of his own. But they had little effect, and the soldier managed to land a hard shot into his chest, taking the wind out of him. Oliver fell to his knees, and the solder walked behind him, taking part of the wire still attached to his wrist and wrapping it around Oliver's throat. He drew back, strangling the hero-
But let go when Laurel came out of nowhere and whacked him on the back of the head with a pipe.
Lance looked at Laurel disbelievingly, then back to Sara, who shrugged. "Okay, so I was lying about not being a bad ass yet. Sue me."
The solder stood and turned to Laurel, unaffected by the hit, and started slowly stalking towards her as she back up, fearfully. The distraction was just what The Arrow needed, though, and fired and explosive arrow into the man's back. He stared at Laurel for a moment, and then shook his head. "Come on." He said, taking her hand and leading her away.
"Yes, yell at me later. Escape now." Laurel said to the screen.
On the street, Diggle was waiting to hear from Oliver before he blew the charges. "Oliver, where the hell are you?!" he whispered into the radio. Not receiving an answer, Diggle primed the detonator-
Then was knocked over by a powerful blow. He landed hard on his back, and he looked up in stunned disbelief.
Isabel Rochev, in leather armor and a partial mask that mirrored Slade's, drew two swords from sheaths on her back. "You killed me," she said with a twisted grin, "Let me return the favor."
"Well, it's official." Moira said. "Blood and Slade may be crazy, but this bitch is nuts."
"That is the most god-awful looking mask I have ever seen." Tommy said.
Diggle gave him a look. "Everything that's wrong with that picture, and it's the mask you're taking away from it?"
That bitch totally stole my look.
Roy rolled his eyes. "We know, Rose."
Still… it's not the worst helmet I've seen.
The scene changed to the SCPD. "Hey." The escapee said, getting Lance's and Kelton's attention. "You got the time?" he asked.
Automatically Kelton glanced at his watch. "It's, uh, 9:00." He said.
"Thanks." The man said with a grin, then easily broke his handcuffs and jumped up, grabbing Kelton by the throat with one hand and snapping his neck.
"Ah, hell." Lance moaned. "Come on, he was just a tech weenie!"
"You think they cared?" Sara asked.
Lance drew his gun, but the man quickly knocked it away. Lance punched the man, but all that did was seemingly piss him off. He advanced on the cop, grabbing him by the throat and pushing him back against the wall. Another cop grabbed him, but an elbow sent him flying, and the man grabbed a mask from under his coat and put it on. He threw Quentin across the room and then advanced on the other cops who were beginning to respond.
Laurel shook his head. "No one patted him down and found a big, plastic mask?"
"Your tax dollars at work." Tommy quipped.
The scene changed to the Train Station. As Thea sat, waiting to board, the man next to her looked over at the clock. Seeing it was 9:00, he stood and pulled out his own mask, putting it on. Approaching a guard, he broke the man's arm and yanked out his gun, firing it several times into the air and causing all the people in the station to run and scream in panic as Thea watched on, horrified.
Both Moira and Malcolm sat up straighter, terrified for their daughter.
Thea meanwhile watched with detached interest. While she knew it wouldn't happen, she couldn't help but hope the monster killed her.
Roy noticed the look in her eyes with worry.
The scene changed to the van, where Felicity was trying to raise Oliver. "Oliver, please." She muttered. Her phone rang and, seeing it was S.T.A.R. Labs, she answered it. "Cisco, now is really not a good time." She said worriedly.
"Unless that's about the cure, in which case it's a great time." Felicity said.
In the tunnels, Oliver was leading Laurel through the labyrinth when suddenly dozens of masked soldiers appeared behind them. "There." He said, leading her into a side chamber- which turned out to be a dead end.
"Ollie! There's too many of them!" Laurel cried. "We can't fight."
"We're not going to." The Arrow said, drawing an explosive arrow and firing it at the ceiling right in front of the soldiers. It exploded, sending tons of concrete pouring down on top of them.
"Not his best plan." Tommy said worriedly.
"Still probably better than the soldiers." Diggle said.
FIVE YEARS AGO
On the sub, the two men scrambled back to their feet. "Turn the wheel!" Anatoly yelled.
"What direction?" Oliver asked, jumping to the wheel.
"It does not matter. Just turn the wheel." Anatoly said.
Oliver grunted as he tried to turn the wheel, but it still wouldn't budge. "I can't!" he ground out.
Anatoly turned the engines on, and then helped Oliver on the wheel. "That is not an option!" he yelled. Suddenly, with the effort of both of them, the wheel turned.
"I got it!" Oliver cried happily. "We're moving!"
"Good, good!" Anatoly said.
Oliver grabbed the radio. "Sara, we did it." There was silence on the other end, "Sara?" he called out again.
From the other end, Sara' frantic voice called back. "Oliver!" she shouted in a panic.
"I should have stayed on the damn sub." Sara groused.
"What was that?" Lance asked worriedly.
"That was Slade and his goons grabbing me." She replied. "Bait for Oliver to get him back on the 'Amazo'."
PRESENT
On the darkened streets of Starling City, over 50 men in masks marched down the street, ready to burn the city to the ground.
"Dear god." Moira said, looking at the group of enhanced criminals with dread. "How on Earth can Oliver take on so many at once?"
"You'll see soon enough." Sara said with a grin. "I may have left, but I was always planning on coming back."
TBC
Author's Notes:
You know what the problem with Officer Lance is? They wrote him like he was still a detective at times. He's working cases, following up leads, running investigations… not something a patrol man would be doing.
Trivia time! Kaitan torpedoes were real, believe it or not. After this episode aired, I actually did research. The Japanese did utilize torpedoes like this at the end of the war, when they favored suicide over the dishonor of defeat.
AN: Mark Hamill played The Trickster James Jesse in both the original and current Flash series; and, of course, voiced The Joker for YEARS in the Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, Batman Beyond, and in various video games, only retiring from the role recently.
Something I forgot to mention last chapter- I've broken 1000 reviews! So thank you to everyone who takes the time to write something, even if that something is to ask for a new chapter faster!
Thank you all for the reviews- the kind, the not-so-kind, and the criticisms that helped me grow as an author. I truly do appreciate it.
I was seriously nervous about how the last chapter would be received. It's been a while since you all have seen a chapter of all original stuff….
One thing I need to address. In the last chapter, right before the memory of Oliver's death ended, I called Laurel Oliver's lover. That was a mistake on my part. I never meant to imply that Oliver and Laurel became lovers again right after his wife and unborn child was killed; when I wrote it, I meant for it to mean that they had once been lovers long ago. And I have gone back and edited the chapter to say they were just friends.
That being said, I had one over the top review that said, because of that sentence, they would no longer read this story. Well, if you are reading this, you have the explanation. And also if you are reading this: Dude, seriously?
Also, mad props to CG for giving me the idea of using the prayer. I'd thank you personally if you would JUST SIGN IN!
Seriously, dude. It's pissing me off. I would love to have constructive conversations with you.
Speaking of….
To the guest who was surprised that it was Dinah screaming in agony after Ollie's death- you missed it. She was unleashing her Canary Cry on Mia, not mourning.
Fun fact- this story has more written words than my ENTIRE Star Wars saga COMBINED.