Lian Yu

"I'm still not sure about this."

Laurel looked around, careful to make sure nobody was listening in too closely, before leaning forward to whisper back to Shado. "What choice do we have? He was going to kill all of us if I didn't make that deal."

"And what's to stop him from killing us anyway once he has what he wants?" Shado hissed back.

Her friend didn't say anything in response. Nothing. There was nothing stopping Ivo, and they both knew it. And they both had good enough instincts to know that was exactly what Ivo would do the moment the Mirakuru seemed certain to be in his grasp.

"Are we even sure this miracle drug will work?"

The younger woman shrugged helplessly, and glanced at Slade in worry. Their injured friend was leaning against a log, resting, so still that it was only the rise and fall of his chest that indicated he was still alive. He didn't have much time left. "We don't," Laurel admitted, turning back to Shado. "But we've got nothing else to lose."

Shado swallowed upon hearing those words and gave Slade a worried glance herself. Then she returned her gaze to Laurel and nodded in agreement. Before they could speak any more, Ivo announced it was time to move — they had all the supplies needed to make the trip.

"Time to prove your worth," he said to Laurel with a smirk as the pirates began to move. Laurel narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything in response — they both knew who had the power here, and it wasn't her. Instead, she went back to Slade and helped Shado pick him up so he could hang onto them using their shoulders. Hopefully, they would find the Mirakuru soon.

After that… well, they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

It wasn't long before they came across their first landmine. Laurel saw the slight raise of the land, the imprint that indicated one was there, and quickly called out a warning. When it looked like the pirate wasn't going to heed it, she hastily let go of Slade's arm and rushed forward, pulling the pirate away using the back of his shirt. She had to dodge a swing from his machete in the process.

"What is it?" Ivo asked, as Laurel held up her hands defensively.

Instead of answering, she slowly crouched down and picked up a small rock. She tossed it towards the landmine with moderate force, grateful the pirates had been smart enough to give the area a wide berth after she intervened, and watched as it struck the ground. A second later, the landmine blew, spraying dirt over all of them.

As the smoke subsided, Laurel gave Ivo a pointed look. The doctor gave a conceding nod, and gestured her forward. It seemed she would be leading the way now. Glancing back at Shado, whose expression was worried, if approving, Laurel inhaled a deep breath, and kept her eyes and ears peeled. If even one of the pirates died on their way to the Mirakuru, then it would be all their heads.

There were more landmines, and even the occasional booby trap. But even with those obstacles, they were making good time thanks to Laurel's, and occasionally Shado's, warnings. It wasn't long until they happened upon a small lake connected to the ocean — and the abandoned Japanese submarine that supposedly held their salvation.

Upon the sight of the submarine, the entire group stopped and stared, with Shado slowly walking up next to Laurel with the languishing Slade still on her shoulders. Ivo looked particularly entranced. Laurel gulped, and slid her hand into her pack, fingering the little backup plan she had stored there. She had a feeling she would need it soon.

"Thank you for helping bring us here," Ivo finally said, turning to them. He still had that wide, insincere smile on his face. "Because of that, I'll be sure to give the three of you a quick death."

Before the pirates began to raise their weapons, Laurel was already turning around, removing the trigger from the grenade she had kept in her bag throughout the trip. One of those little gifts that Fyers had left for them after his death. "NOW, SHADO!" she yelled. Had she looked back, she would've noticed her friend had already started running towards the sub with Slade in tow.

Laurel tossed the grenade towards Ivo, who scrambled away from both her and the sub the moment he realized what she was doing. The rest of the pirates followed, while Laurel ran in the opposite direction, towards Shado. The other woman had already wrenched the top of the submarine open, and Laurel soon joined her as they quickly loaded Slade inside, before slipping in themselves. The grenade finally detonated the moment Laurel closed the submarine door behind her.

"Lock it!" Shado ordered her as she found a comfortable place to set Slade down. "I'll try to find the Mirakuru." She started opening the medical cabinets, ruffling through all the near-ancient supplies inside.

Meanwhile, Laurel started twisting the wheel attached to the hatch with all her might, feeling a sense of satisfaction when she heard the telltale click of the mechanism locking into place. It wouldn't hold off Ivo and his men forever, but it would stand strong long enough for her and her friends to figure out a new plan when it was time for them to get off the sub.

"I found it!"

The American climbed down to meet with her friend, who opened a wooden box to reveal several syringes of green liquid. "I need to sterilize the needle," Shado decided. "Laurel, you get him comfortable. Open up his shirt. We'll need to inject it in a vein near his heart if this is going to work."

As the her Chinese counterpart headed towards an open surface and took out a lighter, Laurel went to Slade and began gently sitting him upright in a more comfortable position. "Laurel…" The man said quietly, stilted.

"Don't speak. You need to keep your energy," she said soothingly as she worked his vest.

"There's… something I need… to tell you…" Slade was rambling now. "Something… I should… have told you a long time ago…"

"Tell me later," Laurel told him, now unbuttoning his shirt.

He actually had to gall to laugh. "I'm dying, Laurel—"

It took all of Laurel's self-control not to rip his shirt apart. "No," Laurel said, her stubbornness coming through. "You are not dying. The Mirakuru will work. You'll heal up just fine, and all of us will be okay. The three of will then get off this island, together, alive. Like we always planned. Alright?"

"…Alright."

They didn't speak any further. Shado had finished sterilizing the needle and cooling it. "Keep him still, okay?" she told Laurel, crouching down to press against Slade's skin to find a vein. Finally, she found it, and pressed the tip of the needle against it. However, she didn't push just yet, instead flicking her gaze up to meet her dying friend's.

"Do it," Slade told her. It seemed he had resigned himself to the outcome, whatever it would be.

Shado slowly nodded, and pushed. The two women watched intently as the drug slowly left the syringe and entered their friend bloodstream with bated breath. Once all the Mirakuru was gone, Shado pulled the needle away and quickly pressed a bandage against the injection point. Then, Laurel and her just waited.

First, there was nothing.

And then, there was screaming. Slade roared to the empty air of the sub, tears of blood pouring down his face. He thrashed and seized as his friends did their best to settle him down. But nothing they did work — the fit continued on, seemingly forever. And then it just stopped, with Slade collapsing backwards, not moving at all. Completely unresponsive.

Laurel and Shado stared. Slowly, Shado pressed two fingers against Slade's neck, trying to feel his pulse. Even though she knew it was coming, Laurel couldn't hold back the choked sob when her now only friend sadly shook her head. The two women turned to each other and embraced, both in tears.

They didn't get to mourn for long. A suddenly clang! broke through their weeping, the sound reverberating throughout the entire submarine. It didn't take them long to figure out who it was. "Ivo," Laurel cursed.

"What are we going to do?" Shado asked her, glancing around the submarine in hopes of finding something that could help them. "He'll kill us for sure."

Laurel glanced back at Slade's dead body, biting her lip, before her gaze followed from him to something else: the box. "He's here for the Mirakuru," she reminded her companion. "We can use that as leverage to make him spare our lives."

"But if we just give it to him, then we'll have nothing."

Shado was right. Leverage was only useful if you had more than one piece of it. But maybe… "Shado, when you were looking through all the medicine cabinets, did you find any empty syringes?"

Her friend stared at her for a moment, confused, before her eyes lit up. "I did," she confirmed, already getting up to go find them. "What about the Mirakuru?"

"I've got a small box in my pack to store things," Laurel told her, quickly rifling inside her bag to find it. "I'll just dump everything out and keep the syringes there. Then you fill the empty ones with liquid and put them in the box so Ivo won't get suspicious. He won't realize what we've done until he gets back to his ship."

"He still might just kill us," Shado noted even as she went to comply with Laurel's instructions.

"Maybe," Laurel agreed. "But better to have a contingency, just in case."

Her friend hummed but didn't disagree. They rushed through their actions, with Laurel quickly emptying her box, somewhere where Ivo or his men wouldn't see the mess she left behind, while Shado started filling syringes. The Mirakuru was quickly transferred to the smaller box and then stored into Laurel's pack, while Shado filled the original box with the fakes. By the time they were done, the banging had gotten louder.

Finally, the submarine door was busted open. Ivo was there, along with two of his men. Laurel grasped the box of 'Mirakuru' like a lifeline, holding it in front of her chest while angling herself slightly in front of Shado. The doctor quickly zeroed in on her and the box, and smiled.

They were dragged out of the sub and into the charred clearing, still slightly smoking from the grenade Laurel had detonated. The moment the women touched the ground, they found themselves surrounding by the pirates. Ivo walked around them to stand at the head of the group, clasping his hands behind his back as he smiled placidly. "I'm sorry about your friend. I guess the Mirakuru didn't work on him?"

Both remained silent. Laurel's lip quivered, but she refused to let any of these men see her break. That's what Slade would've wanted her to do.

"Tell me something — why shouldn't I kill you both right now?" Ivo was speaking calmly, but one could practically hear the seething rage between his tranquil tone.

"Because of this," Laurel said, holding up the box. "It has what you want. I'll let you have it, as long as you let us go."

"You don't want it for yourselves?" He sounded surprised.

"It couldn't save Slade," Shado replied, gripping her bow. She had drawn it and notched an arrow the moment they had been surrounded. "It's useless to us now."

"I see." Ivo made a show of thinking it over. "Very well. I accept your offer. Now hand it over."

Laurel slowly stepped forward, holding out the box. The doctor snatched it away from her greedily, caressing it like it was some long-awaited treasure. Then he turn and began to walk away.

But the pirates didn't.

"Ivo!" Laurel shouted, confusion and desperation clear.

"Don't worry. I'm keeping my end of the deal. You two will get to live — my men haven't seen a woman in a long time, after all. The two of you are sure to provide them some much needed stress relief."

Bastard. Just like Fyers. Laurel drew out her knife as Shado began aiming her arrow. The two maneuvered themselves so they were standing back-to-back, facing their encroaching enemies and preparing to fight them off. Like hell was Laurel going let Ivo's men have their way with her or Shado. Not without a fight, at least.

Just as the first man was about to lunge, however, there was suddenly another clang and then a downright inhuman roar that echoed across the clearing. Every eye turned towards the submarine, where a very much alive Slade Wilson was standing, completely intact and all his injuries healed. Laurel and Shado stared up at him at shock and then in overwhelming joy as he descended upon the ground and began attacking the pirates.

He grabbed one of the men, twisting his arm before throwing him several feet away with insane strength. Another pirate tried to attack him from behind, only for Slade to dodge the blow easily and twist his neck, breaking it. After another pirate got a hand through his stomach, that's when it finally began to dawn on them how completely outgunned they were. The pirates turned tail and fled, following their employer, who had long since left the vicinity once he saw Slade's new super strength.

The Australian growled and made to follow them, only to stop when he heard Laurel's voice. "Slade?"

He turned around. Laurel and Shado stared at their friend in disbelief, before grins broke out on both their faces. "Slade!" They ran to their friend and jumped on him, initiating an impromptu group hug. "You're alive!"

"The Mirakuru worked!" Shado exclaimed, relieved.

Slade rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess it did. Just took a little bit to kickstart."

"Well, better late than never," Laurel proclaimed. She lifted her hand to the caress the side of Slade's now unmarred face. "Are you alright?"

Slade gently took her hand, his eyes bright and intense. "I'm fine, Laurel," he said. His gaze was completely focused on her, not that she noticed. "I promise."

Laurel beamed.

Starling City

"…so, Doug Miller is your recommended candidate for the position?"

"Yes," Moira confirmed, nodding. "He's the most qualified. Prior to joining Queen Consolidated, he was one of the leading scientific minds of LexCorp. He has more than enough scientific acumen to lead the Applied Sciences Division. I'm sure once you see his resume, you'll agree."

Walter Steele, the newly-minted CEO of Queen Consolidated, nodded. The duo moved onto another topic, going over status reports from the company and other proposals. By the time they had gotten through their agenda, over two hours had passed. Moira rolled her shoulders a bit as she got to her feet, stretching her arms and legs. A person was not meant to sit in an uncomfortable office chair for so long.

"Thank you, again, for all your hard work Walter," Moira told the man as he got up to walk her to his office door. "The company would not be managing as well as it had these last couple of months if it hadn't been for you."

"Your welcome, Moira, but again, I was only doing my job. Your gratitude is appreciated but unnecessary." He paused for a moment, and then began speaking again, this time much more familiarly. "I must admit, however, that I enjoyed our date earlier this week."

Moira blushed. "As did I," she admitted back.

The British native rubbed the back of his neck. "I do not want to rush you. It hasn't been a year since Robert's death, and I'm still mourning him, if not as much as you and your family have been. And I know our outing was just a way of you showing your gratitude. However, I must say that I wouldn't mind having another such outing with you." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "If you're fine with that, of course."

Her blush deepening, Moira gave Walter a small, tentative smile. "I am perfectly fine with that," the widow told him. "I greatly enjoy your company. However, I must ask that if we do end up embarking on a relationship, we should keep it a secret for now. Oliver did not react well to learning I was possibly dating again, and Thea might not react well to the idea of it either. It will take time for them to reconcile with the possibility of me being with someone other than their father."

"That is perfectly understandable," Walter said, nodding. "I would hate to make your children upset."

This only caused Moira's smile to widen. "Thank you, Walter." She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before heading to the door. Like the gentleman he was, Walter opened it for her, giving her a small wave that she returned as she exited the office. He then closed the door behind her, and then leaned against it with a wistful sigh.

Moira's good mood lasted up until she made it to Table Salt, whereupon she was reminded of her current situation. The real reason she had decided she didn't want to take up the position of CEO of Queen Consolidated. Putting on her best 'queenly' expression (pun unintended), she waited until her car came to a stop and her driver opened the door. She stepped out, inhaling a deep breath, before making her way towards the door, where the hostess was waiting for her.

Table Salt was one of Starling's high-end establishment, on par with the Palm. It provided tailored menus that catered to the city's elite and their refined palates, along with private dining rooms and five-star service. It was the kind of place where the rich and powerful brokered those unknown deals and arrangements that helped shaped the world into what it was today. Fitting, considering who she was meeting with.

Moira was guided to one of the private rooms, where her dining companion was already waiting: Malcolm Merlyn. Careful to keep her distaste hidden, she was seated across from Malcolm, offered a menu as her drink order was taken. As the waiter walked away and left the room, Moira gazed down at her menu, and began to speak. "It's done. I've impressed upon Walter that Doug Miller should be the new Director of Applied Sciences, and he's inclined to agree. I'm sure the announcement will be made soon."

"Good," Malcolm said, satisfied. "I'm glad that your claims were vindicated, Moira. Just because you are no longer the main custodian of the Queen fortune does not mean that you, and by extension Queen Consolidated, cannot serve Tempest as needed."

Moira flicked her eyes upwards. "It is as I said. Oliver is unlikely to take much interest in the company for the time being. He intends to go back to college for an undergraduate business degree, and then graduate school for an MBA, so he can prepare himself for a role there in the future. By the time he does, however, it'll be long after the Undertaking. Until then, all he'll do is inquire about the general prosperity of QC — there shouldn't be anything that will pique his interest to intervene personally."

Malcolm smiled. Moira hated that smile. "That is good to hear as well. And I'm glad Oliver is finally taking the initiative to make something of himself. I can only wish Tommy will one day do the same."

His expression then turned conniving. "Speaking of Tommy, I heard something interesting from him during our last talk. He said you might be dating again."

The Queen matriarch stiffened. "And what if I am? Will that be an issue?"

"Of course not. You are free to do whatever you wish with your personal life, as long as it doesn't interfere with the Undertaking."

"It won't."

Her tormentor (because that was what he was, no matter how much he tried to present himself as otherwise) looked please. "I'm glad. Keep up the good work, Moira. We wouldn't want anything to happen to Oliver or Thea, or perhaps your new boyfriend, would we?"

Moira swallowed, her mind briefly flashing to Walter. "No. We wouldn't," she agreed.

I like this chapter a lot because it shows how much Laurel has grown and changed during her time on Lian Yu. Instead of Slade or Shado taking charge, this time it's her turn to do so since she's the one matching wits with Ivo. Part of that is because with Slade injured and Shado caring for him, she's the only one with capacity to do so since she's primarily focused on protecting them while they're distracted. Another reason is because Laurel was planning on becoming lawyer before all this, so structuring arguments to attain her goals is something she's used to.

As for Slade, the reason why Laurel and Shado didn't panic at the sight of him is because they had no reason to, unlike Oliver and Sara. Laurel is the one Slade is in love with, and Laurel is very much alive so Shado doesn't run the risk of facing the brunt of Slade's rage. Not to mention, the guys he gimped were about to sexually assault them, so his super strength and brutal destruction were very much welcome.

Now, we get a look at how Moira's doing, and see that her relationship with Walter has started a bit earlier than it did in canon. Since Oliver didn't die with Robert, Moira didn't quite close herself off as much and had a relatively easier time moving on from her grief. The fact that she had two children to protect from Malcolm is a part of that. On the other hand, because Oliver is alive and home, Moira's relationship with Walter is being kept on the down low and moving at a slower pace because she doesn't want to upset him — and because she realizes if her relationship with Walter goes public, Malcolm will just have another hostage against her to use.

Next Chapter: Laurel and co. begin planning their attack on the Amazo.