Before we get started, let's take a moment to remember Toby Keith, who sadly passed away a few days ago. May he sing forever on the stage in the sky.

TW: Glad you enjoyed it.

Starling City

Night

"Where are we going?" Laurel asked from where she sat in the backseat with Sara and Sam as Diggle drove the car.

"Old SHIELD base on the edge of the city, it's where we've been operating out of for the last few weeks," Sam explained and it was silent for a moment.

"How did you know, Laurel? About me?" Sara asked finally.

"Slade Wilson. He came to my house, told me Ollie's secret after he let Thea go. From there, it was just a matter of putting the pieces together," Laurel explained before her phone rang. "It's Dad."

"Laurel, thank God. Are you safe?" Quentin asked upon her answering.

"I am now. I'm with Sara," Laurel said with a look at her sister.

"Good. Laurel, listen, I want you off the streets," Quentin said and Sara held out her hand for the phone, which Laurel gave her.

"Daddy, I'm taking Laurel to where The Arrow and I have been using as a base for the last few weeks. Laurel should be safe there."

"Good, that's good. Listen, whatever you two can do stop this, I hope you do it fast," Quentin said before hanging up.

"Dad knows too?" Laureled asked in surprise as Sara handed her phone back to her.

"About me, not about Ollie. It's a long story," Sara said awkwardly.

Across the city, in another truck, Wanda grimaced as the truck rocked as Steve drove, Felicity in the passenger seat while she, Natasha, Logan and Oliver took up the back.

"How you doing, kid?" Logan asked as they saw her pained expression.

"As okay as I can be with a bullet in my arm," Wanda said deadpanned.

"We'll get that out of you and stitch you up as soon as we can get back to base," Steve promised as he continued driving.

"Just under two miles to the bridge," Felicity said as Steve made a turn.

Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Upon seeing who it was, she passed it back to Oliver.

"It's for you," Felicity said as he saw 'Detective Lance' flash across the screen.

"What is it Detective?" Oliver said, activating his voice changing before answering.

"How can we help?" Quentin asked and Oliver frowned.

"We?"

"The Starling City Police Force is standing with you on this one," Quentin said, to Oliver's surprise.

"We need help containing the soldiers," Oliver said, putting his mind to the manner at hand. "We're working something and it may stop them but we need more time."

"We can do that," Quentin promised. "Whatever you're doing, good luck. For all our sakes."

"Last time you came to the Mansion, the police were gunning for you. Now they're offering to help," Logan noted in dark amusement as Oliver hung up and handed Felicity her phone back.

"It's amazing what the fear of death will do," Natasha said dryly.

"This is the only street that feeds into the bridge," Felicity said.

Barely had the words left her mouth when suddenly, a Mirakuru Soldier saw them and ran right at the van. Steve floored it, taking a hard right as she tried to lose him. But he kept pace as they flew down the road.

Up ahead, another one pushed a car out into the road. And with all the abandoned cars blocking the road, there wasn't anything Sara could do to avoid it.

"Hang on tight!" Steve shouted as he tried to swerve out of the way.

Unfortunately, there just wasn't any room. The two vehicles collided and the van flipped over on its side. Felicity hit her head on the dash, getting knocked out while everyone else in the back was violently slammed against the side.

"Everyone all right?" Steve called as he unbuckled himself, checking on Felicity.

"I think so," Oliver as he and Logan started pulling themselves up.

"Wanda? Wanda?" Natasha called out but the other woman didn't respond.

Worried, Natasha crawled over to where Wanda was lying and turned her head, started to see a large bruise on her temple and Wanda was out cold.

"Steve, Wanda's out," Natasha told and Steve almost swore.

"So is Felicity. We need to get out of here," Steve said uneasily.

With a single kick, Steve shattered the windshield before picking Felicity up, jumping out. Oliver and Natasha picked up Wanda and followed Steve out. Logan lingered, turning towards the back door and summoning his claws. The doors opened and Logan jumped out with a roar, slashing and cutting. The heads of the two Mirakuru soldiers fell in opposite directions to their bodies and Logan retracted his claws before walking around, joining the others as Oliver picked Wanda up bridal style, the group walking towards the direction of the bridge.

Bobbi was still in the chair, bound and unable to do anything, a Mirakuru Soldier standing guard. Even if she was at her best, which Bobbi knew she wasn't, Bobbi had doubts she'd be able to beat someone on Mirakuru if half of what Oliver had said about it was true.

Bobbi then heard some commotion outside before Isabel walked in, two Mirakuru Soldiers leading in the struggling Thea, Bobbi's eyes widening in horror and shock at the sight of the younger woman.

"Hope you're not lonely, Agent Morse, because I brought you some company," Isabel said smugly and Thea stilled at this. "Meet Oliver's baby sister. Thea, meet Oliver's lover from his time in SHIELD, Bobbi Morse. I'm sure you two will have so much to talk about."

Thea was quickly strapped into a seat that had been brought in earlier by Slade, bound before the Soldiers and Isabel left. But Bobbi was under no illusion that the place was unguarded.

"Did you see how many men they had when you brought in?" Bobbi asked as she looked over at Thea.

"Wasn't really paying attention, but aside from the three we just saw, I saw at least five more," Thea said, once getting over shock.

"We'll never get out of here, even if we can get out of these chairs. What's Slade's endgame though? Why bring us here?" Bobbi wondered and Thea remembered something.

"Slade had a message delivered to Ollie. He said that one more person had to die before all this could end," Thea said.

Bobbi was silent, paling as she then understood Slade's plan.

He was going to reenact Shado's death, except it would be her and Thea this time. He was going to make Oliver choose between saving her and his sister.

Former SHIELD base

Not long after

"Oh my God!"

The phrase had burst out of Laurel as she, Sara, Sam and Diggle had walked in to find Moira, Fury, Lyla and Kurt all lying on the ground, out cold, the reaction as much about finding them hurt as it was at the sight of Kurt.

"Lyla? Lyla!" Diggle had immediately rushed to Lyla, trying to wake her.

"Mrs. Queen? Mrs. Queen, wake up," Sara followed suit, trying to rouse Moira.

"Sara?" Moira asked drowsily as she woke before sitting up, eyes frantic. "Thea!"

"She's not here," Fury grumbled as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "Rochev must have gotten her."

"What are you talking about? What happened?" Sam demanded as Lyla woke up.

"Rochev woke up, the venom didn't work. And some of Slade's men were here. They wanted Thea," Lyla explained. "One more person has to die before all this can end."

"I think we know who that is now," Sara said softly as Moira paled.

"Thea," Moira almost whimpered.

Starling City

Not long after

"The cell phone GPS says he should be within a 500-foot radius," Felicity said as Oliver led his group down a highway, she and Wanda having woken up. "I'll call him."

Felicity dialed the number and, after a moment, the courier answered.

"Hey, where are you?"

"We're here. Where are you? Honk your horn," Felicity instructed.

"Cool. Hold on," he said they heard a car horn honk a few times. "Wait! I can see your feet. You're standing right outside my car."

"That's not us," Felicity said as she paled.

Then, they all heard a scream. Not just from the phone, but a few feet away. The group quickly rushed towards the source, Steve outrunning them all. In moments, they found the car. The courier was dead and the cure was missing.

"Shit," Logan swore.

A moment later, Oliver's phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was Sara and answered.

"Please tell me you have some good news," Oliver almost growled.

"I wish I did, Ollie. Something's happened…Slade has Thea," Sara said gently and Oliver knew Slade had won then.

Queen Consolidated

Later

Blood watched a news report on the attacks in Starling City, realizing Oliver had been right all along. He had thought himself the mastermind behind this, but he had been a pawn all along. His ego had merely blinded him to the truth. He was helpless to do anything to stop Slade.

"I believe you were looking for this," Batroc said smugly as he walked in, dropping the case on the desk Slade was sitting at.

"Yes, I was," Slade said before opening it, smiling at what was inside.

Blood looked out the window at the city, his city, and a plan began to form. It would most certainly be a death warrant once Slade knew. But he had no other choice if he wanted to stop this.

Former SHIELD base

Not long after

Oliver stood in the main room, where it was silent; saving for the sound of Natasha sewing up Wanda's wound after having extracted the bullet.

"There," Natasha said once she was finished. "Best we can do right now."

Wanda merely nodded, pulling her sleeve up as Felicity walked into the room.

"I just got off the phone with Cisco from Star Labs. That cure was all they had. And they used all the Mirakuru that we gave them, so they can't make more," Felicity said and Oliver sighed.

"And we can't stop Slade or his men without it," Oliver said in dismay.

"You can't give up, Oliver," Steve said immediately.

"I'm not giving up. I just…can't see a way to stop this, to save Thea without that cure," Oliver said, a feeling of hopelessness enveloping him. "This is my fault, all of it. Slade is doing this because of me. And Thea might…"

Oliver trailed off, looking away. Moira put a hand to her face, closing her eyes as she began to sob. For a moment, it was silent save for Moira's crying.

"Can I have a minute alone with Oliver?" Everyone turned to Laurel as she spoke. "Please."

After a moment, Fury nodded, walking over and, with surprising gentleness, leading Moira out of the room. One by one, the others followed until it was just Oliver and Laurel.

"You thought about telling me, the night of The Undertaking," Laurel said once they alone.

"I thought about telling you almost every night," Oliver admitted softly.

"Why didn't you?" Laurel asked and Oliver almost laughed.

"Look around, Laurel. This life…it seems to put everyone I care about in danger. Thea. You. My mother…Tommy," Oliver ranted and then it was silent.

"Tommy knew, didn't he?" Laurel realized, viewing their falling out last year with new eyes. "You were with him. You were with him at the end."

"His last words were about you," Oliver said softly. "Sorry I couldn't save him. I can't save anyone. Not my sister, not Tommy…not even myself."

"I don't know anything about hoods and masks or human weapons or any of this. 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. That person, he always finds a way," Laurel said passionately as she walked until she was standing right in front of him.

Laurel then wrapped him a fierce hug. After a few moments, Oliver returned the embrace.

In the kitchen area, Fury handed Moira some tea.

"It'll help calm your nerves. Drink," Fury said and Moira took it with shaking hands, taking a drink.

"Thank you," Moira said softly. "You've been at this a long time, haven't you?"

"I was recruited fresh out of high school. Signed up for the military. Someone else saw potential in me, the way I saw potential in your son," Fury explained and Moira nodded.

"Do you think we have a chance? To stop Slade, to save my daughter?" Moira asked bluntly.

"I've known your son for a while now. One thing I know…if there's a way to accomplish his mission, he'll find it. If there is a way to save Thea, Oliver will move heaven and earth to find it," Fury promised and it was silent.

"You care about Oliver," it was phrased as a question, but Moira said it as a statement.

"I see where your son gets his attention to detail," Fury said with a slight laugh. "I…never had children of my own. In my line of work, you never get too close to people. Never found the right woman, or if I did, never trusted her enough to let her in. So I guess Oliver is the closest thing I've ever had to a son of my own."

"I know my son, Nick. And I can tell, he thinks of you as a father figure," Moira said and Fury smiled tightly.

"Yeah, I know. Your son wears his heart on his sleeve, whether he think so or not," Fury told her.

Not long after, they all stood in the briefing room.

"Okay, so the cure is off the table. We need back up, now. Steve, Natasha, do you happen to know where Thor is?" Oliver asked.

"No, Thor left Earth not long after Sokovia on a fact finding mission," Natasha explained.

"And even if we did, we don't have a way to contact him. Thor usually just comes and goes as he pleases," Steve added.

"What about Stark?" Sara inquired.

"Last I heard from Tony, he was on a business trip in Brazil with Pepper. It'd take him at least a day to get here," Steve explained.

"Closest help would be the Mansion, and it would take Storm and anyone she can round up at least a few hours even by the Blackbird," Logan noted.

"So we're on our own, and out of luck," Diggle said with a heavy sigh.

As if in protest, there was the sound of a phone ringing. Felicity dug into her purse, surprised to see who it was.

"Oliver," Felicity said, handing it to him.

Accepting it, Oliver was stunned to see who was calling him.

"What do you want?" he asked sharply in answer.

"The same thing you do, Oliver. To save this city before it's too late," Blood said and Oliver almost laughed.

"It's already too late," he sneered.

"You were right about Slade Wilson. I should have listened to you. But I'm here now and I can help you," Blood promised.

"Why should I trust you?" Oliver demanded.

"Because, I have the Mirakuru Cure," Blood said as he walked into the elevator with it.

"How do we know this isn't a trap?" Laurel asked as Oliver prepared to leave.

"We don't. But we still need that cure," Natasha pointed out.

"And in the event it is, I'm not going alone. Steve, Natasha, with me. Kurt, Logan and Wanda, you stay outside the building in case this is a trap," Oliver ordered.

"Just try to come back safe," Felicity pleaded.

Oliver gave her a weak smile before he, Steve, Natasha, Logan, Wanda and Kurt headed out.

Starling City

Later

At City Hall, Oliver, Natasha and Steve walked through the dark halls, stepping over bodies on their way. Oliver recognized one as DA Spencer.

Finally, they entered the Mayor's office. Blood was standing by the window, holding his mask in hand.

"As a young boy, I was plagued by nightmares. Every night, I would wake up in a cold sweat, frightened and alone. It was my father's face that haunted me," Blood said before turning around to face them, holding up the mask. "And this is how I saw him. The embodiment of desperation and despair. I made this mask to conquer my fears. And remind myself why I fight, every day, to give this city's most desperate a chance. All I ever wanted to do was help people, Oliver."

"Help me believe. Where is the cure?" Oliver demanded.

"Slade Wilson will not rest until he honors the promise that he made you," Blood said as he walked over to his desk and set the mask down.

"I won't be so easy to kill once we level the playing field," Oliver said lowly.

"He's not interested in killing you," Blood said, surprising them all. "Not until he's taken away everything and everyone you love."

"He had a massager tell Oliver that one more person had to die before all this could end," Natasha noted and Blood nodded.

"Whoever Oliver loves most," Blood clarified.

"He already has them in his grasp," Oliver said lowly, thinking of Thea.

"Then I hope this can help you save them," Blood said before reaching down under his desk, Natasha training a gun on him before he reemerged with the STAR Labs briefcase. "For all our sakes."

Oliver accepted the case from Blood as Natasha lowered her gun. Finally, they had something that could tip the odds in their favor.

"And when this is over, I promise you I will do everything in my power to rebuild Starling City. And I won't just make it what it was. I will make it better. Like I always planned," Blood promised and got three looks of disbelief.

"Do you really think the people in Starling City will actually elect you?" Steve asked in disgust.

"Why not, Captain? No one knows that I've done anything except try to save this city. And this attack is again another tragedy brought about by the Queen Family. And if you tell anyone about my mask, I will tell them about yours," Blood threatened as he glanced at Oliver.

"You do what you have to, Sebastian," Oliver scoffed.

"I'd get out of here while you can. Slade will kill you once he finds out what you did," Natasha said before they all walked out.

"You know who I am," Bobbi noted as she and Thea sat in the empty room, just waiting.

"Yeah, I got the story before all this started," Thea nodded. "I'm sorry…for what you and my brother have gone through. What you lost."

"Thank you. Some days…it's like an open wound, one that will never heal. But I think we should try and figure a way out of here. If I know you're brother, he'll be looking high and low for you," Bobbi noted. "Once he finds us, he'll storm the castle looking for you. When that happens, we make our move."

Later, at Queen Consolidated, Slade was in Oliver's old office when the phone rang, Slade answering.

"Does he still have the cure?"

"He's not here, neither is the cure," Batroc informed him and Slade frowned.

"No matter. Cure or no cure, it's time to set the final phase of my plan into motion."

Former SHIELD base

Not long after

In the med bay, Felicity opened the case and stared at the multiple glass vials filled with blue liquid.

"Why does every secret formula have to be a color? Whatever happened to good, old-fashioned clear?" Felicity asked absently.

"So that's what's going to stop Slade's men?" Laurel asked as she got a look.

"In theory, injecting someone who has been affected by the Mirakuru should counteract the effects," Sara explained.

"Assuming they got the recipe right," Diggle added

"How do we know for sure though?" Logan asked skeptically.

"We don't," Oliver said with a sigh as he looked over at Roy. "We need to test it."

"On Roy?" Felicity asked horrified.

"We don't have any other choice," Steve said, looking like he swallowed a lemon.

"He is your friend. How can you use him this way?" Kurt asked horrified.

"Because we have to," Oliver said, hating it as much as they did but knowing there was no other option. "If we're wrong about this, Thea and everyone else in this city will be helpless against Slade's army. We have to know for sure."

"Sometimes, there are no good choices. But you still have to make it," Fury said grimly.

Sara and Sam walked over to Roy, disconnecting him from the IV as Oliver loaded a syringe with the cure. With a sigh, Oliver walked over to Roy, looking down at his student with pain and self-loathing.

"I'm sorry," Oliver said lowly.

Oliver prepared to inject Roy but the needle hovered over Roy's shoulder for a moment.

"Oliver," Moira said and Oliver sighed miserably.

"I can't," Oliver said helplessly as he put the syringe down.

Before the conversation could continue, Sara's phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw it was Quentin and answered.

"Daddy?"

"Are you near him?"

"Yes."

"Are you near a TV?"

"Yes."

"Turn it on," Quentin ordered.

Sara gestured to Felicity, who nodded, picking up her tablet and turned it on to a local news station. She held it up for all of them to see and they watched a news report on army vans rolling into the city.

"Those are ARGUS trucks," Lyla recognized.

"Call your boss. Then give me the phone," Fury told her, his face showing a dark look.

ARGUS base

Same time

Waller was keeping an eye on the progress of her mission before her phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw it was Lyla and answered.

"Nice of you to call, Agent Michaels."

"What the Hell are you doing?" Fury demanded and Waller chuckled.

"Nick Fury. I heard you were dead. But I guess I should have expected you would be alive," she taunted him.

"Why are your men blocking up the exits to Starling City?" Fury demanded.

"Why do you think? Slade Wilson and his followers are a clear and present danger. I cannot allow them to escape the city. They need to be contained… by any means necessary," Waller said. "There's a drone en route carrying six GBU/43-B bombs, enough fire power to level the city."

"And the half a million people trapped here?" Fury demanded.

"None of them deserve to die. But I have to think about the people in every city. What could happen to this country, this world, if I don't end this here and now?" Waller tried to justify.

"The ends justify the means. Alexander Pierce made that exact same argument to me almost two years ago. You would have fit right in with Hydra," Fury sneered angrily.

"You have until dawn. And then, Starling City is a crater," Waller said before hanging up.

Former SHIELD base

Same time

Fury angrily tossed the phone across the room, and it shattered as it hit a wall.

"Sorry," Fury told Lyla after a moment.

"So what do we do?" Wanda asked.

Before any of them could respond, Oliver's phone rang. Pulling it out, he saw it was an unknown number, a video message.

"Great, what now?" Felicity groaned.

Oliver answered and the video displayed. Oliver paled, seeing Bobbi strapped to a chair, Slade standing behind her.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out about her, kid? I must admit through, your Agent Morse is quite lovely," Slade said, laughing mockingly as he ran a finger over Bobbi's cheek and she sneered as she jerked away.

Oliver stood there for a moment, his heart beating as he watched the video. He was aware of the others trying to say something to him but he couldn't comprehend a word they were saying. Then, almost before he could process his own actions, Oliver picked up a syringe and jammed it into Roy's shoulder, injecting him with the cure.

We're in the endgame now.

Laurel is far from my favorite character and I'm not an Oliver/Laurel shipper, but I do really love her and Oliver's scene in 2x21. Honestly, Laurel really shines when she's acting as a support system for people like Oliver and her family.

Yes, Blood did survive this chapter because I hated how he got killed off; it was too clean an exit after all he'd done. But Blood will get what's coming to him.