Arrow War of Faith

by Dellore of VersatileCreativity

My name is -Error- with one goal, to save Star City. With -Error- Oliver Queen, out of jail and most of Team Arrow assembled, we fight to save Star City from those who would -Error- ...become someone else. Become something else. I am -Error- (Sequel to Arrow: Rise of the Vigilantes and Elseworlds: the Chosen).

4. Episode 4: Star City Slayer

Author's Notes: Hello Readers! My apologies that this chapter took so long to release. I actually had to put it on hold to focus on the other stuff that happened outside of writing fanfiction. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

---

Disclaimer: Based on characters and references owned by DC Universe and the CW, which I do not own. Enjoy!

---

My name is William Queen,

A man from the future

Who has come to the past with one goal,

To save Star City.

Last night, we have found and captured Chimera,

The future informant of the reformed Order of St. Dismas.

But in the process, new conflicts have been created

That may test my devotion to God and my calling to be someone else,

To be something else,

To being the Red Arrow.

---

Episode 4: Star City Slayer

---

Kullens awakens suddenly, surrounded by the darkness of his bedroom. He had a dream…no, a nightmare. He was back in his office, on the city council, still in Diaz's employ. He was just about to finish covering up one of the many illegal activities he had been involved. What it was, he could not remember. However, instead of the FBI barging down his door, it was the Green Arrow, bow at the ready and pointed at him, yelling his signature phrase.

"You have FAILED. THIS. CITY."

It has been a couple months since he has been out on bail for his involvement with Diaz. For the most part, it was fine. But now, everywhere he went, his name was thrown around as if it were poison. These days, he just kept to himself, only going out to get food or a drink. He, at least, got to keep his apartment and some money left over from his account. But nothing will let his past die.

If only the people of this city would understand that he what he did was to keep the criminal underworld in check. He had plans to backstab Diaz and he would have seen them through, if only the FBI hadn't shown up. Perhaps things would have been different. He would have kept some of the blood money Diaz gave him and none would have been the wiser, the compensation he deserved for cooking up a brilliant scheme. He would have taken all of the credit for taking down Diaz, put himself on top, if it weren't for Oliver Queen and his vigilante lackeys going to the FBI.

Still, the news that vigilantes were back, supported by a government organization like ARGUS, has been making him uneasy as of late. He can't sleep, always paranoid that the vigilantes will find something on him that would put him back in prison. If tonight's attack by Chimera says anything, it's that the Anti-Vigilante act is more likely to be repealed. His chances for reelection won't be down the drain, but more like forced down the toilet by a plunger.

I…I need a glass of water. Something to…

He tries to get up but finds that he cannot move. For some reason, his feet refuse to do what his brain tells them to. He can barely wiggle a toe. The same goes for his hands.

What…What's going on? Am I paralyzed?!

Suddenly, a shadow creeps up to his side. He can barely make it out, but it is either a very disfigured face or a gas mask.

Is that…is that my paralysis demon?!

The figure raises his hand over Kullens. Slowly, he lowers it onto his mouth, its gloved touch feeling so real. Kullens screams even though the cries are muffled beneath the hand.

Help me! Help me! He—

As he turns his head away, he feels something cold penetrate his neck, something sharp. He feels his throat unable to call upon any air, choking and gurgling on every attempt.

The figure's voice then whispers into his ear, "This is for Oliver Queen."

The cold steel knife then slashes across his neck, choking and gurgling twice as much as before. As he does, he can feel the slightest control of his hands and feet return, but it is for naught.

With his last dying breath, he thinks to himself, Damn…you…ALL.

---

The smell of freshly made pancakes fills the kitchen. Oliver flips them over, the golden, crisp, fluffy dough as radiant as the sun shining through the windows across the way. It's been a while since he has cooked anything like this, but it is clear that he hasn't lost his touch. It's also been so long since he smelled pancakes.

The only thing that offsets the mood is Felicity's frown. "Oliver, you've been punished by your parents. Right?"

"All the time."

"Then WHY are we giving Mia pancakes?"

"This is part of the process: treat her fairly so she's more receptive to whatever punishment we're about to give her."

"Right. And how many times has that worked for you?"

He thinks of all the times his parents would give him or Thea pancakes or a great feast for dinner whenever they got in trouble at school or did something around the house that they shouldn't. It worked a few times up until high school, when he got into a fight with his first paparazzi photographer.

He bit his lip a bit. "A…few times."

Felicity nods her head with narrow eyes. "Mhm."

Oliver sighs. "Look, I don't want Mia to think we're going to treat her like a hostile."

"She turned off her comm MID-mission, on her own mother!"

Oliver raises a hand. "I know! I know. But if we're going to do this, tensions should be low. We've had enough arguments to know where that leads."

Before Felicity can say anything more, Mia and Young William enter the room, just finishing a whispered conversation. Already, they look at their parents with concerned stares. They approach the small but wide table island slowly, cautiously. Mostly, they keep their eyes on Felicity, who changes to a fairly neutral, but still disappointing glare.

Oliver maintains a smile as his children approach. "Morning! I made you kids breakfast."

Mia slumps on her seat. "I'm not that hungry."

Young William chimes in very quickly, as if on reaction, "I can share."

Oliver flips the pancakes again, the other side fully cooked. "Alright. I hope you still like pancakes." Oliver loads up all of them onto a plate lays it down in front of them. "Go on. Dig in."

Younger William goes for the pancakes immediately, loading a couple on his plate and spreading the syrup on them. Mia, however, is hesitant. She does get a whiff of them, despite her insistence on her hunger. However, she squints her eyes, her lips slowly pursing.

Younger William, seeing this, asks, "Uh, is Connor going to be here?"

Oliver answers, "He's at your Aunt Thea's, something about getting her input on-"

"What is this?"

Mia's question grabs Oliver's attention. "What's what?"

"Dad, I disobeyed a direct order and you're giving us pancakes?"

Oliver, realizing that they haven't informed William on this, tries to tell him, "William, I think you should go—"

"She and I talked about it on the way here. There's nothing you have to hide from me."

Oliver sighs again, putting his hands on his hips. "Look, Mia. You DID do something rash."

"I did it because I needed to make a decision."

Felicity begins to argue, "You still shut your comm off—"

"Hey!" Oliver puts a hand up towards Felicity. "Let me handle this first."

Felicity lets out a frustrated breath, but nods.

Oliver clears his throat. "I get it. You thought you had to make a hard call. I've made them myself. But you DID have a choice. You could have listened to your mother. You may have been lucky and listened to Athena's advice, but that DOESN'T excuse you."

Mia closes her eyes, letting out a subtle breath from her nostrils. "Okay. I won't turn off comms and I'll listen to mom on the next mission."

Felicity nods. "You sure will, while helping around the house and not doing missions for a week."

Mia's eyes open fast and wide, as if she had been stabbed by an unexpected needle. "What?!"

Younger William, already having eaten his first pancake, drags his plate over to the side and eats it slowly.

Felicity continues, "I've seen how excited you are when ARGUS sends you into a mission or working with Captain Drake to stop a crime. It's basically sending you to a candy store."

Mia shoots out from her chair. "I do my best out there!"

"Well, you can do better! If that means doing family activities instead of dangerous missions, then so be it."

Mia looks to her father. "You're okay with this?!"

Oliver hesitates to answer at first, looking at Felicity with a bit of a distasteful frown. This was a call Felicity made on her own, without his consult. Still, he knows that he can't change her mind that easily and the punishment is harmless enough. He'll just have to go with it.

He looks to Mia. "Mia, I know this is unfair for you, but like I said, you are not excused. You have to take responsibility and accept your mother's punishment."

Mia's lips curl as she snarls. Without even saying anything more, she gets up from her seat and heads back to her room. Younger William starts to eat his pancakes at a normal rate again, letting out a sigh of relief.

Felicity concludes, "Well, she took that a lot better than I expected."

Oliver, however, is not satisfied. "You and I didn't agree on a suitable punishment."

"I thought long and hard about it, Oliver. This is me being affected, not you."

Oliver stares her down. "I thought we were supposed to be a team, making collaborative efforts."

"What would you have done? Huh?! What would have been your ultimate punishment for our daughter?"

"I would have made it with you!"

"Well, it's done.

"Felicity—"

"And it's final!"

Felicity walks away towards their room without even having her breakfast. Oliver leans his head back, breathing out a long, exasperated breath.

William tells him, "I advised Mia to be patient with you guys, but…I guess she couldn't take it."

"It's alright bud. There's nothing you could've done."

William finishes off his other pancake and then gets off his seat. "You guys can have the rest. I need to get going."

Oliver, noticing William wearing a jacket, asks, "You have somewhere you need to be?"

"Yeah, I promised Zoe I'd visit her when I came back."

"Zoe? Rene's daughter?"

"Uh, yeah. She and I met the first year at school at a study-group. She and I are just going to talk. We'll be at her dad's gym. It'll be fine."

Oliver does not object but is curious nonetheless about how much of a coincidence it is that they know each other.

Still uncertain, Oliver tells William, "Okay." As he heads to the door, Oliver remembers, "Just don't stay there too long. Your grandparents are visiting for dinner tonight."

"Okay!"

As William heads out the door, Oliver grasps the edge of the tabletop behind him and sighs again. "I guess I'm on my own to mediate all of this."

---

"You're kidding me!"

William, standing across from Thea and Roy on their couch, knew this would be her reaction.

"I know how this sounds, but—"

"Two weeks ago, Athena was trying to kill you in a duel to the death! Now you want to let her go?"

"To be under MY supervision. She's going to do EVERYTHING I say."

Thea shoots straight up. "And you're expecting me to just go along with this?"

"Aunt Thea, you saw just as all of us did how Athena reacted when caught in Christ's blood. You heard the regret in her voice at the temple. She helped us take down Chimera last night."

Thea flashes a rather bedeviled smirk. "Right! So she does one great thing and tells you God was in her head and automatically you and she are Catholic buddies."

"That's NOT how it works."

"Yet, you're giving her a free pass!"

"I'm not giving her a pass!" As frustrated as William is right now, he takes a calm breath, remembering that family drama has only led to disaster. "I am giving her the chance to prove herself. If she truly wants repentance, I will NOT deny her the chance."

Thea sits back down and rubs her eyes. Roy puts a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Still, William presses on, "I'm asking for your trust in me."

While rubbing Thea's shoulder, Roy responds, "We do Will. It's just hard to know what will happen when it comes to trusting ex-assassins like her."

William nods understandingly. "I've prepared countermeasures, if it comes to pass. I just hope it doesn't."

Suddenly, William's phone begins to chime. He takes it out of his pocket and checks, seeing a text from John.

"Lyla and I need to see you alone ASAP. Come to the morgue."

"I need to go."

As he puts his phone back in, Thea suddenly bursts out, "This isn't in our hands. So why even come to us?"

William answers honestly, "Because you deserve to know, even if Director Michaels thinks it unwise."

He takes a moment to see if anything else will be said. Though, Thea just looks at the floor and Roy continues to comfort her while giving him a slight but thankful nod.

With that out of the way, William leaves the apartment, glad he got the news out of the way.

---

As per usual, William sneaked in through the roof, donning his Red Arrow persona before heading in. Most of the staff knew him as such, so it was, ironically, his perfect cover. A few of them knew he was, in fact, the new Green Arrow before his father's return and the formation of Knightwatch, so he was treated as friendly for a lot of the times he collaborated with Curtis and John. Still, he wouldn't go through the front. He was still a vigilante spy, not an ARGUS employee.

As he made his way inside, He sees a relatively new yet welcoming face, Grant Wilson, waiting to greet him with a smile. "Good morning, Red Arrow."

Red Arrow gives him a friendly nod. "Grant. You're looking well, and in uniform."

Grant looks down at the grayish-black overalls he wears, which have the ARGUS symbol on the shoulder. "Yeah, it was a gift from Director Michaels. Speaking of whom, she told me to escort you to the morgue."

"Did she say why?"

"No, just that it was urgent that you get there. Follow me."

They head down the hallways at a brisk pace. They pass a few people who nod at Grant or give a "good morning," but he completely ignores them.

He doesn't seem to give them much attention. Either he's focused or he's hasn't done a lot to make friends here. It wouldn't hurt to find out which.

"I assume Lyla and John are helping you fit in here?"

Grant nods. "They sure are. They have me doing small stuff: janitorial duties, keeping inventory, among other things."

"What about the others here? Made any friends?"

"Honestly, I prefer to keep to myself. The Ninth Circle instilled a 'trust no one' mentality in me that I can't really shake off. There were no friends there, only colleagues with a common goal."

Typical.

"But I keep in contact with my father. I can't say where he is currently, but he says that he may be close to finding a lead on the Ninth Circle. From the tone of his voice, I think he may actually be enjoying it."

I wouldn't be surprised if working for ARGUS was a lot like his days in Australian Intelligence.

"What about your brother, Joey? Did you talk to him yet?"

Grant stopped in his tracks, frozen. "I…I don't really try to. When I think of it, I go back to the last time we saw each other, when I was in Australia for a sabotage mission. I don't think I'm ready to face him, not after trying to sabotage our old home country."

A lot like me with my mother before she died.

Sympathetic, Red Arrow tells Grant, "I get that all too well."

They continue walking all the way towards one of the lower levels. Here is where one would find the morgue. It's not unlike a police station's or a hospital's: cold slots filled with corpses, metal tables either body sized or small with precise instruments, ready to cut one of these dead bodies open. However, ARGUS is much more advanced, creating technologies that are able to dissect not just human bodies, but also metas or people affected by metas. Central City PD has similar tech on loan from STAR Labs, but ARGUS' is much farther along due to encounters not officially stated.

Waiting in the morgue as Red Arrow and Grant enter is John and Lyla, along with Dinah Drake and what can only be a corpse covered in a white sheet. John tries his best to hide it, but Red Arrow can see the slightly lowered eyebrows and somber stare. Something happened, something dire.

Given the grim circumstances, Dinah still gives Red Arrow a small grin. "Red Arrow."

He nods back. "Dinah."

Lyla looks to Grant. "You did well, Grant. Go ahead and get to your other duties."

Grant nods. "Yes ma'am." He looks at Red Arrow with a smile again. "Good to see you sir."

As Grant leaves and the door closes, Lyla motions to her own head. "You can take the mask off. The room's airtight."

Red Arrow does as asked, but keeps the hood and backup mask on his face in case someone were to walk in.

He then looks at the bulge under the cloth. "I'm guessing this has something to do with a case of yours Dinah?"

Dinah grabs the sheet by where the stomach would be. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

She pulls it back completely, revealing a man who looks to be a bit older than 40. He looks distinguished, given his kempt hair, but also decadent at some point, from his somewhat fatty weight. His throat has a singular cut, deep and savagely slit. His body is already slightly pale and the limbs and face look to be stiff.

Lyla then goes on to explain. "This man's name was Kullens, one of the corrupt city councilmen who was taken into custody by the FBI a year ago. He managed to get released about a couple months back, but he was killed last night just after the debate between Oliver and Mayor Pollard. We fear that both may not be a coincidence."

Red Arrow looks over the body, looking for any signs of handprints on the wrists, but nothing there. He looks for any on the torso or cuts on the feet, anything that would immobilize him. Still nothing.

"I don't see any signs of a struggle here."

Dinah nods in agreement. "That's what threw me off too. There's no signs of forced entry either and we can't find the weapon. So, the murder has to be someone Kullens trusted or—"

"Or someone with intimate knowledge of the apartment and the building. Probably one of the tenants."

"I already have a few officers questioning everybody on the floor. So far, we haven't found anything concrete."

"Well, I don't see how this problem leads to us. He was a corrupt politician, but we wouldn't do anything like this. Besides, we have alibies."

"Yes, but…" Dinah takes out a folded piece of paper in her hand and presents it to Red Arrow. "We found this."

Red Arrow takes it and opens the paper up. In a readable but unusual font, it reads, "This is for Oliver Queen."

Dinah continues, "We found it on Kullens' corpse."

Red Arrow asks, "How exactly did you get notified about this?"

"The cleaning maid. She came in to do the usual rounds and found Kullens like this."

Lyla then chimes in, "She never opened the letter, but if word gets out about a former corrupt politician killed in the name of a vigilante, we may have a crisis on our hands."

Red Arrow looks at the note in more detail. It is not the usual white print document, but rather a lined, more landscape shaped paper. The font is emboldened, as if the very letters were stamped onto the paper.

"This letter…it's been written via typewriter."

Lyla nods. "We noticed that too. What of it?"

"The only reason you would need a typewriter these days is if you're in a temporary setup or have very little to no money." He then looks to Dinah. "What kind of apartment did Kullens have?"

"Luxury."

Red Arrow then starts to deduce.

We have a typewritten note in a dead man's luxury apartment. There may be no sign of forced entry, but a lockpick or a stolen key can hide stuff like that. No struggle mean Kullens was paralyzed. Maybe by a drug.

Red Arrow approaches the body, his gloved hands surrounding the cut.

Lyla asks, "What are you doing?"

Red Arrow follows the cut, observing the edges very carefully as not to miss anything. Luckily, by the end of the streak, he sees a bit of something. He turns on detective vision. From it, he can highlight the tiniest edges made from a syringe poke.

"There you are."

The others gather around him, trying to see what it is that Red Arrow knows the naked eye cannot find so easily.

"The cut was deliberate, made to hide signs that Kullens was drugged."

Lyla shakes her head, amazed. "Our body scans couldn't find that."

"That's because you didn't know to look for it on imaging."

John adds, "We tested for drugs."

"For all known drugs. Our suspect's drug is one that can't easily be found through normal testing, something not on the market." Red Arrow gets up and removes his mask again. "Whoever our murder is…he's a professional. Most likely not one of the neighbors." He then turns to Dinah. "We need to find this guy and fast before word gets out."

She nods. "I'll get us there."

Before he can leave, Lyla puts a hand on Red Arrow's shoulder. "Not so fast. We need to talk. Alone."

Lyla has a neutral stare, but the hard grip on Red Arrow's shoulder, as he can see, tells him already that what she intends to say is either urgent or personal.

He then tells Dinah, "Ask the landlord and maid about any missing keys to the apartments and ask the officers on site if they've seen any typewriters during their search. Most likely, though, no one at the luxury apartment committed the crime."

Dinah nods. "I'll radio ahead and tell them to expect an ARGUS collaborator."

Dinah's farewell to Red Arrow, unlike others from the past, feels a bit more optimistic, as if she's looking forward to working with him again. He doesn't know why, but inside, he feels like they're actually bridging a gap.

"Did you two just get along?"

John's question after she leaves pretty much summed up the feeling. However, Red Arrow tries not to dwell on it.

"There's a first for everything, I guess." He says this even though, technically, this wasn't the first time they called on each other for help. It just feels like the first where they weren't doubting whether they could pull it off.

Still, Red Arrow steers the conversation back to business. "Is this about Athena?"

Lyla puts her hands on her hips. "Partially. We're still discussing how we can keep an eye on her."

"I told you I would be handling that."

"Even so, we need to cover every angle in case she goes rogue."

Red Arrow doesn't like the possibility of a military conglomerate like ARGUS interfering with his choices for their own satisfaction, even if it is under the Diggles. Still, it is something he can work around.

Lyla continues. "But there's something else. We interrogated Chimera last night and—"

The mere mention of the event sets Red Arrow off. "You interrogated him without me?"

John tries to assure him, "I know. We were supposed to let you help, but—"

Lyla interrupts, "But then we discovered that you have a personal history with him. Any actions you would've taken may be that of bias, and we couldn't risk it."

Red Arrow does not argue against that point. "Okay, that's a given. But he still would've said anything to turn any of us against each other. You can't trust everything he says."

Lyla crosses her arms. "So, it's not true that Rene becomes the future mayor and walls of the Glades from Star City to prevent its degradation?"

Red Arrow finds himself unable to say anything contrary. He will not lie on a whim, but he can talk around the truth. He always kept his talks with people brief and simple or, if they were long, kept them in a controlled area where the subject he wanted to speak on was at the center. There were exceptions, equivalent to the reading of Joshua when Rahab lied to the men of the king of the whereabouts of Joshua's spies. Still, he did so only if he had to and was not proud of those moments.

But he will not do so here, not when confronted with the truth, not in front of his father's friends. Instead, he remains silent, looking as tough as he possibly can.

However, John, his eyes widening, can see through it. "Oh my god! It's true?"

Red Arrow puts up an assuring hand. "It's just a possibility at this point."

Lyla stares him down. "You were supposed to have told us EVERYTHING about the future."

"I told you as much as you needed to know. Any more information and you would've—"

"You said we were the exception to ARGUS turning into a militant police-state, of Amanda Waller's vision fully realized, that we created Knightwatch to combat it. Yet, you didn't trust us with the fact that one of our own, a vigilante, becomes our enemy?!"

"I never said—"

John gets in between them, raising his arms to keep them at a fair distance. "Settle down!" He then looks to Red Arrow. "We get it, but we know now. If you want us to keep things the way they are, you need to tell us how Rene makes his impact on the future."

Red Arrow takes a moment to breathe, to think. He does not know why Noah revealed this information to them, possibly to drive a wedge between them. Luckily, they haven't done anything rash with this revelation, instead coming to him. It is still a coin toss as to what they will do with the full context, if Rene decides to run for mayor. He always accounted for it but took precautions for such a possibility. ARGUS trying to prevent it may just worsen things.

But now, without much choice, Red Arrow sighs and obliges. "Fine."

---

The first time I met Rene Ramirez was when I first came back to Star City, in 2040. I had just met you John, as well as Zoe, under your tutelage. We had just stumbled onto a big conspiracy involving Star City and we were going to see Rene, the mayor of the Glades, to warn him.

"Okay Will, remember. We're here to warn my dad about the impending bombings in Star City and persuade him into giving us the codes for Archer. I've tried multiple times to get him to help, but he won't budge. Maybe you, the son of the Green Arrow, can change that."

"It would be a lot easier if Roy were with us."

"Well, why isn't he?"

"…Reasons."

Walking through the Glades of 2040, I can tell you that it is nothing like what you are used to right now. It is so much cleaner, filled to the brim with tall skyscrapers and large, open areas. But it had caveats. Mostly, it was the upper class who constituted the population, with some middle class and few lower class. Not to mention everything was monitored and secured by a high-tech security system, with cameras and detectors, both metal and biometric, everywhere. The conditions of Star City mimicked that of the modern Glades by then. I suppose you can compare it to a Cyberpunk dystopia.

Still, it was that high tech security we needed to find Felicity, who, as I said before, was captured at the time. As we would discover, that was not the case.

Zoe led me into the government building, which was the highest building in all of the Glades. It was the nerve center for both government and the high-tech security, among other things. Rene's office was at the top, and it was there that I met him, giving a speech to the citizens of the Glades.

You would almost recognize Rene at the time. Same face, same stubble beard. However, he was somewhat more distinguished. This included a gray suit and a fuller set of hair. It took until his speech in front of prospective voters for me to recognize that it was him.

"I have kept the Glades running for more than 30 years, and I do not want to see what happens if I stop now. I believe that fresh blood is needed, but not until I know that the future of our city is set, that in the hands of another, the machine will still be running flawlessly. So, vote for me this year, for reelection, for just ONE year more, and I will make good on my ambitions."

From what Zoe told me, the Glades never had an election cycle until 2035. Rene won every one of them, not because of his skills as a politician or his drive for a better city, both of which he did have. Over the years, he made everything safe and cushy for those inside while restricting outside access and residence, for the sake of reducing crime or, unfortunately, to keep those committing crimes in a place where they could duck under the radar, those who knew how to exploit Rene and his goals.

Still, Rene was as good of a man then as he is now, and as good of a father. "Hey, Zoe. Where've you been?"

"Uh, just catching up with someone. You know—"

"William Clayton Queen! Of course." From the way he shook my hand alone, he was acting more like what you expect from a mayor: direct and polite. "It's good to see you."

"You too, Mr. Ramirez."

"Please, call me Rene. We're all friends. But…wow! Look at you. Nearly a spitting image of your father."

"I try to keep his legacy intact."

"I know. Reviving Queen Industries, merging with Wayne enterprises to further magnetic levitation and…looking into the past, was it?"

"All experimental tech, but yes. Very much under way."

"Good, because I know I'd like to see some of that. But tell me, what brings you back here after all these years? Business?"

"Of a kind."

It was when I broke the news to Rene that I saw how far he fell from his vigilante status.

"I came here looking for my stepmother, Felicity."

"Family reunion?"

"More like a call for help. I've followed the trail for a bit and discovered something…destructive."

"Something that poses a threat to the Glades?"

"No. Just Star City proper."

The shake of his head should have been my first clue. "Then I can't help you."

"Yes, you can. Zoe here says you have codes to use your security—"

"I said I CAN'T, as in it's NOT my problem."

Zoe had told me prior that her father had become more focused on the welfare of the Glades, that he left Star City alone, even though he was technically its leader as well. But his reluctance even surprised me.

"What do you mean 'not your problem?'" Star City is your home!"

"The GLADES are my home! Time and again, Star City refused to help us when we were down. I was there to pick up the pieces."

"And before that was my dad, the Green Arrow! He was from Star City but saved the Glades time and again. You would know because you fought alongside him."

"And what have we gotten done, besides beat the cr—locking up criminals? We never truly got to the root of the problem. When your dad was gone, when Diaz nearly burned the city down, I was one of the only ones to step up and survive, and that's because I took up the mayor's office after Polard royally screwed up! I'm not putting that hockey mask back on, William."

"I'm not asking you to. I'm simply asking you to help me find out who kidnapped my stepmother, to stop them from blowing Star City sky high."

Not even Zoe could really make him see past his stubbornness. "Dad, there was a time where you would've done anything for the city, the WHOLE city. William's simply asking you to do so again."

Still, in moments where he hesitated, I could see that he was considering it, probably even longing to do it. Wilddog hadn't been eradicated entirely. He still cared, not as much as he does now, but there were still hints of it on his face.

It was not enough for him to help us directly though. "Well, even if I wanted to help, Archer won't. It's been tailored to monitor the Glades. However, I know one other place that can help you."

"Where?"

---

"From there, Rene gave me directions to the Bunker, which they rebuilt, but not as thoroughly as we did a month ago. The computer still worked and it had the biggest monitoring system in the city, the precursor to Archer."

Lyla, listening with great interest, raises an eyebrow. "You keep mentioning Archer, but you never said what it was."

"It's an advanced security system, Felicity's design. With it, you could tap into the city's security systems, power grid, and anything else with little effort. It helped when Team Arrow was on the brink, but it was later repurposed and upgraded to bring order to the Glades. Think futuristic Orwellian."

After the whole explanation, John nods. "I see. This has been helpful William. But…if Rene is put in a position where he would want to become mayor, what then?"

"Well, I—"

"Director Michaels! Agent Diggle!"

Red Arrow recognizes the voice of Grant Wilson echoing just down the hall, becoming louder as he approaches. He presses a button on his emblem to make his mask reappear before Grant enters in a run, panting and panicking.

John asks, "What's wrong?"

"Captain Drake just came in."

"We know. She was here just—"

"No, I mean just now! She said she just found a note in her car that was similar to something you guys were looking at."

Upon hearing this, Red Arrow becomes concerned. "What did it say?"

"I think she said it was something like…Stay away from Oliver Queen."

Red Arrow turns to John and Lyla, whose expressions show the same fear that he admittedly is starting to feel.

That means whoever our killer is…he's not just going for those against the Green Arrow.

---

It was a rather slow day at the gym for Rene. Not a lot of students came in today and the few who are here are taking breaks, talking to each other about the day or the debate between Oliver and Polard that turned into a brawl against Chimera. That is, except for Zoe, who has been on the bag almost all day. Ever since Dinah gave her that pendant, she's been motivated to train harder, her punches getting faster. That's also extended to school, for both good and bad. She studies more regularly, but she also has a hard time tolerating her teachers who berate her for being born in the Glades, who suspect her of having violent tendencies. Zoe may call Dinah Aunt, but she's been more like a mother figure.

Luckily, she isn't alone. Young William came in a while ago, giving her a sparring partner more her age. Rene finds it almost amazing how much William has learned from a vigilante playing the billionaire philanthropist, especially a veteran vigilante such as Batman. They're nearly evenly matched. They are kids after all. However, William seems to counter her in almost everything. He even shows her a few kicks that he managed to get down in his age. Arguably, this is the first time Rene has ever seen his daughter happy around someone her age. That's not to say she doesn't have friends, but she never talks about them much, as if they were a secret society.

Rene feels that there is more he could do for her, for all the children and family and the Glades, something…drastic.

"Aunt Dinah!"

Rene's attention turns to the front door, seeing a smiling Dinah walk up to her. Alongside her is Older William, or Connor as they tend to call him now to spare some confusion when his young counterpart is around.

Zoe runs to Dinah, giving her a hug like she's part of the family, pulling her over and telling her about the moves Young William has been showing her. Dinah tries to detest, but Connor raises a hand, saying something about taking care of things himself. He nods at his younger self, a subtle hello to not draw attention to himself. Young William nods back, knowing that they must keep the fact that they know each other a secret.

As Connor enters the office, Rene stands up. "Hey. I didn't expect you to come around."

Connor answers, "Well, we've ran into an unusual case. We need to talk."

Rene looks out into the gym area, seeing William talk Zoe out of pestering Dinah further, even talking her into taking a quick break. Rene tells Connor, "Alright, but not here."

William and Zoe head out the side entrance, where the alleyway connected to their apartment building is. Dinah is walking towards them as Rene opens up the doors to the locker room. There will be no ears listening in on their conversation, as far as he knows. Besides, there was something he needed to get out of his personal locker.

As Dinah joins them, she comments, "Zoe was pretty eager to show me everything she's got."

Rene grins. "Well, she wants your approval."

They enter and pass the relatively small rows of lockers and benches. When he first opened this gym, nobody wanted to come in here. There was some leakage that was too expensive to repair, leading to wet and somewhat rotted wood, not to mention damp and slippery floors. Rene was able to fix it, but the pipes were so old that the repairs only lasted for so long. However, with the money Connor lent to him from Jason Stent, he made the locker room the first priority, switching out the pipes and benches, dry out the floors. Students now came in here occasionally, but only to put ice on bruises or store personal items. That and it has the only accessible bathroom.

As they reach Rene's locker, he asks, "Right. So, what brings you guys here?"

They hesitate, Connor making sure nobody is listening.

Dinah breaks the silence, asking, "Do you remember Kullens?"

Rene scoffs at the name. "Yeah. Corrupt councilman who helped break Star City and got out because of some fancy team of lawyers and has the stones to try and run for reelection. What about him?"

Again, Dinah hesitates. She looks back as well, and to her side.

Confused, Rene presses them, "What?"

Connor answers, "He's dead."

Even with his disdain for the guy, Rene finds the news surprising. "How?"

"Murdered. His body was found this morning and brought to ARGUS."

Rene then becomes more confused. "Why not send him to the morgue at SCPD?"

Dinah then takes back control of the conversation, "We found a note that may implicate a vigilante working on Oliver's behalf. That was until I found a similar note in my car telling me to stay away from him."

Connor then elaborates, "We believe whoever this maniac is may be targeting you as well. Did you receive any threats or run into any suspicious characters?"

Rene thinks, but does not recall anything like those, so he shrugs. "Not unless you count the bad guys we stop every night." He then starts to turn the dial on his locker. "Besides, what did we ever do to Oliver?"

"You did break off from his team, became a witness against him in his trial, and kept your head down for nearly six months."

"Okay, Diaz blackmailed me and I…" Rene finds it hard to refute the other two cases. "Besides that, we've been doing fine as a team these past few months." With the last number, he pulls on the circular lock, unclipping it from the handle and removing it from the slot. "Besides, it's not like the guy knows I did all—"

As Rene opens the locker door, he spots in the corner of his eye, a white, lined slip of paper on the inside of it. He looks at it with widened eyes, seeing the words "Stay away from Oliver Queen" in a very black font.

"What the—" Rene tears the note away and looks at it again. He looks around the room, seeing no visible spot on the walls, no crack to slip through. "I-I'm the only one who knows the combination to this lock! How could anyone find—" His eyes then fall to the only place for someone to hide, a door leading to the bathroom, currently pitch-black inside. "That…that can't be possible. I lock this place. Somebody would've noticed."

Connor chimes in, "The obsessive ones always find a way, even if it is improbable."

If he's after me, could he also be after…

He then turns to Connor, "Where's Zoe right now."

Connor closes his eyes, putting a couple fingers to his temple. "She's still with me, talking. They've ran into…" His eyes open fast, as if he just felt a knife pierce his flesh. "Oh no…"

Rene then gets worried. "What? Who is it?! Who'd they run into?"

---

William and Zoe exit the gym, feeling the cool breeze dry their sweat. The chill on Zoe's skin causes her to rub her arms. William, however, has his jacket on, but feels that Zoe needs it more than he does.

So, he takes it off and offers it to her. "Take it."

"You shouldn't—"

"We won't be out that long."

Zoe does not argue further, putting it around herself like a blanket. While William is a bit chilly, he toughs it out, as Bruce or his dad would. Maybe that's what he would do in the future.

He can see Zoe give a little smile. "Thanks for the sparring. It's tough to find someone my age to do it with."

William nods. "Yeah, I know the feeling."

"You're surprisingly good, by the way. Where'd you learn?"

William tells her, "When I was in witness protection, my mom allowed me to take MMA lessons. My teacher was a guy named Ted Grant."

Zoe looks at him with wide eyes. "The South Paw Boxer?"

"Yeah. You know him?"

"No, but my dad did. He's a HUGE fan."

What he told her wasn't exactly a lie. He swore to Bruce that he wouldn't use any knowledge he taught him outside of the manor, but what he showed Zoe was limited to his lessons with Ted Grant.

"Well, you seem to be a fan of Captain Drake."

Zoe nods. "Aunt Dinah's kind of an inspiration for me. She would come by the apartment, ask how I'm doing, show me a few things. Last time she came, she showed me how to do a roundhouse."

William gives an impressed grin. "Cool. Both the roundhouse and Captain Drake visiting, I mean. Not everyone can say a former vigilante comes by their home."

"My dad's a vigilante."

"Yeah, but he can't utter a sonic scream."

Zoe chuckles. "That would be a cool power."

Both of them are silent for a while, grinning but not saying much. The moment feels a bit tense, as if they probably want to say something, but don't know how to proceed. To be honest, William didn't know what else to say. He just wanted to hang out with one of the only two friends he made here in Star City, the other one being, ironically enough, his old bully Donny, who he saved during the whole incident with the city's power grid being hacked.

Zoe finally breaks the silence, "She's not just there for me. She's there for Dad too. They talk a lot, a lot more since that new Green Arrow or Red Arrow guy appeared. Before that, anytime they came together, they were either avoiding certain things or arguing. They disagreed over how justice should be dispensed, how things are in Star City…everything. Now, they'd actually talk about cases together, come up with results. She'd even stay to eat with us or watch some stuff with Dad while I sleep. Well, when they think I'm asleep."

William raises an eyebrow. "You mean they're dating?"

Zoe puts up her hands defensively, "Whoa! No, no, no! It's nothing like-"

"No, it sounds EXACTLY—"

"They're just good friends!"

"Sure, the type of friends who just binge a sports game all night long, one of them gets tired, and she leans on a guy's strong shoulder—"

Zoe crosses her arms. "Well, just to let you know, she never did that…after that one time where she did and my dad PLATONICALLY put an arm around her."

William nods amusingly. "And when exactly did they 'platonically' do this?"

Zoe hesitates, but finally answers frustratedly, "Last week."

William chuckles, telling her, "I forgot how worked up you can be."

"Well, I remember you being a lot more booksmart and st…silent."

William sighs, remembering those early years of school well. "I've met someone recently, a friend of my new guardian. He always says to be positive about stuff, even when times seem bleak. I thought I was just lightening the mood, you know. Right now it just feels…"

Zoe can't help but agree, "Yeah." After another moment of silence, she elaborates "Look, what I'm trying to say is…what if that's where we're going to be years from now? Are we going to be arguing about what the right way is or legal matters to each other?"

William shrugs. "Maybe. But I wouldn't let that destroy our friendship or something like that."

Zoe puts up one of her pinky fingers. "Promise?"

William can't help but give an amused smile. He can't remember anytime where he made a pinky promise. It always looked ridiculous to him.

Still, he wasn't going to say no to her. So, he took his pinky finger and wrapped it around hers.

"Promi—"

Without warning, William feels a strong force push against him. He falls to the cold ground, shielding his head with his arms. Whoever it is that collided with him fell as well, just across from them. He looks like a teen around William's age, but it is hard to identify him with the hoodie on.

William gets up to his knees and shakes his head. "Hey! Can you watch where you're—"

As the other kid gets up and faces him, William instantly recognizes his appearance, which expresses the same shock he is.

"Donnie?"

"William?"

Zoe also utters, "Donnie?"

Donnie turns to her, his agape mouth turning into a smile. "Zoe!" He turns back to William as he dusts off his own shoulder. "I'm so sorry, man. I didn't mean to—" He catches his breath, clearly flabbergasted. "I didn't think you came back."

"I, uh, just got back yesterday." William looks down the alleyway, seeing nothing chasing after Donnie. "What exactly were you running from just now?"

Donnie looks left and right, making sure they were alone. "Some new kid. He came to Star City as a transfer student, never said where from, but…"

Zoe walks up to him, concerned. "Donnie, don't tell me you tried to stand up to him on your own."

"Well, somebody had to!"

William stops Donnie, asking, "Who exactly are we talking about?!"

"Hey!"

From their left, a young, southern accent voice shouts to them. This one William recognizes all too well. Whatever initial questions he had about how they were found or how they didn't hear him coming might jolt down his spine, sending shivers but also hatred through his body. The three of them see the red-haired young boy, fists clenched and his eyes filled with pure maliciousness, at least that's how William always saw Noah, his school bully.

"I finally found you, you little—"

He stops as his eyes fall on William. His beastly snarl lightens up, becoming a sinister grin.

"Well, lookie here!"

William slowly blocks Donnie, becoming a human shield in case things get rough. "Noah."

"I never thought I'd see you again, Willie. You know, since you embarrassed me in front of our entire boarding school and all that."

William looks back at the others. "Stay back. I got this."

Noah punches and grinds his fist into his palm. "You have NO idea how long I've waited for revenge."

As much as William wanted to fight him, he keeps his anger in check. He knows he has to play it smart first. "Noah, you don't have to do this. Just walk away."

Noah dares to take a step forward. "Or what? You have this broadcasting to a news network this time? Or are you just going to punch me in the nose like you always try to do?"

Donnie reacted, "You punched him in the nose?!"

"He did! Damn well hurt the first time. Came in so fast that I couldn't see it coming. But I've learned to expect it. I'll be expecting it now."

As Noah takes another step, William pushes Donnie slightly and moves back along with him. "You're outnumbered three to one. You can't take on all of us at once."

Noah just chuckles disturbingly. "If you know anything about my uncle by now, you'd know that he showed me how to beat up lowly people like you. People who don't deserve the ground you walk on."

William can hear Donnie quiver, but not Zoe. He assumes she's standing her ground as he is. But his eyes are focused on Noah at all times, to make sure he doesn't charge in unexpectedly.

Seeing that talking him down is not an option, William warns him, "I know what kind of man he is, and what you're trying to do. This isn't going to work. Not here!" William gets into a kickboxing stance. "Last chance. Walk away or I'LL make you."

Noah smirks slyly, slowly walking towards him. "If you think you can take me on all by your—"

"Noah!"

Another voice echoes outside the alleyway, this one much older. It makes Noah stop in his tracks, his smirk fading away and his eyes bulging as if he has just been caught for a crime, which he almost did. The man behind him is a heavy guy with the same-colored hair as Noah, even if it is shorter. He can only assume this was Noah's dad, Mr. York.

Noah, upon hearing his name, turns around, acting all innocently. "Dad!"

Still, Mr. York lectured up a storm. "Where in the Sam Hell were you? You were supposed to be home 10 minutes ago."

Noah rushes to his dad, pointing to William and his friends. "I was coming back, but those kids made me lose track of the time."

Mr. York's gaze falls upon William in particular. He narrows his eyes, as if trying to find something distinguishable about him. He then walks over to the group, stopping in front of William, standing over them as if trying to look menacing.

"You're Oliver Queen's kid, aren't you?"

William does his best to remain calm, even if Mr. York's sheer presence is a bit intimidating. "Yes, sir."

"Were you causing trouble for my kid?"

As much as William wanted to tell on Noah, he knows from experience it would be of no use. "No, sir. We were just having a friendly disagreement."

Mr. York nods his head. "Well-tempered, unlike your father in Slabside. Keep it that way." He then walks away. "Come on, Noah. We're going home."

Before he gets far, William thought to ask, "How's Blackfire?"

Mr. York stops dead in his tracks. He only turns his head halfway back. "What?"

"Noah's uncle, Joseph Blackfire. How's he doing these days?"

Mr. York does not say a word. His parted lips and shallow breathing, however, tell William that he knows something. He's not as good of a detective as Bruce, but he has been taught what tells to find in certain conversations. Mr. York, after a little while of standing, just walks away and takes Noah with him.

As the Yorks leave, the doors bust open next to the group. Connor is running out, looking out into the alley and then outside of it to make sure there was no immediate danger. Mr. Ramirez came out as well, kneeling to Zoe and giving her a hug, asking her if she's okay. Zoe's asking questions of her own, but her father deflects, just saying that what matters is that she's okay.

From what just went down to the two of them storming in, William can already tell that things were becoming more dangerous than they were before.

---

In his cell, Noah lies on his bed, whistling to the responsorial stuck in his head, one preached by his uncle Joseph Blackfire when he was younger. Though, he could only really remember the refrain, making up the rest in his head. Those change overtime anyways.

Though, his head is having a hard time making up any lyrics at the moment because it is going through a phenomenon he has never experienced before: the formation of new memories. For him, they are like large ripples in a vast ocean of childhood memories, catching him, a passerby, in a wave big enough to crash him into the beach shore. He whistles to keep himself occupied and calm, making sure his trip to land is as soft as possible.

"Noah!"

Noah smirks, the voice of William, the prospect that got away, has come to give him something else to do. William is currently in his ridiculous superhero persona, minus the Prometheus inspired mask. The mask he is wearing hides his eyes under white lenses, but the subtle scowl of William's lips tells Noah that he is not too pleased to be talking to a former bully.

Still, Noah recites, "My God. My God. Why have you forsaken me?" He looks at William lightheartedly. "You recognize the tune? Christ's own final words to his father, our creator. So many people don't even ask anymore. Society always finds a way to give their spirits to the devil." He gets up from his bed and sits on the edge, legs stretched out and crossed. "I saw my younger self run into yours earlier today. You know, it's the strangest feeling. It's like—"

"Why did you tell Agent Diggle and Director Michaels about Rene?"

Noah chuckles, amused. "Well, take a wild guess."

William slams his fist onto the door, a humorous scare tactic. "I don't have time for games!"

Noah shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe I was being generous last night. Or maybe, just maybe…I wanted to give them the warning that you, for some reason, wouldn't. That good enough for you?"

Even with the white lenses covering William's eyes, Noah can tell from the way his face leans in that he is attempting to stare Noah down. "Kullens. You know who that is? a man who advocated for the anti-vigilante act. He was murdered the night you attacked the mayor and reporters!

Noah scoffs, "So?"

"Your younger self and your dad, the previous warden of Slabside, just happen to live in town. I find that hard to be a mere coincidence."

Noah scoffs again, amused. "Well, that's because my family lives here. Mom and Dad have been in Star City well before I was born. Besides, my dad knows nothing about the Order of St. Dismas or the Ninth Circle."

"Younger you does."

"My uncle wouldn't train me to be an assassin for another couple of years. Besides, what do I gain from killing someone who likes seeing vigilantes in jail? If anything, we'd be using them to our advantage."

"Then it's the Ninth Circle. Someone you know that uses drugs to paralyze his victims."

Noah chuckles again. "Look at you, grasping at straws again. Even if I kn—"

Wait. Did he say paralyzing drugs? Well, that sounds like—

"So, you do know who it is."

Noah didn't realize it, but his eyes widened instinctually when he realized what the description meant.

William leans in a bit closer, his hand against the wall. "Who is it? What's his name?"

Noah closes his lips tight and squeezes his eyes shut, letting in a sharp, frustrated inhalation through his nose.

Noah, you fool! You gave away too much. You're lucky you don't know anything more than uncle Blackfire told you.

Noah opens his eyes again, this time looking as neutral as possible. "I don't know who he is, only that my uncle sees potential in him."

"What DO you know?"

Noah chuckles again. "Even if I knew, you think you can trick me again into telling you? Besides, there's nothing you can do to stop us from inviting him into the family."

After a little while, William pushes away from the door and crosses his arms. "You know what Christ also said to God? 'I commend my spirit.' And to the penitent thief beforehand, you know what Christ told him? 'Today, you will be with me in paradise.'" He turns away. "Your founder may have taken the thief's name…but Dumas had strayed far from God's word, and his teachings have led you and your uncle astray."

As William walks away, Noah's new memories have integrated themselves into his minds. The ocean is calm now but expects new ripples. He lies back down and whistles again, but the tune is broken, out of key. Something in him becomes restless, thinking about what William said their founder, the thief once named Dumas, who reconciled and was reborn Dismas. Noah's teeth grind over his lower lip just thinking of the man who stood up against him as a kid, had the potential to be a St. Dismas apostle, lecturing him.

I need no lecture from the enemy. Especially not him!

---

Oliver finally reaches ARGUS, parking the car out front and dashing in. He rushes past the offices until he gets to Lyla's, finding her questioning William alongside Rene and Dinah.

"And he didn't say anything when you questioned him?"

William shakes his head. "He just froze for a bit and walked away. I wanted to poke further, but I—" As soon as he hears footsteps, he turns his head, his face expressing some surprise when seeing his father. "Dad?"

Seeing that William is unscathed, Oliver kneels down and hugs William. "Oh, bud! Are you alright?"

William, sounding rather smothered, tries to assure him, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay Dad."

Oliver pushes William away, still holding his arms. "I got the call from Mr. Diggle. What were you thinking, trying to get into a fight?"

"I wasn't. Noah was already chasing Donnie—"

"Noah? As in Noah York?"

William nods his head. "I was TRYING to tell him to walk away. I swear! Luckily, his dad was looking for him."

His dad?

"Mr. York was there?"

Lyla answers, "Your son asked him about Deacon Blackfire, but got nothing."

Oliver starts to stand up. "You think that he's got something to do with the Order of St. Dismas?"

"Unlikely."

Suddenly, Red Arrow's voice came booming in, entering in his full suit minus the first mask. "Apparently, his father has no knowledge of his involvement in the cult."

William raises an eyebrow. "How would we know that?"

Realizing that William has no knowledge of older Noah, aka Chimera, Oliver clears his throat and dismisses, "We'll talk about it later. Wait outside, okay?"

William nods and proceeds out into the hallway.

Though, Oliver can't help but sigh. "Can this day just get any more tense?"

Rene tells him, "Be careful what you ask for."

Lyla then asks, "I assume you've been brought up to speed?"

It then dawned on Oliver what exactly he really came here for. John called him about a murder, Kullens' murder to be exact. That, and messages being sent to members of Team Arrow to stay away from him. It wasn't until he was halfway there did Rene call him about William's predicament. Still, the whole situation feels sort of odd. It keeps poking at some part of his brain and he doesn't fully understand why.

Oliver nods. "Yeah, I did. I checked my mailbox before I left. No threats or notes for me or Felicity."

Lyla then takes something out of her pocket, a piece of paper. "John found this in ours. Same threat. I'm having him and Curtis collaborate with SCPD, see if they can find any previous cases similar to our predicament."

Oliver can't help but scratch his head, like there's an itch that he can't seem to scratch. "This…is unusual. But I can't help but think this is familiar somehow."

Rene states, "You've had your fair share of obsessive villains. What was that woman's name? Uh, Cupid?"

"Cupid would be making something like this public. This is someone who doesn't want to be known."

Red Arrow then states, "Not to mention this guy is more of a professional, and the Order of St. Dismas is looking to recruit him. At least, according to Noah. So, they're not involved in the murder."

Dinah then asks, "So, all we know is that he's obsessed with Oliver and he's a professional?"

Red Arrow adds, "We know that he managed to sneak into Kullens' apartment, drug him with an never before seen paralysis agent, and slit his throat in a way that disguised his needle poke. Any laymen could write it off as any of the neighbors, but you already…"

Wait!

Oliver suddenly tells Red Arrow, "Say that last part again."

Red Arrow, caught off guard, asks, "What?"

"You said that someone could have suspected the neighbours of the murder, that Kullens was slit in the throat?"

"Yeah, that's what I—"

Oliver turns to Lyla. "Do we have any records from Slabside prison?"

"We do."

Oliver heads to Lyla's desk. "We need to look up someone, prisoner #9922."

Lyla turns on her computer. They all join her and look over her shoulders as she enters a databank that compiles all of the relevant data on Slabside Penitentiary before its shutdown. Guards, employees, prisoners, floorplans, and more were stored on there. Lyla enters the number, finding the document with the familiar, bleak face Oliver hoped would never have to see again, the face of Stanley Dover. To his horror, the status for Stanley is marked as "Unknown."

Red Arrow, upon seeing Stanley's picture, leaned in close. "Holy crud! How did I forget about this guy?"

Oliver tilts his head down a bit. "That's Stanley for you. He knows how to look like the bystander or victim."

Rene is the one who asks, "Do we know this guy?"

Oliver explains, "He was a cellmate during my last couple of months in Slabside. He seemed innocent enough until I learned he framed Ben Turner for murdering a guard."

Red Arrow adds, "I looked this guy up before the whole Slabside riot. A whole chunk of history is missing except that when was found standing over a corpse. He never fled or resisted arrest, even admitted to being guilty. He let himself get caught to get to Dad."

Dinah leans up from the computer, her brow furrowing. "Let himself…get caught?"

Rene looks at her curiously. "What're you thinking?"

She points a finger to the computer screen. "I've heard of this guy before. In Central City, when I was undercover with Vince, he mentioned the first time he ever arrested someone who did the same thing: standing over the victim, no resisting arrest or trying to escape, admitting guilt. He thought it was too easy, unusual."

Oliver crosses his arms. "So, this isn't the first time he's been in jail."

Rene adds, "Which means you're not the first guy he's tried to get near."

Oliver then turns to Red Arrow, asking, "Did you find anything more when looking up Stanley's history."

"Only that he was born in Gotham City. Maybe our contacts there will know where to look."

Dinah suggests, "And I'll get into contact with Captain Singh. He'll have access to the CCPD database."

Lyla asks, "Will he allow you to see confidential records?"

"He will if he knows that an old friend is calling in a favor."

Oliver then volunteers, "I'll scout the city and see if—"

Lyla stands up from her seat and interrupts, "Actually, it's better if you remain at home for this one."

Red Arrow agrees, "The Director's right. If Stanley is behind this, he may be trying to lure you out. We can't take that chance."

Oliver puts both hands on his hips. He wants to object to these orders but knows that Red Arrow may be right. He is the primary target of interest. But he knows Stanley enough from their time in Slabside. He's psychotic, unpredictable.

Oliver asks, "What's stopping Stanley from harming me and my family?"

Lyla tells Oliver, "You have Felicity's new security system. She demonstrated it to me herself."

"That's not good enough! I need someone who can protect my family. Someone discreet."

Red Arrow, for some reason, subtly grins.

Lyla seems to notice, pointing an accusing finger. "Don't! If you suggest who I think you're going to—"

Oliver insists, "Lyla, I don't care who it is! If it's someone William trusts, then I trust in his decision."

Lyla's nostrils flair very subtly. Most likely, this isn't the first time William has brought this person up.

She looks to everyone else, their eyes glued to her and Red Arrow for an answer. She dismisses them with, "You can all leave. This is something Red Arrow and I have to discuss alone."

Even when frustrated with that answer, Oliver leaves along with the others. He has to get William home anyways. Still, he feels uneasy about going along with this, for his sake as well as his family's.

---

The elevator opened up, revealing a somewhat familiar sight to William, but all too nostalgic to John and Roy. They slowly entered and took a good look around, reminiscing on their time here in the Bunker.

William commented, "I used to think this place was so cool when I first entered. But it was a time I was angry at my dad, for not telling me he put the hood back on."

Now, It showed signs of decay. Vines entered through small cracks on the roof and overtook large portions of the walls. The lights above barely lit the room. All William could make out was the center platform, which hosted a series of powered down computer. He couldn't help but feel a little despair, seeing how crumbled and ruined everything was.

Zoe, who walked up next to him, stated, "It's seen better days." Still, she grinned. "At least it matches the city's atmosphere."

William, seeing her attempts to bring some positivity, grinned himself. "Yeah, I guess it does."

John walked past them. "Let's get to work. The computers should still be able to…"

Before he could finish, John collapsed to the floor. William and Zoe, on reaction, stepped back and readied themselves, on alert. Just then, another thud is heard behind them, both of them finding Roy face down on the floor in seconds.

William, with possibly only moments before he is knocked out, determined that there must be someone in the shadows, shooting tranquilizer darts. He remained stationary, blocking out any other sensory information except sound. At a short distance, William caught the wining whistle of an incoming dart and quickly caught it with his fingers and thumb. However, Zoe did not do the same, the dart lodging into her neck. She quickly succumbed, her eyes drifting and her legs giving way.

William's instinct was to grab her before she fell to soften her descent. However, he felt something hit him on his hip, from the same side the dart came from. As he caught himself, he looked and saw a man with dark skin and a black jacket, wielding two batons and charging at him again.

William quickly dodged a swing from the man's baton, who folloed it up quickly with a spinning swing. William slipped and rolled under it, using his momentum to perform a hook punch to the waist. With the man hunched over, William quickly performed a backfist, cross, elbow combo aimed at the man's cheek, disorienting him. He then grabbed one of the man's arms and disarmed one of the batons from the man's weakened grip. William then slips one hand under and over, grabbing the shoulder, while the other hand clenches behind the man's neck.

"STOP!"

As William was about to bring the man down for a knee to the face, a familiar voice yelled at him. Blackstar, the girl from the club, their potential suspect, was wielding a bow and arrow.

"Let him go or I'll put one in her leg first!"

She began pulling the string back, pointing her weapon at Zoe. William had a hard time telling whether she was bluffing or serious. Her glare and the tightness of the bow said yes. Yet, the use of tranquilizers first meant that she wanted him and the others alive. He wanted to call out a potential bluff. However, part of his judgement may have been skewed because he was also deeply concerned for Zoe, lying unconscious. He couldn't stand to let anything happen to one of the only friends he had in Star City.

When Blackstar tightened the bow string once more, ready to release the arrow, William conceded, "Wait!"

He pushed the man away and then put his hands up.

"You win. Just spare her…and the others."

A smirk formed on Blackstar's lips as she pointed the bow at him.

"Thanks for your cooperation, moneybags."

---

With the last corner of the floor vacuumed, the floor is now officially dust free. Though, Mia takes no enjoyment from it. Doing all these chores, vacuuming or wiping down the table, was not new to her. In her time, she cleaned up the house when her mom was on a business trip or, unknown to her, doing her bit as an informant for vigilantes. Still, it all feels tedious. She would rather be out in the field than facing mediocre punishments.

"Vacuuming's done!"

Felicity lays out the last of the kitchen ingredients for when Oliver gets here to cook the chili.

"And I have readied everything for when your father gets home, and with just…" Felicity looks at her phone just off to the side. "5 minutes until he gets here." She claps her hands together. "You see this? THIS is what happens when we have our roles to play, when we work together HARMONIOUSLY."

Mia just remains neutral with the pun, her mother's attempt at humor just as charming but also lackluster as in her time.

Felicity, however, does not get the memo, "You get it? It's a musical pun I learned."

"I get it. If there's nothing more, I'll be in my room."

As Mia starts to walk away, Felicity stops her, gently clutching her arms. "NOT just yet. Sit on the stool." Wanting to get this over with, Mia complies. "There's one last lesson I think you need to learn, and that's…communication."

That word. "Communication." It triggers something in Mia, something she left buried for a long time. She tried to forget about it with cage fighting, with being an informant, with the usual drinks that helped to ease the pain of constant fighting. But now, she has none of that.

Felicity raises her hands up defensively. "Now, I know we've been talking about some things, but I feel like we haven't had a real mother-to-daughter exchange, hence why we have some difficulty..."

Mother-to-daughter exchange?! An emotion starts to flood Mia, an emotion she always let out easily through the suffering of her opponents. She wants to punch something, anything.

"I think that if we knew each other a lot more, we could find some common ground…"

Common ground?

"…Trust each other's judgements…"

Trust?!

"Just establish a good old honest…"

HONEST?!

"You're one to talk!"

Mia's shout makes Felicity jump back. She finds that she can't hold her words back, nor does she want to.

"You think YOU'RE the expert in 'communication?' in honesty?! you have NEITHER of those things!"

Felicity shakes her head, regaining her composure. "W-what are you talking about? I've done nothing but support you and ensured your well-being. I was there to comfort you, along with your father, when you confessed that you gave up my location to the Ninth Circle. I've been hanging out with you whenever we could and bonding!"

Mia shoots up from her stool. "Maybe you're like this now! But in the years to come, when I was a kid…you kept telling me stories about Dad as the Green Arrow, how he got jailed, how he was released on a request from Star City, only to disappear after Diaz's damage was done. You told me that you didn't know where he was, that you were DONE with the vigilante lifestyle. Besides my self-defense training with Nyssa, I believed that my WHOLE life was normal, that we hung out in a small community of ex-agents like a normal family. Then I found out it was all a lie!"

Felicity's expression turns from shock to despair, her lip quivering.

Still, Mia continues, "You weren't done! You were STILL the same Overwatch you are right now, even when the whole country was hunting vigilantes, saying that they were criminals that brought about the destruction of Star City in the FIRST PLACE. And the worst part, when I found out…you just gave me excuses!" Mia points at her mother accusingly. "So you tell me who the HELL you think you are for saying I messed up by not communicating with you when YOU kept a secret from me for my entire life?!"

Felicity struggles to speak. Mia herself, after her outburst, starts to feel all the pent-up rage inside her fade. She should be satisfied, getting to say what she always wanted to say to her mother, in either time, how she felt about her character. She always wanted to say how fed up she was with the lies and deceit she had been told for years.

But she doesn't. Instead, Mia feels empty, hollow, like her little victory is nothing more than some symbolic gesture. It just intensifies even more, seeing the anguish on her mother's face. No. It's sympathy.

"Now entering, Green Arrow and William Clayton."

Hearing the security system welcoming her dad and brother in, Mia begins to bolt out of the living room, not wanting to be here anymore.

Her father, upon seeing her speed away, asks, "Mia, what's—"

She shrugs the hand he extends away with her shoulder and keeps going, ignoring his calls to her. As she gets closer to her room, she can feel the sliver of a tear dripping down her cheek, one which she didn't even feel produce. The empty feeling trumps everything else.

---

As Lucius Fox takes off the leggings of his Batwing outfit, he can hear his earpiece chime his cell's ringtone. He presses it quickly and then gets back to finishing his suit removal.

"Lucius Fox II of Wayne Enterprises."

"Luke Fox. This is a relatively new friend speaking."

Upon hearing the familiar voice of William Queen, the Red Arrow, Luke grins. "Our friend from the future. How are things going in Star City?"

"Bleak. There's a murderer in Star City with a fixation on my father."

Luke raises an eyebrow. "Don't you have one of those already? What was her name, Cupid or something?"

"This one's a born resident of Gotham City with a possible serial killer streak. I need your help digging up any information on a man named Stanley Dover."

Luke nods. "Give me a minute."

After removing the rest of the armor, Luke sits down in front of the still powered on supercomputer. He inserts the name "Stanley Dover" into the GCPD database. He comes up with a surprisingly thin dossier, nothing but his date of birth, previous occupations, family history, previous criminal charges, etc.

"A large chunk of his history is missing."

"That's what I found too. Is there anything else you can look up?"

"I have a couple of family names. Hold on."

As he looks up the father, William states, "That's right. I was going to look that up, but then the Slabside riot happened."

"I saw the news about that. Not a lot of details came up. You helped stop it?"

"Me, my father, and…someone unexpected."

"Still, stopping a whole riot against insurmountable odds? That's just-"

As he brings up the file for Dover Sr, something on the occupation line grabs his attention.

"Hello."

"What?"

"It looks like Dover Sr. was a doctor over at Arkham Asylum. Though, it doesn't say what department specifically."

"Can you get any more details?"

"Give me a sec."

Luke uses the back door into Arkham's servers, which aren't very airtight to begin with, and makes a quick search for Dr. Dover on their systems. The files he went into are both very cryptic and very scary.

"Holy Crap!"

"What do you have?"

"Dr. Dover wasn't just a doctor. He was a chemist. According to this, he helped develop myvacerium, a special kind of neurotoxin, one that would keep the patient awake. It was to perform surgeries that required patients to be conscious, but it was quickly canned over ethical concerns."

"Can it be detected in a drug test?"

"No. It's got high levels of magnesium to disguise it. However, it also decreases red blood cell levels. If you look for that pattern in somebody's blood, there's a sure chance they ingested it."

"I don't suppose Dr. Dover was fired over the use of the paralysis agent?"

"No. According to this, he was more than happy to let the project be shut down. Does that seem odd to you?"

There is a long pause on William's line.

"Officially, he never used the gas."

"Yeah, that's what it says."

"The only reason I would see for someone like him to happily stop his research is if he found another source of income or he found other test subjects outside of Arkham."

"Well, who could he…"

The possibility just hit Luke, his eyes drifting towards the picture in Stanley's file. The realization sends a shiver throughout his entire body.

He's almost speechless. "Oh…god."

"Yeah."

Luke catches his head with his hand. He lets out an exasperated breath as he rubs his forehead. "I get a lot of the staff became wackos, but…experimenting on his own children."

"Children?"

Luke manages to regain a bit of composure to explain, "Uh, yeah. Stanley had an older brother."

"The big brother syndrome."

That last bit confuses Luke a bit. "What?"

"Nevermind. Thanks Luke. If there's anything more you can find, it would be greatly appreciated."

Luke nods. "I'll contact you if I have any important info. Be careful out there Will. There's no telling how insane this guy is."

"I've dealt with worse, but thanks for the advice."

As he hears the beep of the phone signal being cut off, Luke rubs his eyes.

Why is it that every psycho we put in jail, another one takes its place?

---

"I'm just wrapping up here. I'll be home soon. Love you."

Captain Singh hangs up the phone with Rob. He tries to rub the tiredness from his eyes, exhausted from today's work. The paperwork is becoming more tedious, always flowing in even when it feels like he's done. Maybe it's because of the new appearances of Metas every year. Whatever it is, it's catching up with him more and more by the week. Still, he'll be glad to go back home to Rob, who helps him put the whole day behind him.

However, as he is about to shut off his computer, his phone starts to ring again. Singh lets out a sigh.

It never ends.

He picks up the phone, clearing his throat to make himself sound as professional as possible. "Captain Singh's Office."

"Hello Captain. It's been a long time."

Singh's sour mood lightens when he hears a familiar voice, one he hasn't heard from in a long while.

"Dinah. It certainly has been. How's life as SCPD's Captain?"

"Exhausting. I'm sure you'd know."

Singh chuckles. "Believe me, I do. So, what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I need a favor. There's someone I need information on, a possible murder suspect who was arrested by Vince a few years ago."

"Who?"

"Stanley Dover. I'd like every file you have on him, his victims, and his whereabouts sent to my office, by tonight if you can."

Singh nods. "I'll get my secretary to send everything she can find. And Dinah?"

"Yeah."

"I, uh…I saw the news yesterday, about you showing off your…abilities. Are you doing okay? Is Pollard threatening you in any way?"

"No. She's been silent since the whole incident. She may be shaken up or possibly reconsidering her position. Nobody really knows."

Singh sighs again, relieved but still concerned for Dinah. "Well, just know that you have my full support in case she tries to push you."

"Don't worry. I have backup over here if push comes to shove. Thanks anyways."

Singh grins. "No problem. And come visit sometime. It's been a while since we last met."

"I'll buy us a coffee at Jitters then. Thank you, Captain Singh."

"Anytime…Captain Drake."

Singh hangs up the phone and gets up to find the secretary and have her search the archives for this Stanly Dover. As he exits the office, he can't help but think, Still as confident as ever. It seems even time can't really change Dinah.

Break

Curtis places yet another box of files on top of the table and starts rummaging, just as he has done with the boxes of files beforehand. John and Nick do the same, looking as tired as he is. Understandable, given that the evidence room is just rows and rows of documents in boxes stacked against the walls. The only semblance of organization to all of this is the labels on each box from A-Z.

Curtis complains, "You'd think the SCPD would have these ported over to computers years ago."

Nick explains, "Yeah, well…there hasn't exactly been much time to do so, given we're understaffed and low on computer experts."

John then asks, "Which file did you say we were looking for again? Slayer?"

"Yeah. It's under 'S.' I know…got it!"

Nick pulls a file up from the box he was searching. From a first glance, it looks pretty small, at few pages at most.

The title on the tab is what catches Curtis' attention. "'Star City Slayer?'"

Nick nods. "That's the name I gave the guy."

He lays the folder open on the table. The documents themselves detail two victims, both names that Curtis and John recognize to be politicians on the city council that supported the Anti-Vigilante Act. Included with their identities are full autopsy reports: blood samples, time and cause of death, etc.

Nick explains, "Both of these guys were killed in the same way as Kullens: throats slashed, didn't put up a fight. Nobody in the precinct raised an eye, not even the captain. The murderers were only a couple of weeks apart. But I had my suspicions, and it turns out they were correct."

Curtis nods at him. "Nice work Nick."

John, however, points out, "This doesn't get us any closer to finding out who committed these murders."

"We actually might!"

Suddenly, Dinah comes rushing through the door into the evidence room, presenting a photo on her phone of a short, scarred but seemingly innocent looking man.

"This man, Stanley Dover. He may be responsible for the murders."

Upon hearing the name, Nick raises a finger to the picture. "Stanley Dover…I think I just glimpsed over that file. Hold on!"

He looks through the files in the box one last time, finding and taking out a file labeled "Stanley Dover." This one is even smaller than the "Star City Slayer" one, only two pages long, which includes a victim's autopsy report.

Nick looks through it, giving a curious look. "That's odd. There's not a lot on this guy. The only thing of significance I can see is that he was arrested—"

Dinah interrupts, "Standing over a dead body with a murder weapon. Right?"

Nick slowly nods. "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

Dinah nods herself. "This is just what we need." She closes up both files and takes them. "We need to get back to the bunker." She then turns her attention to Nick. "And Lieutenant, remind me to give you a raise when this is all over."

Nick gives an unabashed smile. "Yes Captain!"

---

After skimming through all the files, Emiko lays them in front of the supercomputer in the Bunker, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oliver's old cell mate, this guy…is a professional killer?"

Red Arrow tells her, "According to these files, the murders Stanley got caught for were homeless, same M.O. as Kullens and the others, along with high magnesium and low red blood cell count. All the evidence points towards him committing these murders."

Curtis looks at the files with gloomy eyes. "Yeah, but…" He lets out a heavy sigh. "To be driven to kill because he had cruel parents. It's no wonder this guy is so attached to Oliver."

John intervenes, "Regardless, this guy needs to be stopped. The problem is we still don't know where he may be hiding or if he's still in Star City."

Dinah asks Emiko, "Would you know? Maybe the Ninth Circle mentioned something before you left."

Emiko shakes her head. "The masters don't let any of us know about potential recruits unless we're specifically sent to retrieve or train them."

Red Arrow then adds, "And Noah claims he doesn't know either. Let me think."

Stanley hasn't been found in either apartment building where the murders took place nor has his absence been noticed by anyone. Each murder was a month apart. That means he wasn't living in the same complexes as the victims. He may not even be living in the city.

He asks Dinah, "The CCPD files never mentioned when his residence was searched. Why is that?"

Dinah shrugs. "Vince couldn't find it. In fact, I don't even know if he had residency there."

Red Arrow places his hands on the computer desk. "He made those threats via typewriter. That means he's living somewhere remote, off the grid, and relatively close to Star City."

Rene states, "Well, we can't just go looking for every cabin around Star City with that description. It'd take too long."

Rene's right. Where would we even begin? The only reliable intel we have right now is where the murders took place, but those took place inside the city.

Dinah snaps her fingers. "Maybe we won't have to. Will, you said his father was an Arkham doctor who made a paralyzing agent. He would have had some presence within the medical community."

Red Arrow begins to see Dinah's point. "Which means he probably advertised his product to other hospitals and Asylums close to Gotham!"

He heads over to the supercomputer, looking up any properties once owned by Dr. Dover. He sees quite a few, with houses just outside of Central City and Star City, along with billing and shipping information for chemical ingredients, most likely to make myvacerium. He took his family to these places too, meaning that Stanley would remember where they were.

Red Arrow points to the cabin outside of Star City. "There! Remote and off the grid. That has to be where Stanley is."

John adds, "And if not, we may at least get a clue to who he'll target next. Lets go!"

John and the others start to leave, not going to fetch their suits from their cases.

Red Arrow asks, "Why not suit up?"

John tells him, "You may need the suit, but we don't. Not for this one."

Rene tries to assure him, "This is one guy Will. How bad can he be when he's outnumbered?"

Red Arrow does not argue but still has his doubts. His experiences from fighting psychos like Zsasz have taught him that when animals are cornered, they'll usually put up a fight.

---

"And now we just let the chili simmer."

Oliver sets the dial on the stove to a high temperature. With the job done, William takes off his gloves and places them on the countertop.

Oliver points out, "I know this one is your favorite."

William nods. "Yeah, but…I feel like I added a little too much spice."

"Yeah, well, that's what drinks are for."

William then turns to Felicity, standing at the window, staring at nothing. From the faint reflection, she seems to be reflecting on something. If she's upset, she's become really good at hiding it.

Still, William can't help but whisper to Oliver, "She's been like this ever since Mia yelled at her. Should we do something?"

Oliver puts a hand on his shoulder. "Let me take care of it. You get ready before the others arrive."

William obeys his father's command, heading down to the hallway towards his room. However, he only goes halfway down, when he believes he's just out of earshot. He then creeps back, just to the corner, where he sees his dad gently placing his hands on Felicity's hips.

"Are you okay?"

Felicity sniffles. "You really need to ask that?"

Oliver slowly places himself against Felicity's back, his arms fully around her waist and his head resting over her shoulder. Felicity does not resist, letting her head rest on his cheek. William can almost make out a tear coming down Felicity's face in the reflection.

Felicity tells Oliver, her voice becoming more somber, "I'm sorry. I…I should've consulted you before doing this."

"I know."

"I just didn't think that, at the time—"

"That's ALL past us now." Oliver gives Felicity a peck on the cheek. "Now, what's really bothering you?"

Felicity then asks, out of nowhere, "Am I…am I a bad mother Oliver?"

Oliver answers, as if retorting, "No! No, of course you're not. You're a great one. William can attest to that."

Felicity shakes her head. "Our own child can't."

"Felicity, whatever Mia thinks you've done—"

"It's not about what I've done!" Felicity moves Oliver's arms out of the way, turning to face him, the tears now more visible. "It's about what I'm going to do! Mia told me about the future. I lie to her about what I do for years, Oliver. YEARS! I've done this before, Oliver, at LEAST a couple of times, and every time—"

"Hey! Hey." Oliver puts his hands on her arms comfortingly. "I know. I learned that the hard way when you first discovered William, keeping him a secret from everyone else for months."

William, himself, closes his eyes tight, remembering the whole fiasco his mom made him go through, trying to keep his father a secret from him, all that pain and suffering of knowing and never confronting his mother until he thought he was ready. He can't even begin to imagine how Felicity felt when discovering his existence.

Oliver continues, "If there's one thing I've learned from being a parent, it's that we're going to make mistakes when comes to our own children, thinking that what we're doing is to protect them."

Felicity shakes her head, not too comforted by Oliver's statement. "What are we supposed to do then? How do we fix it?"

Oliver cups Felicity's cheeks in his hands. "We learn from our mistakes, do right by our children, and hope they don't make the same ones. It's all we can ever do."

William reflected on those words his father said. They ring a bell in his mind. An old, long forgotten bell.

"Parents do stupid things sometimes. But we do it because we want to protect our children."

Grandpa Malcolm. You were right.

Oliver and Felicity hug each other tight, her tears drying on his shirt. William's full understanding of the situation, as much as it is saddening, gives him a sense of initiative. Technically, he is Mia's older brother, regardless of time travel logic. If there's anything he has learned about being a sibling in their short time together, from Connor, it's to be there when they're hurt or down, to help them understand.

He knows what he must do.

---

Mia sits in her bed, curled-up almost in a ball. She buries her face in her legs, thinking that it will block her eyes and prevent any tears from escaping. She's been like this ever since her outburst in front of her mother, the empty feeling still pervading her, like a pit inside her stomach but isn't calling out in hunger.

Just then, she hears a knock on her door. "Mia…it's me, Will. Can I come in?"

She remains silent. Part of her wants to be alone, but something is nudging her to say yes. She resists, but it keeps pushing at her.

William opens the door anyway. She peers from her little ball, seeing her brother slowly showing himself in to test whether or not she is going to kick him out. She doesn't only because she's run out of rage. She just wants whatever William wants to say to be over with.

Seeing that he is somewhat welcome, William walks over to the edge of the bed. "Felicity's being comforted by Dad right now. She told him what you two were arguing…"

Hearing that it was an argument causes Mia to curl up into her ball more. She doesn't hear William say anything more, but she doesn't hear his footsteps heading for the door either. She keeps her face buried, pretending to not pay attention.

"My mom lied to me about Dad for years."

The sudden change in topic, however, is what causes Mia's face to move away from her legs again.

"She told me that he was a good man who went on to a better place, that he did what he did for both our sakes. I bought it at first but…but then Dad came back. I was SO excited to meet him, to tell him how I waited for the day to finally see him. But Mom…she made him promise to NEVER tell me the truth, to keep me a secret from everyone else."

Mia turns her body to William, her legs turning so she sits up on the bed's edge. William is sitting as well, looking down at the floor, almost as he is ashamed at himself for what happened.

"I was angry at her for so long. Overtime, though, I came to understand something someone told me once. That parents do stupid things sometimes, thinking that it protects us. It doesn't justify anything, but I began to realize why my mom did what she did, to at least forgive her and try to…"

William cuts himself off for a moment. He curls his hands together, placing his forehead upon them.

He lets out a sigh as he continues, "But I didn't. It was too late. She was taken from me. I blamed myself for it, for never forgiving my mom when she was alive, until I realized I still could. It just felt…way harder to do so, after everything that happened."

William lifts up his eyes to Mia. "You have the right to be mad at Felicity, at your mom. But you CAN'T stay mad at her forever. You need to forgive her, to patch things up with her, even if it feels impossible. It'll be a long, dark road ahead if you don't."

William finally gets up from the bed and walks to the door. As he steps out, he gives Mia one quick concerned glance. When darkness envelopes the room again, Mia does not go back to her curled-up position. She clutches the bedside, not in dread or anger, but to keep herself from falling as she becomes entrenched in thought.

Forgive my mom…for years of lying? Can…can I even bring myself to do that? Should I?

---

Mia handcuffed the rich guy, along with his girlfriend, to the chairs on the center platform. The two older guys she had Ben cuff to the railing. The three who got knocked unconscious were just starting to wake up, looking around in confusion and seeing their predicament. They tried to pull at the handcuffs, but to no avail.

Rich guy did not react to them waking up. He kept his attention on Mia, his eyes subtly looking up and down, probably assessing weaknesses. He won't find any.

Mia walked up to the guy, hands on her hips as she towered over him. "Now, I'm going to ask a few questions. If I don't find them satisfactory, you get a strike."

Rich guy didn't seem to get the memo. "Listen to me. We don't need to be enemies. If you'll just uncuff us—"

Mia clocked the girl in the jaw, getting a rise from the old vigilante guy, Spartan, who yells, "Hey!" Ben stopped Spartan, almost out of reflex. Upon looking at his face, the old man didn't struggle. Rather, he looked at Ben with shock. They seemed to have been whispering something, but Mia couldn't hear what it was.

Rich guy did not outright try to get out of his cuffs after the punch. However, Mia could see a faint snarl before it retracted. She tried her best not to grin, not because she enjoyed what she was doing, but that she got a reaction.

Mia then warns, "THAT was strike one. Only speak when spoken to!" Mia then walked over to him, looming again. "Now, first question. Why are you looking for Felicity Smoak?"

Rich guy leaned back in his seat. "You think she's alive?"

"I KNOW she's alive, and so must you. Why else would you have broken into my office when you thought I wasn't looking?"

"You noticed that?"

"I noticed you pretending to leave the bar. I didn't survive as long as I did without keeping my eyes on the smallest details."

"So, you followed us here? Or did you suspect we would be here?"

Mia slams her hands on the chair's arms. "I'M asking the questions!"

"And I think your interrogation techniques need work!" Rich guy stares down Mia. Honestly, she found it a bit intimidating. "You've checked off some of the basics of torture, isolated one of my friends and threatened to hurt her or worse if I don't talk. You know how many follow through on that? I can give you a good estimate."

Becoming frustrated, Mia turned to Ben, who was still in a heated, hushed conversation with Spartan. "Stick with the girl! If he goes off tangent again, rough her up."

Ben, uncharacteristically, does not say a word. He slowly walked to the girl, his sigh telling Mia that he probably did not want to do this. She didn't want to either. Still, this was necessary to get results.

Mia then addressed rich guy, "That was strike two. One more and I tell him to strike her where it hurts the most!"

Rich guy did not press her further. He was either convinced to stand down or he bought her bluff. This was the first interrogation she had ever done. But she had to know what this guy wanted with her mother before he could be trusted.

Rich guy then answered, "I don't know where Felicity is. That's why I asked for her when I came to your place."

She detected no lie in his statement and leaned away from the chair. "Fine. Why are you looking for her?"

"Context. To put things into perspective."

"That's not saying much."

"Well, it's the truth."

"It's not the truth I want!"

"UNCUFF ME…and I'll give you the entire truth. Final offer."

Mia's temper started to rise, annoyed by this guy's noncompliance. She nudged her head at Ben, signaling him to beat the girl up. His hand curls into a fist, but he was hesitant. Even the girl could see this.

Mia let out a groan, "Just do it already!"

"He won't."

Mia turned to Spartan when he made that claim. "And why not?"

"BECAUSE…" His attention was on Ben. "I raised Ben to be better than that."

Mia was caught off guard by the statement. In all the time they spent together, Ben never once told Mia that he was raised by a vigilante. She only ever knew about his real father, Ben Turner Sr., an ex-criminal.

The old guy next to him seemed to be surprised as well. "You know this kid?"

Spartan nods. "Ben Turner jr., I don't know why you're working with this girl, but this is not the kind of person I know you to be."

"Bronze Tiger's son." Rich guy's murmur started shifting gears in Mia's head. She had heard the name Bronze Tiger before, in one of her mother's stories.

Ben's fist starts to shake, his face scrunching. She was losing him fast. They can't afford to be moral on this. Her mother's life was at stake.

Yet, Ben decided to step back and retort, "Mia, there's got to be some other way. We can't do this."

"YES, we can. If you won't do it—"

As she stepped forward, Ben put up a hand. "I'm not doing this anymore, and neither should you. This isn't who you are!"

Rich guy leaned back in his seat again, seemingly content from the sly grin on his face. "Ben just called you out, 'Mia.' You're running out of options."

Now infuriated to the point of anger, she threw up her hands and turned around, exchanging a stern glare with Spartan for ruining her play. Now, she would have to escalate the situation.

"You think this is a game of chess? Fine! I can leave you all here for days. No food, no water. Nothing! I can leave you to rot, handcuffed in that—"

When she turned back around, rich guy was standing tall, handcuffs in his left hand. She was taken aback. She was certain those cuffs were on tight, that no lockpick was in his hands or pockets. The cuffs themselves were still locked. How? Just how?

Rich guy grinned again. "You were saying?"

---

Pulling up in the mobile base, Red Arrow can see the house's exterior. It looks decrepit, the wood in front almost rotten and chipping away. All the windows are dark and the front door's white paint is faded almost to the point of oblivion.

Rene, who's driving the van, comments, "Well, this place has seen better days."

Red Arrow nods, "Agreed. Still, even if Stanley isn't here, we'll still find information about where he may be."

Everyone exits out single file, looking on at the house cautiously.

John asks, "You sure this is the place?"

Red Arrow nods again. "Dr. Dover's bank statements confirm that he bought this house, along with shipping information for supplies sent to him."

Emiko warns, "He may not be home, but that doesn't mean he hasn't set traps."

"I'll check."

Red Arrow turns on his detective vision. Yet, when he tries to peer inside, the screen starts tearing up, making it difficult to maintain. He finds a jammer signal indicator below the first floor, possibly a basement area. However, that is all he can decipher before he forces the detective vision off

"What the heck? Stanley has a signal jammer?"

Everyone else turns to Red Arrow with the same confounded stares he's giving the house.

There's only one organization I know that supplies this kind of stuff.

Curtis clears his throat. "Look, I've been off my cowardly streak for a while, but Emiko's right. This is definitely a trap. We should head back."

Dinah shakes her head. "This is our ONLY lead. We can't turn back now." Her attention turns to Red Arrow. "Could you make out anything?"

Red Arrow nods. "Yeah. There's a basement area where the signal's coming from."

John nods. "All right. We're splitting up into teams of two. I'll take the main floor with Curtis. Red Arrow and Emiko, take the second floor. Rene and Dinah, take the basement. If you find Stanley, DON'T engage. Warn us first so we can cover all possible escape routes. Same thing if you encounter anything out of the ordinary. Understood?"

Everyone nods in agreement.

"Good. Let's move out!"

---

John looked everywhere in the living room. So far, all he has seen is some dusty furniture and a few animal head mounts. The trophy heads themselves look as if they screamed during their deaths, gaping maws and beady eyes that complement the already decaying atmosphere. He then moves on to the kitchen. Curtis looks inside the drawers, most of them empty and spewing out dust. Inside one, at least, he finds a face down picture frame. When he dusts it off, he sees a teenage Stanley and his brother, their parents towering over them, almost looming. Stanley could barely even give a smile, as well as his brother. The parents don't even try.

Curtis is a bit unnerved by this, saying aloud, "If this doesn't spell 'ominous family,' I don't know what does."

Suddenly, he feels a cold hand touch his shoulder. He jumps and readies himself to fight. Though, that is short lived as it turns out to be just John, coming back without as much as a loud footstep, given how creaky the floorboards are.

John apologizes, "Sorry. I thought you were aware."

Curtis assures with hasty breath, "It's all right. It's fine. Find anything?"

"One thing: a stack of non-perishables, recently bought. I checked the expiration dates. Someone's definitely here. And if that someone is currently out…"

Curtis nods, acknowledging John's logic. "…he may be coming back."

---

Red Arrow and Emiko carefully enter the first bedroom. They find what they saw in the first floor: dusty old furniture and floors that creek. There were a few toys lying around, including a couple of toy trucks, one of them being an ambulance. None of them seem to have been touched for well over a decade.

However, the couple of exceptions that they find are the bed and closet. The bed looks to be recently slept in, the sheets, while a bland white, do not have as much dust as the other objects. The same goes for the closet, the doorknob worn but not dusty.

Red Arrow tells Emiko, "Check the bed. I got the closet."

Red Arrow opens the left door first. He does not find much in the closet space but comes across something in the little cupboard above: a knife, covered in some rust. He takes it out carefully, making sure not to break it. As he examines it, he finds that it is not rust, but blood, dried and darkened. From sight alone, he deduces that it was probably used more than 20 years old.

Could this be…the blood of Stanley's dad? Mom? Maybe both?

He holds on to it, for now, and opens the right side of the closet. Here, he finds something much more relevant: A gray jumpsuit, the standard uniform for the inmates at Slabside. The back of the suit bears Stanley's prisoner number.

Red Arrow confirms, "He's definitely living here."

Finding nothing under the mattress, Emiko lies down on her front and peers under the bed frame. When she reaches in, she immediately feels what seems to be glass, most likely broken glass since the pattern feels a bit jagged and the edges somewhat sharp.

She retracts the hand and asks Red Arrow, "Hey. Give me a light, would you?"

Red Arrow crouches down and turns on a flashlight imbedded into his gauntlet. Shining it under the bed, they find shards of broken glass, too dusty for them to gleam off the light. Just behind them lies the push mechanism of a needle.

Emiko raises an eyebrow. "Was this guy doing drugs?"

Red Arrow considers, "More likely this is the paralyzing agent."

"Why would he have it on his person?"

Red Arrow looks at the old, blood caked knife. "More likely someone was giving it to him."

"So, his dad cuts his own son as punishment?"

Red Arrow shakes his head. "I don't know. That seems to be a bit extreme for a parent."

"He's a psychopathic doctor who drugs his kids. You think he wouldn't be doing extreme things?"

"Psychopathic doesn't mean stupid. Even the most insane of events can have a pattern, like Stanley's targeting of—"

Just then, an idea buzzes into Red Arrow's head. He looks at the pillow, seeing that it is just big enough to hide the knife in.

"What if we're thinking about this wrong?"

He looks back at the floor, to the rug that was just across from the bed. He stands up and removes it, finding a large, blackish-red stain on it.

"What if the victim took advantage of his torturer, used the paralyzing agent on his own father and killing him after deciding that he wouldn't take it anymore?"

Emiko adds. "The killing may have been an isolated incident."

Red Arrow nods agreeingly, but also unnervingly. "That makes me wonder though…did he stop at his dad?"

---

As Dinah and Rene descend the final step, flashlights in hand, they are greeted by pitch darkness. Dinah finds a light switch built into the pillar, but it only switches on a set of red light bulbs over a couple of sinks and a faint light next to them, illuminating a table with a few plastered photos and other objects.

Dinah tells Rene, "I'll check out the corner table."

Rene nods. "I got the sinks."

Rene creeps over to the sinks, his gun aimed and cautiously checking corners. As he gets closer, his flashlight finds what seem to be chemical equipment. Test tubes, masks, rubber gloves, all sorts of drugs. The inside of the sinks themselves look like they have been used, but not thoroughly cleaned. The plumbing may not even work. Further along, Rene finds what seems to be a large container, maybe for water or maybe disposing of chemicals.

Rene guesses, "Looks like this place is a chem lab. A crude one at that. I'll keep looking."

Dinah, meanwhile, finds something, at least to her, a bit more disturbing. The plastered photos are of her, Rene, John, and Curtis. She, at least, recognizes her photos, stepping outside of her car, going inside the police precinct, and then heading home for the day.

He's been tracking our movements. That explains how he was able to get the note into my car without me noticing.

She then looks at the table, seeing a familiar sight: white, lined paper with bold text. Above it is an old-fashioned typewriter, the gray frame slightly dusty and in good condition, the keyboard awkwardly spaced out compared to the modern keyboard.

Red Arrow was right.

Below that is a black binder with no label.

But…what's this?

She opens it and, on the first page, finds a copy of the first sketch of the Green Arrow, back when he was being called the Hood. Over it was a brief paragraph in sharpie that reads, "Who's this guy? Gotta find out. I must know him! Find out!"

She then proceeds further, finding newspaper clippings of Oliver's exploits, the paragraphs asking questions such as "How does he know where to fight? Can he fight?" Then, she stumbles along a much earlier piece, from when it was announced that Oliver was alive. The top of the paragraph is a bit smudged, but the rest reads more negatively and with some bad grammar and punctuation, "So Tred of This Going To Show Him Who Is Boss! Me!"

He probably didn't know Oliver was the Green Arrow yet. So, how did he-

The last page is from Oliver's arrest, assembled with all of the Hood, Arrow, and Green Arrow clippings. Written on it is a foreboding, ominous message, "See you soon, Oliver Queen."

Oh my god. It's true! He planned it. The whole thing! He killed somebody just to get to Oliver.

As Rene keeps exploring, he finds another switch. He follows the wire extending from it to the inactive lights above.

"Hey D. Found another light switch."

He flips it on. It's not totally lit, but he can at least see better than he could a minute ago. However, when he did, the first thing he sees is a shadowy, hooded figure standing right behind Dinah, a sword in his hand.

Rene yells, "D! Behind you!"

Upon hearing Rene's warning, Dinah spins around and readies her pistol. The hooded figure, however, is quick to grab and push down the gun arm, a premature shot going off and skidding across the floor. He then counters with a smack with the cross guard to Dinah's face, forcing her to stumble down.

Rene aims his gun at the guy's head. Unfortunately, the hooded man lets go of Dinah's arm and wraps his free hand around her shoulder and chest, the blade just kissing her neck. He ducks down just behind her, leaning her back and leaving Rene barely any room to shoot.

Rene demands, "Let her go."

The hooded man's blade raises just a hair higher, compelling Rene to inch further towards her.

"Let her go!"

Rene frantically assesses his options. From here, he could shoot the guy's arm, but he would be shooting through Dinah's shoulder to. He could go for the guy's legs, but the window is so small that he may shoot Dinah's legs instead. Every option includes hurting Dinah, and he won't bring himself to do that.

However, as he is deep in thought, the hooded man spins himself and Dinah around, lifting up his leg in a back kick Rene doesn't expect. He takes the full brunt of the kick to his abdomen and collides into the wall next to him. Using the momentum, the hooded figure throws Dinah down just next to Rene. Just as Rene tries to recover, the hooded man employs another punch with his sword hand. It does not knock Rene unconscious, but he does send him into the wall, feeling disoriented.

Dinah is not down for the count, though, seeing the hooded man walk towards the stairs. With his back turned, she gets up and readies herself for a Canary cry, taking a deep breath in. However, as she is about to scream, the hooded man spins around and employs a vertical slice. It misses Dinah's face completely, with barely any blood on its tip. Yet, Dinah can't release her cry. She finds herself unable to yell, to speak. In fact, she finds herself unable to breathe. She starts to choke, first a little, then very harshly. She feels a cold sting on her neck and sees blood dripping onto the floor and staining her clothes. Her knees start to wobble from the lack of oxygen.

All the while, the hooded man stands there, staring through what seems to be a knight's helmet, the dark shadows of the sockets covering his eyes. He then tells her in a deep, familiar voice, "You should have listened, Captain Drake."

Eventually, Dinah collapses to the floor completely, struggling for at least a tiny speck of air. The hooded man walks away and up the stairs.

Rene, when he recovers, does not follow. Instead, he kneels next to Dinah, lying her on her back, frantically repeating, "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

Rene applies pressure, but it does not fix things a whole lot. He panics, knowing that he only has minutes until Dinah chokes on her last breath.

"Stay with me Dinah! You hear me?"

Rene looks around the room, looking for something, anything, to help. "What do I do? What do I do?! I need…"

It then hit him. "Backup! Damn it, why didn't I phone in earlier?"

---

With the last part of the wall felt, Curtis can definitely confirm that there isn't any secret panel leading to any torture chamber or secret laboratory.

He sighs in defeat. "Nothing here."

John, who looks through the kitchen one last time, concedes, "Yeah, nothing here either. Maybe we've exhausted every—"

"Guys!"

Suddenly, Rene's comm echoes out loudly into their ears.

"Guys, Dinah is down. A guy's getting out of the basement. Repeat: Stop the guy in the basement!"

John nods and turns to Curtis, taking out and cocking his pistol. "On me!"

John leads the way, rushing to the basement door. As they reach it, the door burst open, nearly breaking off the hinges. John takes a step back, just avoiding the slam. From the doorway comes a gray-hooded man with what appears to be a knight's helm covering his face.

John does not hesitate, aiming his gun right at the man's arm. However, the hooded man reacts quickly, grabbing John's arm. The man pulls John in close enough to employ an elbow to the temple, forcing him to the wall. He then points the sword at Curtis, stopping him from coming any closer. As John shakes the elbow strike off, he grunts and throws a blind jab, which the hooded man slips almost before it even came. The man grabs John's arm and throws him to the floor, knocking him out with a cross to the face.

The hooded man's attention then turns to Curtis, who gets into a fighting stance, but his hands shake slightly when the sword points at him. Curtis backsteps swords slices, backing away or head swaying from thrusts that, to him, don't have much rhyme or reason. The sword always gets close to nicking him every time, and he can't help but yelp. He's already faced a couple of assassins, but their sword swings, while fast, were very athletic and somewhat telegraphed. This guy doesn't do athletic. He's more grounded, leaving little room for counters.

Finally, back out in the open area of the living room, Curtis decides a tactical retreat would be wise. He sidesteps a downward slash and falls back to the little two chair and table setup. He vaults over the seat, picks up the chair, and uses it as a shield. The chair itself is a bit heavy and feels a bit wobbly, maybe from the years of decay and lack of use.

Regardless, it's Curtis' only form of defense, so he takes it. "Aha!"

However, the hooded man stabs through it, causing Curtis to step to the side of it in fear. The hooded man, seeing Curtis' new position, leaves one hand on the sword hilt and reaches for Curtis with the other. Curtis, with what strength he has, uses the chair to move it in front of him. Yet, as he also observes, he also manipulates the blade's direction just enough that the grip on the man's sword loosens. Thinking fast, he pushes the chair into the blade deeper, up to the cross guard. He then swings his right leg back and, with all of his might, throws his weight into throwing the chair, and the sword along with it, onto the floor. The chair collapses into broken, sharp pieces, while the sword remains intact, but far from the hooded guy.

Get in close quick!

Curtis then starts to throw a cross-jab combo for pressure before taking it up a notch with a push kick. The hooded man easily pats down the punches and checks the kick, which he transitions into a side kick. Curtis, while on his back foot, readies himself for the next strike. The hooded man lunges forward and raises his leg in front of himself, ready to employ a front kick of his own. However, when Curtis puts his hands up, ready for the front kick to come out, the man instead pivots and roundhoused Curtis in the face. Curtis himself just barely blocks it, but the sheer force of the blow is still enough to force him to the ground.

Curtis is still conscious, but the impact of the kick leaves him in a daze he barely has time to recover from. The hooded man walks away from Curtis and picks his weapon back up, swinging the dust off the blade.

I…I don't get it…It's like he can anticipate every move. Taking the sword away…did nothing. Can I even hurt this guy?

The hooded man grips the handle in two hands, his blade far out in front of him. He raises it to his hip, ready to take Curtis' life. Curtis struggles to get up, but the now sharp pain in his head makes telling his arms and legs what to do a hassle. On top of that, he's unarmed, except for his T-Sphere, which can shoot out a high-end energy beam, not to kill, but at least to probably burn some clothing. Curtis tries to fish for it in his pocket, but the hooded man is already above him, ready to thrust the blade into Curtis' chest.

However, he instead swings it and himself backward, deflecting an arrow Curtis didn't hear coming. Across the way is Red Arrow, who charges in with bow in both hands. Both of them exchange blows, sword and bow, both of them demonstrating similar fighting styles in both minimal weapon movement and defensive fighting. However, Red Arrow finds an opening to deflect the sword with his gauntlet, followed by reaching out and wrapping the hooded man's arm with his. He then punches the man repeatedly, pushing him into the dresser behind him.

Once Red Arrow pins the man onto the dresser's top drawer, he yells to Curtis, "I got this! Find Rene and Dinah. GO!"

With at least most of his headache and dizziness gone, Curtis gets up and jogs to the basement door, hoping that whatever happened to Dinah is not too late to fix.

---

As Rene continues to apply pressure on the wound, the choking decreasing but no signs of her breathing properly, he yells into the comms again, "Whoever is still alive, get your asses down here NOW!"

As he says this, a pair of footsteps makes their way down the stairs. Rene looks up and sees Curtis, going down at a somewhat quick pace, but also rubbing his head. When he looks down at Dinah, however, he is frozen for a second. "Oh my god!"

Curtis hurries, kneeling next to Dinah.

"How long?"

Rene answers, "Not too long, but she's running out of time. She needs a hospital."

"She's not going to make it with a wound like that."

"Okay, okay. I get it! But there's got to be something we can do."

Curtis frantically thinks.

Okay, okay, okay. We have to…bandage…no! Cauterize the wound. But with what? The only thing I have is…

Curtis snaps his fingers. "I got it!" He quickly searches his pockets. "My T-Sphere has a high frequency laser. If I turn the heat down a notch, it should be able to cauterize Dinah's wound. It'll at least buy us some time." Feeling his metallic sphere, he tells Rene, "Move your hand."

Rene does so, but slowly, being sure that Curtis has the sphere ready. Dinah starts to choke again, but in slower intervals, indicating a lack of energy. Without hesitation, Curtis turns the T-Sphere on, the heat of the laser rapidly sealing off the wound. Dinah stops choking as the wound closes, but it is very hard to tell if she's breathing.

Curtis puts the T-Sphere away. "We need to get her some oxygen. There should be some in the portable."

Rene nods. "I got her. You help Red and John."

Curtis then adds, "As soon as you have her hooked up, call ARGUS and have paramedics meet you at the hospital. Drive there as fast as you can. DON'T stop."

Rene picks her up, stating, "I don't plan to."

---

After the hooded man manages to get a grip behind Red Arrow's neck, he slams his masked head down on the drawer top. The hooded man then slips out and grab one of Red Arrow's wrists. With his sword hand, he raises his weapon and prepares to possibly chop the hand off. Red Arrow, thinking fast, rotates his wrist counterclockwise, his fingers gripping and the hooded man's wrist, and pushes it down, the sword slashing at nothing but wood. Red Arrow quickly gets up and moves his hand away, using the gauntlet to trap the sword within the dresser's top.

His strength is his weapon. Take it away completely, get him as much distance from it as possible.

Red Arrow grinds his gauntlet over the sword, getting as close to the crossguard as he can. He then spins, his arm raised and tucked in as if he were read to employ and elbow strike, but keeps his arm and hand in a straight up position, ready to use a back fist instead.

Come now, William? You think you're the only one who can play this game? Trap his arm.

As Red Arrow's elbow becomes the backfist, the hooded man immediately goes in and wraps his arm around the other, his hand resting on the shoulder.

Daze again.

With his other arm, he grabs the back of the neck and slams Red Arrow's head into the drawer again.

Now, put some distance between me and him.

The hooded man lunges, his arm pushing against Red Arrow's side, shoving him away. He then employs a front kick, forcing Red Arrow into an awkward roll that he barely sticks.

Red Arrow is shocked, amazed even that somebody else can think on his feet, plan and assess while fighting. That is a tactic more commonly used by…

"Did you really think Bruce Wayne was the only man Ra's Al Gual taught to think while fighting? That the League of Assassin's were the only ones inspired to recreate such a tactic?"

The modulated voice, raspy yet also intimidating. That's something I'd never forget.

Red Arrow glares at the hooded man under his mask. "Blackfire."

Deacon Blackfire dislodges his sword from the dresser, holding it out in one hand while touching his knights helmet, coated in black with red crosses painted on the sides. "What do you think William? Brings out my true colors, doesn't it?"

Red Arrow then noticed the Deacon's hood is black, his sword's handle with the crossguards slanted to look like dual sickles.

Who does he think he is? The Black Knight?

"You acknowledge what kind of monster you are?"

The Deacon then grips the handle in both hands. "I know EXACTLY what I am, what God made us all to be. But the demons of the Ninth Circle strayed from the path I had given them. Tonight, my new pawn will reveal it."

As the Deacon speaks, Rene comes in, holding Dinah in his arms. Red Arrow notices the large gash on her neck, a cauterized cut that not even the biggest dagger can make.

As soon as the Deacon looks at them, Red Arrow takes an arrow out and aims his bow, his blood boiling.

Red Arrow tells Rene, "Take Dinah out of here. I have him."

Rene nods and bolts out to the portable base.

The Deacon, however, just laughs, "The fates of your friends do not matter at this point. I have you RIGHT where I want you."

Red Arrow tightens his bow string back. "What are you talking about?"

---

"Warning! Unidentified persons detected."

Working as intended, the security system alerts Oliver and Felicity, sitting on one of the chairs overlooking the city, to unknown persons outside the door. However, Felicity isn't too worried since they're supposed to be having guests over anyways.

Her tears now dry and her nose not so congested, she leans off of Oliver's shoulder and tugs her shirt down. "Time to greet the family."

Oliver gets up with her, volunteering, "I can greet them if—"

Felicity puts up an assuring hand. "It's alright. You need to tend to the chili anyways."

Oliver does not argue further, but is concerned about how tonight's events will go. He knows that Stanley may appear, if he is responsible for the killings, and the front door is the only way to do so. It could be him on the other side of that door, for all he knows. So, as he heads to the stove, he looks on at Felicity as she heads to the door and opens it. There is no camera, so there's no telling who's on the other side.

Luckily, standing outside as the door opens, is none other than William's grandparents, Frank and Irene. Oliver, relieved, takes a subtle breath.

Felicity greets them, "Hey! Welcome."

Frank, with his tan glasses, combed over hair, and very trim beard, is the first to shake her hand. "Thank you. It's great to actually come out here."

Irene, quite stout and with long, luxurious hair for her age, adds, "Specially to see William after so many months."

"Hey!"

William's voice booms just from the hallway entrance, running to his grandfather first, hugging him tight. It kind of reminds Oliver how he hugged his mother and sister, after he finally saw them face-to-face, constantly avoiding them for the time he was gone. Ironically, it would have been a similar fate for William, what his future self would go through.

Frank hugs him back, chuckling. "It's good to see you, Willie."

Irene walks up to William, taking him by the shoulders. "Look at you! You've gotten so…BIG."

William scratches his head, almost a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, well…I've been taking care of myself."

Felicity adds, "As we've been taking care of you." Felicity then offers, "Can I take your coats?"

Frank nods, taking off his dark blue, buttoned coat. "Of course. Thank you."

Irene then takes off her peach, mink coat and hands it to Felicity, along with her floral-patterned scarf, which Felicity comments, "Oh, this scarf is lovely. Where'd you buy it?"

Irene smiles at the compliment. "Oh, that was a Valentine's Day gift from Frank a few years ago. Samantha…"

Irene stops herself, her smile dwindling. The lovely atmosphere becomes somewhat dead upon the mention of Samantha's name. Oliver even stops pouring chili into the bowls. The last time Frank and Irene came to Star City, they were in mourning over Samantha's death, as was William. Even now, it is a scar that hasn't fully healed.

However, William managed to break some of the tension with, "I told Mom and Grandpa to get it. I told them it looked a lot like the flowers in that small garden you guys have."

Frank grins. "You remember."

William nods. Still, he tries to move on. "So, Dad and I made some chili for you guys. It's a favorite of mine."

William leads them over to the table, showing them to their seats as Felicity heads over to the bedroom to lay the coats down.

Just as Oliver puts the bowls in front of Frank and Irene, the security system utters, "Recognized: Thea Queen and Roy Harper."

Frank and Irene are at first startled by the security's voice, but then stare at the security system almost in awe.

Oliver walks to the door, telling Felicity from afar, "I got it!"

Irene asks, "Is this from one of those high-tech security corporations?"

William answers, "Felicity's design actually. A simple precaution."

When Oliver opens the door, he greets and hugs Thea and shakes Roy's hand. They carry a couple cartons of six-pack beer for most of the adults to share in. But then, Oliver sees someone else behind them, someone he didn't expect to see tonight.

"Bruce?"

Bruce Wayne nods to him, extending his hand out. "Mr. Queen. I apologize. I meant to make myself known earlier, but today's events left my mind quite occupied."

Oliver shakes it, but does so a bit warily. Bruce is nothing like he is when he's the Batman. He is more distinguished, polite, even charming. Sure, Oliver had to be like that when he hid his identity from the public. But even with a few words, Bruce has this persona down to a tee. He almost believed that Bruce Wayne and the Batman were two different people.

"Oh." Felicity is just nearby, done putting away Irene and Frank's coats, almost shocked to see Bruce here. "Mr. Wayne. W-What are you doing here?"

"Well, I had wrapped up my conference in Gotham yesterday and thought I should see if William was doing okay. I know I was supposed to be here tomorrow, but I booked the room at the hotel nearby. I couldn't turn down a visit." As he enters, he presents Oliver with a box, the clear top showing a sponge cake. "I brought dessert. I hope you don't mind. Also, you should read the note inside. It's VERY creative."

Bruce already heads to the table along with Roy. Thea stays behind, telling Oliver, "This is the guy taking care of William? He reminds me of what you tried to look like in public as the mayor, but…a LOT more believable."

As Bruce greeted William's grandparents, Oliver looks inside the cake box, seeing the note, face up, saying, "I am the eyes. Someone else is the ears. Get to dessert as soon as possible."

Oliver looks at Bruce again, who is telling Frank and Irene, "I've been assisting in William's protection when Miss Smoak decided it be best to take him out of Cambridge."

Oliver nods. "That's the thing about us billionaire vigilantes. We can be deceiving when we want to be."

---

The Deacon, circling with Red Arrow while he has his bow drawn, continues, "Did you really think I would let myself be cornered like a wild beast chased down by men with firepower? You and I are much more alike than you think. We always think five steps ahead, independent of our cohorts…of our families."

Red Arrow presses the Deacon, "Is that what you taught to Noah? To think ahead? To lie?"

The Deacon chuckles. "My nephew did not lie."

"He said that you've only eyed Stanley as a potential recruit. It looks like to me that you're covering for him."

He chuckles again. "When will you realize, William, that you and I are on the same side of the coin? I did what you do when faced with your betters. I told him the truth…up to a point."

Red Arrow, even when he wanted to refute, gives pause.

That…that is startlingly similar to my tactics. But his reasons are of ill-intent, not mine.

---

Everyone has been talking for a long while, mostly of what's been happening since Oliver's release from jail and William's stay with Bruce, most likely a very extended stay, if the timeline has anything to say about it. There was some talk of Thea and her yet to be born baby, her cravings for ice cream and chocolate, and what a toll it has on Roy.

Roy was continuing, "It's one thing to have to get something for her during the day, but at 2:00 A.M…"

Frank can't help but chuckle. "I know the feeling. For Irene, it was six stack pancakes with chocolate chips in the morning—"

Irene slaps Frank in the shoulder. "That's an exaggeration! I had four."

"Yes, well, the way you scarfed them down, you might as well have had a baker's dozen."

Everyone can't help but laugh as they continue to dig into the chili.

As Bruce takes a last spoonful, he compliments, "That was DELICIOUS." He raises a hand to Oliver and William. "My compliments to the chefs."

Oliver put a hand on William's shoulder. "It was William that did all the work. I just instructed him when needed."

Thea adds, "I think I see you running a five-star kitchen in the future."

Frank laughs. "Yes, well, better than following in his father's footsteps."

The adult vigilantes, including Felicity, glare at Frank.

"What?! It's a legitimate concern. Oliver's a felon, hasn't been there for William for most of his life and when he DOES come back, his life becomes endangered!"

"Grandpa!" William looks at him with a shrewd stare. It is enough to stop him from speaking, at least for now.

Bruce clears his throat. "I share your concern, Mr. Clayton. We all do. That's why he's been staying with me over the past few months." He then reaches over and grabs the boxed cake, already cut up by Oliver. "Which I will happily divulge over some cake. I find it gets me in a good, conversational mood."

Irene smiles, eyeing the cake up and down. "I do like some good sponge cake. Frank's more of the carrot kind of man."

Frank comments as he takes himself a slice, "Hey, we find a compromise. I get the carrot cupcake while you and Sammie had a whole cake to yourselves, and vice versa."

Everyone laughs, the tension that was growing now as light as this cake. Even Frank, as he takes a bite into it, moans in delight.

"This one, tough. THIS is…something else. Where did you get this?"

"Oh, it's homemade. My butler is an expert baker himself."

Oliver, while finding the cake good, can't help but notice something about the taste. Maybe its his experience in cooking talking, but the filling is somewhat bizarre, far from a flavor he ever had before.

William himself seems to notice, complimenting, "This seems different from the sweets Alfred made before."

Bruce answers, "Oh, yes. He's trying out new ingredients, something different." He takes another bite. "Well worth it, I say."

"It is true that, at first, we have been keeping an eye on our slayer, Stanley Dover. We've been doing so ever since Gotham."

"Gotham?"

The conversations go on as they have the first slices. Bruce goes on about the security of Wayne Manor, how remote it is and the emergency procedures he has instructed to William in case of fires or intruders.

Irene asks, "What about education? He is going to school, not just hanging around while in witness protection?"

Bruce nods. "But of course. I have him going to Brentwood Academy, an all-boys school. A couple of my children went there before, so the staff and I have some good standing, even after my…absence."

"You've had children?"

"Oh yes. All adopted, boys who lost their parents, like me. I didn't want to leave them fatherless. So, I have some experience with children like William here."

Felicity quickly finishes off her slice. "Well, that was sure delicious. You said your butler made this?"

Bruce nods. "Indeed it was. I'll let Alfred know his baking was much appreciated. You can have another, if you like."

Felicity's smile, for some reason, starts to fade. "I…I can't. I can't move."

Oliver tries to get up to help her, but his legs won't let him. In fact, they're irresponsive. He can't move his limbs at all. Even his neck is immobile.

Frank tells everyone scared, "I can't move either!"

As does Irene, "Why…why can't I move?!"

Thea asks, "Guys, what's that gas?"

From what vision Oliver has, the corners of his eyes find the faintest hint of a blue gas coming out of the vent extending from their ceiling.

He's here!

Suddenly, most of the lights shut off, making everyone yelp. The sound of a lock being undone comes from their door.

"You think those murders he let himself get jailed for were his only crimes? He's killed DOZENS, more than any of the assassins in the Order or Ninth Circle care to admit."

The door then opens slowly, the sounds of footsteps coming into the room. They get closer, heavier. As they did, the sound of someone breathing through an apparatus becomes louder. Eventually, a man in a brown jacket and a gas mask comes into everyone's view.

"He did so in the vain attempt to gain what he could not with his family: affection."

When the gas clears completely, the man removes the gas mask, revealing the familiar, psychopathic smiling face of Stanley.

"Hey Oliver! Long time no see."

"And when he doesn't get what he wants…he makes his displeasure known."

---

It then clicked for Red Arrow, dread seeping through him.

"You…you wanted us here."

His dread then turns to anger, his hand tightening the bow string. "You wanted us to find this place! You wanted us away from my father, leave him vulnerable for Stanley to kill!"

The Deacon steps in a bit closer, his sword pulled a little closer to his chest. "Oh no, William. Your parents are safe, so long as Stanley is under the illusion that Oliver will give him the familial affection he wants."

Red Arrow takes a couple of steps back, his arrow still aimed at the Deacon. He is now directly under the balcony, but not exactly where Red Arrow wanted him to be.

The Deacon continues, "No, his targets are much more meaningful in the grand scheme of things, a pair much more meaningful to YOU."

Red Arrow's eyes widen.

My Grandparents.

"It is very easy to direct Stanley to those that you want, especially when studying his behavior for as long as we have. Give him hints that certain people threaten this or that person Stanley wants to impress, such as friends…and family."

He then narrows them again, keeping his aim true. "If you lay a hand on my grandparents—"

"Your grandparents have done many things, especially to you AND your mother."

"They were there to support my mother when she had me! They're innocent!"

The Deacon tilts his head. "Are they?"

---

Stanley walks around everyone, flashing that eerie smile. Oliver looks at the face he once mistaken for innocent, hiding his insanity from the prisoners at Slabside.

He then stops at William, who closes his eyes, refusing to look at him.

"It's okay William. I'm Stanley Dover. I'm your father's best friend."

He places a hand on William's shoulder, shaking it rather hardly. Still, William does not open his eyes.

"I highly doubt that."

Stanley looks over at Roy with a contemptible stare. "NOBODY asked you."

Oliver tells Stanley, "Stanley, I know what you've done. I know you killed Kullens, and two others before that."

Stanley stutters, "But I-I-I did that for you. Th-they were BAD people. They were against you. They would rather see you DEAD."

"You're right, they have done bad things. That doesn't give you the right to do bad things to them."

Stanley argues, "But that's what you do! You do it all the time! I'm-I'm just following your lead." He then looks over at Frank and Irene with pure conceit. "And I'm here to prove it, starting with THEM."

He walks over to them, taking out a small combat knife from the large pocket of his trousers.

Oliver tries to plead with Stanley, "Listen to me Stanley. This is between YOU and ME. William's grandparents have nothing to do with this!"

"Oh, they have a LOT to do with this visit Oliver."

Stanley grabs Irene by her hair, pulling her head back. She gasps repeatedly as he brings the knife to her neck.

"They have EVERYTHING to do with this. Them and your so-called 'friends.' They're not good for you, Oliver. NONE of them are."

Frank then starts to plead, "Sir, please. Please let my wife—"

"SHUT UP!"

Irene starts to gasp more, even moan in fear as Stanley presses the knife's edge to her neck.

He addresses to Frank, "I know what you are. You're LIARS. Both of you are!" His gaze then falls on William. "Tell him. Tell little William the truth, who you really are."

Frank hesitates, his eyes darting between his wife and grandson. "Mister please don't—"

"DO IT…or I will."

Frank breathes a heavy sigh. His eyes don't fall on William though, as if even if he could control his neck, he wouldn't be able to look William in the eyes.

"Will…I told you about how your grandmother and I met, when I was a bodyguard for her and her family. We…" His eyes go to Irene, still helpless from her position. "We never told you who her family was. They were…" His eyes close tightly, about to regret the decision he is about to make. "…Your grandmother's family were…the Bertinellis."

Everyone's eyes widen, whether subtly or sharply, except for William who is just looking at his grandfather with confusion and fear.

Stanley nods with a satisfied smile. "That's right. Bertinelli. A crime family whose activities left people POOR, DEAD, and SCARRED." He looks at William again. "Especially…your mother."

William's eyes were slowly widening with each revelation told. The last one has him in utter shock.

---

Red Arrow shakes his head. "No. NO!" He steps back from the Deacon with his bow raised. "This is a trick, something you falsely fed to Stanley. It's not true!"

The Deacon takes a bit of a step forward. "Is it? How do you think we were able to recruit your mother so easily? We do not abduct children. We take orphans and stowaways, children living on the streets. Your mother ran from her parents because she did not approve of their position, of what their family were doing."

"And she would join something worse?"

"She joined us because she BELIEVED in our once joint cause, to RID this universe of SIN, of EVIL. But she became…disillusioned. When she had you, she retreated to the only family she thought she had left…the parents she DESPISED."

---

Stanley proclaimed, "Your mother wanted nothing to do with your grandparents here, saw them and her crime family as the MONSTERS they are."

Frank insists, "NO, William. We gave your mother an out. We told her that we distanced ourselves from the Bertinelli family, started a new, normal life. We told her we could hide the both of you from Ninth Circle's eyes."

Thea asks for everyone else, "You know the Ninth Circle?"

"Of course we do. Nearly everyone with power does. They told us they had our daughter, and they were keeping her. But WE gave her and YOU, William, the life she should have had!"

Stanley yells, "After your CORRUPT lives drove her away!"

He lets go of Irene's hair, throwing her into the table countertop. She lies there motionless, looking at William with tears in her eyes. Guilty tears.

Stanley then grips William's shoulder again, which makes him uncomfortable. "She did the right thing then William. We all have to get back at our family sometimes, right? I would know. I had parents like your mom's."

Oliver looks on, his urge to get in there and break Stanley away from William becoming ever stronger. He wants to move, to get up from his chair, to…

A twitch. He feels a twitch in his finger. He can twitch nearly every one of his fingers, wiggle nearly every toe, even move his neck around a little. Gradually, they become easier to control. He moves his neck a bit, looking at Bruce, who slightly nods his head to prove that he too is gaining control of his body back.

As Oliver suspected, the cake's filling was the antidote. He never imagined Bruce could produce it so quickly. Then again, if Felicity could whip up a solution for a computer crisis within a matter of hours, an antidote for a paralyzing drug is probably not a problem for Bruce.

Stanley continues to talk, "My dad was a doctor, my mom his assistant. They would…" He gulps hard, almost choking on his words. "When my brother and I did something wrong, they would give us what they called 'medicine.' It wasn't medicine. It was torture!" Stanley slams his hand on the table, startling William. "They would do what I'm doing to your grandparents right now: correct me! You know what happened next? I got TIRED of it. One day, I gave them a taste of their own medicine, and I CORRECTED them."

As Oliver slowly crept his neck back into position, his eyes catch a glimpse of Mia, peering her head from the hallway, ready to pounce. Oliver knows that it won't work. Stanley has no reason to be that far out. However, across from him, Roy's eyes look down at his empty beer bottle. It's a long shot, but if Oliver can force his body to move, he can grab the bottle and smash Stanley's face in, possibly knock him out.

Oliver looks at Mia, mouthing to her, "Get the bottle to me without him noticing."

Mia nods in acknowledgement.

To get Stanley's attention, Oliver asks, "Stanley, you said you have a brother. Where is he?"

Stanley's facial expressions go from a red-hot temper to looking as if he may cry. "He-he was mad at me, for what I did. He was going to transfer me to Arkham Asylum. I-I don't know why. Our parents got what they deserve!" He walks over to Oliver, his knife raised. "I've been trying to tell you that all night, but you're not listening to me! You NEVER listened to me!"

With his eyes fixated on Oliver, Mia moves up to Roy's side, grabbing the beer bottle quietly and quickly.

Oliver simply tells Stanley, "I'm sorry you feel that way."

---

The Deacon, now frozen in his stance except for his breathing, tells Red Arrow, "As of right now, I'm the only one who can stop Stanley. I may not be able to tell him directly, but I know someone who is ready to do so on my word."

Red Arrow refutes, "You think I'm going to buy that?"

"You don't have much choice."

Red Arrow doesn't say anything, but inside, he is worried for his family's safety, for the survival of his grandparents, that there is the slightest chance that his countermeasures won't work.

The Deacon continues, "You have taken my family, so it only seems fair that I take yours. You can prevent their demise by giving my nephew back. Lower your bow, call director Michaels, tell her to arrange an exchange."

Red Arrow hesitates. The Deacon is in the perfect position, but so long as the others are in danger, so long as there is the possibility of the Deacon stopping Stanley, there is really nothing Red Arrow can do at this moment except comply. At least, make it look like he is complying.

He lowers the bow, placing the arrow into his quiver.

The Deacon makes clear, "Good. But know that I can tell if you are stalling."

Of course he would. Still, try to make it look like I'm—

Miraculously, as he reaches for his ear, he already hears a beep on his comm.

---

Stanley looks ready to flay Oliver alive, his dagger just near his cheek. However, he pulls it away.

"Oliver…I don't want to be angry at you. I want to BE like you. We can…we can still be a team."

Stanley walks away, giving Mia time to quickly reach out from cover and hand Oliver the beer bottle. At this point, he can feel the bottle, his grip on it tight. He can feel his whole body again, but he still doesn't have all of his control back. If he's going to do this, he'll need to push himself to the limit.

Oliver provokes, "No, we can't. You're too much like your father."

Stanley shakes his head furiously. "No. I'm NOTHING like him."

"Look at you Stanley! You've PARALYZED us. You're CORRECTING us."

Stanley places his hands on his head, sinking himself low. "Oliver, PLEASE."

"I made mistakes in my lifetime, and my father stooped very low in HIS lifetime. But I learned from his mistakes. And MINE. What have you learned Stanley? NOTHING! I was right to treat you with contempt at Slabside."

Stanley raises himself back up, gripping the knife tighter. "Take it back."

"In fact, if I knew what you were from the start, I would have served you up to the other inmates myself!"

Almost immediately, Stanley turns around, marching towards Oliver with fury taking over his face.

"I said TAKE IT BACK!"

When he is close enough, Mia shouts, "Do it!"

With all the control he has, Oliver brings himself to turn around and smash the bottle into Stanley's face. The hit lands, Stanley landing on his knees and hands, bits of the glass stuck to his cheek and parts of his forehead. However, he is not unconscious yet. Oliver wants to take him down, but that is all he has. He can't move another muscle without exhausting himself.

Instead, Mia is the one who rushes in. "I got him!"

Instead, as she gets close, Stanley unexpectedly jerks upward, the knife's bottom handle knocking Mia upside the head. Her trajectory becomes slanted, landing just next to Stanley.

Stanley, as he looks at Mia, is gritting his teeth, breathing through them harshly. "Another bad influence? Did SHE tell you to do that to me?!"

Out of panic, everyone except Frank and Irene tries to get out of their chairs, get more control of their limbs back. Oliver is the only one to get out, but as soon as his legs touch the ground, they collapse under his weight. He resorts to crawling, but he isn't getting there faster.

Stanley, meanwhile, places a knee on Mia's stomach and grabs her by the throat. He chokes her hard, Mia not even putting up a fight, probably still disoriented.

Stanley yells, "You think you can tell him how to treat me?! FINE." He switches the knife into a reverse grip, aiming for the forehead. "I know who exactly to kill FIRST."

Oliver reaches out, pleading, "Stanley, don't!"

Stanley raises the knife high, ready to plunge it into Mia's skull. Everyone else can do nothing but look on, helpless. Oliver has flashes, back to when his mother died, being powerless to stop Slade from stabbing his mother in the chest, tied down to the ground, looking her in her cold, lifeless eyes one last time.

However, something startles Stanley, something that halts his execution. Oliver's tunnel vision didn't allow him to notice someone new breaking in, this time through the window. A female figure, somebody familiar, who shoots a grapple arrow the instant she jumps in. It grabs Stanley by the shoulder and pulls him to her. She grabs Stanley's whole body and slams it down to the ground, following it up with a hook punch to the unscathed side of his face.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that Mia is safe. Mia, however, is breathing frantically, in a state of total shock. Oliver does not stop his crawling until he reaches her, eventually being able to get on his hands and knees.

"Mia." His whisper goes unheard, Mia still looking up at the ceiling. He then grabs her shoulder and gently shakes her. "Mia!" Finally, she looks him in the eyes. "You're okay now. You hear me?"

Mia does not respond, but her breathing becomes somewhat calmer. For Oliver, that is enough.

He looks up at the woman who saved Mia, starting to recognize the familiar figure that he has encountered just last night. Athena, out of her cell and wearing her old ninja garb, gives Oliver a slight nod. He does nothing, though, still processing her presence.

Is she…the ears? Did William know about this? Or did he plan it?

Athena then taps her ear, seemingly having a comm on her. Who she's contacting, Oliver does not know.

---

"This is Athena. Your family is safe."

Red Arrow, upon hearing those assuring words, lowers his hand away from his ear. The Deacon, upon seeing this, readies himself with his blade up in front of himself once more. He stays stationary, in the place Red Arrow wanted him to be.

Red Arrow then smirks at him under his mask. "You're right Deacon. I do plan five steps ahead of everyone else. That includes you!"

Emiko, who had been hiding behind the balcony's ramp, waiting for the perfect shot, finally pops her head out. She lets her rope arrow loose to latch onto the Deacon's leg, to catch him by surprise and dangle him long enough to catch him in a net arrow. Two victories in one night, a whole villain's plan foiled.

Clever, yet predictable.

The Deacon, however, steps out of the way. As the rope arrow latches onto the floor, the Deacon grabs it and pulls a surprised Emiko down.

Oh no! Grab Emiko QUICK.

Halt his advance.

As Red Arrow runs up to catch Emiko, the Deacon steps forward and employs a hard-hitting side kick. Failing to see it, Red Arrow gets hit in the stomach plate. It does not do any serious damage, but the sudden shift of his weight makes him loose balance and fall to the floor. He is forced to witness Emiko land on her side, groaning in pain as she clutches her arm.

Now, apply pressure.

As Red Arrow gets up into his stance, raising his arms up as the Deacon comes in with his sword. The Deacon lunges in, his sword becoming stuck to Red Arrow's gauntlet. Red Arrow takes it and his sword arm, pulling him in closer. However, the Deacon continues his lunge, passing Red Arrow before employing a low kick behind his leg, in between the armor plates where he is vulnerable. As Red Arrow's knee goes down, the Deacon grabs him and throws him towards the table nearby. He breaks through it, skidding on the floor until he is near the wall and the sword dislodging from the gauntlet.

The Deacon walks confidently towards the sword and picks it up. Red Arrow, seeing his bow in front of him, makes a dive for it. Unfortunately, the Deacon gets there in time to kick his masked face in and the bow away. Red Arrow puts his hand on his mask, nothing broken but still feeling that kick. The leg plating, while looking something out of a medieval knight's suit of armor, is made of much denser materials.

The Deacon tells him, "William. Even after you learn the truth, you would still fight against me?"

Red Arrow gets up and puts up his hands. However, he finds himself putting more pressure on his back leg, the back of his left one still wincing from the low kick. "They may not have been honest with me, but at least they haven't been trying to use or manipulate me, unlike you!"

Before Red Arrow can attack, the Deacon comes in with a series of light cuts and thrusts, most of which Red Arrow readily deflects with his gauntlets. His footing, with the injured leg, is somewhat uneven, forcing him to keep some of his attention on any possible fishing from the Deacon. Still, his sword patterns are very discernable.

Two cuts, then woman's guard. Slice into boar's tooth, thrust into a longa. His style is akin to that of a Fiore—

Before Red Arrow can analyze further, the thrust Red Arrow thought would go into a guard turns into a circular slash that gets caught in his gauntlet's spikes again. Reacting quickly, Red Arrow raises it up, hoping to break it with his other gauntlet in tandem.

Trap set. Now, pin the prey down.

However, the Deacon quickly transitions into a half-sword grip and forces Red Arrow to the wall. The blade gets in close, both his gauntlet only able to keep it from touching his neck.

"I have never lied to you about ANYTHING the day we met William. I did grow up in a neighborhood filled with debauchery, drugs, greed and succulence at EVERY corner. My mother was the only pure soul, gathering those who revered the lord at her church, to give everyone a sense of safety, of COMMUNITY." The Deacon forces the blade further towards Red Arrow, giving him very little room to escape. "She preached of following the Lord's example, of staying pure against all the things that tempt us. Then one day, a bunch of punks came in, defiling the father's house…with HER blood!"

Improvising, Red Arrow tries to knee strike the Deacon with his good leg. He dodges it, delivering a knee of his own against Red Arrow's side, where the plates diverge at the hip. The Deacon then throws all of his weight and momentum into forcing the sword out of Red Arrow's gauntlets. The sword's tip manages to get a scratch on the mask but does not pierce it.

As Red Arrow tries to get into his guard position, the Deacon comes at him with more strikes, this time hard hitting, but still inspired by a HEMA system of fighting.

As the Deacon attacks, he continues, "When I was DRIVEN out, EXILED from my HOME, THAT was when I met him. My predecessor, the Deacon of the Order of St. Dismas, who showed me the TRUTH."

From a high guard, he strikes downward, which Red Arrow catches by crossing his gauntlets together. The Deacon half swords again, pushing Red Arrow back towards the window.

Red Arrow tries to think, but the Deacon keeps going, "He showed me that the WHOLE WORLD, not just my home, was tainted by original sin, that MORE and MORE people were turning from God, forgetting Christ's sacrifice. There was only one path forward, to save the pure from the TEMPTATIONS of SIN."

Tactics running dry. Have to do something.

Red Arrow comes within a foot of the window. Without much thought, he removes his right gauntlet from the blade and goes in for a cross, hoping that he can at least get one blow to follow up on. However, the Deacon lets the hand on his blade go to wrap it under and over the cross, immobilizing it. He then takes the opportunity to manuver his sword and thrust it even further. No matter how Red Arrow tried to manipulate the blade with his still binding gauntlet, the blade finds its way into his right shoulder, through the gap in the armor. It digs in there deep, forcing a cry of pain from the vigilante. The Deacon then takes the sword out entirely and, with the leverage on Red Arrow's nearly limp arm, pushes him away into the window. As it cracks, he follows up with a front kick, sending Red Arrow flying outside.

When Red Arrow lands on the porch, groaning in pain, he tries to assess himself.

Right shoulder…somewhat immobile. Options limited. Must keep going.

The Deacon climbs through the window and kicks Red Arrow in the shoulder, the pain now intensified.

"And I followed that path, from training until mastery, to when I returned home." The Deacon picks Red Arrow up without much of a fight. "I burned the whole neighborhood to the ground, including the house they TAINTED." He then slams Red Arrow into the support beam. "I did not DISCRIMINATE." He does this again, the cracking of old wood loudly echoing in the dead air. "The pure were taken away from this TEMPTING world, and the punks, the SINNERS, are burning in the very fires…of HELL!"

With one last kick, Red Arrow goes through the railing's beam, landing on the patch of untrimmed grass. The Deacon follows him, not going for any more strikes. Instead, he reaches for the emblem on Red Arrow's chest.

Now, to remove the obstacle.

No!

Red Arrow grabs the arm with his still good hand, but the Deacon slams his masked head in with the pummel of his sword until he eventually lets go, his head now throbbing. With one button press, the Deacon exposes Red Arrow, William, in his plain attire a hoodie jacket and backup mask.

The Deacon does not fight further. Instead, he stands up, explaining, "When I found your mother, alone in the streets, she was lost, just as I was. I saw that same FIRE, that same SPIRIT, to rid the world of the secularism that our societies have propagated. I had great expectations of her, and she EXCEEDED them all up until she had you."

William slowly stands up, not being stopped by the Deacon. In fact, he may have extended a hand, but retracted it when William was able to get up. However, he is just barely holding himself upright, the kick to his leg still affecting his knee a bit and the throbbing in his head making it hard to keep his balance.

"William…deep down, you know that I'm right. But so long as you remain attached to what keeps you from burning the world, you will be nothing more than a man in a mask, fighting to complete a pointless mission. Let your family go. Let Star City die. Let the pure be welcomed to paradise, and let the sinner be reaped what they have sewn."

William breathes heavily, too disoriented to throw another punch. Somehow, the Deacon knows the chinks in the armor, where exactly to hit and how his nanite armor comes off. He is defenseless. He knows that if he throws one punch, the Deacon may cut off his hand. His thoughts are jumbled, not able to think of a plan. The Deacon just stands there, waiting for an answer.

Even when disoriented, William does have a retort to make. "You think…you think yourself in Christ's place…driving the merchants from the father's house? You're…you're not. You burned an entire neighborhood, DESTROYED the father's house! Your…your mother's work is in ashes…because your judgement of what's sacred…is SKEWED."

There is a pause, William breathing heavily and the Deacon just standing there. Eventually, Deacon lets the sword drop to the ground. As it does, he throws an uppercut right into William's stomach. As William coughs up his spit, lurching over, the Deacon follows it up with an uppercut to the face, which forces William to back up unsteadily.

"There is NOTHING sacred in this world!"

The Deacon then throws a hook, which William blocks, but is barely able to hold. The knight's greaves that Deacon wears is weakens his arm, to the point of bruising.

"The CHURCHES, the TEMPLES, the very BASILLICAS of CONSTANTINOPLE!"

He continues until William is kneeling, his arm nearly broken. The Deacon then forces him up, which William tries to use the momentum to at least punch him in the gut. The strike is rather weak, though, and the armor plating dense.

"All of them have been turned into institutions of pandering and GREED!"

Instead, William has to endure another gut punch from the Deacon, this one resulting in him spitting blood. The Deacon them grabs him by the back of his head, his legs barely able to keep him up. However, the Deacon does nothing.

"And YOU would defend them."

The Deacon lets William fall onto the soft, dirt ground. It becomes hard for him to breath, his heaving intermittent. His stomach and arm are bruised, a couple of ribs close to breaking, along with his migraine. The Deacon, heaving himself out of anger, takes up his sword one more time. He raises it up over William, ready to finish it.

"If this is truly the path you want to take…I hope God takes pity on your sou—"

Suddenly, William hears a gunshot, the bullet just grazing the Deacon's helm. He jerks around and covers himself from the oncoming fire, which is somewhat inaccurate. William turns to where the shots are coming from, seeing John, carried by Curtis, shooting at the Deacon. Curtis helps to aim his shots, but they are more to deter the Deacon than to actually wound him. It does work, the Deacon retreating into the woods across the way.

Curtis slowly lets John go, assured that he can stand on his own, and runs to William.

"Will! WILL!"

Curtis kneels by William's side, checking his pulse and examining at the wounds and bruises.

John kneels by William as well, assuring him, "Hang on William. It's going to be okay."

Curtis quickly gets on the comm, "This is Agent Curtis Holt. We've got one down, requesting immediate medical attention!"

---

William's eyes slowly open, the beeping sound of a pulse rate monitor steadily ticking by. He lifts his head up and looks at his surroundings, seeing himself in one of the familiar patient rooms in ARGUS HQ. The last thing he remembers is his confrontation with Blackfire, loosing even with his suit on, and receiving the beating of his lifetime after a retort that involved Blackfire's mother. In hindsight, he knew it was a bad idea to provoke the Deacon, but he didn't have a lot of options. Or maybe he felt angered, whether by the Deacon's presence or that he burned down a church, along with an entire neighborhood because he saw it as tainted.

As he becomes fully conscious, William feels the bruising in his casted arm and the sting of his almost broken ribs and shoulder wound, though not as much as when the Deacon was lashing at him. Most likely, he's on some morphine or other painkillers.

"I wouldn't try to get up if I were you."

His younger self comes into view, not looking happy to see him.

Older William tries to joke, "You know the irony in that statement, right?" His younger self does not laugh. So, he instead asks, "How is everyone?"

"Safe. We all got checked out to see if that paralyzing agent had any side effects. So far as I know, I'm clean."

Older William notices the subtle frown, the lowered eyebrows and narrow eyes directed towards him. "Yet, I feel that's not enough for you."

His younger self grabs hold of the rail bars that flank the side of the bed. "Did you know that there was going to be an intruder coming to our home tonight?"

Not wanting to lie, William admits, "It was a possibility, yes."

"And only Bruce and that ninja woman knew?"

William shakes his head. "Dad knew, so did John and the others."

"But you didn't think to tell us? To tell Uncle Roy or Aunt Thea, at least? Maybe Felicity?"

"We didn't want to incite panic, and…"

"And?!"

His younger self's tone rises, his frustration of talking around the answer laid bare.

William sighs. "…and I had confidence that Bruce, Dad, and Athena had everything covered. I had faith that God would ensure a good outcome."

His younger self leans over the railing. "It barely was! Mia almost died because you wanted to catch a psychopath in a trap!"

"I never said—"

"But you can't deny that was also part of your possibility!"

William does not refute. He wants to, but he holds himself back. Deep down, he knows his younger self is probably right. It was not his intention nor part of his plan to have Stanley cornered in a place where his family was exposed, but he could not deny that it was the perfect trap if set off correctly.

His younger self then asks, "Connor…is this what I become? Do I become the guy who doesn't let everyone in on every single detail, nearly risking everyone I love in the process?"

William has a hard time answering that question. His thoughts keep going back to what the Deacon said about them being the same, to the nightmare of becoming the Deacon, burning as he held the bible in his hand, and how similar the Deacon was in thinking during fighting, if not even more experienced than him.

"William!"

Bruce calls to him from the doorway, Athena and Lyla standing right next to him.

"You were supposed to come get us when he awoke."

His younger self just nods. "I know. Sorry sir."

Lyla walks up to the opposite side of William's bed. She grabs a remote on the bed and raises his headrest so he can face them better "How are you feeling?"

William tries to assure Lyla, "It could be worse."

Lyla gives a low, "Mhm," not convinced of that fact. "Well, you're lucky the Deacon didn't kill you. Doctors say that you'll be bed-ridden for the next week or so."

William nods. "I assumed as much."

"Will you cooperate?"

"So long as the food's good."

She gives a sarcastic chuckle. "Luckily, we have the best chefs here."

Bruce nods at Younger William. "You go say goodbye to your parents. I'd like to chat with Connor here."

Before he leaves, Younger William gives his older self his Red Arrow emblem, the suit's container.

"Dad wanted me to give you this when you woke up." He tosses it onto William's lap, seemingly not caring to politely give it.

As he watches his younger self head for the door, he suddenly shouts, "Will!"

He turns around, waiting. William does not know why he said that. Maybe a reflex, or maybe he wanted to assure his younger self that he is not the person he just described. However, he can't really think of how to say it.

He just says the first thing that comes to mind, "I'm sorry."

His younger self doesn't reply. He just sighs and walks past Athena, feeling the same way William is right now: uncertain, doubtful of the path he is on, the path he has walked. That is, if he is going to keep walking it at all.

William sighs. "He's going to be questioning a lot of things about me. About himself."

Bruce tells him, "You leave him to me and Talia. Worry about what's happening right now, in the present."

William nods. He looks over at Athena, still standing by the doorway. With his good hand, he gestures her to come to him. She slowly walks to him, probably testing to see if Lyla would detest it, insist she stay out of ear shot. However, Lyla does nothing of the sort.

William asks, "How did my family react? Seeing you, I mean."

"They said nothing. Though, I could see a burning hatred in your aunt's eyes."

"She's going to be mistrusting of you. They all may be at first. But you saved them tonight." His next statement is more sincere, more of a loud whisper. "Thank you."

Athena grins, probably the first time he has ever seen her do so. "I have only done what I have been told, as I must."

William grins himself. "Modesty out of you?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "It is still foreign a concept to me."

"You get used to it."

Suddenly, a thought pops into William's head. He remembers Dinah, the red gash on her neck as she was carried out by Rene. He sits straight up, even with the pain in his ribs. "Dinah! Dinah was—"

Lyla puts a hand on his shoulder. "We know! Rene got her here in time. We were able to save what's left of her vocal cords. We're still waiting to see what the results of the surgery were. As far as we know, she's going to live."

William slowly slouches back into his pillow, remembering how the whole fight went down. "Blackfire…he almost killed her, made us all look like chumps."

Bruce tries to reassure William, "You couldn't have expected him to be there. Chimera lied to you."

William shakes his head. "I don't think he was." He looks at Athena again, asking, "The Deacon…he fought like he was he taught by Ra's Al Ghul. Was he?"

Athena answers, "No. However, ancient history states that the Order's founder trained under Ra's Al Ghul, even fought alongside him in the crusades."

The statement only makes Bruce raise an eyebrow while Lyla's eyes were as wide as a glass pane window.

Lyla asks, "You're sure?"

Athena nods. "I trained with him myself. He is as ruthless, even as cunning as the Demon's Head. Though, they are not entirely alike."

William nods. "He was thinking five steps ahead of me, the same way I usually do with an opponent..." His eyes fall on Bruce. "The way you taught me to fight. But more worrying, he knew the chinks in my armor, exploited my weaknesses until he got my armor off."

Bruce taps his fingers on the railing. "Even with Ra's training, that kind of knowledge would only be known to someone with intimate knowledge of your suit's specs."

"I know. Chimera wouldn't have gained that knowledge, even when fighting me."

Lyla adds, "And there's no conceivable way he can deliver messages to Blackfire from his cell."

William nods. "There's only one possibility left. But I can't pursue it, and neither can you, Director Michaels." He then looks at Athena once more. "But she can."

Lyla raises an eyebrow. "Pursue what exactly?"

William looks out the window, making sure no one was watching them, before he states vaguely, "A hunch."

---

Mia looks on from her hospital bed as Oliver and Felicity say goodbye to Young William, hugging him. He then hugs his grandparents, hoping that tonight's events haven't hampered their confidence in his safety with Bruce Wayne. However, the Grandparents are smiling, rubbing his hair, even though he didn't seem to like it.

William then walks over to Mia while Oliver and Felicity talk to William's grandparents, no doubt apologizing profusely for tonight's events and how everything went, saying that something like this will never happen again. Knowing her family, though, there's no doubt it will.

As William draws closer, Mia asks, "So…your grandparents are good?"

He nods. "They're fine…" he looks back at his grandparents while inhaling sharply. "But I think we scared them into never coming to Star City again."

Mia can't help but chuckle at the way William so snappily he delivers his line.

"They at least know that I hold nothing against them for being part of a crime family…and they're confident that I'll be safe with Bruce."

Mia nods. "He saved our lives tonight. Him and Athena."

William shakes his head. "You did too. I mean, the way you were just slinking around the table, nearly grabbing…"

William stops. He can see the gloomy look in her eyes, just thinking about that moment. She swears that if she was just a bit patient, she could've grabbed that Stanley guy and pinned him to the ground, not getting bopped on the head and nearly getting killed. It was only by fortune did that Athena woman save her in time.

Still, William continues, "Grandma and Grandpa appreciated what you did for them. They wanted me to thank you."

Mia nods, at least agreeing to that.

Then, before they ended the conversation, Mia asks something that's been on her mind since their last conversation, "What you said to me, about forgiving your mom…How did you do it?

William bows his head. "It wasn't easy. It took a lot of time, thinking about why she did what she did, what I had done in not forgiving her. I realized too late that what I wanted was nothing more than to accept my mom back into my life again, maybe not back to the way we were, but maybe…maybe something better."

William looks over at Felicity, who, along with Oliver, wave William's grandparent's goodbye.

"It may seem like there's pressure, but…" He turns back to Mia. "Do it when you think you're ready."

Mia can't help but grin. "You are somehow good at giving advice."

William grins back. "Well, that's what older siblings should do. Right?"

Mia and William chuckle together, seeing the irony in that statement.

William then states with a grin, "I'm gonna miss you."

Mia replies somberly, "You too."

William then walks back to Oliver and Felicity, both of them pointing to Mia and William nodding his head. His goodbye was most likely on their orders, but he seemed to have wanted to do so anyways.

Oliver escorts him out and Felicity looks back at Mia with a subtle look of guilt. Mia can't help but reflect it back. She knew there was going to be a talk in a few seconds.

However, before Felicity sets one foot into the room, the doctor who was doing checkups on them stops her. Mia couldn't hear what was going on, but Felicity smiles for a majority of it, most likely just getting positive results from the checkup. But then, a couple of words makes the smile fade. Mia can only make out her mother's shocked face, her lips mouthing, "The what?"

Mia can see Felicity's eyes subtly look her way, her hand slowly touching her stomach, and the doctor surprised by her reaction followed by what could be apologies with the way she raises her hands defensively. Mia does not show it, but right there, right then, she is feeling the same shock her mother is right now.

---

The rich kid, unbound from his chair, stood in front of Mia with his hands up.

"Listen to me. We don't have to fight. We can—"

Mia does not hesitate, throwing a quick punch to the nose, which the guy easily sidesteps. She did not relent, throwing strike after strike to bring the guy down. But he kept patting down, rolling under, or blocking them all. He was not fighting back, probably hoping to tire her out, get her to concede. But she was not one to give up in a fight.

Seeing an opening, Mia delivered the next roundhouse to the rich guy's hip. However, the guy stepped away and grabbed the leg. He wrapped his arms in tight and lowering his posture to be parallel to her leg. He then swept his front leg back, placed pressure on the top of her leg, and forced her to move backward. The motion caught her by surprise, making her lose balance and sent her tumbling down on her back.

Rich guy walked up to her casually. "You think I wouldn't recognize the Al Ghul training in your fighting style? Who taught you? Talia? Nyssa?"

When he came into range, Mia attempted to trap the older guy with her legs, but he backstepped and grabbed hers in return. He threw them out of the way and quickly got one knee on her belly, his other leg posting. He immediately transitioned to a mount grabbed both of her arms, pinning them down to the floor.

"Definitely Nyssa. Talia wasn't the type for just incapacitation as you are."

As he talked, Mia pressed one of her knees on the rich guy's back, trying to force him into a position for her to escape. Yet, in response, he swings one of his legs around and slid down, his hip lying flat on her stomach and one of her arms trapped in his.

"You don't want to keep doing this. It's only going to end badly for you."

"Shut up!"

Seeing no other options, Mia tried to put her free arm on rich guy's neck, bringing her legs up to perform a shrimping motion. However, rich guy was a few steps ahead, pushing up into her, driving her arm back. He brought his legs in, pushing her to her side sooner than she would have liked, and pulling her arm away while keeping tight to her as much as possible. As her back became exposed, he pulled himself away, wrapping one arm around her neck and using the other, in tandem with his body, to twist her arm into a kimura lock. As it was halfway there, he moved one leg over her hip and stood up, allowing him to grab the arm with both hands, bending it until she started clenching her teeth.

While this was all going on, Ben Turner Jr. was taking out a knife and cutting the bonds from Spartan and the other old guy first. "I'm sorry sir. I know I should've stopped her, but things got…complicated."

As Spartan rubbed his wrists, he asked Ben, "How many times do I have to tell you that it's Dad?"

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Didn't work for the past 20 years or so."

Just as he was about to go for Zoe next, he saw Mia bound in the kimura, her face creasing, seething through her teeth.

Rich guy stated, "I didn't want to do this. STAND. DOWN."

Mia didn't say a word, continuing to breathe through her teeth.

Ben pleaded with him, "Stop!"

"Not until she stands down."

Spartan added, "Will! You're gonna break her arm."

"I won't if she guarantees her surrender."

Zoe then pleaded, "Will, stop!"

"Surrender!"

"Let her go, William!"

A new voice, an altered, deep voice echoed from the darkness from outside the little platform. Mia and the man now known to her as William saw a dark, hooded figure come out of the shadows, his face barely comprehensible.

Yet, she knew who that was. "Dad?! What are you doing?"

William asked, "you're her Dad? You're the one leading these two? Tell her to stand down."

"You're not going to break her arm William. You're bluffing."

"How would you know? How would you know me?"

"I know you, William…" Her dad reached for his neck, turning off whatever mic altered his voice. He removed his hood, revealing an aged, wrinkled face, his beard white and overgrown.

"…as any father knows his son."

As the strain on Mia's arm was becoming to much, William suddenly let go of her and stood up. He walked to her father, Oliver Queen, out of pure instinct, looking at him as Hamlet saw the ghost of his father.

Overcome with sudden joy, William hugged his father tight, not really caring that he may be an aged man whose bones may be a bit fragile. Oliver did not resist, but hugged back, a smile on his face like he had never had before.

William stated in a loud whisper, "I never thought I'd see you again."

Oliver replied somberly, "I didn't think you wanted to."

As she stood up, rubbing and moving her arm, her father's statement finally reaches her brain. "his son." Mia looked on at the guy who she interrogated, who she fought. He was older, but she began to recognize some of the features from her mom's photograph, the little boy with the brown hair and blue eyes, the same color as her father's. This was him. This was the stepbrother her mother never told her about, whom she had discovered then and had met back at the fighting cage.

William may have had that same thought, for he stepped away and said, "Wait! She just call you—"

"Yes, she did."

Oliver patted William on the shoulder casually, as if all the years apart didn't happen, and extended a hand to Mia, whose mouth was agape, looking dumb founded at him.

"William, this is Mia…your half-sister."

---

Noah turns the page on the bible that was given to him, finally up to "Revelations 6." Though, it's nothing he hasn't read before. His uncle made him read it in his youth, recite it over and over. This is supposed to be the passage that changed his uncle forever, what the Order ascribes to. This is what reveals the true nature of man.

"Dinnertime!"

He sees his contact slip the tray into the large airlock next to the door. When he goes to grab it, he sees a barebones meal, just a hamburger with coleslaw and some water.

However, the folded napkin is what he's interested in most. He sets the tray down on the bed and takes a bites out of his burger and coleslaw first, fooling the people on the other end of the camera in the corner facing him. With a sip of his water, he goes to pick up the napkin, unfolding it to see what message he has gotten from the Order.

"The fourth seal shall be retrieved soon."

He rubs the dry ink side onto his lips. He folds it and cleans away any residual crumbs and ink quickly, giving a satisfied smile while looking at his mostly eaten food tray.

Finally.

---

Stanley says nothing. Even when the armed guards eye him, he does nothing. Even with the sting of the scars where shards of glass were, now bandaged, he feels nothing. This is it. This is the abyss of nothingness he has finally fallen into. All the rejection, all of the pain, all the snide comments and insults he endured. He could take them before because he knew how to relieve the pain.

But not Oliver. Not his comments.

"If I knew what you were from the start, I would have served you up to the other inmates myself!"

Even if Oliver never meant it, the words cut Stanley to the bone, like no one else. His previous friends would just flat out turn him down or throw him away, mistakes that were corrected. Oliver is the one who got away, the potential brother he always wanted, who he could have swayed. But that hope is gone now. He doesn't feel sad, angry, or lonesome. He feels empty.

Not even the sudden stop of the truck draws his attention. He can hear one of the guards up front say, "Hey, whoever you people are, Please clear the road immedia—"

The sound of gunfire is what catches Stanley's attention. He sees one of the heads of the guards up front slouch down, blood dripping from the back of his neck.

The four guards with Stanley immediately arm their rifles, one of them barking orders, "Get outside! Cover the perimeter!"

They all head out the back, leaving the doors slightly ajar. Given that Stanley is in chains, he can't really do anything but sit and hear whatever is going on outside.

"Do you see them?"

"I've got noth—"

The next thing Stanley hears is a mix of screams, bulletfire, and the faint sound of blades slitting throats. Now, Stanley is in fear for his life, in fear that he may be next if whoever is attacking this convoy wins. It may be the family of one of his his victims coming for revenge. That's the only logical assumption he can make.

With one last slash, silence creeps in. There is nothing but Stanley's hoarse breathing, which slows to a crawl after the dust settles. However, it quickens as one of the doors slowly opens. Nobody comes through though. It's only the open road, at least as much as he can see. His breathing slows down again.

Maybe…maybe everyone killed each oth—

Just then, a boot steps out from the side, making Stanley jump as much as his chains would allow him. Afterwards comes a sword, covered in blood, which makes him back away until the chains catch him. Finally, the sword comes with its bearer, a hooded man whose face is very hard to discern under a mask that looks like something out of medieval Europe. Stanley tries his best to pull at the chains at this point, hoping that they will break free for him.

"CALM, Stanley." The hooded man raises his other hand, which contains the key one of the guards had for the chains. "We are not here to harm you."

From the back of the truck, Stanley can see three other silhouettes, their fronts subdued by the moonlight behind them, but Stanley can make out a big guy wearing a shield.

The figure takes Stanley's wrists and undoes the cuffs, then does the same for his ankles. "We are here to take you home."

Stanley looks at the man, now, with awe.

Total strangers…coming to rescue me?

"W-who are you?"

The figure removes his helm, revealing a gentle-looking man with black, somewhat long hair and a thin beard, almost like a nice yet hippie looking cut.

The man tells him, with a now calming, serene voice, "We…are your family."

That word. It makes him feel something. It feels like…an invitation. He feels welcomed by the man's statement, something he has never felt before. All these years, he had to force his way into people's lives, to invite them, to be rejected by them. But now, here's this stranger, inviting him for a change, to something he hasn't even been given details about.

Yet, he doesn't care. His mind is fixated on that word, that invitation.

He whispers it, almost ecstatically, "Family."

---

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave a review, favorite this story if you like it, and to follow the story so that you will get notified when a new chapter comes out. I'll see you all later!