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Chapter Text

Lian Yu, north China Sea
Mid-day

A man in a green hood walked in the flush, green forest. As he walked, some pierced the quiet of the forest, something that gave him hope: the sound of a plane flying overhead. Words were not needed as he sprinted out of the forest. With ease, the figure climbed the mountain on the side until he reached what he was looking for. Notching the air in his bow, the man flicks a knife on tar covered arrow head, thus setting it on fire. Aiming his bow at a barrel on the beach, the man lets the arrow fly. The arrow hits its mark and explodes, causing the boat nearby to be alerted to their presence.

He made his way down to the beach as the boat approached. The men on the boat docked on the beach the man fell to his knees, the man finally pulling off his hood. He was a man in his late twenties with shaggy blonde hair and a long beard with blue eyes.

Starling City, several days later

Early morning

"Oliver Queen is Alive!" A new reporter exclaimed before continuing with his broadcast, "The Starling City resident was found by fishermen on an island in the North China sea five days ago. Queen was a regular tabloid presence and regular at the club scene until six months before his disappearance where he became seeing an anonymous woman who was revealed to be Sandra Wu Sun, daughter of local police officer Quinten Lance and his wife Dinah. Queen is the son of billionaire Robert Queen, who has been confirmed as deceased."

 "Twenty percent of Oliver's body is covered in scared tissue, second degree burns on his back and arms, x-rays show twelve fractures that never properly healed.

"Has he said anything?" Moira asked once the doctor stepped away.

"barely so. I want to warn you, the Oliver you lost might not be the one they found." The doctor warned her

"Oliver?" Moira called hesitantly.

"Mom." Oliver said in greeting.

Queen Mansion

Next day

“Welcome home, Oliver,” Moria said to her son happily as she showed him into the mansion he hadn’t seen in years.

“Your room is exactly the way you left it.” She began. “I never had the heart to change anything.”

“Oliver, it’s damn good to see you.” A dark-skinned man with a British accent announced as he approached him.

“Oliver, you remember Walter, your father’s friend from the company?” Moria asked.

”Seems like he’s been here for a while now,” Oliver said, guessing he was more than just a friend.

“Robert trusted him, and he was missed by everyone.” Moria revealed as they heard more footsteps come down the steps and Oliver turned to see his little sister Thea running down the stairs.

“Hey sis.” Oliver said to her.

”I knew it. I knew you were alive.” Thea said as she ran into her big brother’s arms.

“I missed you so much.” Thea said.

”You were with me the whole time.” Oliver told her.

Queen Mansion

That night

"What I tell you buddy, yachts suck." A familiar voice spoke up behind Oliver.

"Tommy Merlyn." Oliver smiled as he turned around to see his best friend.

"I missed you buddy." Tommy said the two friends embraced.

The doorbell rang and the two separated as Oliver went down with Tommy following him. Oliver and Tommy walked into the greeting room just as Raisa set the table. A little while later, the group sat at the dining room table as they finished up dinner. Walter sat at the head of the table with Moira right opposite him. Thea was next to Tommy.

"So let's see, what else you miss? Super bowl winners Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants again. A Black president, that's new. Oh and Lost, they were all dead I think." Tommy told Oliver.

"What was it like there?" Thea asked ignoring the glares that just about everyone shot her.

Oliver did not respond right away. He seemed to be having a silent conversation with himself.

"Cold." He simply said.

"Tomorrow, you and me, we're doing the city." Tommy insisted as he looked over at Oliver.

"That sounds like a great idea." Moira approved.

At that moment, Raisa came back into the room with desert, a chocolate cake, Oliver's favorite. As she neared Oliver, she stumbled and dropped the cake. However, Oliver caught it rather impressively and handed it back to Raisa.

"Oh, I am so sorry Mr. Oliver." Raisa apologized but Oliver just smiled and replied in Russian as everyone stared at him stunned.

"Dude, you speak Russian?" Tommy asked in awe.

"I didn't know you took Russian in college Oliver." Walter mentioned as Oliver shot him a cool smile.

"I didn't know you wanted to sleep with my mother Walter." Oliver said coolly as everyone froze.

"I didn't say anything." Thea said before her mother could blame her.

"She didn't have to." Oliver assured her.

"Oliver, Walter and I are married," Moira told him as she took Walter's hand, "And I don't want you to think either one of us did anything to disrespect your father."

"We both believed that Robert was, like you, well, um, gone." Walter said awkwardly.

"It's fine." Oliver said in a biting tone that made it clear it was anything but.

"Oliver." Moria began.

"…I'm sorry," Oliver apologized, "I guess being home after all this time is a little overwhelming. May I be excused; I don't really feel up to desert?"

Moira nodded and Oliver stood up from his seat before going up to his room.

The Queen's Gambit, five years ago

Night

"Okay, I love you daddy," Sandra Wu Sun hug up the phone as Oliver walked over to her, "my dad says hi."

"How much do you think he'll hate me when he finds out what we're planning?" Oliver asked as he sat down next to her on her bed and handed her a glass of Champaign.

"I think you can forget being invited over for the next family dinner. So any luck in finding a place?" Sandra asked as she took a sip of Champaign.

"I found a few places that look nice; we can check them out after we get back." Oliver said as lighting nearby.

"Wow that was really close." Sandra said beginning to grow concerned.

"That's not very scientific." Oliver laughed.

"So says the Ivy League drop out." Sandra teased.

"Hey, I know stuff." Oliver said defensively.

Any reply Sandra may have had was cut off when the boat toppled over. Oliver and Sandra fell of the bed, both dazed for a moment as they tried to process what had happened. Suddenly, both were swept from the room and into the Water. Oliver grabbed hold of Sandra, determined not to lose her in the cold, dark waters. The couple came up for air, the rain hitting their drenched bodies hard, but she was swept away and never seen again. They felt someone grab them and realized it was Oliver's father Robert as he and the captain lifted them both into a lifeboat.

Oliver gasped as he shot up in bed, his breathing hard and labored. Out of instinct, he looked over to his right side before he realized he wasn't on the island anymore.

Starling City, the Glades

The next day

"So why's you want to check this place out?" Tommy asked as he drove Oliver through downtown.

"No reason." Oliver said as he looked over at the foundry.

"This city's gone to crap," Merlyn pondered aloud. "You know, your dad sold his factory just in time."

"Yeah, he used to take me, too remember?" Oliver pitched in. 

"So," Tommy started, cutting into the mutual silence, "what did you miss the most? Steaks at the palm, drinks at the station?" "Big Belly Burger!"

"Dinah."

"Everyone is happy you're alive," Tommy said cautiously. "You wanna see the one person who isn't?"

CNRI

Later

Oliver and Dinah went outside, walking down the plaza.

"You went to law school. You said you would." Oliver said.

"Yeah. Everyone's proud." Dinah said.

"Adam Hunt's a heavy hitter. You sure you want to get in the ring with him?" Oliver pointed out.

"Five years and you want to talk about Adam Hunt?" Dinah questioned as Oliver shook his head.

"No. Not really." Oliver said and Dinah sighed as Oliver faced her.

"Why are you here, Ollie?" Dinah asked.

"To apologize. It was my fault. I wanted to ask you not to blame her.' Oliver said.

"For what? Falling under your spell? How could I possibly blame her for doing the same things that I did?" Dinah demanded.

"I never meant to—"

"She was my sister. I couldn't be angry because she was dead. I couldn't grieve because I was so angry. That's what happens, when your sister dies while screwing your boyfriend." Dinah sneered angrily. "We buried an empty coffin because her body was at the bottom of the ocean, where you left her. It should have been you."

Oliver looked hurt at hearing Dinah’s words but didn't blame her for how she felt. "I know that it's too late to say this but I'm sorry."

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too. I'd hoped that you'd rot in hell a whole lot longer than five years." Dinah said angrily as she was about to go back to CNRI as she faced Tommy. "How did you think that was gonna go, Tommy?"

"About like that." Tommy said.

"OK, so we took care of that." Tommy said as he and Oliver were going back to Tommy's car. "Good call. Now we can make up for lost time. If you're not too sick of fish, I suggest we find some leggy models and eat sushi all day. What do you say?"

Suddenly, two men in demon masks and black hoodies showed up out of nowhere, shooting both Oliver and Tommy with tranquilizer darts as they both passed out.

Warehouse

Later, afternoon

"Oh Mr. Queen?" Oliver awoke to a man in a demon mask in his face.

Oliver realized he was bound to a chair with Tommy with him in the room. Oliver began paying attention to his surroundings. There were three men, two with demon masks and one with a black ski mask, this would be easy. He had handled much worse before.

"Did your father survive that accident? Did he make it to the island with you? Did he tell you anything?" The Demon mask in his face demanded as he pointed a gun at Oliver.

"Yes." Oliver said tonelessly.

"What did he tell you?" Demon mask demanded.

"He told me I'm gonna kill you," Oliver growled.

"You're delusional. You're zip-cuffed to that chair." The man said before Oliver showed him his now-freed hands.

"Not anymore." Oliver said. The man immediately attempted to punch Oliver but he dodged and grabbed the chair and used it to block the man's punch before slamming it in his face as he jammed the wooden stake into the chest of another one and jammed the Taser under the jaw of another abductor before using him as a human shield as one of the thugs shot at him with a submachine gun.

Oliver touched Tommy's neck, measuring his pulse before he went after the kidnapper, chasing him and dodging as the man fired at him again as he climbed to the upper level. Oliver chased the man on the rooftops as he slid down to avoid gunfire. Oliver jumped down as the man ran downstairs and followed him into another warehouse as Oliver dodged the gunfire and jumped on the chains, swinging around as he got the kidnapper in neck lock.

"You killed that man." Oliver said.

"You don't have to do this." The abductor choked out.

"Yes, I do. Nobody can know my secret." Oliver said as he snapped the man's neck.

Queen Mansion

Afternoon

"So let me get this straight," Quentin said as he stared at the two witnesses, you were rescued by a guy in a green hood?"

"Well, who was he? Why, why, why would he do that?" Quentin pressed.

"Find him and you can ask him." Oliver says cheekily.

"What about you two, you see the hood guy?" Quentin asks Merlin.

"I just saw…movement." Tommy said with a hesitant look Oliver's way.

"Yeah. It's funny, isn't it?" Quentin started, looking directly at Oliver. "One day back and people are already gunning for you." 

Thankfully, his mother stepped in at that moment, and said, "Were you able to identify the men?" 

"Scrubbed identities, untraceable weapons. These were pros."

"All right, well, if the boys can think of anything else, we'll be in touch," Walter's voice cut through her inner turmoil. "Thank you, gentlemen, for coming."

And with that, the police officers got up and left the mansion.

Chapter Text

Queen Mansion

Day

Oliver went out before Moira stopped him as behind her was an Afro-American in early 40s in a suit and black coat as Moira introduced them. "Oliver, I want to introduce you to someone. John Diggle. He'll be accompanying you from now on."

"I don't need a babysitter." Oliver protested.

"Darling, Oliver is a grown man." Walter interrupted. "If he doesn't feel he needs armed protection—"

"You know, I understand but this is something I need." Moira said as Oliver glanced at Diggle.

Starling City, the Glades

Later in the morning

Starling City, the Glades

"So what should I call you?" Oliver asked as he sat in the back of the limo Diggle was driving.

"Diggle's good, Dig if you want." Diggle said casually.

"You're Ex-Military?" Oliver inquired.

"Yes Sir. 105th Airborne out of Kandahar, retired. Been in the private sector a little more than four years now," Diggle told him before glancing in the rearview mirror, "I don't want there to be any confusion, Mr. Queen. My ability to keep you from harm will outweigh your comfort, do we have an agreement? Sir?"

Diggle's response was the sound of a car door closing. Diggle looked in the back to see the man was gone. He slams on his brakes and burst out of the car before making his way to the back side of the car. Once opening the backseat door and realizing he wasn’t there, Diggle looked around but saw no sign of him.

The Foundry

Later

Oliver entered the abandoned steel factory in the Glades as he began knocking down walls, breaking the floor and setting up several tables, computers, equipment, weapons and files before starting to exercise on salmon ladder, crunches and so on as he then approached the crate he had from Lian Yu and picked his bow, training archery with tennis balls.

Park Garage

Afternoon

Adam Hunt ordered Eric Gitter, the boss of CNRI, to take care of Laurel Lance as the lights started to explode and the guards drew out their guns, only for one of them to be shot down by arrows and Hunt rushed into his limo, hiding.

Another guard looked around and taunted. "Hey, you missed!"

He got a reply in form of a whooshing arrow flying right through his chest as he dropped dead.

Hunt sat in his limo in panic as a window shattered suddenly and the next thing he knew, he was yanked out through the window out of his limo as he faced a man in green hood standing on his car, with a bow and quiver as he scrambled back in panic and the archer aimed the arrow right at his chest.

"What the… just tell me what do you want!"

The archer jumped down from the car as he kept his gaze locked at the businessman, getting him up on his feet. "You're gonna transfer $40 million into Starling City bank account 1141 by 10 p.m. tomorrow night."

"Or what?" Hunt taunted.

"Or I'm gonna take it and you won't like how." The Hood warned before walking away and Hunt took a moment to get a hold of himself.

"If I see you again, you're dead!"

A moment later, an arrow flied right into the back window of his limo and Hunt turned around in shock and as he looked back, the Hood disappeared.

Club 

Later

Oliver entered the nightclub as Tommy and the partygoers celebrated his return, while "We Are the Champions" from Queen sounded off throughout the club.

"Everybody, hey! Man of the hour!" Tommy called out as people cheered.

"Thank you much, everybody!" Oliver said as he got on the stage, while Tommy handed him a shot of tequila.

"Ollie." Tommy said before they all toasted.

"I missed tequila!" Oliver called out as people cheered before they all started to celebrate Oliver's return.

Later, Oliver mingled with the guests as Tommy approached him. "Now, by my rough estimate, you have not had sex in 1,839 days. As your wingman, I highly recommend Carmen Golden."

"Which one is she?" Oliver asked as Tommy showed him the three girls not far away from them dancing onstage.

"The one that looks like the chick from 'Twilight'." Tommy said.

"What's 'Twilight'?" Oliver asked, not understanding.

"You're so better off not knowing." Tommy said.

"Does he wipe for you too?” Tommy asked as he gestured towards Diggle across the room.

Oliver laughed, but it quickly died in his throat when he looked across the room. Tommy followed his gaze and saw what soured his mood: Thea, with some of her friends, was talking to some guy on the dance floor. Tommy averted his eyes as Oliver made his way over to the scene.

"Ollie, hey! This party is sick!" Thea smiled as Oliver approached her and dragged her aside.

"Who let you in here?" Oliver asked.

"I believe it was the person, who said 'Right this way, Miss Queen.'" Thea said.

"Well, you shouldn't be here." Oliver argued.

"Oh, I'm not twelve anymore." Thea protested.

"No, you're seventeen." Oliver pointed out.

"Ollie, I love you but you can't come back here and judge me." Thea said. "Especially for being just like you."

"I know that it couldn't have been easy for you, when I was away." Oliver said.

"Away? No, you died. My brother and my father died." Thea scoffed. "I went to your funerals."

"I know." Oliver said with a forced calm tone.

"No, you don't." Thea argued. "Mom had Walter and I had no one. Now, you guys act like it's cool, let's forget about the last five years. Well, I can't. For me, it's kind of permanent in there. So, I'm sorry if I've turned out some major disappointment but this, me, is the best I could do with what I had to work with." She walked away with Margo as Oliver looked disappointed. "Let's bounce."

Thea then checked her purse, not realizing that Oliver had snatched the drugs and threw them into the trash bin. Oliver was about to walk away before he bumped into Dinah.

"You're here." Oliver said.

"Tommy." Dinah explained. "He made the point that we have too many years between us to leave things the way we left them. Is there some place quieter that we could go?"

"Yeah." Oliver nodded as he and Dinah left to talk in private.

"I'm sorry about saying that you should've been the one, who died. That was wrong." Dinah said.

"If I could trade places with her, I would." Oliver admitted.

"About Sandra…..there's something that I've been afraid to ask but I need to know." Dinah said as they both stopped.

"OK." Oliver nodded.

"When she died, did she suffer?" Dinah asked as in Oliver's mind flashed Sandra getting sucked out of the yacht.

"No." Oliver lied.

"I think about her every day." Dinah said.

"Me too." Oliver nodded, both of them mourning.

"I guess we still have one thing in common, then." Dinah nodded. "I can't believe I'm gonna say this but if you need someone to talk to about what happened to you, I'm here."

Oliver's phone went off as he pulled it out and noticed that Hunt had not transferred the money.

"Something wrong?" Dinah asked.

"I asked someone to do something. They didn't do it." Oliver said. "Dinah…" He looked away for a moment. "Right now, that's what you're doing. Looking at me and you're wondering if that island changed me somehow, if it made me a better person. It didn't. Stay away from me. Otherwise, I'm just gonna hurt you again. But this time, it'll be worse." Dinah looked shocked at Oliver's honesty as he was walking away. "Gotta roll. I got five years of debauchery to catch up on."

"You know what, Oliver?" Dinah said as she neared him. "You're wrong, that island did change you. At least now you're honest." She walked away, leaving Oliver hurt.

Oliver was walking through the corridors when a familiar voice rang out. Knowing he was being followed, he plastered a fake smile on his face. He turned to face Diggle.

"I just wanted some privacy." Oliver told him easily.

"I would believe you, Mr. Queen, if you weren't so full of crap. Parties this way." Diggle said coolly as he gestured to the doors.

Oliver sighed, seeming to give in as Oliver put his hand on the door handle and tried to open it. A look of confusion crossed his face as it appeared as if the door wouldn't budge.

"It's locked." Oliver said as he turned back to Diggle.

Diggle looked at him curiously then moved to the door. As he walked passed Oliver, Oliver caught him in a choke hold and within moments, Diggle was unconscious.

Hunts office

A few minutes later

The lights went off in the corridor as Hunt, his chief of security Constantine Drakon and the guards were on alert. The elevator dinged and one of the guards was shot with an arrow as the door opened.

The Hood hit two guards in their faces with his bow and threw one of them down, knocking them both out before throwing the bow at another guard, knocking him down. The Hood then jumped off a pillar, knocking down another guard before picking up his bow and taking cover as another guard opened fire.

The Hood threw the guard into Hunt's office as another guard shot him on instinct. The Hood then entered, shooting the guard, while hitting another one in the face and in the throat as he choked out and fell down. The Hood then notched an arrow and fired at the wall inches away from Hunt.

"You missed." Hunt taunted.

"Really?" The Hood asked sarcastically.

Drakon suddenly disarmed the Hood of his bow and both men traded blows as Hunt ran away and alerted Quentin. Drakon slammed the Hood to the table as it crashed but the Hood wrapped his legs around Drakon before both men recovered, getting up on their feet. The Hood kicked Drakon in the face as Drakon staggered back. The Hood then jumped over a couch and wrapped his legs around Drakon's head, knocking him down.

Drakon quickly recovered as he pulled out his knife but the Hood knocked him against a vase as it shattered. The Hood blocked Drakon's knife and hit him in the face, quickly gaining the upper hand until Drakon grabbed the Uzi from the floor, forcing the Hood to take cover behind a table as the Hood threw a fletchette, hitting Drakon in the chest as he fell down, dead.

The Hood passed out as he hit the floor before he quickly recovered as Quentin, Hilton and the SCPD burst in. The Hood jumped out from the window as Quentin fired at him as Quentin and Hilton stared at seeing the Hood zipline to the opposite building.

"Tell me you saw that." Hilton said, both him and Quentin perplexed.

Within minutes, police swarmed the club as a member of a S.W.A.T. team came up the DJ and made him cut of the music. Quentin and Hilton burst into the club and started barking orders.

"Search the building from roof to basement! Find Him!" Quentin barked before to the crowd, "Starling City Police, parties over kids!"

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked as he came over with Tommy.

"There was an incident across the street at Adam Hunt's building tonight." Quentin answered both Oliver and Tommy.

"Who's Adam Hunt?" Oliver asked.

"A billionaire bottom feeder…surprised you two aren’t friends," Quentin said while completely ignoring Tommy's look of outrage, "he got by that guy with the hood who rescued you."

"You didn't find him?" At Quentin's shake of the head, Oliver gave a slight grin, "maybe I can help you out. Hey everybody, two million dollars to anyone who can find a nut job in a green hood!"

"Did you even try to save my daughter?” Quentin growls at Oliver before he and Hilton went on their way as the crowd laughed.

"Some coincidence huh? I mean, the guy who saved us robs Adam Hunt at your welcome home bash, what are the odds right?" Tommy asked rhetorically as the two of them walked over to the bar.

"If I were you Tommy, I'd just be happy to be alive." Oliver said almost threateningly.

Tommy looked startled, like he had never seen Oliver before.

"Woah, what happened to you on that island?" Tommy asked.

"A lot." Oliver said.

Life boat, North China Sea

Five years ago

Oliver had not said anything since Robert had killed himself. Oliver because he was in shock and great emotional pain and not quite sure what to say. Oliver then saw the path to the island, knowing what he had to do was swim. Until he found what he was looking for.

Chapter Text

Starling City, one week later

Night

The Hood was on a rooftop, engaging three guards each in battle. The Hood knocks one guard out with a single punch before knocking out the next by striking across the face with his bow. The Hood then kicks the last guard in the legs, throwing him off balance, which gives The Hood the opportunity to punch him in the face hard enough to knock him out.

His target now defenseless, the Hood approaches the now cowering businessman.  The business tycoon tried to plead for mercy, but he didn't get far when the dark figure lifted him by his collar and threw him off the helicopter platform and onto the air conditioning vent. The vigilante then jumped down after him, landing mere inches from him. The Hood then pins him to the vent, his face near the hole, mere inches from the blades of the fan.

"Marcus Redman, you have failed this city." The Hood hisses in his ear.

"Please Don't!" Redman bagged honestly willing to do anything to live.

"Cell phone, inside pocket. Call your partner; tell him to give those pensioners their money back. Do it now." The Hood ordered. 

"Okay!" Redman gives in and feels the pressure on his body vanish and, when he looks up, the vigilante is gone.

Queen Mansion

Next Day

Oliver entered the living room as Moira, Thea and Walter were watching the news report regarding Marcus Redman.

"Over the past 15 years, Mr. Redman has withdrawn more than $30 million from the plan's account. Mr. Redman claims refunding the Halcyon pension plan has always been his intent. But sources say Redman was coerced by the vigilante."

"This guy gets more airtime than the Kardashians, right?" Oliver drawled as Moira, Walter and Thea were watching the same news report on TV.

Thea shot her brother an amused look. "Five years on an island and you still know who they are."

Oliver chuckled. "I've been catching up, it's nice to see how much our culture has improved while I was away."

"But the city used to be different. People used to feel safe." Moira murmured in response.

"Aw, what's the matter, mom?" Thea asked sarcastically. "Afraid we're gonna be next?"

"Do you have any questions today, Oliver?" Walter asked. "It's a simple proof-of-life declaration. Just read out a brief, prepared statement to the judge and then your death-in-absentia judgement will be voided."

Oliver chuckled. "It's fine, Walter, I've been in a courtroom before." 

"Four times by my estimate." Tommy said upon entering. "You know, there was the DUI, the assault on that paparazzi douchebag, stealing that taxi, which was just awesome by the way and who could forget peeing on the cop?"

Oliver blushed lightly in embarrassment as Moira looked annoyed, while Walter helped her put her coat on. "I wish everyone could."

"I'd hang but we're headed to court." Oliver said with a smile.

"I know, that's why I'm here, my best friend is getting legally resurrected; I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Right." Oliver sighed before turning to Thea. "What about you?"

"Oh, I think the first four times of you in court was enough for me." Thea said sarcastically, walking out of the room.

"Fair enough." Oliver sighed sadly.

"Mr. Queen? Car's ready." Diggle said as he entered, while he, Moira, Walter and Tommy accompanied Oliver out.

Courthouse

Late morning

Oliver stands before the judge, a lawyer hired by Moira and Walter next to them. Moira, Walter, Quentin, and Tommy all stood behind him in the audience, offering silent support. Thea had opted not to come and Dinah still didn't want anything to do with him.

"My father didn't make it," Oliver began with some difficulty, "Sandra died on the Gambit. I...I thought I had because I spent so many days on that life raft. The only thing reminding me that I was still alive was the will to survive..." Oliver said, finding it difficult to continue, when I reached that island, I knew I had to live for myself and my father, which was all that was keeping me from falling over the edge."

"Your honor," the Lawyer cut through the tense, emotional atmosphere that had enveloped the room, "we move to vacate the death-in-absentia filed after Oliver's disappearance aboard the Queen's Gambit five years ago. Unfortunately, we will not requesting that the certificate for Robert Queen be rescinded as well. The Queen family is only entitled to one miracle, I'm afraid."

"Motion approved." The Judge agreed, banging his hammer in ceremony.

"Now onto the offices." Moira said as she, Walter, and Tommy accompanied Oliver outside the courtroom. "Everyone is waiting to meet you there."

"Uh, mom." Oliver said, causing for them to stop. "That was a little bit heavier than I was expecting it to be. Can we do that tomorrow? Please?"

Moira and Walter, looked at each other as Walter nodded.

"Of course." Moira smiled at Oliver as she gave in.

"Thank you." Oliver nodded as Moira and Walter walked down the stairs and Tommy looked at Oliver perplexed.

"Last week, you couldn't wait to get to the company." Tommy reminded as they both walked down the stairs.

"Tommy, I'd just spent five years away from civilization. I wasn't exactly thinking straight." Oliver said. "Hi." He said suddenly as he suddenly faced Dinah, Joanna and a young girl with them.

"What are you doing here?" Dinah asked apprehensively.

"Oh." Oliver gapped. "Uh, they were bringing me back from the dead. Legally speaking. What are you doing here?"

"My job." Dinah answered bluntly.

"Right." Oliver nodded.

"More like the D.A.'s." Joanna corrected, as there was an awkward pause.

"Hi. Oliver Queen." Oliver said, shaking his hand with the young girl next to Dinah.

"Emily Nocenti." She introduced herself.

"Oliver just got back from five years on an uncharted island. Before that, he was cheating on me with my sister." Dinah said acidly. "He was with her, when she died. And last week, he told me to stay away from him. It was really good advice. Excuse me."

Dinah moved past Oliver, who bit his lip, feeling uncomfortable and Tommy.

"It was nice to meet you." Emily said, breaking the awkward silence as Joanna led her away.

"Come on, buddy, shake it off, let's go." Tommy said, accompanying Oliver outside as they saw Martin Somers being stormed by the reporters.

"I don't know what I've done to earn this witch hunt from Miss Lance and her bosses at the CNRI. But I can tell you this, I am an honest businessman and I will fight this slander to my last dime and breath. That's all I have to say. Thank you." Somers said before he walked away, followed by the reporters, while some of them then surrounded Oliver, bombarding him with questions as Oliver attempted to move past them, while Tommy and Diggle fended off the reporters.

Construction sight

Night

"You, listen up!" Somers yelled at his attorney in anger. "The longer this goes on, the more likely the media is gonna crucify me. You shut this trial down, do you understand me?"

Suddenly, the lights went off as the sound of three arrows whooshing through the air went off and when they turned on again, his attorney and his two bodyguards were lying on the ground. "What the hell?" Somers muttered before someone grabbed him from behind into the shadows.

When Somers came to, he realized he was hanging upside down, swinging from one side to another like a pendulum as in front of him stood the archer in green hood.

"Martin Somers, you have failed this city!" The Hood shouted as he fired an arrow as it nearly missed Somers's face.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Somers yelled in panic.

"You're gonna testify in that trial. You're gonna confess to having Victor Nocenti killed." The Hood said in a menacing tone. "There won't be a second warning." He fired another arrow that scratched Somers's face and as he looked up again, the vigilante vanished.

Construction sight

Next morning

Quentin was interrogating Martin Somers about the last night, that according to the latter, did not happen.

"Well, I owe you an apology, Mr. Somers." Quentin said as he approached Somers's table and noticed the hole in it, fingering it. "We come all the way down to your docks, and it turns out, you don't need the police after all."

"Which is exactly what I've been saying." Somers said calmly.

"Yeah." Quentin snorted as one of the officers handed him an evidence bag with a green metal arrow inside. "Well, you know, I'd be very much inclined to believe an honest, upstanding businessman like yourself, except, well, one of my men found this at your docks." Somers stayed calm as Quentin neared him. "You see, there's this vigilante running around." Quentin said as he returned to the businessman's table. "He thinks he's some kind of Robin Hood. He's robbing the rich, he's trying to teach them a lesson I guess. I don't know but the point is, the man's a killer. And nothing, and no one, is going to stop me from bringing him down." He said as he placed the arrow in the hole in the desk, where it conveniently fit, to no one's surprise before turning his attention to Somers again with a smile on his face. "But like you said, clearly, nothing happened here last night."

Somers returned the hot gaze to the policeman. "Isn't this a conflict of interest, detective? After all, your daughter is suing me."

"I'm pretty good at keeping my emotions in check." Quentin replied calmly.

Somers got up on his feet, sneering at the detective as his face was slowly burning up with rage. "I'm not. You and your daughter don't want to find out what I'm capable of when I get emotional."

Quentin growled and the only thing keeping him from filling the businessman with bullets was the law he swore to uphold as he gave him a hostile glare and growled as he walked away.

Queen Consolidated

Later

Moira and Walter gave Oliver a tour through the Queen Consolidated before they told him that they wanted him to take a leadership position in the company, much to Oliver's surprise.

"No. I don't want to lead anything." Oliver declined before turning to Walter. "Besides, Walter is doing a very good job here."

"You said that you wanted to be a different person and you are Robert Queen's son." Moira insisted.

"I don't need to be reminded of that." Oliver protested.

"Well, obviously you do." Moira argued.

Walter stepped up as he put his hand on Moira's back, trying to assure her. "Everyone here understands that this transition is really difficult for you." Walter said calmly.

"Thank you, Walter." Oliver said with a forced calm tone as he was starting to lose his patience, anger rising in his voice. "Which part, though? Everyone fantasizing that I got my MBA, while I was on the island? Or the fact that my father's CFO now sleeps down the hall from me?"

Oliver stormed out as Diggle followed right after him with a look on his face.

"You know, I spent the first twenty seven years of my life in Starling city and the next five in Afghanistan. Want to know what I learned?" Diggle asked him.

"There's no place like home?" Oliver guessed sarcastically.

"No, home is a battlefield. They're all trying to get you to open up, be somebody you aren't sure you are anymore," Diggle paused before continuing, "or I could wrong. Maybe after five years away from civilization,  you aren't as messed up in the head as you have every right to be."

Queen Mansion

Later

In his bedroom, Oliver was watching the news report about Martin Somers as he was putting on his shirt before Thea gapped upon seeing his scars.

"Wait, how did you get those?" Thea demanded.

"Don't you knock?" Oliver groaned as he was buttoning up his shirt.

"No, wait, Mom said that there were scars but…" Thea rushed towards Oliver and pulled away the edges of his shirt before she gasped and stared in shock at seeing the scars on Oliver's chest. "Uh, I… Oliver, what happened to you out there?"

Oliver got ahold of himself before he buttoned up his shirt, reliving the pain. "I don't want to talk about it."

Thea scoffed. "Of course you don't. You never want to talk with me about anything, except for my social life." She crossed her arms, about to leave before Oliver spoke up.

"Wait." Oliver said, causing for her to stop as Thea sighed. "Where are you going?"

"Why should I tell you?" Thea asked defensively.

"I'm sorry, Thea." Oliver said. "I need to get better at talking about what happened to me there. But I'm not ready yet, OK?"

"Do you have a second?" Thea asked after a moment.

"Yeah." Oliver replied.

"Good." Thea nodded. "I wanna show you something out back."

Oliver picked his jacket and followed Thea to the backyard of the manor, where were two headstones, one with Robert's name carved in and the other one with Oliver's as she brushed off the leaves.

"Sometimes, when I felt… whatever, I'd come here. About a month after the funerals, Mom stopped going out. Pretty soon, she stopped talking altogether. The house got so quiet, so I'd come here." She pointed at Oliver's gravestone, on verge of tears. "To talk to you. I mean, stupid stuff. Like what was I doing that day, what boy I had a crush on. And then, sometimes, I'd ask you, beg you, to find your way home to me." She turned to Oliver again. "Now, here you are. And the truth is, I felt closer to you, when you were dead. Look, I know it was hell, where you were but it was hell here too. You gotta let me in, Ollie." Thea pleaded. "You gotta let someone in."

Thea walked away, leaving Oliver to consider what she had said.

Dinah’s apartment

Evening

Dinah was going over her case on Victor Nocenti when a knock at her door startled her as she checked through the peephole and sighed as she opened the door.

"Hi." Oliver said timidly as he held a brown paper bag in his hand. "Are you OK? There are two cops outside."

"How am I supposed to stay away from you if you won't stay away from me?" Dinah asked sarcastically. "What are you doing here, Ollie?"

"My sister took." Oliver admitted. "She pointed out to me that I have been distant since I got back and that it would probably be a good idea if I let somebody in."

"So, you thought you'd start with the first person you pushed away." Dinah said sarcastically.

"I did that to protect you." Oliver reasoned. "And then I saw you yesterday and I realized that I hurt you." Dinah frowned but let him into her apartment. "Thank you." Oliver looked around. "Wow, this place hasn't changed in five years."

"I haven't really had time to redecorate." Dinah said dryly.

"I'm a jerk. Before that island, I was a jerk and now I'm just a… I'm a damaged jerk." Oliver said as Dinah faced him and couldn't help but feel sorry for her ex-boyfriend.

"What's in the bag?" She asked.

Oliver reached out for it with a smile. "I thought about many things on the island but there was one thing that I thought about every day." He said with a smile. "I actually dreamed about it and I promised myself that if I ever got a chance to do it again, I'd do it with you." He said as he pulled from the small paper bag in his hand a tub of chocolate ice cream. "Eat ice cream."

Dinah smiled as she started to eat it with her ex-boyfriend. "This is as good as I remember. My mother wants me to join the company." She raised her brows. "Yeah, take my rightful place."

"I can't exactly picture you as master of the universe." Dinah pointed out honestly.

Oliver smiled. "You know, after five years, I have plans, I have things that I have to do, I can't do that if I'm… I don't know… attending board meetings and stockholder briefings."

"Oliver?" Dinah asked. "You're an adult. You can say 'no'."

"Oh, I tried. Didn't take."

"Well, then don't tell her. Show her. Be the person you want her to see you as. Trust me, I have plenty of experience with disapproving parents."

"I have been on the receiving end of your father's disapproval." Oliver nodded, the guilt about cheating on his ex-girlfriend with her own sister building up.

"He blames himself more than he blames you." Dinah said suddenly, surprising Oliver as she leaned back into the couch. "He thinks that, you know, maybe if he and Sandra were closer, she would have told him about the boat trip. And he could have stopped her from going with you."

Oliver looked at her with guilt in his eyes. "I am sorry."

"You apologized already."

"And it will never be enough." Oliver then turned to the window, his instincts turning on. "Did you hear that?"

"What?" Dinah asked, confused as Oliver grabbed the kitchen knife.

"There's someone on the fire escape." Oliver stood up slowly before grabbing Dinah’s hand. "Hey, come on."

"What?" Dinah asked as Oliver dragged her, when a large Asian man with a gun burst in and started to shoot and Oliver and Dinah took cover while an Asian woman with stark white hair and a pair of karambit knives in her hands entered before Diggle entered, shooting both of the hitmen down and engaging China White, and though he was able to strip her of one of her knives, she was too fast as she knocked him on the floor and was about to stab him before Oliver threw a kitchen knife to her direction, knocking the blade out of the assassin's hand as she looked up in surprise and then rushed out from the apartment.

"You both OK?" Diggle asked as he scrambled up on his feet as Oliver nodded.

A short time later, Quentin ran in, checking in on Dinah as he embraced her tightly.

"Daddy!" Dinah cried out.

"Oh, thank God." Quentin sighed in relief. "Thank God, are you alright?"

"I'm OK." She assured him, then asked the question she didn't want to know the answer to. "Those cops that you put on me…"

"They…" Quentin paused before turning to Diggle, who replied in his place.

"I went outside to ask for a light and they were both dead in the squad car."

Quentin looked at the bodyguard gratefully. "Mr. Diggle, thank you. Feel free to run as many red lights in the city as you want."

"I was just doing my job, sir." Diggle assured him as the detective shook his head.

"No, your job is to protect him." Quentin neared Oliver, shooting him a death glare. "It seems like whenever you're with one of my daughters, people die." He snarled. "You stay away from Dinah, or I swear the next time you disappear, it will be permanent."

"Dad!" Dinah yelled, protesting.

Quentin turned to her as the phrase 'if looks could kill' came to mind. "No, Dinah—"

"It's OK." Oliver intervened. "I understand."

"Yeah." Quentin snorted, feeling small satisfaction as he left the apartment.

Queen Mansion

Later that night

"Well, I'd say thank you but I don't think that'd cover it." Oliver told Diggle as he handed his bodyguard an ice pack for his injured hand.

"Like I told that cop over there, I was just doing my job. Besides, I believe I'm the one who should be thanking you." Diggle said a pointed look that Oliver appears to not understand.

"What for?" Oliver asked apparently confused.

"The knife." Diggle said bluntly.

"Oh that, that was just luck." Oliver said dismissively.

"It was a kitchen knife, not even properly weighted, yet you threw it across a ten foot room with accuracy." Diggle said in a no nonsense tone.

"I got lucky." Oliver insisted.

"I'm not the kind of man you want to take for a fool, Mr. Queen." Diggle said an edge to his voice as he stood up.

"I understand." Oliver assured him.

"And I think I'm beginning to understand just what kind of man you are." Diggle said as he observed Oliver.

"Shouldn't take you long, I'm shallow. And tired, so goodnight." Oliver told him as he turned and walked up to his room.

Starling docks

Later that night

"That bitch screwed the hit on Lance." Somers growled as he was packing the money up. "Now, the Triad is gonna erase every ounce of evidence of their smuggling operation, including me. Except that's not gonna happen." He closed up the case and looked back to his man. "Tell Wallace to get the boat ready. I'm leaving tonight."

"Wallace? Wallace, do you copy?" The thug called into the radio. "Wallace?"

"Wallace isn't here but I am." The mysterious voice said and Somers paled, instantly recognizing it from the other night.

"We need to move. Now!" Somers ordered as he left.

"Sir. We've got six men out there…"

"It's not enough, move it!" Somers ordered, leaving the office.

The Hood shot down one of the guards before he jumped over the railing of the walkway, and descended down before he shot another guard above. The Hood jumped down again as another guard shot at him from around the corner before the guard was shot down with another arrow, before Oliver rushed down the stairs of the crane, shooting down two more guards before he saw a man running into a building.

"Somers!" The Hood yelled as he jumped down and fired an arrow, pinning Somers to a crate.

"Oh, God, no, no, no…" Somers cried out as the Hood notched another arrow.

"He can't help you." The archer growled. "I want the truth about Victor Nocenti." He demanded as the arrow pinned the businessman's right shoulder to the crate.

"I can't!" Somers exclaimed. "The Triad will kill me!"

"The Triad's not your concern right now!" The Hood snarled and as Somers did not reply, he fired another arrow below Somers' crotch.

"Alright, alright, alright!" Somers cried out. "It wasn't me that killed him, it was the Triad!"

"Acting on whose instructions?" The Hood demanded before shooting another arrow right above Somers's head. "Whose?!"

"Alright, alright, it was mine!" He confessed. "It was mine, alright? Nocenti said he was gonna testify against me." Suddenly, Somers paled as China White appeared behind the archer.

"Move away from him." She ordered in Chinese.

"Make me." The Hood replied in the same language as she attacked him with her knives. The Hood blocked with his bow and retreated before he jumped back and dodged White's kick but White managed to knock the Hood down. The Hood got up, blocking White's strikes with his bow again before she knocked him down once more, while the Hood again parried her knives before White knocked him down again.

The Hood scrambled on his feet as they heard sirens blare as he ran away.

"This is the police, we have you surrounded! Put your weapons down or we will open fire! I repeat, lay down your weapons!"

The Hood rushed out but stopped as Quentin neared him with his gun ready.

"Freeze! You twitch and you're dead. Bow down, hands up."

The Hood threw a fletchette, disarming Quentin of his gun, pinning it to the shipping container behind him as a green light bleeped on it. As Quentin looked up, the Hood had managed to escape before Quentin approached the fletchette and turned on the device on it as he heard Somers's voice.

"It was mine! It was mine, alright? Nocent said he was gonna testify against me!"

"Son of a bitch…" Quentin whispered.

Queen consolidated ceremonial site, next day

Afternoon

"Didn't expect to see you here." Tommy said to Dinah the next day. 

"Oliver invited me," Dinah said, but it sounded hollow to her own ears.

"Good afternoon and thank you all for coming," Walter said as he took the podium and all chatter ceased as the audience turned to pay attention to him, "welcome to the future site of Robert Queen memorial applied science center," Walter paused as some polite applause erupted before quickly ended, "Now, this building will stand as a monument to the man whose company and vision are his greatest legacies. And speaking of legacies, here are a few words from Robert's son, Oliver Queen."

Dinah and Tommy joined in on the polite applause as Walter stepped back and allowed Oliver to take the podium. Oliver, his face a mask of somberness that was just a mask, took a deep breath before he began to speak.

"As Walter said, thank you all for coming. I didn't always have the best relationship with my father, but he truly was a man of the people. As Walter said, I am my father's legacy, but eventually we all have to stop following in our parents footsteps and start making our own. You see, I was supposed to come here today and announce that I was taking over Queen Consolidated, prodigal son returns and take ups the helm and everything. But the things is I'm not my father. I'm not the man he was, I'm not half the man he was. So please," Oliver paused, looking over at his mother pointedly before finishing, "stop asking me to be."

Oliver then stepped back from podium as everyone began to clap politely. Oliver sat back down next to his mother and sister, ignoring the probing look his mother was shooting him.

Chapter Text

Lian Yu, five years ago

Mid-day

Oliver placed the last stone on the make shift grave he had created for his father, putting the book he had found in his pocket. Oliver stood up as he glanced at Robert's grave, an expression of solemn grief on his face.

Before he could do anything, an arrow came out and pierced him in the shoulder. Oliver screamed in pain before he fell to his knees and everything went black.

Starling City

Night

James Holder, another corrupt business tycoon, had just hung the phone on a business associate and was going for a beer when said beer was shattered by an arrow flying threw it. Startled, Holder looked up to see the vigilante standing in front of him, The Hood with another arrow aimed at him. Arrogantly thinking he couldn't harm him, Holder stood up and stared at him with a dismissive stare.

"I have armed security, all I have to do is call out." Holder threatened arrogantly.

"Go ahead, they can't hear you." The Hood told him as the man tossed two guns at him and Holder lost his arrogance as he paled.

"What do you want?" Holder asked trying to maintain some composure.

"How many people died in those fires, how many?!" The Hood demanded and Holder seemed to become afraid.

"The courts say you don't owe your victims anything, I disagree," the figure spoke in a low tone, "James Holder, you-"

But the green vigilante never got to finish. The sound of a gun firing went off and Holder went rigid as a blood stain appeared in his chest, right where his heart was. Holder fell into his pool as the vigilante whirled around, quickly determining the origin of the shot. The Hood began firing several arrows at the direction the shot had come from as he got behind a wall. Three shots rang out and The Hood felt a spike of pain rushing through his arms.

The silence giving away the unknown enemies departure, the vigilante returned from his unreliable shield. Eying the dead body of Holder, The Hood prepared to leave.

The foundry, later that night

Oliver extracted the bullet from his arm and placed it on the table. The bullet poisoned by curare. Oliver, though his movements were sluggish, moved around towards the munitions crate and found a pouch. Opening it as he all but fell on the ground, he pulled out medical herbs along with some water. He put some of the herbs in his mouth before taking a big drink of water and falling unconscious.

Lian Yu, Five years ago

Late day

Oliver groaned as he came to, the first thing he sees is his shoulder and saw the arrow was still in it. A man walked in, drawing the castaway's attention. it was an Asian man who looked like he was in his forties. He had black, stringy hair and brown eyes that were mostly hidden by a green hood. He carried a bow and quiver filled with arrows on his back, Oliver noticed.

The man said something in a language Oliver didn't understand as the man knelt beside him and held a handful of herbs and a bowl of water. Speaking in that language again, he didn't understand but got the hint. Oliver then followed suit with drinking. The man repeated the action with Oliver and the billionaire howled in pain, unable to help it.

The street below Holder's penthouse

Afternoon

Oliver walked down the street, surveying the area as he thought back to last night. Oliver eyed the place where he believed the shots had come from as he replayed the events of last night in his head. Four shots had been fired last night: two had hit their marks, one had hit a wall, and one had completely overshot the building. Based on the type of bullet fragment he had pulled out of his arm, Oliver deduced what kind of bullet the slug was and where the shot would have taken it.

Oliver walked up to the side of the building and began to climb it. While his friends and family would have been shocked at this display of strength, this was really nothing compared to the mountains on Lian Yu. Oliver used the pipes on the side of the building to hoist himself up to the higher up windows before using them to climb over to where he saw the hole in the side of the building. Almost smirking at his success, Oliver pulled out a pair of pliers and used them to gently remove the bullet from the wall, seeing that it was in almost perfect condition. Good.

The Foundry

Later

In the morning, Oliver led Diggle and Tommy through the upper level of the Queen's steel factory.

"So, what do you think? Great spot for a nightclub or what?" Oliver asked.

"Sweet." Tommy said. "Though, I gotta tell you, man, if you're thinking about calling it "Queens", I don't think you're gonna get the clientele that you were hoping for."

"Private office." Oliver said, while pointing towards the former foreman's offices in the upper level.

"For the private one-on-one meetings, I would imagine." Tommy mused.

"Hopefully the occasional two-on-one meetings." Oliver cracked.

"Man, are you sure about this?" Tommy asked. "It's not like you really have any experience in running a… well, running anything." Oliver shot him a look as Tommy patted him on the back. "How about tomorrow night the two of us, we go and scope out the competition? Or you can invite your new assistant with you. There's a new club opening downtown. It's called 'Poison'. Max Fuller owns it."

"Max Fuller?" Oliver asked.

"Mm-hmm." Tommy nodded.

"I slept with his fiancée." Oliver said.

"Yeah, before the wedding." Tommy shrugged.

"It was at the rehearsal dinner." Oliver reminded.

"The rehearsal dinner is technically before the wedding, right?" Tommy pointed out as both men laughed. "And besides, who stays mad at a castaway?"

Tommy's phone went off as he looked at it briefly. "Ah, damn it, I gotta roll. Anyway, I'll see you later, man. Good place."

"See ya." Oliver said as Tommy patted Diggle on the back, while leaving.

Starling City

Moments later

"I'm looking for Alexi Leonov." Oliver said in Russian as he entered a Russian auto repair shop.

"There is no one here by that name." A bald man replied in the same language as he stared at Oliver, who shook his head.

"Not in your garage; in the basement underneath."

A man then went from underneath a car, pointing a gun at Oliver, who disarmed him without breaking a sweat as he put down the collar of his shirt, revealing a tattoo on his chest. "I'm Bratva." The man Oliver had subdued got up on his feet as he went behind the bald man. "I'm looking for Alexi Leonov." Oliver asked again.

"Pleased to meet you." The bald man approached Oliver as he bowed and spoke in English as Oliver nodded. "I apologize; we mean no disrespect to a captain; particularly an American one." He approached the desk as he poured two glasses of vodka. "So, how can I be of assistance."

"I'm in the market for a hired gun. Someone the organization's used before. His calling card is a 7.62-millimeter gun laced with curare."

"I know no man who uses such tools." Alexi shook his head.

"But you can find out who does."

Alexi handed Oliver his glass. "First, we will drink to each other's health, then I will look into the identity of the man you seek." He drank his glass before speaking up again. "I will also confirm that you are really a Bratva captain. Should this not be the case, I will send my mechanic here to find you and kill you and your family."

Poison

Later

"This is going to be killer!" Tommy said, enthusiastic as Oliver, Natasha and Diggle followed him.

"If Max Fuller sees me here, I agree." Oliver deadpanned.

"If you're going to run a business, you gotta take a few risks." Tommy said.

 "I don't see your name on the list," the bouncer stated. 

"Mr. Queen," Diggle called out. 

"Oh!" Oliver remarked. "I have never seen this guy in my life. Ever."

Oliver cleared his throat, stopping Tommy from his antics before they spotted Dinah at the bar. "Ow, wow!" Tommy called out as Dinah shook her head. "Doesn't you going out and having fun violate some kind of law, you know, like the ones that are carved on a stone tablet?"

"That's cute, Tommy." Dinah said with a pointed look.

"Thanks." Tommy said.

Oliver then saw Thea, who was obviously heavily drunk, stumbling upon them.

"Big brother! Oh, I am so wasted now. There is… there is two of you." Thea said.

"I thought you were grounded." Oliver reminded as Dinah and Tommy suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"I am. And thank you for that, by the way." Thea said sarcastically.

Oliver neared Thea, glaring. "You're done for the night."

"Oh, what are you going to do? Tell Mom?" Thea scoffed.

"Thea!" Oliver clenched his jaw, running out of patience. "You are hanging with the wrong people." He said slowly with a forced calm tone.

"You're the one to talk." Thea said. "How much do you know about your so-called friends over here."

"OK, Thea, maybe you should—"

"Tommy, I think your BFF has a right to know." Thea cut Tommy off.

"Thea, let's go." Oliver said, about to lead her away.

"Well, I guess they never told you that they've been screwing, while you were gone." Thea sneered, shooting a look at Dinah and Tommy, who felt uncomfortable, when suddenly, a bouncer approached her.

"I need you to come with me. And show me your real ID. Miss Queen." The bouncer said with a pointed look and Thea paled as the bouncer dragged her aside.

"Well, well. Look at this. Oliver Queen." A new male voice suddenly called out as Oliver turned his head to face…

"Max Fuller. How you've been?" Oliver asked, noticing the two bodyguards accompanying Max.

"Happy you drowned." Max said as the bouncers accompanied Oliver to the area behind the curtains and Oliver realized what was going to happen next.

"Hey, Max—" Oliver was cut off when Max punched him, knocking him down.

"Get him up!" Max ordered as the bouncers forced Oliver up on his feet.

"Let him go! Let him go! Hey! I said, let him go!" Tommy shouted as he burst in.

"Told you he was gonna be pissed." Oliver said.

"Back off, Merlyn, this isn't your problem." Max warned.

"You wanna get to him? You gotta go through me." Tommy said before eying the bouncers, realizing he got himself in over his head as he turned to Oliver. "Wow. They are probably gonna get through me."

One of the bouncers tried to grab Tommy but Tommy punched him in the face before he was thrown to a corner, while the remaining bouncers started to beat Oliver up.

Suddenly, Dinah burst in, punching Max twice in the kidney, then in the knee before she flipped him to the ground as the bouncers turned to her. "So is this over, Max? Or are you gonna have your boys pound on me next?"

Max staggered on his feet and left, pointing at them. "You three consider yourselves banned for life. Get the hell out of my place!"

"Your club sucks anyway." Tommy shot back.

"You guys OK?" Dinah asked.

"Where'd you learn that?" Oliver asked.

"Cop dad, remember? He made me take self-defense classes." Dinah reminded as she was about to leave.

"Laurel, what Thea said—"

"Oliver, Tommy and I don't need your blessing. And I don't need your forgiveness." Dinah sneered as she turned to him briefly before leaving.

Queen Consolidated

Afternoon

"You must be Wendy White, I've heard a lot about you." Oliver said as he held out his hand to the other blonde.

"It's nice to meet you Mr. Queen." Wendy said as she shook his hand.

"Mr. Queen was my father." Oliver told her politely.

"Yeah, but he died and you didn't. Which means you can come down to the IT department and listen to me babble, which will end in 3...2…1." Wendy stopped as Oliver repressed a laugh, just barely.

"My laptop has a lot of bullet holes," Oliver explained."were you able to salvage anything?"

"Yes," Wendy turned back to the computer and bring up some files, "it looks like blueprints."

"Do you know of what?" Oliver inquired.

"Yes, the exchange building." Wendy told them.

"Never heard of it?" Oliver told her.

"It's where the Unidac Industries auction is scheduled to take place. I thought you said this was your laptop." Wendy told him slightly suspicious.

"Yes." Oliver said slowly.

"Look, I don't want to get into any Shakespearian family drama thing you have going on." Wendy said.

"What?" Oliver said confused.

"Well to put it in a way you can understand, Mr. Steele is trying to buy Unidac Industries and you're here with a laptop owned by one of the people he's trying to buy it from." Wendy explained.

"Floyd Lawton." Oliver nodded.

"No, Warren Panel. Who's Floyd Lawton?" Wendy asked suspiciously.

"An employee of Mr. Panel apparently." Oliver said with a slight edge to his voice.

Outside the Police station

Night

Quentin had just reached his car when he felt someone grab him from behind and press him forcibly to the car. Looking behind him, he saw The Hood was holding his arm back, preventing him from moving.

"You son of a bitch!" Quentin sneered at him.

"Quiet Detective." The Hood hissed.

"You got quite a pair on you, pulling this right outside a police station!" Quentin snarled.

"Floyd Lawton's the one killing buyers interested in Unidac industries. They call him 'Deadshot' because he never misses. You can look this up after I go." The Hood told him.

"Yeah, and stop chasing you I suppose." Quentin sneered.

"Warren Penel Hired Lawton," The Hood ignored him as he continued on, "I don't know who they're targeting, could be all the buyers. I can't protect them all, not in a space this big. I need your help Detective."

"Yeah, professional help." Quentin sneered.

Tell your men to wear Kevlar." The Hood said before the pressure on his arm vanished along with the Hood.

Exchange building

Later that night

Oliver watched as police led Penel away as a familiar voice reached his ears.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Quentin demanded.

"I'm supporting my family Mr. Lance," Oliver explained.

"Yeah, so am I, unfortunately," Quentin groaned.

He turned to Oliver, who offered him an apologetic smile before leaving. Oliver moved towards his body guard.

"Dig, if this guy's gonna do something, he's gonna do it before the auction." Oliver told him.

"What?" Diggle asked in confusion.

"I heard the story on the radio." Oliver said before moving over to his family and date.

"Oliver, glad you could make it!" Walter said jovially as his step-son approached them.

"Walter. I heard that some of the buyers were murdered. My mother's already lost one husband." Oliver said concern in his voice.

"Well if Moira shared your concern, she wouldn't have come and she defiantly wouldn't have brought your sister. Walter said dismissively.

Oliver looked over alarmed to see Thea standing with his mother. Oliver brushed passed Walter and made his way over to the two women he loved, motioning Diggle over as he did. The bodyguard, seeing his client's alarm, quickly joined the four of them.

"Oliver, what a wonderful surprise." Moira said not noticing her son's distress.

"I need you to get them out of here." Oliver told Diggle as he motioned to his mother and sister.

Before Moira or Thea could truly process what Oliver had said, a gun shot went off. Diggle grabbed Moira as Oliver grabbed Thea and the five of them began fleeing the room even as another gun shot rang out.

"Are you okay?" Oliver asked Thea once they were out of the room and turned to his mother once she had nodded, "are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine but what about Walter?" Moira asked concerned for her husband's safety.

"Walter's fine, I saw Detective Lance get him out." Oliver assured the head of the Queen family.

"Sir, I need to get you to safety." Diggle told Oliver.

"Not me, them. Them!" Oliver all but snarled at Diggle before he turned and broke into a sprint.

Ignoring his mother's cries for him, Oliver ran up the stairs, stopping at a trashcan. Oliver took off the lid and the man reached in and took out a duffle bag with all his gear inside. Oliver extracted his hood before he ran up the rest of the stairs.

Across the street

Minutes later

The Hood crashed through the window and then landed and rolled behind a column, ducking Deadshot's fire. The Hood fired twice, both arrows missing their mark. There was silence in the room as Deadshot looked for an opening.

"Drop your guns!" The Hood ordered.

"I admire your work…guess you won't be extending me the same professional courtesy." Deadshot said a sarcastic edge to his voice.

"We're not in the same line of work, your profession is murder." The vigilante said coldly.

"You have taken lives." Deadshot said defensively.

"For the good of others, you're out for yourself." The Hood shot back.

Deadshot scoffed then opened fire on the column, spraying it with bullets. The vigilante sprinted out from behind it. As Deadshot turned his attention towards it, The Hood fired a shot and heard a body drop. There was silence, so The Hood emerged from behind the column to see Deadshot, apparently dead with an arrow in his eye.

The Hood turned to see Diggle slumped against a wall, wounded by a stray bullet. The man ran toward him and grabbed him, The Hood lifting him up. The man then began to lead him out of the building

Lain Yu, day

Five years ago

Oliver was in a net after having run from the Asian man. As if summoned by thought, the Asian man appeared a machete in hand. He cut the net and Oliver fell to the ground in a heap. Groaning in discomfort, Oliver scampered to his feet as he heard what sounded like footsteps. Oliver  ran after the man, not sticking around to see what he had heard.

The Foundry

The moment was interrupted as Diggle groaned. The couple looked over at him as he came to. Diggle blinked several times before his vision seemed to come into focus and he stared, slacked jawed, at Oliver.

"Hey." Oliver said so casually.

Chapter Text

Foundry

Night

"Oliver?" Diggle asked stunned as he sat up with great effort before all the pieces fell into place as his gaze went from Oliver to and back, "you're that vigilante."

Diggle then ran off the table and attempted to take a swing at Oliver. However, Oliver easily sidestepped him and Diggle stumbled passed him.

"Easy Dig, you've been poisoned. I gave you an antidote, but it I'll take your body a couple hours to recover." Oliver told him as if he hadn't just tried to attack him.

Diggle ignored, snarling a few curses as he turned back and attempted to strike Oliver again. Once he was within distance, Oliver grabbed the slightly older man and held him against the table before releasing him once he was sure Diggle wasn't going to attack again.

"Come on. I could have taken you anywhere; I could have taken you home. Instead I brought you here." Oliver reminded him.

"You really did lose your mind on that island." Diggle said looking at Oliver like he was insane.

"Maybe, but I did find a few things along the way." Oliver conceded.

"Like what, archery classes?" Diggle asked incredulously.

"Clarity," Oliver said and Diggle looked at him confused, "Starling City is dying. It is being poisoned by a criminal elite who don't care who they hurt, so long as they maintain their power and wealth."

"What are you going to do, take 'em all down by yourself?" Diggle asked sarcastically.

"No, I want your help." Oliver says as gently as possible but it didn't matter because Diggle still scoffed. "Special Forces out of Kandahar, it's perfect. You're a fellow soldier." Oliver told him but this only seemed to anger Diggle.

"Oliver, you aren't a soldier. You're a criminal and a murderer." Diggle spat before storming past him.

Dinah's apartment

Late afternoon

Dinah closed the door behind her before trying to turn on the lights. However, Dinah began to feel confused and alarmed when it didn't work. Flicking it a few more times with no result, her confusion and alarm vanish with a feeling of fear which was quickly turning into panic. Taking a deep breath, Dinah walked into her living room where she saw the window open behind her blowing curtains. Dinah slowly opened the lower drawer on her desk and pulled out a hand gun before loading it. Feeling someone behind her, she spun around to see the vigilante.

"Hello Dinah." The Hood said calmly in his disguised voice.

"Don't move!" Dinah shouted training the gun on him.

"If I was going to hurt you, I would've done it by now." The Hood said.

"Why should I trust you?" Dinah said as her gun was then pointed at the Hood.

"If I was here to attack you, why would I announce my presence?" The Hood challenged a little impatience entering his voice.

"…Then what do you want?" Dinah asked still not lowering her gun.

"I'm not the man you think I am…and I need your help." The Hood said as the vigilante walked closer to her slowly and cautiously.

"Peter Declan is going to be executed in forty-eight hours, I think he's innocent. Declan's wife was gonna blow the whistle on Jason Brodeur, so Brodeur had her murdered." The Hood said as he reached Dinah.

"There are a thousand lawyers in this city, why me?" Dinah asked still slightly suspicious.

"We're all trying to help." The Hood said as he gently lowered the gun until it was aimed at the floor, Dinah doing nothing to stop him.

"What makes you think I'll help you?" Dinah asked no longer hostile but curious as the figure walked behind her.

"Because I know you'll do whatever it takes to save the life of an innocent man." The vigilante told her.

Dinah frowned in concentration, considering the offer. Dinah turned around to face the man again, but blinked in confusion. No one was there, as if he was never there in the first place.

Police station, next day

Afternoon

"I wasn't the lead on this, but from what I recall, we had fingerprints, blood. We got motive, everything." Dinah shook herself out of her trance and approached her father's desk. 

"Well, Brodeur seems like the type of guy with the resources to frame someone," she pointed out. 

"Dinah, in 24 hours, Peter Declan is lying down with a needle in his arm, he's not getting up," Lance stated. "If I thought for one second we didn't have the right guy, do you think there's anything else I'd be doing right now except trying to get at what really happened?" 

"Declan said his wife went to her supervisor with allegations that Brodeur was dumping toxic waste," Dinah mentioned. 

Quentin flipped through the case file until he stopped on the page he wanted. "Yeah, but that supervisor said that never happened. Let me see, what was his name?" he said as his eyes scanned the page. "Here you go. Istook, Matt Istook. He said he didn't even see Camille that day. Happy now?"

Dinah smiled and nodded. "Yes." Then she started towards the door to the precinct.

"You know, I thought it would be a cold day in hell, before you started defending criminals," her father called out after her. She paused and turned to face him. 

"I'm not so sure Declan's a criminal. Like you said, he's on a clock. Can't leave any stone unturned."

Rooftop

Night

"I got your message," Dinah said as she stood across from The Hood, who faced slightly away from her so she could see his face, "is there a reason you won't look at me face to face?"

"You've met with Peter Declan?" The Hood gave a slight smile at Dinah's question.

"You were right, Declan said his wife blew the whistle on Brodeur the day she was killed. I think he is innocent." Dinah said as she walked closer to him, partly in an attempt to get a look under The Hood's hood, but he kept himself out of her view.

"Then we need to get whoever she told about Brodeur to testify." The Hood said as he turned around so he was now facing away from Dinah.

"He already has. Matt Istook, Camille's superior. Only he says that she didn't say a word to him." Dinah told him.

"He could be lying." The Hood said like it was obvious.

"Well then he's very convincing, because he has the Jury and police believing him." Dinah told him indignantly.

"He hasn't been questioned by me." The Hood said venomously.

"I didn't become a lawyer to break the Law or hurt people." Dinah snapped.

"I do what's necessary, what people like Peter Declan need." The Hood said with a little more bite than intended, as this had long since been an issue between them.

"If what you're doing isn't wrong, then why don't you show your face?" Dinah challenged.

"To protect the people we care about." The Hood told her stiffly as he glanced at her.

"That sounds lonely." Dinah said softly.

"Sometimes it can be. But not today." The Hood said before shooting an arrow into the side of a nearby building and used it to swing like a vine as Dinah watched shocked.

Rail tracks

Later that night

Matt Istook groaned as he regained consciousness. He remembered being shot with something, then nothing. As he became aware of his surroundings, he realized that he was handcuffed to a set of railroad tracks.

"Matt Istook." A deep, mechanical voice barked.

Istook looked up to The Hood standing in front of him, bow in his hands. The Hood's expression was hidden in darkness.

"You're him, the vigilante." Istook realized in alarm.

"Peter Declan, your lies helped put him on Death Row." The Hood sneered as a train whistle sounded in the distance. "Now, it's either time to tell the truth, or it's time for the 10:15 to Bludhaven."

"Ok, Ok, Brodeur paid me to say…that Camille never spoke to me, but I didn't have anything to do with her death," Istook told him as the train neared closer, "please, I'll do anything, you can have the file!"

"What file?" The Hood demanded.

"Camille gave me a file of evidence against Brodeur." Istook confessed, fearfully eying the form of the train that was growing larger by the second.

"Where is it!?" The Hood demanded.

"Let me go and I'll tell you!" Istook bargained but realized his mistake when his captor walked past him, leaving him at the train's mercy, "Wait! Wait, don't go! It's on my desk, it's at my desk in my office, you can have it!"

Just as the train was mere feet from him, an arrow flew out and broke the chain of Istook's handcuffed arm. Realizing he was free, Istook threw himself off the tracks, mere seconds before the train flew by. Through the cars, The Hood watched him stoically before walking away.

Rooftop, the next night

Night

"What else do you need to free Peter Declan?" The Hood asked as he and Dinah stood on a rooftop after Brodeur managed to get off.

"A confession from Jason Brodeur," Dinah said then frowned when the vigilante turned to leave, "where are you going?"

"To get a confession." The Hood said before he left.

Brodeur's office

Later

Brodeur made no move, too scared to even twitch. The Hood aimed an arrow at his chest.

"Please, what do you want?" The man pleaded.

"You're gonna confess to having Peter Declan's wife murdered." The Hood snarled in his ear.

"Why, so I can go to prison?" Brodeur asked in disbelief.

"So you can avoid the death penalty." The Hood growled.

"Except if I'm dead, there's no one to pin Camille's murder on. You need me to exonerate Peter Declan. Maybe you could try and force to me to sign a written confession-" Brodeur let a scream as an arrow flew through his hand.

"That might be difficult." The Hood said calmly.

The phone started to right, interrupting the interrogation. The Hood walked over and pulled the phone out of his jacket pocket before pressing the answer key and putting it on speaker phone.

"Just answer it Brodeur." The Hood hissed in his ear.

"It's Ankov, it's going down in one hour." The voice on the other line said.

"What's going down in one hour?!" The Hood snarled as he grabbed the front of Brodeur's shirt.

"Let's just say that Peter Declan's execution, it's getting moved up." Brodeur smirked before losing consciousness as The Hood struck him across the face.

Iron Heights

An hour later

Dinah and Peter Declan were in the middle of a prison riot when the prisoners attacking them were suddenly beaten up by the Hood. The Hood had a guard's uniform on with a ski mask. Gesturing for the pair to follow him, the group of three moved forward with the vigilante occasionally beating his way through an aggressive prisoner as cops arrived to deal with the riot. Suddenly, The Hood was sucker punched by Ankov, which sent him spiraling to the ground before Ankov swept the vigilante off his feet. The cruel man then focused his attention on Dinah and Declan.

He got in a few good hits before The Vigilante tackled him to the ground. This was not the Vigilante that had been terrorizing criminals the last few weeks, this was the warrior man of the island. He went at him like a madman, punches, kicks, elbows, Ankov couldn't even react. Dinah watched in stunned horror as this happened before The Hood walked over and pulled her off the man who had lost consciousness. Before anyone could do anything else, the riot cops entered and the vigilante disappeared into the background.

Lian Yu, five years ago, days later

Day

"Hey, please, I'm starving... I've never killed anything before." Oliver called weakly as he lied against the wall, the smell of cooking getting to him.

The Man ignored him still. Oliver was seemingly losing consciousness before glancing at the birds. Steeling himself as he summoned one last time for strength, Oliver reached inside the cave and pulled out one bird while it's partner looed on curiously. Oliver's resolve wavered slightly before he prepared to fix this.  Oliver closed his eyes before twisting and he heard the neck of the bird snap.

Later, Oliver sat eating the cooked birds. The man walks in and sits down across from him before saying the same word he had said days ago.

"Bird, I know." Oliver said annoyed.

"Not bird," Oliver looked up as the man spoke in heavily accented English, "mean survive."

"You speak English." Oliver said not sure whether to be angry or amused.

"You want survive this place, those birds not last thing you kill." The man warned him grimly.

Queen Manor, next day

Morning

Oliver walked into the sitting room to see Diggle standing there.  He walked up to him.

"You here about the bodyguard position, because the other guy quit?" Oliver asked cheekily.

"No, but I am here about the other position," Diggle said as he turned around to face him, "just to be clear, I'm not sighing on to be anyone's sidekick," Diggle said as he and Oliver shook hands, "but you're right, the city does need saving. And you are gonna fight for it with or without me."

"Yeah." Oliver said.

"But with me, there will be fewer casualties, including you." Diggle said and Oliver looked back at him.

"Dig, I'm not looking for anyone to save me." Oliver told him.

"Maybe not but you need it just the same," Diggle said as he took a step closer to him, "you are fighting a war, but you have no idea what war does to you. How it scraps off pieces of soul, bit by bit. And you need someone to remind you who you are, not who you're becoming."

As Oliver and Diggle shook hands once more, there was a commotion up front. Oliver and Diggle dropped hands as Quentin, his partner Hilton, and a few other officers came into the room followed by a bewildered Moira. Quentin and Hilton both wore angry, but regretful faces as they stared at Oliver.

"Everything okay officers?" Oliver questioned.

"Try and stop me Oliver." Quentin said in a voice mixed with remorse and a little anger.

"Mr. Queen, we need you to come down to the station with us. Due to some recent evidence, you are accused of being the vigilante," Hilton told them solemnly.

Chapter Text

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Oliver and the man-whose name he had learned was Yao Fei- stood in the forest. Yao Fei aimed his bow and arrow at a small, dark grey rabbit before letting the arrow fly. The poor thing didn't even notice them before the arrow pierced it, killing it almost instantly. Oliver, who had killed the birds for himself, was mostly unfazed by this. 

"Dinner." Yao Fei said as he gestured for Oliver to go get it.

"Yeah, no. Hey, here's an idea: Why don't you let me shoot that thing and you go get the bloody, dead, disgusting animal?" Oliver suggested sarcastically.

Yao Fei looked at him in impatience before holding out the bow for Oliver. Oliver blinked in surprise before taking it, not really believing that Yao Fei would actually do it.

"Breathe everything breathe. Breathe, aim, fire. Here," Yao Fei said as he handed, Oliver an arrow before gesturing to a tree that was a few feet from them, "Aim that tree."

Oliver notched the arrow and took a deep breathe, trying to relax himself. After a few seconds of aiming the arrow, Oliver released the bow. The arrow soared through the air, but it completely missed the tree. Oliver lowered the bow, embarrassed, as Yao Fei muttered something in Mandurian.

"What does that mean?" Oliver asked beginning to get annoyed.

"You will die badly," Yao Fei said.

Oliver, deciding to keep his annoyance to a minimum, decided to just do what he was told. Oliver walked into the forest, out of sight range of Yao Fei, and spotted the arrow sticking out of a log on the ground. Oliver moved forward to get it when a black, gloved hand covered his mouth. Suddenly, he was surrounded by all sides by men in black as the carried him off into the woods. Oliver screamed, but it couldn't be heard because it was muffled by the hand on his mouth.

Police station

Morning

"This is a mistake." Oliver said as he faced Quentin, in cuffs in the interrogation room as Quentin was taking down notes.

"I'll be asking you a few questions, standard stuff for the report. Have you been arrested before? That's OK, I know the answer to that, plenty of times." Quentin said sarcastically.

"Like I said, this is a mistake." Oliver insisted.

"As far as I can tell, the only mistake I made was not shooting you down at the docks, when I had the chance." Quentin glared.

"I am not who you think I am." Oliver protested.

"Oh, you're exactly who I think you are. You're a dangerous menace who doesn't care about who he hurts, except now you're doing it with bows and arrows instead of trust funds and yacht." Quentin sneered.

"Detective, you hate me. I get it. But that doesn't make me a vigilante." Oliver shook his head.

"No. The security camera footage of you at the Unidac auction with a green good does that pretty well."

"And as I said again, I ran into the stairwell, once I heard the shooting." Oliver said. "I saw a duffel bag that I thought maybe belonged to the shooter. I grabbed, looked inside and saw a hood."

"And what, you took it home with you? Because we can't find it." Quentin said, seeing through Oliver's lie. "And what about harassing Adam Hunt? That just happened to take place right across the street from your little homecoming bash."

"Those were coincidences." Oliver said.

"No. When they pile up like that, it becomes evidence." Quentin said.

A patrolman entered as Quentin looked at the forms again. "His parents are here." The patrolman said.

"Tell them to wait." Quentin ordered.

"I want to see my son." Moira demanded as she burst in with Walter.

"Do you know that what you are doing, is not legal at all, Detective? You have no grounds to arrest Mr. Queen." Walter said as he and Moira glared at Quentin.

"I have solid grounds and I have evidence." Quentin said coldly.

"That you're more than welcome to show Mr. Queen's attorney, once he arrives." Walter sneered. "Until then, this interrogation is over, Detective."

After a moment, Quentin gave in. "Sure. You have 15 minutes." He left the room and closed the door.

"Detective Lance appears to be on some personal vendetta." Walter said.

"He is." Oliver said as he turned to Walter. "He blames me for the death of his daughter. He also thinks that I dress up in a green hood and shoot people with arrows."

“You’ll need a good lawyer to help.” Walter explained as he sat across from Oliver.

”I want Dinah.” Oliver replied.

Moira and Walter turned to each other before turning to Oliver.

”Brilliant.” Walter muttered sarcastically.

“She knows me better than anyone else.” Oliver explained.

"We appreciate your offer but our attorneys are good enough." Moira said gently. "And I mean no offense and I know you mean well but I do not like the idea of trusting a lawyer with a personal connection to you in the past, especially one outside our family."

“Fine.” Oliver sighed.

Starling City Courthouse

Later

"Docket 81941, People vs. Oliver Queen." The bailiff said as Oliver was at the defendants table in the courtroom. "Murder. Aggravated assault. Assault with intent. Menacing and trespassing."

Judge Moss looked at Oliver, noticing something. "Where's your attorney, Mr. Queen?"

"I'm representing myself, Judge." Oliver said as he got up.

"I'm not sure that's the wisest course, Mr. Queen." Moss said.

"I think it is. I'm innocent." Oliver argued.

"Then we'll consider that your plea." Moss said.

"Thank you." Oliver said as he sat down.

"Now, as to your bail—"

"Your Honor, Mr. Queen's family owns a pair of private jets…" District Attorney Kate Spencer said as she got up. "And, well, on the subject of their wealth, I would point out that there is virtually no bail amount that can guarantee his presence at trial."

"So then, I guess it's a good thing the people's case is so circumstantial," came Dinah’s remark, as she entered the room, drawing the attention of everyone in attendance, and eliciting a smirk from Oliver. "Dinah Laurel Lance, Your Honor. I'd like to file my appearance on behalf of the defendant.”

"Mr. Queen’s wealth should not deprive him of the right to be released on bail while under the presumption of innocence," Dinah stated.

"He is a flight risk," the prosecutor argued.

"Then minimize the risk," Dinah countered. "The defendant is willing to submit to home confinement and electronic monitoring through the wearing of UKG45 administrated ankle devices."

"Can I please object to that?" Oliver asked.

"Sold," the judge motioned.

"Your Honor," the prosecutor started.

"Bail is set at $15 million," the judge proclaimed. "$5 million bonds. Defendant to see probation for the fitting of a GPS device." Then she slammed her gavel and that appeared to be that.

"I knew you couldn't resist saving my ass," Oliver mused.

Dinah gave the billionaire a look of feigned annoyance. "You're gonna make me regret this, aren't you?" she sighed.

Oliver chimed in with a smile. "It's gonna be like old times when it was just us."

Dinah smiled sarcastically. "Fortunately, for you, with the legal case there's no way you are the vigilante,” she snarked. "Because he is actually trying to make a difference. We all know that's not really your style."

Queen Mansion

Later

"I'm confined to this house for the foreseeable future, I might as well make the most of it." Oliver said as he turned to Tommy, while wearing his ankle monitor. "I'm thinking prison, uh, burning man meets Shawshank Redemption. The invite says 'Come before Oliver Queen gets off'."

"Maybe a party's not the best of taste, you know, considering the circumstances." Tommy argued, trying to reason.

"Tommy, the circumstances are why we're having the party in the first place. I want people to know that I'm not worried about any of this.' Oliver said.

"Well, that makes one of us." Moira said dryly.

After a look from Oliver, the other three left the room and seconds later, Diggle walked into the room and Oliver gave him his attention without moving from his position.

"You know, when I signed on with you, I didn't expect you to get arrested quite so soon." Diggle mentioned dryly.

"Yeah, I'm not sure how I missed that security camera." Oliver said sarcastically and Diggle blinked as the realization set in.

"You let yourself get caught?" Diggle asked in disbelief.

"The vigilante shows up mere days after Oliver Queen returns home after five years away from civilization. It wasn't gonna take long for people to jump to that theory." Oliver told him.

Oliver then turned the laptop around to show a news article.

"Who's that?" Diggle asked curiously as he stared at the picture in the article.

"Leo Mueller. German arms dealer, suspected in the theft of over a hundred M249 automatic weapons." Oliver explained grimly. "Last night, he arrived in Starling city to sell guns."

"You are already under suspicion of being the vigilante, don't you think that's enough trouble without you going after this guy?" Diggle tried to reason.

"I do, but then I imagined what would happen if street gangs got their hands on these kinds of weapons." Oliver said grimly. "I imagined an all-out gang war on the streets that had massive casualties."

"Okay, you've made your point but do you expect to go after this guy without arousing even more suspicion?" Diggle inquired.

"For now, I would just like you to shadow Mueller." Oliver told him. "Think of it as reconnaissance, track his movements and report back. I need to know where the buy is happening."

"And how am I supposed to track him?" Diggle asked idly.

"You know how we billionaire vigilantes love our toys. Do you remember that foundry I took you and Tommy to check out with me?" Oliver asked, a smirk beginning to cross his face.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

After being captured by a group of well-trained men wearing masks, Oliver was brought back to their campsite and taken into the tent of their leader. "Please, sit. You're making me feel rude," a man with yellow blonde hair and bright blue eyes wearing the same attire as his men said as he gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Oliver did as he was told and waited for the man to speak before he said anything. 

"I do apologize for my men's treatment of you," the man apologized formally, as he poured a can of club soda into a glass filled with ice. "They're trained to view any stranger as hostile. I'm Edward Fyers, by the way. And you are?"

Oliver gauged him warily before saying, "I'm Oliver Queen. I was shipwrecked here… I don't... know for how long, but my family has money, lots of money; you would be... you would be really well compensated for the rescue of me.”

The man's eyes sparkled greedily, as a smirk played across his face. "Well, I look forward to that," he grinned. "But for the moment, let's just talk."

"Talk about what?" Oliver asked. 

"Well, for instance... this gentleman," Fyers began, pulling out a picture of Yao Fei, and showing it to the young billionaire. "Do you know him?"

Oliver froze. Even though the man had apologized for the way he was treated, and promised to take him home, a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like his father told him not to trust Fyers and keep his mouth shut about Yao Fei. Then quickly, too quickly, Oliver lied and said, "No. Who, who's he?"

The unnerving smile on Fyers' face turned frosty, making Oliver clench up dreadfully. "You're a poor liar," he said. "Now, I've been polite. I'll offer you one more chance before my manners leave me."

"Whoa, whoa. Hey! I don't know this guy," Oliver lied frantically. "I thought I was on this island by myself.”

"Do you know what this island is? We are on Lian Yu, which is Mandarin for Purgatory, but I can make it feel like hell," Fyers sneered, as he shot up abruptly from his chair. "You know, I don't even know why you're protecting him. You're young, foolish, and perhaps you don't know why, either. Think on that when you're begging for death." 

Then he stormed out of the tent, and as he left, he addressed someone who was waiting outside and said, "He's yours now." A few moments later, a man wearing black tactical gear and a mask that was orange on one side and black on the other entered the tent and walked toward the young Queen menacingly.

SCPD

Later

"Thank you for coming." Spencer said as Oliver entered with Dinah the interrogation room.

"No, thank you. It's nice to get out of the house." Oliver said dryly.

"I'll cut right through it." Spencer said. "Detective Lance arrested your client without consulting my office first. So congratulations. I am willing to consider a plea in this case."

"No. I'll take a polygraph." Oliver said.

"They are inadmissible, if I'm correct." Dinah pointed out.

"In front of the jury. I'll take a polygraph in front of him. He's the one I need to convince." Oliver argued.

Queen Mansion

Later

In the manor the workers were preparing the party decorations as outside at the garden Oliver saw Thea sitting on a chair, staring at the Hozen he had given her.

"Hey, Speedy. One of the workers left a keg too far from the bar, can you ask them to move it, please? I got the ankle thingie." Oliver pointed at his leg. "I don't want to set off a SWAT invasion." Thea stared as he neared her. "Hey. All this stuff, it's gonna be fine, I promise."

"Yeah, well, when you and Dad left on the yacht, you promised I'd see you in a few days. Which didn't happen." Thea pointed out.

"This is different than that. I didn't do any of this stuff, you know that. Right?" Oliver asked, noticing how Thea seemed unsure.

"You're out all the time, you have those scars and since you've been back, you've been acting weird." Thea elaborated.

"None of this makes me some Robin Hood wannabe." Oliver argued.

"And you get me this. I mean, it's an arrowhead." Thea said as she showed him the Hozen.

"Oh, man." Oliver realized where was she going with this. "Thea, I bought that in the gift shop of the Beijing airport. Now I'm sort of happy I didn't buy you the shot glass with the panda on it, 'cause then you'd be worried I was a panda man."

Thea chuckled. "You know, I knew you couldn't be this person. I… I just… I can't lose you again."

"Deal." Oliver said.

SCPD

Night

In the interrogation room, the technician was setting up the polygraph as Oliver was being hooked up to it, with Dinah next to Oliver.

"Is your name Oliver Queen?" Quentin asked.

"You don't know who I am, Detective?" Oliver joked.

"The questions are to calibrate the polygraph. Is your name "Oliver Queen"?" Quentin demanded.

"Yes."

"Were you born in Starling City May 16th, 1985?"

"Yes."

"Is your hair blue?"

"No."

"Have you ever been to Iron Heights prison?" Quentin questioned.

"No." Oliver said as Dinah looked at him in surprise, remembering they went into the prison on a field trip once.

"Are you the man in this picture?" Quentin asked as he showed Oliver the sketch of the Hood.

"No." Oliver denied.

"You steal $40 million from Adam Hunt?"

"No, I didn't."

"Were you marooned on an island called Lian Yu for five years?"

"Yes."

"Detective, these questions are not relevant to—"

"I don't need to show relevance but since you asked, whatever happened to your client on that island turned him into a cold-blooded killer." Quentin snapped, glaring. "The physician that examined you, reported that 20% of your body is covered in scar tissue."

Laurel stared, stunned and shocked, having no idea about the scars as she stared from the other side.

"Detective, you did not ask my client a question." Dinah reminded.

"Did that happen to you there?" Quentin asked bluntly.

"Yes." Oliver said, reliving the torture.

"When you came back, you told everyone that you were alone on that island, are you claiming that your scars were self-inflicted?"

"No. I wasn't alone. I didn't want to talk about what happened to me on that island." Oliver said.

"Why not?" Quentin asked.

"Because the people, that were there, tortured me." Oliver said as Dinah stared in shock at him.

"Have you killed anyone?" Quentin asked. There was a long pause before Oliver swallowed and turned to Quentin.

"Yes." Oliver said as Quentin looked satisfied. "When I asked your daughter Sandra to come on my father's yacht with me. I killed your daughter."

Dinah breathed out and deflated, finally moving past herself and realizing that Oliver was not responsible for what happened to her sister as Oliver took off the sensors from his arm as Quentin glared at him, while Oliver left.

"Detective, I hope you are satisfied." Dinah said as she got up. "Because you just might get a lawsuit for this inexcusable behavior and forcing my client to relive his traumatic experiences."

Quentin just scoffed as his daughter left.

Queen Manor

Night

The party was in full swing, though the guest of honor was not in attendance. Oliver was in his room, showing Diggle a phone that was linked to the GPS tracker he had set up.

"Mueller's car has been parked in the Warehouse district of the glades for the last forty five minutes." Oliver explained to his body guard.

"Yeah, that's a good place to have an arms deal," Diggle noted dryly before getting down to business, "so what do we do, drop the dime on Mueller with the cops?"

"No, the vigilante is going to stop him…." Oliver said with a tilt of his head.

"I thought we agreed it was a bad idea to make a move while you were under suspicion." Diggle said looking at Oliver like he was crazy.

"It doesn't have to be me in the hood." Oliver said with a pointed look at Diggle, who gave a humorless chuckle as he caught on to the plan.

"So that's why you threw this ridiculous party, so you'd have hundreds of witnesses placing you here while I go around town playing dress up?" Diggle asked angrily.

"I thought it'd be good enough just for you to be seen in the hood. I didn't count on Mueller showing up and I didn't count on the glades being flooded with machine guns." Oliver argued.

"Look, I am the one person you don't lie to. You may have gotten used to lying to everyone else in your life, but not me." Diggle warned him.

"You’re right, I'm sorry John." Oliver apologized and Diggle turned around and walked towards the door. "So am I going to have suspicion on me a little while longer?"

"No, I have an arms deal to stop." Diggle said before walking out the door.

Oliver was at a bar before Dinah approached him and he accompanied her to his bedroom, talking privately.

"Wow, I can't remember the last time that I've been in this room." Dinah said as she looked around.

"I can. Halloween, 2005, we were getting ready for Tommy's party." Oliver said.

"Ah, yes, I wore those horrible fishnets." Dinah said.

"I thought you looked good." Oliver said as he closed the door, while Dinah turned to face him.

"Listen, I just want to come by and apologize for my father's behavior at the polygraph. He has a right to feel any way that he wants." Oliver said.

"It wasn't just Sandra, Ollie." Dinah said.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked.

"After Sandra, died, my father threw himself into his work. I think that's part of the reason I'm an attorney. He ran to the law and I followed. But my mother couldn't." Dinah explained. "So she left him. Left us." Dinah sighed as she neared him. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you this to make you feel bad, or worse. I just… I really want you to understand him."

"Why don't you hate me? You should." Oliver pointed out.

"I did." Dinah admitted. "For so long, I did, after today, I realized that I was so focused on what happened to my family that I didn't even stop and wonder what could have happened to you." She breathed out. "I didn't know about the torture, or your happened to you on that island was far more than you deserved. And I was wrong that I didn't ask you before, but I'm asking you now. I need to know. I need to see."

"Are you sure?" Oliver asked.

"Yes." Dinah said.

Oliver unbuttoned his shirt but he could not bring himself to open it. Instead, Dinah, somewhat hesitantly, gently opened the shirt and gasped upon seeing the scars on his chest.

"How did you survive this?" Dinah asked, staring in shock.

"There were times, when I wanted to die." Oliver admitted as Dinah realized how badly she had been treating him as she felt guilty.

"Ollie, I… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything." Dinah said. "I… if I had known—"

"Laurel, it's OK." Oliver assured her before the door knocked.

"Oliver? Come down, come on!" One of the partygoers said.

"I… I should—"

"Yeah." Dinah  said as they both left.

Oliver had just put on a black top when someone knocked on the door. Calling out to hold on, Oliver put on a jacket before walking over to the door. Opening it, Oliver was startled when the butler brought on the other side of the door pulled out a gun. Training and instinct kicking in, Oliver grabbed the man's hand and forced the gun away from him before punching him in the jaw. Oliver forced him into the room and knocked the gun out of his hands before the man began to fight back as he tried to retrieve the gun. In order to force him away from it, Oliver tackled him over the sofa and the two ended up smashing the wooden coffee table to bits. After an exchange of blows, Oliver tossed him to the door, only realizing he had tossed him to his gun when he picked it up. He rose to his feet and was about to fire when three shots rang out and blood sprayed across his chest. He fell to the ground as Quentin stood over him.

Queen Manor, living room

Later

“by accusing my son publicly, you've made him a target." Moira said, snarling at Quentin.

"Do you have any idea, who attacked Oliver?" Walter inquired.

"We haven't identified him. Though it must be someone with a grudge against the Hood, obviously." Quentin said as he removed Oliver's ankle monitor.

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked.

"I got a call from my lieutenant. An arms dealer was attacked and apprehended by the vigilante tonight." Quentin said reluctantly as he turned to Moira. "Multiple witnesses put him there. In light of that, all charges against your son are being dropped."

"I'm truly sorry for what's happened to your family, Quentin but would you kindly get the hell out of my house?" Moira practically ordered as she glared at Quentin.

"Mr. Lance. Thank you." Oliver told Quentin, who nodded before leaving.

The foundry

Night

"So how much of it was real anger and how much was an act?" Diggle asked Oliver as he geared up.

"Most of it was real, but the moving out part was for the mission. I needed to push Dinah away, she was getting too close." Oliver explained.

"Sad thing is, I think you actually believe that," Diggle said as the billionaire turned to him, "I think things didn't go exactly as you planned. You didn't count on so many people doubting you, having questions. You have no idea what happens when you lie, especially when you lie to the people you love most. When you were stuck on that island plotting your grand plan to save the city, I don't think you stopped to consider the effects it would have on the people in your lives. Or how it might hurt them."

"You're wrong Dig, I think about it all the time." Oliver said softly. "And just to be clear, not being able to tell my family the truth…it doesn't hurt anyone the way it hurts me."

"Where are you going?" Diggle inquired.

"To break up another arms deal!" Oliver called back.

"Oliver-" Diggle began.

"He had his chance." Oliver said in a cold voice.

Ware house district

Later

The Hood listened to Mueller make the offer before springing into action. The Hood jumped down next to the guard behind Mueller and knocked him out with a few precise punches when the shots rang out. The Hood knocked a gunman out with a fierce blow to the head while the Hood incapacitated a few before killing another with his arrows. The man before some back flips to avoid the barrage bullets and dropped out of site once the bullets stopped coming back out.  The Hood notched an arrow and aimed at the frightened Mueller.

"Leo Mueller, you have failed this city." The Hood said before letting the arrow fly and Mueller let out a scream of pain as it went right into his heart.

Chapter Text

The Foundry

Morning

Oliver and Diggle, both shirtless, were sparring with wooden batons. Diggle exchanged a few blows with Oliver but was easily blocked. While Diggle was distracted, Oliver used his own to knock Diggle off his feet. The older man fell on his back, groaning as the man stood over him.

"Variable acceleration, most fighters work at the same pace. Switch it up; throw your opponent off their game." Oliver advised.

"That was nice," Diggle said as he stood up, "where'd you learn that?"

"His name was Yao Fei." Oliver offered after a moment of silence and Diggle blinked, not really expecting an answer.

"He give you those scars?" Diggle asked trying his luck.

"One, of em." Oliver admitted.

"And the others?" Diggle inquired and was met with silence, "you know, one day you are going to have to be straight with me about what really happened on the island."

"One day," Oliver agreed as he and Diggle began sparring again, "but not today."

Oliver easily over powers Diggle and the bodyguard once more finds himself flat on his back. Diggle got back up again, accepting a hand from Oliver as he did. Oliver and Diggle went to the computers as Oliver pulled up a web page.

"This the guy you're going after tonight?" Diggle inquired as he looked at the man in the picture.

"Yep." Oliver nodded. "Scott Morgan, he runs the water and power companies in the glades. He jacks up the prices when people can't pay, shuts them down even in the middle of winter."

"Which is at least a month away, look at this," Diggle said as he reached down and pulled up a web page of a bank robbery, "these guys started at Keystone three years ago, then began moving west, hitting banks along the way. This morning they hit Starling City trust. They shot an off-duty cops, doctors say it's a coin toss of whether he'll make it."

"If he's a cop, SCPD will be all over it." Oliver dismissed as he put on a jacket.

"Overwhelmed, underfunded? Listen, these guys don't hit one time. They hit two or three banks per city; which means they're planning their next heist right now." Diggle argued.

"I think you have a wrong impression of what it is I do." Oliver said a hard edge to his voice.

"What, take out bad guys with a bow and arrow?" Diggle asked sarcastically.

"We don't fight street crime, that's a symptom of what's wrong with the city, we're fighting the disease." Oliver argued.

"Yes, but there are other ways to help them Oliver. There are other ways to honor your father, ways you haven't considered." Diggle told him gently.

"Crime happens in this city everyday. What do you expect me to do, stop all of it?" Oliver asked exasperated.

"It sounds like you have a very narrow definition of being a hero." Diggle says pointedly.

"I'm not a hero." Oliver says just as pointedly before he walks away.

Queen Manor

Afternoon

"Hey, everything okay?" Thea asked her brother as he walked in.

"Yeah, just a little disagreement with someone. Everything will be alright," Oliver assured her as Thea looked worried, "Now, is everything alright with you?"

"I'm worried about mom," Thea confessed as they began to walk through the house, "I mean, haven't you noticed that she's been a little down lately?"

"Since when do you pay attention to how Moms been feeling?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Since our step-father suddenly decided to take a business trip halfway across the world." Thea said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I think that when someone of Walter's pay grade takes a business trip, it's always sudden Thea. I wouldn't worry about it." Oliver attempted to calm her as Moira walked into the room carrying flowers.

"Ah, guess who I just got off the phone with?" Moira asked her children as she put the flowers in a vase on the living room table, "Janice Bowen, Carter's mother."

Oliver and Thea 'ohed' in union as Oliver remembered him. His former high school classmate, a real self-righteous, pompous dick. He reminded Oliver far too much of the scum he went after at night.

"We're all having brunch today." Moira told them and Oliver and Thea did their best to hide their horror at this.

"I have plans." Oliver said immediately.

"Well, I'm sure whatever it is can wait." Moira said her political smile on her face.

Before the argument could escalate any further, Oliver's phone rang. Flashing his mother an apologetic smile, Oliver took it out. Seeing Diggle's name flash across the screen, Oliver muttered an excuse as he walked away. Feeling his mother's stare beginning to burn holes in his back, he mentally winced, knowing he was going to pay for that as he answered.

"Yeah, what is it Dig?" Oliver asked.

"You know your friend Scott Morgan from your father's list? He tried to kill himself, guess he was afraid of getting a visit from you. How soon can you make it to Starling General?" Diggle asked.

"I'm on my way." Oliver hung up before turning back to his seething mother, "Something's come up with the club, I have to go."

Starling General

Not too long after

Oliver rode his motorcycle up to the ER and parked. Oliver got off his bike and walked over to Diggle, who was standing beside a newly arrived ambulance.

"You sure about this, Scott Morgan doesn't seem like the kind who would try and kill himself." Oliver asked Diggle as they approached the ambulance.

"True, but it was the best lie I could come up with on short notice." Diggle shrugged as a man wearing an oxygen mask was pulled out on a stretcher and a woman, obviously his wife, follows behind him.

"Mr. Diggle," the woman turns to Diggle as she reaches the men, "I can't thank you enough for arranging to move my husband from County Ward to Starling General. Now I know he's getting the best medical care available."

"You should be thanking this man, Oliver Queen. He's paying the bill," Diggle gestured to Oliver with a smile as Oliver resisted the urge to strangle him, "Jana's husband Stan is a police officer, who just happened to be making a deposit at Starling Trust Bank."

"The bank that got robbed," Oliver nodded to Diggle shortly before turning to Jana, kindness taking over his anger, "I was so sorry to hear about your husband. Is he gonna be okay?"

"The doctors say the next twenty four hours are crucial," Jana said tearfully as she wiped her eyes, "he should have just kept his head down, you know?"

"I've known a few police offers in my day. Always willing to help others, even if it means putting themselves at risk." Diggle noted, giving Oliver a pointed look.

"Thank you." Jana said once more.

"It's no trouble." Oliver assured her with a kind smile.

Jana nodded at him gratefully before following her husband. Once she was out of hearing range, Oliver turned to Diggle with an angry scowl on his face.

"You asked me to work with you, not for you, and you did because you said you understood the kind of man I am," Diggle reminded him pointedly, "Well Oliver, I'm the kind of man who doesn't walk away when there's a chance to make a difference. And neither does Stan Washington."

Oliver sighed and began to walk away. Diggle, thinking he was running, hurried after him.

"We're not finished here, where do you think you're going?" Diggle demanded.

"To make a difference. Or do you not want to help me catch some back robbers?" Oliver asked idly and Diggle resisted the urge to smirk.

CNRI

Day

Dinah walked into the office and was startled by the sight of Tommy chatting with her friend Joanna. 

Regaining her composure, she exhaled with barely concealed annoyance and walked over to them. "So where are you taking me today, Tommy?" she groaned. "Monte Carlo?"

Instead of feeling offended, Tommy simply gave her his best billion-dollar smile and said, "Actually, I was just telling Jo here that the Merlyn Global Group is looking to expand its local philanthropy and I thought that we could start by sponsoring a benefit for CNRI." 

Dinah struggled to hold back a cringe. "Thank you, Tommy, but I think we can manage without your family's finances."

Tommy's face fell slightly, as Joanna got up from her chair and took it upon herself to intervene. "Excuse us for a sec," she smiled, before dragging Dinah away to talk in private. 

When they were far enough away that Tommy couldn't hear them, Joanna glared at her friend. "What are you doing?" she hissed. 

"He's not interested in throwing us a fundraiser," Dinah argued. "What he wants to have is the first annual attempt to get back into my pants gala."

"Who cares why he's doing it?" Joanna snapped. "We need the money." 

They both glanced back over at Tommy, and Dinah huffed, "Not like that we don't."

"Yes, we do," Joanna griped. "So you're gonna listen to your best friend's advice. You are gonna go over there and say, "Thank you, Tommy, we'd be honored for you to throw us a fundraiser," okay?" Without giving Dinah a chance to say no, Joanna steered her friend back towards the desk where Tommy was leaning awkwardly. 

"Thank you, Tommy, we would be honored for you to throw us a fundraiser," Dinah deadpanned monotonously.

The Foundry

Late afternoon

"See that guy right there? That guy's got a temper." Diggle observed as he pointed at the man wearing the Ace of clubs mask.

"And he shot Officer Washington." Oliver noted grimly.

"That's right." Diggle agreed.

"Look at that, he's got a college ring." Oliver pointed out as he played back the footage.

"Or high school, more likely." Diggle disagreed.

"Either way, the ring will help us ID him." Oliver said firmly.

"Yeah, but one problem with that," Diggle said as he reached and over and pushed some buttons on the keyboard, which brought forward a zoomed in, pixilated picture of Ace's ring hand, "even with photo enhancement, we're gonna have a problem getting a clear shot of that ring."

"But it left an impression that the police will have photographed. It'll be in evidence lockup." He pointed out  as Diggle opened and closed his mouth, but no sound came out.

"You really know how to think like a cop." Diggle admitted and Oliver smirked at him.

Oliver stood up and walked towards his munitions box.

"Please tell me you're not going where I think you're going?" Diggle groaned.

"I could, but I'd be lying," Oliver said dryly.

Foundry,

Late afternoon

Diggle sat at the computer when Oliver walked in. The bodyguard stopped what he was doing as he came over and plugged a flash drive into the computer. Diggle giving Oliver his seat, Oliver sat down and loaded the file he had hacked.

"The bank manager that Ace punched, it left a mark." Diggle observed softly as he stared at the picture.

Oliver nodded in agreement as he ran a program that put the image of the ring imprint through a database. After a few moments of silence, a match came up.

"Larchmont High, looks like you were right," Oliver looked over at Diggle before turning back to study the information, "cross-referencing his age and height with all known students and alumni."

"That's still a pretty big list of suspects." Diggle pointed out as he reached down Oliver's shoulders and begins typing at the keyboard and a few more files pull up before one takes over the page, "Kyle Reston, dropped out of high school right around the time your dad's old steel mill closed down, then he went off the grid. So did his family: parents and his younger brother."

"How'd you find this guy?" Oliver asked curiously as he looked up at her.

"I had a feeling you'd come around, so I did a little digging. Looked at people who were likely to be in need of money and who would be able to go from town to town without attracting too much attention. Kyle was the only one who fit the bill." Diggle told him nonchalantly.

Oliver shook his head with a laugh before turning back to the screen, "there are two other guys involved in the robbery."

"And a woman," Diggle told him as he pulled up the now memorized footage from the bank, "excluding Stan Washington, there were twenty two customers and employees that came out of the back, nine men and thirteen women. But from the cameras inside, we can see there were fourteen women inside the bank at the time of the robbery."

"They put a ringer in." Diggle realize with a start.

"The mother." Oliver agreed with his bodyguard's assessment.

"The police are looking for a crew; we need to look for a family." Diggle told him.

Chapter Text

The Foundry

Later in the afternoon

Oliver was sparring on the matt while Diggle sat at the computer.

"I think that before you go at it, you should know that First bank of Staring was hit two minutes ago." Diggle called back repressing his shutter as Oliver jumped up.

"If we have their M.O. figured out, they'll try and escape underground." Oliver pointed out as he began to dress in his costume.

"My thoughts exactly, take a look at this," Diggle made sure Oliver was behind him before he pulled up a map that showed what was beneath the bank, "First Bank of Starling is located just above the water treatment tunnels, the entrance is located here."

"Well then, let's get going." Oliver said as he pulled the hood over his face.

Beneath the First bank of Starling

Not too long after

As a gun fight broke out between the cops and the bank Robbers, The Hood made his move. Notching an arrow, the Hood aimed and let it fly and it hit its mark. A bag of cash was re moved from Ace's hands as it was pinned to the floor where, to Ace's shock, six cabled emerged and wrapped around the bag. Before Ace could fully process this, The Hood knocked The gun out of her hands. This, unfortunately, gave the robbers the field advantage to retreat.

"All right, let's move!" The Vigilante heard Hilton call out.

Acting fast, The Hood turned and fired an arrow into a fuse box. The box emitted electrical shocks as the lights went out, giving him time to make their own escape.

The foundry

Late afternoon/early night

"Okay," Diggle said as he loaded the information onto the computer, "not much here that we didn't already know except one thing: Reston worked at yor dad's factory.

"What?" Oliver demanded as he looked over the information behind John.

"He worked at the Queen Steel factory for fifteen years until your dad shut it down before you left on the Gambit." Diggle explained and Oliver stood stumped as he stared at the information that backed up those words.

"this isn't your fault." Diggle told Oliver, seeing the look on his face.

"No, but it is my father's. My family stole from the people of this city, our wealth is built on the suffering of others. And I'm going to make it right." Oliver said as he turned around and grabbed his jacket.

"Wait, where are you going?" Diggle demanded as he stood up from the chair.

"The guys at the factory used to hang out at a bar after work. I'm going down there to see if Derek Reston wants to take a stroll down memory lane." Oliver told Diggle as he turned to leave.

"Oliver, these aren't the kind of people who listen to reason." Diggle told him.

"Maybe not, but I owe it to them to try." Oliver said in a tone that left no room for argument as he walked away.

The Foundry

Later

"What's this?" Diggle asked Oliver as he walked back into the room while Oliver seemed to be listening to a recording.

"I dropped a bug in Derek Reston's jacket." Oliver said bluntly.

"I thought you believed in second chances?" Diggle asked curiously.

"I do, but I also believe in covering all my bases." Oliver told him before he started up the recording again.

"Derek, we can't abandon our son. After all this time, he wants to end up a winner, Set for life. Otherwise, what was the point of it all?" Reston's wife asked.

"All right, one more." Reston said reluctantly and Oliver turned off the recording as he gave a disappointed sigh.

"You can't save someone from themselves Oliver" Diggle said as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"You can if you get to them early enough." Oliver said as he reached back.

"Now what?" Diggle inquired.

"Now we take them down." Oliver nodded.

Tommy's Gala

Later

"We monitor the Restons with this," Oliver said as he handed Diggle an ear piece attacked to a radio, "When you get a line on their plans, we move."

"And what, you make another grand entrance?" Diggle joked as the two walked inside.

"I’m getting better at it with practice." Oliver joked back.

Tommy walked back over to where Dinah was standing and saw her talking to a very familiar face. 

"Tommy, you remember Carter Bowen, from high school?" Dinah  introduced. 

"Yeah, of course I do," Tommy nodded, shaking the bigger man's hand. "So glad you could make it."

Carter gave him a curt nod, before returning his gaze to Dinah and putting on a charming smile. "It's so great to see you. You look amazing. I gotta say I am so impressed with the work you and CNRI are doing," he said. 

"Thanks, Carter," Dinah responded. 

"You know, I've actually been thinking about starting a free clinic down in the Glades," Carter continued.

"Really?" Tommy huffed haughtily. 

"Maybe you and I could grab a couple of drinks and I could tell you what I'm thinking," Carter offered, staring flirtatiously at Dinah.

"That sounds great," Dinah smiled. Then she and Carter left to go find the bar, leaving Tommy fuming and completely alone.

Redwood United Bank

Not too long after

Kyle Reston, in his Ace mask, walked out with a plastic Riot shield to check out a noise while his father grabbed the money. Hearing a noise behind him, Ace turned and held up his shield as The Hood fired two arrows at him. The arrows bounced harmlessly off the shield but that was where Ace's luck ended. Alarms went off as The Hood moved forward and, with some well-placed jabs to the younger man's gut and chest, knocked Ace to the ground. Ace groaned in pain as the security guard, knocked unconscious by the Restons, awakened.

"Freeze!" he said as she pointed her gun at The Hood and Ace, who was now in a sitting position.

“It's okay, stand down." The Hood tried to defuse the situation.

At that moment, Derek Reston emerged from the bank vault, his weapon raised. The Hood turned and fired an arrow, which knocked the gun out of his hand. Kyle retrieved his fallen weapon and turned towards the guard.

"Drop your weapon, now!" The Guard ordered.

When Kyle refused, The Guard fired a fraction of a second before the Hood disarmed him with his baton, which threw his aim of balance. Derek rushed forward and pushed his son out of the way, taking the bullet to his shoulder. Now disarmed, Kyle looked in horror at his wounded father before The Hood punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. The archer rushed to Derek, assessing his wound before turning to the guard.

"Call an ambulance, now!" He barked and the man quickly followed his commands.

"Kyle." Derek groaned.

"He's okay," Oliver said as he removed Derek's mask before lowering his hood, "He's just knocked out."

"Oliver?" Derek gasped before looking over at Kyle, "it wasn't his fault, I turned my son into this."

"It's not too late Derek, it's not too late to change. For either of you." Oliver told him.

Sirens went off before Derek could respond and Oliver pulled up his hood before the vigilante made his escape.

Chapter Text

The Glades

Night

A brunette woman, wearing a black coat walked down the street as she was approached by three men who whistled at her.

"Hey, there, sweetie boo…How much do you want to have some fun with us?"

"Get the hell out of my way right now." The woman retorted coldly.

Another guy stepped forward. "How about just a little distraction for fifteen minutes? It won't hurt much."

The brunette glared at both of them. "I will say this politely just once. Step aside, so that the painful path can be avoided."

All three men laughed out. "Oh, so lady likes it rough, then. Well, have it your way." The third guy was about to pull out his knife but the woman poked him in his throat with her two fingers as he suddenly started to choke out as he grabbed his neck and knelt down.

"Dude, what the hell?" The other guy demanded before he pulled out his brass knuckles.

He threw punches but the woman lazily dodged by stepping back and grabbed him by his arm and with one swing of her hand, she threw him on the ground and then she approached another thug, aiming precise punches on his chest as his ribs cracked as he stood there for a few moments and after that he coughed out blood and dropped down.

The surviving thug on the ground crawled back in fear as she approached him and grabbed him by his jacket.

"What… what do you—"

"Tell me what do you know about the Arrow.”

"What? I… I thought he was just a story..." Suddenly he was horrified even more. "I swear, I don't know anything important!"

"Indeed, you don't. You're not worth my time." She sneered at him in disgust as she let him go. "Leave now and don't stand in my way again, otherwise I will not extend you such mercy next time."

As she let him go, he nodded but his voice was still shocked. "Who… who the hell are you?"

As she walked away, she whispered one word. "The Manhunter.”

Next Day

SCPD

"Holy…" Lieutenant Pike and detectives Quentin and Hilton were reviewing the footage of the woman who just killed bare handed the muggers.

"Who is she?" Quentin asked.

CSI Kelton ran a facial recognition as a few moments later he got a match. “It’s decrypted. She seems to be hiding her identity somehow. But an allias. Manhunter.”

”That vigilante on the streets?” Pike questioned.

“You got that right.” Kelton nodded. “Ever since the Hood showed up, she’s been taking down a bunch of drug busts in the Glades. Seems skilled in hand to hand combat.”

"Explains how she went all 'Kill Bill' on these creeps." Hilton muttered. "What does she want in Starling?"

"Nothing good, that's for sure." Quentin commented.

The Foundry

Later

"Oliver, you might want to see this." Diggle said as he turned on the TV and Oliver widened his eyes as he saw the woman kill a couple of muggers with her bare hands.

“The Manhunter. I’ve been looking into her.” Oliver said and Diggle nodded.

“Copycat vigilante who seems to be targeting a lot of muggings in the Glades. Looks like she’s following in your footsteps. Makes China White look worse.”

“We need to keep an eye on her.” Oliver said grimly.

The Glades

Next night

A mob boss, a black man with moustache, was rounding up his gang in a bar. "Alright, boys, with the cops busy hunting that Robin Hood, I think we don't need to keep a low profile anymore and start—"

One of the thugs whistled as a brunette in black coat and red suit entered. "Nice outfit, lady. But Mr. Crown is currently occupied—"

She replied by smashing the thug's face on the table and as the rest of them stared in shock for a moment, they pulled out their brass knuckles and knives as soon as they recovered and engaged the woman but she dodged all of their attacks with ease, like if she was dancing while retaliating with precise strikes into pressure points and weak spots as the bones cracked and the blood was spilled as most of the thugs groaned, lying on the floor, bruised and bloodied, with a few remaining of them dead as she grabbed the black man.

"What do you want?" The mob boss asked, frightened.

“I need you to help me with something.”

"What the hell do you want from me?"

"Simple. Soon enough you will be on a radar of some lawyers. I am here to prevent that." Manhunter grinned.

CNRI

Later

As Dinah was walking out of the CNRI, suddenly someone put a bag over her head and threw her into a van as she let out muffled screams and then as she smelled the sweet stench coming from the cloth in the bag, she passed out a few moments later.

"Who took my baby girl?!" Quentin yelled.

"I know this guy." One of the officers said as he looked at the sketch the artist took from the witness' description. "He works for Able Crown. Small fry in the Glades. Owns a warehouse in the docks."

"I'm going to deck that bastard!" Quentin exploded.

The Foundry

"Who took Dinah?" Oliver asked.

"It was a mobster from the Glades. Able Crown." Diggle explained as he put on a profile on computer. "CNRI is building a case against him…"

"I guess he wanted to make sure he'd avoid jail."

“This doesn’t feel like him. I think this Manhunter’s trying to draw you out,” Diggle shrugged.

"What?" Oliver widened his eyes. "How do you know that?"

Diggle approached the computer as she turned on the video feed and there was colored smoke coming from distance.

"A smoke signal." Oliver said. "I've seen this before; some people use this as ancient means of communication. Usually as a challenge to fight."

Starling City

Later

Manhunter turned around, catching the flying arrow a few inches from her face. "An arrow; such an ineffective projectile." She looked up at the archer in green hood. "You steal from the rich, but you don’t care about us! You don’t save people when it really matters. You have failed this city!”

"Where is Dinah Lance?" The Hood demanded.

"So, you are friends with the girl?" Manhunter smiled, amused. "she might reconsider that, once I send you back to her in pieces."

Manhunter pulled out a scythe on chain and threw it but the Hood jumped down from the roof, evading her attack, while firing two arrows as the brunette dodged.

The Hood blocked with his bow as Manhunter attacked with her scythe. The Hood attempted to kick her in the legs but Manhunter jumped and knocked the Hood down. The Hood recovered and rolled down to avoid as Manhunter attacked with her scythe again. The Hood attacked with his bow as he got up as Manhunter’s scythe locked with his bow and the Hood punched her in the face before she blocked his following punch.

The Hood blocked Manhunter’s scythe with his bow before he spun around, hitting her in the head and kicking her back. Manhunter fell down but managed to recover quickly as she got up.

"I'm impressed. But this doesn’t change anything. You’ll pay for what you did." Manhunter said, smirking.

The Hood froze for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, they were both covered in a cone of light as the rotor blades spun above them.

"This is the police. Drop your weapons and stand down or we will open fire! I repeat, drop your weapons and stand down or we will open fire!"

Manhunter smirked as she pulled out a smoke bomb, covering her and the Hood in it and both of them used this to conceal their escape.

Warehouse in the Glades

Later

The screams and gunshots went off outside the room as Dinah trembled, restrained to the chair and then the four guards watching Dinah started to speak in some kind of Middle Eastern language something, Arabic, Dinah assumed as some of them went out while the remaining four pulled out swords, tomahawks and other ancient weaponry as they spread across the room.

And about two minutes later, the Hood with his bow and arrow burst in through a wall as he attacked the men one by one. But they were able to block his attacks as it surprised him, these were no ordinary mobsters, their skills were almost evenly matched to his as he tried to parry and counter-attack.

The Hood threw two guards out of the window after shooting them with arrows as they fell to their death. While the remaining two guards attacked him, he got into a fighting position as he took them out one by one. Despite some difficulty, he was able to hold his own until one of them jumped over and grabbed him by his arms from behind, restraining him while the other guard disarmed him of his weapons and punched him in his kidney, causing for him to kneel down and kicked him with his knee in his face, dazing him.

As the Hood was disoriented, the guard let him go as he fell down on his knees.

"That's what we waste our time on? He’s not worth our master's time." The guard said.

“He interfered with our horseman's work. Such insolence must not go unpunished. Kill the woman." The other henchman said as one of them pulled out a knife and neared Dinah, who paled, frantically trying to free herself.

Suddenly, a new wave of relentless rage took the Hood over as he lunged at the man in front of him and threw him through the window as he screamed while falling to his death, then he turned his attention to the man, who was nearing Dinah as he grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck.

Dinah just stared in shock at the vigilante’s brutality as the Hood stared at his own hands in shock before taking a breath and composing himself and as he approached Dinah, she tried to jump out from the chair but the Hood raised his hands.

"I'm not a monster." He said gently and Dinah blinked. "I would never hurt you." His voice sounded familiar…

The Hood approached Dinah slowly as she undid her restraints while Dinah breathed out, still in shock. "Why did they… why did they take me?"

"You… you killed them…" Dinah whispered.

"It was either them or you. I'm sorry you had to see that." The Hood said as Dinah could notice the sincere remorse in his tone. "Please, just get out of here. The police are on their way."

The Foundry

Later

"Manhunter?” Diggle asked.

"Gone." Oliver said as he put the bow on a weapon stand. "But she said that I failed this city.”

"A grudge?" Diggle repeated. "I'm pretty sure all the crime lords have something against you now.”

"I don't know what I did but if she ever comes back, we'll be ready." Oliver said and Diggle nodded.

Chapter Text

Police precinct

Detective Lance was outside when a figure swooped down in front of him. Taking a closer look, he saw it was the Hood.

"What the hell do you want?!" Lance grabbed his sidearm.

"What do you know about a woman in black?" The Hood asked.

"A vigilante like you," Lance scoffed. "You should start a club. Calls herself the Manhunter."

The Hood took in every word and remained silent.

"Hey! We're not friends. I see you again.. I'm arresting you." Quentin yelled.

The Hood wasn't there when he turned around.

The Foundry

Night

Oliver and John were sparring with combat knives and they seemed evenly matched as both of them were blocking each other.

"Nice!" commented Oliver as he noted how much he had improved, "You're picking up pace."

"We could say the same thing about you", said Diggle, "You've crossed 3 names off your father's list this week alone."

"Some of these guys just give it up", said Oliver, "All I got to do is visit 'em."

"It seems the vigilante's reputation is beginning to precede him", said John as Oliver managed to scratch his forearm.

"Ah!" he said in surprise and a little pain.

"Another round?" Oliver asked with a smirk.

"No!" said John with a matching smirk.

Oliver walked towards the computer and put down his knife.

As he sat down, John said, "Gotta take my nephew to the mall so that he can tell Santa what he wants for Christmas."

"Christmas", said Oliver in surprise with a sigh, "I didn't even realize."

"Because you've been logging so many hood hours ever since that thing with the masked woman,” John said before adding, “and you’ve been trying to find her.”

Oliver gave John a look and said, "I meant…. there were no holidays on the island. There just…. Every day was- "How do I stay alive?" And to do that, you had to forget things. Like Christmas. My dad threw a Christmas party every year", he recalled with a smile, "He would put a Christmas tree in every room. The whole mansion smelled like….. It smelled like Christmas."

"Maybe give the List and this thing with Daredevil a rest", suggested John, "And enjoy the holidays with your family. Besides, I hear St. Nick has a list of his own. And I'd wager you're in the nice column. Go home, Oliver."

John walked out while Oliver sat on the chair, thinking.

Lian Yu, day

Five years ago

Oliver was passed out against the cave wall when the rock was moved and sunlight lit up the cave. Oliver jerked awake, letting his eyes readjust to the light as Yao Fei walked in. Yao Fei was carrying a jug of water and a dead rabbit as he looked at him slightly surprised.

"You are not dead. Good." Yao Fei said as he put the jug and rabbit down.

"Where the hell have you been, I ran out of food and water days ago?" Oliver asked.

Yao Fei didn't answer, simply walked back outside the cave. While Oliver worked on getting the jug open, Yao Fei walked back in. Except this time, he wasn't alone as he dropped a man in his mid to late thirties with an arrow sticking out of his leg at his feet. Oliver instantly recognized him, as he jumped on the man and started attacking him.

"Stop!" Yao Fei ordered as he threw Oliver off the man.

"He's the one who had me tortured all because he was looking for you! He would have killed me if you hadn't shown up!" Oliver shouted enraged.

"Then you kill him." Yao Fei said as he offered Oliver his knife.

Oliver stared at Yao Fei, wondering he was serious. Oliver didn't take the knife though, not having it in him to kill.

"Or he can take you home." Yao Fei said and the castaway looked at him in shock.

"What?" Oliver asked for clarification.

"He has a plane, a way for you off this island." Yao Fei explained.

Queen Manor

Later

Oliver entered the manor as he saw Thea walk out and kissed her on her cheek. "Hey. You look very pretty. What's the occasion?"

"Mom and Walter are having a dinner party with some big muckety-mucks. Best day of my life." Thea said sarcastically.

"Thea, why aren't there any decorations up in the house?" Oliver asked, catching her off-guard.

"What do you mean?" Thea asked.

"No wreaths, no trees." Oliver explained.

"Everyone has just been really busy lately. I'm sure they haven't gotten around to it yet." Thea dodged.

"Does Mom at least have some of those boxes of candy canes? Remember we used to race to see who'd finish first?" Oliver asked as they both smiled.

"Yeah, I always won." Thea replied.

"No. You cheated." Oliver corrected.

"Well, she went sugar-free last year, so I doubt you'll be seeing any of those around." Thea said before walking off as she sighed.

Oliver sighed before entering the dining room, where Moira and Walter were talking with Malcolm Merlyn and police commissioner Brian Nudocerdo, among other guests.

"The thing that people forget is that Robin Hood was a criminal." Commissioner Nudocerdo said as Oliver sat down.

"And stealing from rich to give to the poor is really the job of the Democrats." Another guest pointed out jokingly.

"All joking aside, Commissioner, crime is down for the first time in five years." Malcolm said.

"That's because of the changes my department has implemented." Nudocerdo pointed out.

"Or perhaps it's because the vigilante's activities have had a chilling effect on the city's criminals." Walter said as some of the guests murmured in agreement before turning to Oliver. "What are your thoughts, Oliver?"

"I think the vigilante needs a better codename than 'The Hood' or 'The Hood guy'." Oliver said as everyone laughed.

"I agree. How about 'Green Arrow'?" Malcolm suggested.

"Lame." Oliver protested.

Walter's phone went off as he went aside. "Excuse me."

A while later, a patrolman walked up to Nudocerdo and whispered something in his ear which turned his expression into a grim one.

"I'm sorry", he said as he got up, "Something's come up."

"Is everything all right?" asked Oliver.

"The vigilante has struck again", said Nudocerdo as everyone looked shocked, "He just put an arrow in Adam Hunt."

Nudocerdo then walked off with the patrolman as everyone whispered amongst themselves. Malcolm gave a very slight smile for a moment.

Oliver then took out his phone and pretended that someone was calling him.

"I really do need to take this call", he said, "It's my contractor. Excuse me."

Moira nodded as he got up and walked out.

Adam Hunt's apartment

Later

Quentin looked over at Hunt's body as Nudocerdo arrived.

"The daughter came over", Quentin explained, "Used her key, found dad. Hat trick to the chest."

"The hood guy", said Nudocerdo.

"That's what I thought at first", said Quentin, "But these black arrows aren't consistent with his M.O. and neither is the fact that the Hood took hunt for $40 million a few months ago. Doesn't make sense to kill him now. Something doesn't add up. We're dealing with a copycat."

Outside the apartment, The Hood listened.

The Foundry, next day

Morning

"Who would want to kill Hunt with an arrow? Other than you of course." Diggle inquired as they sat around the foundry.

"Maybe it's a set up." Oliver suggested.

"To frame you for killing Adam Hunt, why?" Diggle inquired.

"I don't know, but they're good whoever they are. The grouping on Hunt's chest was tight, compound bow most likely. Whoever he is, this guy is...he's a lineament archer." Oliver finally said.

"So he's probably pretty picky about the kind of arrows he uses." Diggle pointed out and Oliver caught on.

"We get an arrow; we get a bead on where he purchased them." Oliver said.

"So what do we do?" Diggle asked him.

"I know a cop on the case." Oliver said with a smile.

Starling City police department

Afternoon

"Quentin Lance!" said a cop as he walked up to him and gave him an envelope.

"Yeah!" said Quentin as he took it and the cop showed him a paper saying, "Sign here."

Quentin signed it and gave it back saying "Thanks."

He then opened the envelope and pulled out- a phone. He sat down and looked at it in confusion. Suddenly, it rang but the number of the caller was blocked.

He accepted the call and said to the caller, "Lance.”

"I didn't kill Adam Hunt", said the voice on the other side.

"You!" said Quentin angrily as he realized who the caller was.

"You call me 'The Hood'", said The Hood, "It's not a great nickname."

The Hood then got down to business, "You told Commissioner Nudocerdo that we might be dealing with a copycat which makes me your best bet to take him down. But I need your help. I need one of the arrows from his murder."

"Yeah", said Quentin sarcastically, "We're good at pulling leads off evidence, thanks."

"Not like I am" said The Hood, "I can do things the police can't. Go places they won't."

"Look, I already told you", said Quentin angrily, "I don't even know who-"

"If this archer doesn't stop with Adam Hunt then we both have a problem", The Hood cut him off, "Think about it. Then call me. Number's programmed in."

The call was then cut.

Lian Yu, forest, mid-day

Five years ago

Yao Fei and Oliver were leading a restrained Fryers through the jungle. Oliver kept shooting Fryers dirty looks.

"You're a good man," Fryers suddenly said to Oliver, "I can see it. Well beneath the privileged upbringing and the wealthy veneer. I saw it when my man tortured you and you wouldn't give up your friend. Not even a friend, someone you just met."

"Shut up." Oliver snarled quietly.

"What do you know about him? Nothing I suspect, do you even know what this island really is?" Fryers inquired but didn't wait for an answer, "It's a prison, and I mean this literally. Until eight years ago, the Chinese military operated this island as a penitently for criminals so dangerous that they couldn't be contained on the main land. When-"

"Shut up and you so much as look at him again I'll kill you, plane or no plane." Oliver sneered as he shoved Fryers forward.

Crime scene

Later

"Commissioner, this is Nelson Ravich,” said Quentin to Nudocerdo as they looked over at his body, "The Hood hit him earlier this week. Ravich wired back the money he embezzled less than five minutes later."

"All right,” said Nudocerdo as he gestured for Quentin to follow him to a corner which he did and Nudocerdo said, "We tell them The Hood did this. Hunt's murder is a Page 10 story at best but Ravich's murder makes this a serial-murder case. We can't let the public get wind of the idea that there are 2 of these nutjobs out there."

"You want me to ignore a serial killer?" asked Quentin incredulously.

"Just get one of these psychos,” commanded Nudocerdo, "I don't care which one. That's a direct order from your commanding officer."

As he walked off, Quentin said, "Well. You can forget it then."

"Fine,”  said Nudocerdo, "It's forgotten. And you're off this case, Sergeant. Effective immediately."

As he walked off, Quentin gave him a defiant look and made up his mind.

The Foundry

Later

Oliver's phone rang and he knew it was Quentin calling him from the phone he had given him.

He picked it up and said, "Don't bother tracing this back to me. You'll never make it past the encryption."

"There's a heating vent on the corner of O'Neil and Adams", said Quentin, "You'll find what you're after there."

"It'd be a mistake to set a trap for me, Detective", said Oliver in a warning tone."

"I'm trading away everything I believe in", said Quentin truthfully, "It's the only way to get this bastard. You've got till Christmas. After that, copycat or not, I'm coming after you."

The Foundry, next day

Morning

"So Detective Lance got you a Christmas present after all." Diggle observed as he came in to see Oliver looking at the arrow head under the magnifier.

"Teflon coated titanium blade serrated to split the bone, shaft is some sort of specialized polymer, which is stronger than a typical carbon fiber. This...this is a custom job." Oliver announced.

"So Lance gave in after the other archer dropped another body." Diggle said and Oliver nodded.

"Nelson Ravich, also known as the second name I crossed off the list this week." Oliver told Diggle tilted his head to the side in thought as he looked over at Oliver.

"So is this guy trying to frame you or call you out?" Diggle inquired.

"Either way, we need to find him," Oliver said, "I have an idea."

Oliver nodded before he took the arrow from him, examining it. As his eyes went up and down the arrow, he saw it. Near the shaft, almost invisible to the naked eyes, there was a small stamp. Almost no one who hadn't had military like training would have seen it.

"The shaft's composite is patented," Oliver told Diggle as he moved over to the computer and began searching, "shouldn't take more than a minute to find out...the patent belongs to a company called Sagittarius."

"Latin for Archer, how original." Diggle noted dryly.

"Can you find out when and where it was purchased?" Oliver asked.

"It was part of a bundle shipment, sent to 10245 Wharf in the old ware house district." Diggle said as he stood up.

"Let's go then." Oliver said as he walked away from the computer.

Old ware house district

Afternoon

The Hood found the ware house district, quickly finding the building he had located. The Vigilante walked inside, looking around at the abandoned building before moving through it. At the end of the room, a black arrow stuck out of the ground.

The sound of the door closing causes him to whirl around, his senses on high alert. He turns around and it was only then that he noticed a strange device near the corner. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie: a giant tube with a least six small tubs above it. Liquid seemed to be mixing inside it and a small flame was going on and off. Knowing what was about to happen, the vigilante turned and ran. The Hood pulled an arrow and fired it at the door. As he reached it, a small charge went off and forced the door open. Just as he made it outside, the explosive went off, engulfing the entire thing in flames. The Hood stood up and stared at the flames angrily, knowing he had just found a bust of a lead.

Queen Mansion

Night

Oliver made his way into the house and Oliver closes the door behind him. He walks over to Diggle who smells the fire on him. Diggle raises an eyebrow at him as he cocks his head to the side.

"I see the halls are decked." Oliver said with an appreciative smile.

"You okay?" Diggle asked concerned.

"Nothing that a goodnight's sleep won't cure." Oliver assured his bodyguard.

"You sure you want to do this?" Diggle asked him.

"My family needs this, so I need it." Oliver said adamantly.

Oliver made his way into the sitting room. Guests are buzzing about as Oliver made his way over to the Queens.

"Oliver,"  Moira greets pleasantly as Thea gives her brother a discreet glare.

"Hi Mom," Oliver smiles politely as he spots Dinah and Tommy coming in, "if you'll excuse me."

"Merry Christmas Oliver," Dinah smiles.

"Merry Christmas Dinah," Oliver smiled politely before exchanging a manly hug with Tommy, "merry Christmas Tommy."

"Merry Christmas man," Tommy said as he pulled back, "so it looks like things are going well."

Tommy nodded as they made their way back over. Tommy handed Dinah a glass as Oliver departed after accepting his drink. A few seconds after Oliver departed, Diggle approached.

Diggle gestured for Oliver to follow him. The two walked inside Oliver's old room and Diggle grabbed the TV remote.

"The other archer is taking things to another level. He's taking hostages." Diggle told him as he turned on the TV.

The television went to a new station. A woman, tears running down her face as she trembled as she held a script in front of her, spoke in a terrified voice. Behind her were several more hostages, all bound and gagged.

"Happy Holiday Starling City," The woman said as she trembled, "for the past three months, the city has been terrorized by a vigilante. The police have been unable to identify him because they lack the will to do what justice demands. I will kill one hostage every hour until this vigilante surrenders himself to my authority."

Diggle turned off the TV as Oliver stared at the blank screen in horrified solemnness. Diggle turned to him, his face devoid of all emotion.

"The police are on the scene, I think you should let them handle this." Diggle advised.

"Those people are there because of me, I have to end this." Oliver said determined.

"Oliver, this guy is very dangerous." Diggle reasoned.

"Diggle, there wasn't anything on the island that wasn't twice as dangerous as this guy and I survived there for five years." Oliver said in a voice that left no room for argument.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Mid-day

Oliver, Yao Fei, and Fryers were walking in the woods where Yao Fei stopped. Yao Fei pulled out a radio and put it near Fryers mouth.

"Call your people; tell them to bring the plane." Yao Fei ordered.

"There will be no need for that, my people will be soon enough," Fryers smirked at the alarmed look in the Asian's eyes, "did you not think it convenient you captured me so easily?"

At that moment, a man dressed in black with a mask that was half orange and half black with only one eye visible walked out. Behind him a few other man dressed in all black with black masks appeared. Oliver and looked around, knowing he would be little help to Yao Fei with how weak and tired he was from lack of food and water.

"Go!" Yao Fei barked as he tackled the man in the mask.

After a brief hesitation, Oliver took off. Knowing he was being followed, Oliver ran through the trees in some evasive maneuvers, managing to lose them. Oliver looked back for a moment, seeing an unconscious Yao Fei being picked up by the mercenaries. Looking down at the knife in his hand, Oliver kept going.

Starling City

Night

The Police watched in disbelief as The Hood rode down a zip line and crashed through the glass window. He landed on the floor next to the hostages before standing up and walking over to them, freeing the hostages one by one.

"Where is he?" The Hood asked the hostage who had released the message.

"I don't know." She sobbed.

"It's gonna be okay, follow me." The Hood said and began to lead the hostages out of the room.

The vigilante moved down the hallway until he came upon a staircase. Moving aside, the Hood kicked the door open.

"Get on the roof." The Hood ordered.

The hostages didn't need to be told twice as they ran up the stairs. As she passed, the woman who had delivered the archer's message turned back to them, worry and fear coloring her face.

"What about-"

"We'll handle him, move!" The Hood barked and she didn't need to be told twice.

The vigilante then moved down the hallway cautiously, The Hood's hands on his bow, an arrow already notched. He was ready to strike at any moment when he sensed someone standing at the other end of the hallway. The vigilante turned to look and see a man standing there. He is dressed in a more outfitted, black version of Oliver's suit with a more covering hood that leaves only his eyes visible.

"Thank you for coming," he said in a low voice that seemed to echo through the hallway, "I knew after the ware house I'd have to do something dramatic to get your attention."

"What do you want with me?" The Hood said in his mechanical voice.

"What any true warrior wants: to see who's better!" The archer suddenly shouts as he tries to draw an arrow.

But The Hood is quicker and launches his arrow. The archer dodged the arrow and fires off one of his own at the Hood but he dodges it. He moves to bash his skull in with hua batons but the archer turns his bow sideways so that it blocked them. The  The Hood then rushes forward, firing off two more arrows.

The archer moved into the room where the hostages had been, the only lighting from the helicopters outside. Up above him, out of his point of view, The Hood readied himself as The Hood notches an arrow. As the archer moved, he saw the reflection of his opponent in a shard from a broken window. He turned and fired an arrow at him, forcing his opponents to jump to avoid it. As he avoided the next incoming arrow, he was forced to jump into mid-air, which allowed the archer the opportunity to fire an arrow and hit The Hood in the leg.

Fueled by rage, The Hood jumped to his feet and fired another arrow at the archer, which he easily dodged before seemingly disappearing. The Hood notches another arrow and takes a look around for his opponent, when he doesn't see him he waits, the archer sneaks up behind him and fires three arrows into his back. The Hood groans in pain as the archer kicks him in the back, sending the green hooded archer threw a wooden wall.

Attempting to stand up despite the pain, The Hood attempts to stop a kick but the archer grabs his wrist and twists it, breaking it and The Hood screams in pain. The Archer punches him in the face before proceeding to kick him repeatedly in the chest. The Hood groans in pain as the archer starts to speak.

"First Hunt," Kick, "then Ravich," Kick, "and now you!" the archer snarled as he kicked the Hood several more times In the chest, "I know about and the list and the man who authored it wants you dead!"

The Hood dug out a radio from his jacket.

"Dig...help." The Hood said before falling in unconsciousness.

Starling General Hospital

Later

Oliver opened his eyes to see Quentin Lance looking over him.

"Wh-What happened?" Oliver asked as memories of the archer came rushing back.

"Well, according to Mr. Diggle, you bailed on the party and were on your motorcycle when a huge semi pulled out in front of you," Quentin said as he sighed. "Lucky it didn't finish you off."

Chapter Text

The Foundry

Morning

Oliver was working out, trying to get himself back into shape. It seemed like a typical routine that he had done a million times before until he got to the last part of the work out. Oliver threw a green tennis ball and tried to hit it with an arrow. Key word tried, as the arrow missed it by a mile and the ball fell to the floor as the arrow hit the wall.

Diggle walked over to Oliver, "how you doin'?"

"Any news on Walter?" Oliver asked ignoring Diggle's question.

"My contact at the Bureau struck out, same with my guy at the Interpol. They're both saying the same thing." Diggle told him.

"Either my step-father doesn't want to be found or someone doesn't want him to be found." Oliver deduced.

"It's been six weeks Oliver. No contact, no ransom note, no proof that Walter's alive. Oliver-“ Diggle said before being cut off.

"John," Oliver gave him a deadpanned look, "we all know he's more than likely dead.”

"Then why aren't you doing anything?" Diggle demanded as Oliver walked over to the table where his bow laid.

"Because not even our Bratva contacts can dig anything up." Oliver said not looking at him.

"I wasn't talking about Walter." Diggle said and Oliver turned to him confused, "you've already recovered, the list is still full of names just waiting to be crossed off. Why aren't you out there already?"

"Those people aren't going anywhere. With Walter missing, my family needs me." Oliver said tonelessly before walking away, only adding fuel to Diggle's worry.

CNRI

Later

"And Judge Hinkle is ready to grant them another continuance! So, I said, hell, no, this trial starts now." Joanna said happily.

"That a girl." Dinah praised.

"Thanks." Joanna said before Quentin entered, approaching Dinah.

"Dad." Dinah smiled. "What brings you by?"

"I need to talk to Jo." Quentin said seriously as Joanna turned to him.

"Is everything OK, Mr. Lance?" She asked.

"No." Quentin said grimly as Chief Raynes showed up behind him in full uniform.

"What's happening?" Dinah asked, not liking what was going on.

"No." Joanna said, in denial.

"Her brother Danny; he was killed on duty last night."

Joanna started to panic as Raynes and Dinah approached her, consoling her.

Queen Mansion

Day

Moira was in her room, looking at family photo as Oliver entered.

"Mom."

"Hey."

"I stopped by Big Belly Burger. I thought that maybe you and me and Thea could have some take-out, watch a DVD." Oliver offered optimistically.

"Thank you, sweetheart; I'm not very hungry." Moira declined.

Oliver nodded in understanding. "If you change your mind." He glanced to the next door as Moira nodded.

"I've seen that movie before." Thea said as Oliver pulled out a Blu-Ray from a box.

"Cut me some slack; I've been gone for awhile and apparently I missed the cinematic genius that is Zac… Galafinakis?"

"I mean with Mom, when you and Dad disappeared, she spent all the time at home; eventually, she stopped going out altogether." Thea explained.

"What snapped her out of it that time?" Oliver asked.

"Walter." Thea said simply, smiling. "One morning, he showed up and you know, when he gets all British and stern-like." She emphasized with British accent. "Moira, get dressed. We're going out for lunch." She smiled at the memory. "And I mean, it worked." Oliver considered. "You know, I've been thinking, maybe Walter wasn't abducted. Maybe he's having some mid-life crisis and he's with some stewardess in Bora Bora and he's too ashamed to call home and say that he's OK." Oliver turned to TV, still in thoughts. "Just because we haven't heard from him, doesn't mean that… he's gone, right?"

"Right." Oliver nodded before he and Thea watched the news report about the vigilante going missing.

Dinah’s apartment

Same time

Dinah and Tommy were in awkward stand-off about having a drawer when Joanna knocked on the door.

"I need your help." Joanna begged.

"Jo, come in." Dinah let her best friend into the apartment as she sat right in front of her and Tommy.

"I… don't think what happened to Danny was an accident, I think he might have been murdered."

Dinah took a breath. "Jo. Do you remember…" She paused, not wanting to say it. "When I lost Sandra? I did all this research to try find an explanation for why the boat went down. I needed to believe that it wasn't just an accident."

"That's not what I'm doing, Dinah." Joanna denied, pulling out a folder from her bag. "I once handled a case in the Coroner's Office; he passed me a copy of the incident report." She passed the report to Dinah. "It said that Danny's turnout coat was doused in turpentine. But I checked and the plant owner said that there wasn't any in the factory." Dinah went over the report, conceding Joanna's point. "A turnout is supposed to withstand temperatures in excess of five hundred degrees. But the coroner said that the fire did not exceed two-hundred and fifty." Dinah glanced at Tommy, considering. "How did my brother burn hotter than the fire that supposedly killed him?" Dinah and Tommy looked at each other, then back at Jo, seeing her point.

SCPD

Day

"Dinah, a fireman died fighting a fire." Quentin said as they walked back to his desk. "I'm not sure I see the crime."

"I did some digging." Dinah pressed on. "Last week, another firefighter, Leo Barnes, was killed in action, same circumstances. Traces of turpentine, and ignition temperatures hotter than the actual fire." They stopped at his desk. "Do you think that you could talk to the fire marshal? You know, encourage him to pursue this?"

"Well, the fire department has its own investigative unit." Quentin pointed out. "They don't answer to the police."

Kelton approached Quentin, handing him the Hood's burner phone. "Sorry it takes so long with the detectives. CSU's been really backed up."

"Well, did you find anything?" Quentin asked as Dinah observed.

"The only prints on it are yours, the tech inside is military grade. I can't even trace the manufacturer. Forensics-wise, it's a dead end."

Quentin sighed in frustration.

"Another case?" Dinah asked.

"Vigilante." Quentin answered, tossing the phone on his desk. "The phone belongs to him."

"Where'd you get it? I… does he answer?" Dinah asked as an idea formed in her head.

"Well, like Kelton said, it's a dead end." Quentin said as he grabbed his files from the desk. "Listen, kiddo, I feel for Jo and her family I really do, but, um, there's not a lot I can do this end." He quickly downed the rest of his coffee, then grabbed his keys and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I got to go. I love you." Quentin and Hilton left. Dinah looked at the phone as an idea clicked in her mind.

The foundry, next day

Morning

Oliver could respond, the phone rang, but it wasn't any phone. It was the phone linked to the one he gave Quentin. Oliver picked it up and put it on speaker.

"Hello?" Oliver was surprised to hear Dinah's voice come over the speaker, "I need your help. It's important."

Dinah's apartment

Night

Dinah was sitting at her desk, going over some work when the light went out. Dinah looked around, becoming frightened until she saw him Walk into the room. The Hood faced away from her.

Dinah stood up, hardly believing that he was there.

"I didn't trust that you'd come, no one has seen you for a while. Where have you  been?"

"You said it was important." The Hood growled, annoyed at her prodding.

"My best friend's brother, he died two days ago fighting a fire. The police and the fire department both say that he died in the line of duty. But my friend, she thinks he was murdered." Dinah explained as she came out from behind her desk to stand in front of him.

"So you're asking one killer to find another?" The Hood asked coldly throwing her for a loop. "I heard what you told your father about me, how I'm a killer, how I have no remorse." P

"Do you?" Dinah challenged and when he didn't answer, held out the file, "take a look at the file. If Danny de La Vega was murdered, we have to bring his killer to justice."

"I'll look into it." The Hood promised as he took the file.

The vigilante then turned around and walked away. After he left, the lights turned back on, the only evidence that the vigilante had been there being the missing file.

The foundry

Later

"You need to rotate your hips Dig; it's where the power comes from." Oliver said as he walked down the stairs to see Diggle working out on the training dummy.

"Yeah, it's not just your arms, even if they are the size of bowling bowls." Oliver joked.

"What's that?" Diggle inquired, gesturing at the file in Oliver's hand.

"Dinah reached out to the vigilante, she thinks that someone is killing firemen." Oliver explained as he handed Diggle the file.

"Looks like it's all in the job, seems pretty thin." Diggle noted as he took a look through the file.

"You look into it?" Oliver asked though the bodyguard knew it wasn't a request.

"Yeah, I have a friend who has a friend in the fire investigations department. I'll reach out." Diggle promised as he closed the file.

"If you get any leads, tip the police." Oliver ordered and the bodyguard gave him a disbelieving look.

"No Oliver," Diggle said as Oliver turned to him, "I've tried to be patient with you, give you time to work through whatever it is you need to work through, but I can't wait anymore. No matter what you say,  I am going to work this case. Whether you help or not is entirely up to you."

CNRI

Later

"Can I talk to you, please?" Quentin asked as Dinah was talking with Jo and she followed him to the entrance. "Where is it?" He demanded.

"Where's what?" Dinah dodged.

"The phone." Quentin said harshly.

Dinah sighed. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have."

"It's stolen evidence!" Quentin snapped. "Yeah, you probably shouldn't have! What are you—"

"I had to do something!" Dinah shot back.

"The man's a killer." Quentin scoffed.

"Then why did he give you his phone?"

"Give me the phone."

"He took it back."

"You were with him?" Quentin stared in shock.

"When Sandra died, if someone could have done something to give you even just a little bit of closure, don't you wish that they would have done it?" Dinah asked.

"If it meant breaking the law, lying to the people closest to them? No." Quentin snorted.

Queen Mansion, next day

Afternoon

"She's gonna be okay." Oliver assured Thea after Moira had stormed up the stairs.

"Mr. Queen," Diggle interrupted Oliver and Thea, "we're gonna have to get going if we want to if we want to make your dentist appointment."

Realizing that Diggle was talking in code for 'Vigilante business', Oliver followed his body guard out of the room. They had barely walked out of Thea's earshot.

"Eyewitnesses place a seventy-two Ford at Danny de La Vega's fire." Diggle told Oliver once they were in private.

"Okay." Oliver replied in a tone that said 'So?'

"Stagg Chemical caught fire ten minutes ago. I hacked into Stagg's security feed and guess what's on the street running alongside the plant?" Diggle challenged.

"The same pickup." Oliver began to put the pieces together.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Mid-day

Oliver was trying to start a small fire when the sound of a twig snapping caught his attention. Cursing under his breath, Oliver quickly put the fire out by burying it in dirt and grabbed Yao-Fei's knife. He ran and hid behind some trees not too far away as he watched. One of Fryers goons came out and looked down at the dirt before pulling out a radio. Oliver was terrified, but tried to fight it as he pulled out Yao Fei's knife.

Stagg Chemical

Night

The Hood made his way through the burning building and spotted a fireman desperately holding on to the ledge of a railing above a burning inferno. Above him, trying to make him fall was another fireman, or at least someone dressed like one. The vigilante jumped down but it was too late as the firemen screamed as the fire consumed him. The Hood engaged the killer in combat.

The Hood swung at him but he blocked it with his axe. The killer took out something from his coat and threw it to the ground. The Hood had to jump back as a fiery explosion that took place between them. When he looked back up, the killer was gone, disappeared within the fire.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Mid-day

Oliver, armed with Yao-Fei's knife, waited for Fryers' man to pass them by the trees. When he heard him approach, he struck. Oliver tackled him as they wrestled to the ground, they weapons on the ground. Olover picked up the gun and held to the back of the mercenaries head. The mercenary stopped, realizing that the enemy now had the upper hand.

"Do exactly as I say or I'll blow your brains out." Oliver said in a way that conveyed only a little of her fear.

The Foundry, next day

Morning

"When he pulled out...whatever it was that exploded I saw a firefly tattoo on his left wrist." Oliver told Diggle.

"That's the symbol of the men in engine fifteen." Diggle pointed out.

"Any one of them could be the killer," Diggle said as Oliver began putting his bow away, "so that's it, you're just going to leave me on my own?"

"We can't right every wrong in the city." Oliver said annoyed.

"Or maybe you're not back to one hundred percent like you thought." Diggle suggested.

"Maybe I'm not." Oliver admitted as he turned around to face him.

There was a heartbeat of silence before Diggle was on him. They exchanged a few punches before Diggle managed to pin Oliver to the desk from behind. Growling, Oliver elbowed Diggle in the stomach and Diggle stumbled back, letting him go. Oliver quickly grabbed him from behind and pinned him to the desk. Diggle let out a pleased smile and Oliver him go.

"What did that prove?" Oliver demanded.

"That the problem isn't physical Oliver it's psychological." Diggle told him.

"I never said I had a problem!" Oliver snapped.

"You didn't have to Oliver!" Diggle snapped back angrily, "but this other archer, he got in your head, he took something from you."

A beep went off and Oliver pulled out his phone. He glanced down at his phone before pocketing it.

"I need to run an errand for the benefit at the fire station." Oliver muttered as he turned around and walked away.

Fire station

Later

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Oliver asked as he met Dinah outside.

"I told Joanna I'd clean Danny's locker. And you?"

"Tommy sent me over to make sure the guest list for the firemen's gala was accurate." Oliver explained.

"Tommy's been working very hard on that." Dinah smiled. "It's very generous of you, Oliver."

"It's truly not." Oliver said as he kept looking at Dinah who was about to head towards the firehouse. "Speaking of Tommy, he told me that you're very protective of your drawers." She turned to him, giving him a look. "This is not a fancy term for your underwear."

"Are you and I seriously having this discussion?" Dinah asked incredulously.

"Well, we're friends." Oliver pointed out.

"Yes, Tommy asked for a drawer."

"And this is bad?"

"No, it's just I'm an 'all or nothing' type of girl. First, it's a drawer, then it's a closet, half my rent, it's half my life. Am I really ready to do that with Tommy?" Dinah asked rhetorically.

"You could take it slow." Oliver suggested.

"I don't take things slow, remember?" Dinah pointed out. "I close my eyes and I jump. Just like you." She sighed. "I think that's why we spooked each other. Our feelings, our fears, they control us, it's not the other way around, you know?"

"Yeah." Oliver followed Laurel, interrogating Chief Raynes about the firemen team called "Fireflies" and about Nodell Tower and the deceased fireman Garfield Lynns.

The Foundry

Night

Diggle walked down the stairs, determined to do some work but stopped short upon seeing someone was already there. Oliver was at the computer, obviously doing research.

"I thought you were done with this investigation?" Diggle asked as he reached him.

"The first firefly to die, his name was Garfield Lynns." Oliver said as Diggle stood behind him and watched.

"Well, being dead kind of rules you out of being a murder suspect right?" Diggle chuckled weakly before sitting down at a stool.

"Oliver I'm sorry I pushed you so hard earlier, but...you've never been like it before. Look man, I know what it's like to be facing death in the eyes and be the one who  blinks." Diggle began only for Oliver to shake his head.

"That's not it," Oliver said and his partner looked at him confused, "I've been close to death more times than I can remember...on the island. And I never feared it because I didn't have anything to lose. When the archer almost killed me, when I stared death in the face then, I thought of all the people who I'd let into life since I've been back: my family, Tommy, Dinah. And that made me afraid. Afraid of what would happen to them if they lost me again, and for the first time in so long... I had something to lose." Oliver explained.

"You got it backwards man," Diggle said and Oliver looked over at him, "you think the people that you let in are taking your edge, I think it gives you one. Maybe even a stronger one. You can face down death with something to live for or not, but something to live for is better.”

"All the men at the unit had an alibi for Danny's murder. The man I fought had a firefly tattoo and his arm was severely burned." Oliver said as a thought began to occur to him.

"What are you thinking?" Diggle asked as he released him.

"The Nodell towers fire," Oliver said as he turned back to the computer and pulled up some articles on it, "some of the bodies were so badly burned, that they couldn't even be ID'd off dental records. What if Garfield Lynns didn't die but was just presumed dead?"

"Then maybe this isn't a serial killer...maybe this is a man with an axe to grind." Diggle caught on to Oliver's thinking.

The foundry, ground floor,

Later

"Chief Raynes, hi." Oliver smiled as he and Dinah approached Raynes.

"Mr. Queen, this is spectacular." Raynes said. "The Starling City Firemen's Relief Association can't thank you enough."

"You guys are the real heroes." Oliver said. "Like at the Nodell Tower fire, which I've been reading up on."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Garfield Lynns was the first man to die in your unit." Oliver pressed on. "Now, I read that they recovered his coat in the wreckage but they never found his body?" Dinah gave him a confused look.

"You always interrogate your club's guests, Mr. Queen?" Raynes asked.

"Why? Do you feel like you're being interrogated?"

"I could see it on your face at the fire station." Dinah noted as it hit her. "There's more to the Nodell Tower fire than people know about, isn't there?"

"I've been doing this a long time and I've never seen a fire like that." Raynes said, panic rising slightly. "It's like some monster out of a science-fiction movie. I radioed for my men to get the hell out of there but Lynns, he wouldn't go. Begged me to send the unit back in. But I wouldn't do it. I couldn't. God help me, I left him to burn." He drank his scotch, guilt on his face. "But I can't bring him back."

"You don't have to; he's back." Oliver said bluntly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Raynes demanded.

"Garfield Lynns killed Danny." Dinah said. "And the other men on your unit."

"There's no way he could have survived that fire." Raynes denied.

"You'd be surprised the power revenge can give you." Oliver said, thinking of Slade.

"You're insane; Gar did not make it out of that building." Raynes told them angrily.

"Just like you won't make it out of this one." Lynns said as he walked up behind them.

As Oliver turned towards him, Lynns threw the same device he had used to escape from them. He threw one after the other, all exploding into fire, spreading it around the club. Oliver, to maintain cover more than anything, placed himself in front of everyone protectively as the people began to panic. Lynns took off his helmet and the three could see just how badly burned the left side of his face was. Lynns unhooked his sprayer from his jacket and pointed it at Oliver  threateningly.

"run." Was all he said.

Oliver turned and ran as fast as he could, taking the opportunity to slip down into his base of operations. After opening his wooden box and changing into his uniform, he reemerged from the basement. When he made his way back to the scene, he saw Raynes, covered in gasoline and Lynns holding a lighter with an open flame. Lynns tossed the lighter towards Raynes and The Hood knew he had to act fast. The Green glad archer quickly notched an arrow and fired at the lighter. His aim was on the mark and the arrow struck the lighter, moving it away from the two firemen. Both turned to him, Raynes in gratitude and Lynns in anger.

"Go!" The Hood barked at Raynes in his mechanical voice and the chief didn't need to be told twice as he ran from the exit.

"It's over." The Hood told him as he notched another arrow.

"I'm not afraid to die." Lynns said matter of factly.

"I know...you're afraid to live." The Hood said as he lowered his bow slightly.

Lynns lowered his head, looking touched. For a hopeful moment, the vigilante thought that he might accept the offer. But then he lifted his head and the Vigilante knew how this would end.

"Thanks...but I'm already burned." Lynns told him as he turned around.

"Lynns don't do it!" The Hood told him and tried to stop him but he held himself back, not wanting him to get caught in the flames.

Lynns held his arm out to the fire and his jacket quickly caught on fire. Lynns closed his eyes and the masked vigilante watched horrified as the fire consumed and the former fireman silently fell to the ground, dead. The figure stared at him silently, wishing it could have gone differently before he turned around and walked away.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Mid-day

The mercenary had been stripped down to his boxers, his hands tied to a tree by hand cuffs. In addition to the guy's uniform, weapon, and handcuffs, Oliver had found a set of keys and a map of what he assumed was the island. Oliver took out a knife and held it to the guy's throat, his hands shaking. The mercenary smirked at this, noticing Oliver's hesitation.

"You can't do it; you don't have the stomach for it." The Mercenary taunted.

"A few weeks ago, you'd be right...but I can't afford not to have the stomach for it now." Oliver said his voice shaking before he slight the guy's throat.

Chapter Text

Queen Mansion

Morning

"Tahitian green or midnight black, what do you think?" Thea asked Oliver.

"I think that you've been dropping hints all week, Thea, and Mom still isn't buying you a car for your birthday."

"I could not have said it better myself." Moira said upon entering.

"Oliver got a car, when he turned eighteen." Thea pointed out.

"Yeah, but I could back it out of the driveway without hitting a tree." Oliver reminded.

"That's true. But I do remember you taking the paint off the side of your Dad's Maserati." Tommy reminded as he entered with some blueprints in his hands.

"Thea, the party planner's waiting." Moira said before kissing Tommy on his cheek. "Sorry to run off like this."

"Don't we have a convertible to go buy?" Thea asked.

"Good luck." Oliver told Moira as they left.

"How's she holding up?" Tommy asked.

"Oh, she's OK. Thea thinks she's actually a little bit too OK." Oliver said, a bit confused.

"What do you mean?" Tommy wondered.

"Just behaving erratically. Shut-in one minute, running the company the next." Oliver explained.

"Well, her husband is missing and presumed who-knows-what." Tommy pointed out. "If anyone had an excuse to be erratic, it's your Mom."

"That's what I told Thea." Oliver said as they saw Quentin on TV, while Oliver picked up the remote and turned up the volume

"The department has got the same comment about this heist as it did the other two. No comment." Quentin said on screen.

"The SCPD may not be willing to go on the record but traffic cameras got the entire heist in this exclusive. The $2.3 million heist is like a scene out of the movies." The anchor explained.

"That's why you keep all your money offshore." Tommy noted.

The Foundry

Night

Oliver was training in the lair as he prepared for his next mission when Diggle came in.

"With all the guys working up top, you might want to think about a side entrance for your, uh, Arrowcave." Diggle suggested upon entering.

"Just put one in." Oliver said. "South alleyway. Something I want to show you."

Diggle looked at the computer as he saw the footage of the heist. "Yeah, I read about it, this is the third truck to be hit this month, I saw it on the news this morning."

"Saw it on the news this morning. I couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar. Then I remembered this." Oliver said as he showed Diggle a thermal imaged footage of an ambush of a truck. "Kandahar '09, when the marines took out a Taliban transport vehicle."

"Yeah. Well, there's a reason why it looks so similar, these guys are running the same swarming technique. Where did you find this?" Diggle inquired.

“I was researching someone.” Oliver said as he pulled up a file. “Shadowspire Squad Protection group. Ted Gaynor.”

Diggle was stunned before he spoke up. "Oliver, Ted Gaynor was my commanding officer on my first tour in Afghanistan."

"Dig, I'm sorry. Gaynor's on the List." Oliver explained, looking sympathetic.

"Gaynor's a few hundred thousand dollars short of making your list." Diggle argued.

"Well, I never said it was just one-percenters, did I?" Oliver shot back.

"Nat, this guy saved my life. Received a commendation for it." Diggle said before turning to Oliver. "I don't care what your book says, he's not a stick-up man."

"You haven't known him in a long time, Diggle." Oliver said.

"We both kept in contact with each other since he got stateside. Six months ago, he even offered me a job at Blackhawk. Now, trust me, you don't know this man like I do." Diggle said.

"I know in Afghanistan his training specialty was M32 multiple grenade launcher. The exact same weapon used in these heists and not exactly something you find at your local sporting goods." Oliver said.

"Two months ago, we found out this wasn't even your father's book; that it was written by whoever hired the other archer. Doesn't that kind of beg the question what else you could be wrong about?" Diggle argued.

"I could be wrong. The list isn't," Oliver declared. "Now, I'm going to have a pointed conversation with Mr. Gaynor tonight. We'll see what he has to say about it. Now, I'll understand if you want to take the week off." Then he walked away and began sharpening his arrows for his next mission.

"Yeah, well, thank you... sir," Diggle sneered.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Mid-day

Oliver sat on the ground, numb as he held the bloodied knife in his hand. Oliver had just killed a man, that was the only thought that was running through his head.

Oliver nodded as he picked up the map and  studied it for a moment.

Shadowspire security

Night

The Hood shot a tranquilizing arrow at every one then came across as he moved through the building. Entering where the target was, he saw Ted Gaynor pulling a USB drive out of a laptop. As Gaynor turned around, The Hood kicked him the stomach, sending him to the ground. As Gaynor sat up, The Hood raised his bow at him.

"Ted Gaynor, we're gonna have a conversation." The Hood snarled. "You make a move, go for a gun, anything, and this will not end well for you."

Hearing the sound of a gun cocking, The Hood notched an arrow as he turned around. To his shock, Diggle stood behind him, pointing a gun at him.

"Put the bow down." Diggle commanded.

For a moment, nobody moved. The two were waiting to see which would yield. When it became clear Diggle would not back down, The Hood made his move. He turned to the side and fired his arrow into a random monitor. Light exploded into the room, buying the vigilante time to escape, The Hood grabbing a USB on the way.

Later

"You want to tell me what the hell that was about?!" Oliver demanded as Diggle walked down the stairs. "I could have killed you, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I'm not gonna let you William Tell an innocent man!" Diggle shouted back.

"Gaynor isn't innocent Diggle." Oliver told him icily.

"You seem to think that mainly because of what's in that damn book, which you apparently trust more you trust me!" Diggle shouted angrily.

"I-I trust my father. And he explained that every name on that list has a reason to be there." Oliver told him.

"I thought you took that book off your father's dead body. How could he have been so chatty?" Diggle demanded.

"My third year away, I found a message from my father, explaining the list." Oliver said briskly.

"You were on a deserted island, how is that possible?" Diggle asked.

"I didn't say I found it on the island," Oliver said and Diggle looked at him puzzled as Oliver took a calming breath, "Diggle, for the past four months, I have lied to, hurt, and hid things from my family. Do you really think I would do all this if I wasn't sure?"

Diggle was silent for a moment and when he spoke, it was in a much calmer voice.

"Oliver, Gaynor got me into Shadowspire and I'm gonna prove he's innocent." Diggle said before turning and walking away.

"And if he isn't?" Oliver challenged.

"You owe me that, you owe me at least that." Diggle said as he walked up the stairs.

Tommy and Dinah's apartment

Mid-day 

"Is everything okay?" Dinah asked Tommy as she went about picking up folders off her desk and taking them back to the file cabinet. "You look worried."

“No, not worried, just..." Tommy paused. "My father called."

Dinah closed the cabinet and looked at her boyfriend in shock. "Oh. And how did that go?" she asked simply.

"He invited us to dinner for tonight," Tommy breathed. 

"Oh," she nodded. 

"Yeah. Apparently, he wants to mend some fences, but, thanks to him, I can't afford a fence, so I can only assume he's got some other agenda," Tommy stated.

Dinah shrugged her shoulders and said, "Well, there's only one way to find out. Maybe he really is trying to extend an olive branch."

Tommy couldn't help but smile at Dinah's optimism, as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest. "You really do look for the best in people, don't you?" he sighed.

She circled her arms around his neck and beamed proudly at him. "Lucky for you," she replied. Then she stood on her tip-toes and kissed him lovingly on the lips.

Queen Mansion

Day 

A few moments later, Oliver was just closing up his laptop when Thea burst into the room in a frantic tizzy.

“Hey, Thea, knocking is not just a suggestion," Oliver stated. 

"I-I-I need to talk to you," she let out. 

Oliver sat back in his chair and chuckled. "Thea, I'm not telling you if Mom is getting you a car."

"It's not about that," Thea breathed. "Remember last week when I asked you if thought Mom was acting weird?"

"Yeah," Oliver nodded.

"Well, I found out why," Thea claimed. "She's hooking up with Tommy's dad."

Oliver studied his sister for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. "That's insane."

"I just saw them together!" Thea argued. "It's happening all over again."

Now the older Queen sibling was curious as he sat up straight and leaned into his sister. "What are you talking about?"

Thea took a deep breath and sat down across from her brother. "Um, well... a couple of months before you, Dean, and Dad left on the Gambit, Mom and Dad were arguing a lot," she began.

“About what?" Oliver questioned. 

 "I don't know," Thea shrugged. "But she was having a lot of these... lunch meetings with Mr. Merlyn. And now Walter's gone too and Mom and Mr. Merlyn are back at it again. And it's gross."

Oliver shook his head dismissively as his mind poured over the information he was receiving from his sister. "No, it's not possible. Mom never would have cheated on Dad and she's not cheating on Walter," he rejected. 

Thea scoffed at her brother's denial with a sympathetic look etched into her features. "You don't want to believe it because you have this perfect image of Mom in your head. That's not who she is, Ollie. She's a liar and a cheater," Thea countered. "And you really don't know her at all." Then she got up and left without another word.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Oliver was grabbed by three men and tossed to the ground. He had been caught.

Queen consolidated

Later

"You up for a visitor?" Oliver asked as he walked into Wendy's office to see her eating take out.

"Hey, what are doing here? Shouldn't you be at home with your family?" Wendy asked as she put the take out away.

"Well that's why I'm here. A friend of mine is running a scavenger hunt and there's a case of Lafite Rothschild nineteen eighty-two waiting at the end." Oliver explained.

"Oh, I love red wine." Wendy said longingly.

"Me to. Anyway, in order to get it, we first need to get through this," Oliver said as he handed Wendy the USB drive, "I tried to break the protection but my friend must really not want to give up that wine because it's nearly impossible to break through."

"Hm, security fob," Wendy noted as she studied it before putting it into her computer, "its Pin protected, challenge goes back to a company called Shadowspire squad protection group."

"My friend had his body guard set up. He really wants to keep that wine." Oliver said dryly.

"This is military grade cryptographic security protocol. Someone really went to all this trouble for a bottle of wine?" Wendy asked skeptically.

"The idle rich are hard to entertain, trust me I've been around them for years." Oliver quipped before getting serious, "look, you do this and one of those bottles of wine is yours."

"I'll do it." Wendy said after a moment.

"Knew I could count on you." Oliver said with a smile as he walked out.

Starling City

Night

Three men in black tactical gear with weapons had surrounded an armored car when an arrow flew by, ripping the gasmask of one of the men. Spotting The Hood above them on a building, the men turned their guns on him and began firing. No longer surrounded, the armed car took off and The Hood used this to his advantage, using it as a shield. While they were distracted by The Hood, he shot an arrow into another's shoulder blade. He went down while the vigilante stood there. One of the men, armed with a grenade launcher, took aim. Thinking fast, The Hood picked up a trash can lid on the side of the street before stepping in front protectively as the assailant fired. The Hood used the trash can lid as a shield for the grenade but upon impact, he was thrown into mounds of trash bags. He was dazed and, by the time hw stood up, the three men had gotten in their truck and drove off.

Queen mansion

Later

Oliver walked inside the normally quiet mansion, music blaring and light flashing as a huge mass of people danced around. Thea ran over to him, excitement written across her face.

"Oh god, check it out! Check it out!" Thea gushed, waving a set of car keys in her hand, "convertible."

"You must be so surprised." Oliver said dryly.

"Isn't everything absolutely perfect?" Thea gushed before deflating a little, "except for if dad were here."

"If dad were here, he'd say you look beautiful." Oliver said before kissing his sister on the cheek.

"Oh, excuse me a sec." Thea said before rushing off.

Chuckling, Oliver turned around and spotted Diggle. He made their way through the crowd of people towards the bodyguard.

"I heard the vigilante foiled an armored car heist this evening." Diggle said in greeting.

"Gaynor wasn't running the rocket launcher." Oliver was forced to admit.

"I know I was with him the whole time it was going down." Diggle told him.

"It looks like I was wrong." Oliver admitted and Diggle nodded at the unspoken apology.

"Listen, if someone in Shadowspire is in on it, I'd put my money on Knox. He started right before the heists began and he has military training." Diggle said and the billionaire nodded, considering.

"Ok. I injured one of them. He was bleeding pretty badly when they made off in the van." Oliver told him.

"Ok, so if any of Knox's blood is in one of the motor pool vans, we'll know for sure." Diggle said as he turned to leave.

"I'm going with you." Oliver said as he moved to follow him.

"No," Diggle said as he stopped Oliver, "you have this party. And I told you before, I will handle this," Diggle reminded them when Oliver opened his mouth to argue, "If there's any problems, you are just a phone call away."

Diggle turned to leave, but Oliver stopped him. Oliver grabbed him by the shoulder, subtly slipping a tracker into his jacket. Diggle did not appear to notice this.

"Head on a swivel." Oliver told him.

"Way I was born man." Diggle quipped before walking away.

Starling City

Later

With Gaynor watching, Diggle had a grenade launcher pointed at an armored car as he drove towards him. It honked for him to get out of the way, but Diggle was very aware of Carly in the car with ted. Diggle's hand was on trigger as the car sped towards him but ultimately, Diggle could not bring himself to do it. Diggle stepped out of the way a second before it hit him. A second later, Gaynor, Knox and their partner, Cavanaugh, got out of the car, dragging the terrified Carly with them.

"You shouldn't have done that Dig, now you get to watch as I kill your pretty girlfriend." Gaynor taunted as Carly cried out in fear.

"You forgot one thing guys." Diggle said bravely.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Gaynor asked.

"I'm the one with the grenade launcher." Diggle reminded them.

Diggle then aimed the weapon and fired. The grenade landed right at the ground in front of their feet. The area was suddenly filled with sparks and smoke and sent Gaynor, Knox and Cavanaugh flying.

"Carly get out of here!" Diggle shouted and she didn't need to be told twice.

An angry Gaynor stood up and took off after her, shooting at her but Carly was too far away for him to hit his mark. Diggle took off after Gaynor, picking up Cavanaugh's gun on the way, as he ripped off his gas mask.

Behind them, Knox got to his feet and picked up an assault rifle. Knox aimed at Diggle's back and, just as he was about to pull the trigger, someone knocked the gun out of his hand with a punch to his face. Someone then roughly fired an arrow against his throat and with a violent twist, Knox knew no more.

"Freeze!" Diggle shouted as he came up behind Gaynor as Gaynor muttered in annoyance, "drop it Ted or I swear…"

"Don't…posture," Gaynor said as he turned around while Diggle cocked his gun, "you're not gonna do it. You can't. I can see it in your eyes.

As he spoke, Gaynor walked closer to Diggle who made no move to stop him. Gaynor raised his gun to Diggle when an arrow suddenly went through his chest. Gaynor fell to the ground, dead, as The Hood walked up to him walked up to Diggle.

"You're late." Diggle said as he stared at his former comrade.

"You knew I was coming?" Oliver asked as Diggle dug the tracker out of his jacket.

"Next time you plant a bug on someone, be more subtle about it," Diggle advised, "I wish you had trusted me though."

"I trust you Diggle," Oliver said as he walked up behind him, "but them, never."

"You should get out of here." Diggle said as the sounds and lights of police sirens approached.

With a nod, the vigilante ran off into the night.

The Foundry, the next day

Morning

"Cops give a hard time?" Oliver asked as he walked in to see Diggle leaning against a table.

"Nah. I explained that me and Gaynor were old war buddies. He tried to rope me in," Diggle sighed as he ran a hand over the side of his face, "when I refused, he kidnapped Carly and everything else happened under duress….how's Thea."

"She was lucky. She's hurt but she'll recover in no time." Oliver told him.

"Oliver…I screwed up," Diggle admitted as he turned around to face him for the first time since they had walked in, "obviously Gaynor wasn't who I thought he was. I was wrong."

"Yeah but you were right, too." Oliver said as he showed him the notebook. "When you told me that I trusted the List more than I trusted you, Diggle, the truth is, after what happened to me on the island… it's difficult for me to trust… anything. But you do." Oliver turned to Diggle. "You see the best in people and you know when to trust someone or not."

Oliver then picked up the list and walked over to Diggle. Opening it to the page with Garner's name on it, Oliver held it out to Diggle who took it. Diggle stared at Gaynor's name silently for a moment as Oliver picked up a pen. Oliver handed the pen to Diggle and, after a moment, Diggle took it. Diggle crossed Gaynor's name off the list before closing it.

"I learned something too," Diggle said as he handed Oliver back the list and pen, "until you tell me, I never want to know the other names in this book."

Oliver watched silently as Diggle walked out of the foundry.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Oliver breathed before he saw Fryers and a lone soldier standing in front of their cages.

"Do you know why my men wear balaclavas?" Fryers asked him before continuing without giving him time to answer, "Because it makes everyone but the eyes. One can always see the truth in one's eyes. You risked everything for your friend. You trusted him despite my warning, but that trust was misplaced."

The soldier standing him then took off his mask to reveal the face of Yao-Fei.

Chapter Text

Starling City

Night

A drug dealer runs with the Hood in hot pursuit. The Hood jumped down from a fire escape and went on the roof tops. He rounded a corner and located the dealer. He spotted the vigilante and turned before fleeing. He didn't get very far and when the Hood found him, he was climbing up to a fire escape. The Hood fired an arrow and it hit the sleeve of his leather jacket, pinning him to the fire escape and leaving him dangling.

"Come on man, I'm just trying to make an honest living!" the dealer protested.

"There's nothing honest about what you do." The Hood sneered. "Who supplies you with Vertigo? Tell me now and you live!”

"Please! I swear to god, they'll kill me!" the dealer pleaded.

"Whoever you fear, fear me more!" The Hood shouted as he notched an arrow.

"Okay, okay! They call him The Count! That's all I know!" the dealer closes his eyes, waiting for the figure to attack.

When nothing happens, he opens his eyes to see that the Hood is gone.

The Foundry

Later

"Find what you're looking for?" Diggle inquired as Oliver walked in.

"I took down three Vertigo pushers tonight. Last one finally knew a name: The Count." Oliver said.

"The Count? That's worse than The Hood," Diggle quipped but frowned when Oliver made no move to take off his gear, "wait, you aren't going back out there are you?"

"We finally have a name Dig. Now it's time to find this son of a bitch and make him pay." Oliver growled.

"I think you are forgetting something important." Diggle pointed out.

"What?" Oliver snapped before it came to him, "Thea."

"Her hearing is in a few hours. Do think she cares more about taking down some drug lord or you being by her side when she needs you the most?" Diggle asked.

Court house, next day

Early morning

Moira, Oliver, and Thea all approached the court house as the paparazzi rushed over. Thea nervously took Oliver's hand as they approached, firing off questions. Oliver shielded the young Queen as best he could while making their way through the crowd.

Later, Oliver and Moira sat behind Thea as the judge spoke up.

"Docket ending one ten five six, the people versus Thea Dearden Queen. Possession of a controlled, driving under the influence of a controlled substance." The Bailiff read off before handing the sheet to the judge.

"Councilors, I understand you've reached a plea agreement." The judge said.

"We have, your honor," Thea's Lawyer said as he stood up, "considering my client is a juvenile, the people have graciously agreed to probation."

"Juvenile? It says right here she's eighteen." The judge said after a look at the paper.

"She is, but she was just two days shy of her eighteenth birthday. Ms. Queen has no priors." Thea's Lawyer said.

"Just because Ms. Queen's family sweeps her priors under the rug does not mean they don't exist. You get your client off and you help your boss avoid dealing with a drug that's sweeping across our city like a plague. Everyone wins except us: the people of starling city." The judge said harshly.

"Your honor with all due respect-" Thea's lawyer tried again but was ignored.

"Ms. Queen," The Judge said as he looked down at Thea who looked stricken, "like it or not, you are now the poster child for this menace. Maybe if people see that the Queen family cannot get away with using Vertigo, they'll think twice about using it themselves. The plea arrangement is denied," The Judge said as he banged his gavel, "this case will go to trial."

Cameras went off as Thea looked back at her family, fear and disbelief swirling in her eyes.

Queen Mansion

Afternoon

"They can't do this," Moira said indignantly as the Queens, and Thea's lawyer walked into the sitting room, "they cannot send my daughter to prison."

"What are our options?" Oliver asked Thea's Lawyer.

"An interlocutory appeal. But trial judges have the power to reject plea agreements. I think you might want to prepare yourselves that this isn't gonna go our way," Thea's Lawyer said before looking at the frightened Thea, "I'm sorry Ms. Queen. I'll get to work on the appeal."

"So much for the best criminal defense attorney the city has to offer." Moira said tersely as Oliver placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I could talk to Dinah, see if she could pull some strings." Oliver suggested.

"Oliver, do you think there is anything she could do?" Moira asked as she turned to him.

"We'll see," Oliver said as he walked out but stopping to pat Thea on the shoulder, "hang tight Speedy."

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Oliver sat silently in his cage, not having spoken a word since Fryers and Yao-Fei had left. The man looked up as Yao-Fei walked over, circling him.

"So you're working for them now?" Oliver asked solemnly. "Why'd you do this? I thought I was your friend. Or at least allies. Why'd you bother helping me if you were just going to turn on me?"

"Please…just let me out." Oliver pleaded quietly.

"I can't." Yao-Fei said as he set on cup of soup on the bars of each cell then walked away.

"Hey! Don't just leave me here! I came back for you! Do you hear me? I came back for you!" Oliver shouted angrily as he knocked over his cup.

Police station

Afternoon

"I need your help, Kate," Oliver told the ADA inside her office.

"Okay. How can I help?" Kate asked.

"Vertigo," Oliver answered grimly.

Kate instantly straightened up as she realized why the billionaire was there. "Right, I saw your sister on TV. I'm sorry," she sighed.

Oliver continued to speak. "The judge is trying to make an example of her. So I was thinking if you could find the person selling the drugs, it might take some of the heat off Thea," he entreated. 

"Easier said than done," Kate remarked.

"Did some digging, and I came up with a name. Um, The Count?" Oliver put in casually. 

Kate halted in front of her desk and turned around with a knowing look. "Oliver, we've known about The Count for months."

"Oh," Oliver deflated.

"I wish this was thicker, but we really don't have much on him," she huffed. "Love to say we're gonna catch him before your sister's trial but it's highly unlikely." Then she glanced at her watch and quickly started moving again. "If it wasn't for the Hood, we wouldn't have people like this tearing up the city."

"Well, if you hear of anything about this guy, just let me know?" Oliver asked softly. 

"I always loved how much you cared about your sister," Kate mused. "But leave the policing to the police, okay?" 

Quentin's house

Mid-day 

"Absolutely not!" her father had said, as he stormed away from his daughter.

However, Dinah would not be deterred. "Dad, I know you hate Oliver," she began.

"Then why would you even ask me to do this?" Lance cut off.

"Because Thea, she's only 18 years old," Dinah pleaded.

"Which makes her an adult. She can take her medicine. It's about time somebody in the Queen family did," Lance retorted.

"What about the Lance family? A young girl acting out, engaging in reckless behavior," Dinah challenged. "Does that sound familiar?"

Quentin glanced at Dinah out of his peripheral and scoffed. "Dinah, don't go there."

"Thea is just like I remember Sandra," Dinah claimed pointedly.

"That is not how I remember your sister," Quentin countered.

"That's because you remember her the way you wish she had been, not the way that she actually was," Dinah called out, grabbing her dad's shoulder and forcing him to turn around and face her, to face the truth. "She's not the saint that you make her out to be. I know she was arrested for shoplifting, and I know you made it go away."

Lance let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah, well maybe if I had let her go to jail Queen wouldn't have had her on that damn boat."

"Dad, you make it seem like he kidnapped her. For so long you and I have blamed Oliver for Sandra's death, but Sandra's to blame, too," Dinah reasoned. "When I look at Thea, I see Sandra's potential in her and her flaws too. Yes, Thea made a mistake, but she's been through a lot. She lost a father and both her brothers. She doesn't need prison, she needs help. So, please."

Quentin let out a deep breath as he looked at his daughter before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll make some calls," he relented.

Auto shop

Later in the afternoon

Oliver with a duffle bag, walked inside with Diggle. Diggle looked around as he walked inside, noting the familiar machinery.

"I've seen a fair amount of Cyrillic in Afghanistan left over from the Soviets. Is this Russian owned?" Diggle inquired.

"This is the not so secret headquarters of the Russian Bratva." Oliver explained. "Dig," Oliver stopped the body guard, "whatever happens down here... I need you just to go with it."

"Good to see you again." Oliver said in Russian as a bald man approached.

"Good to see you too. Long time. Particularly for a Bratva Captain." The man said.

"I was trying to decide where to put my interest. I decided on pharmaceuticals," Oliver said as he dropped the bags, "and I don't mean aspirin."

"Good choice. Methadone would be a good investment for you. It is the newest thing." The man said.

"I was thinking Vertigo. Newer thing." Oliver said.

"Tough market, Vertigo. Only one seller." The man said.

"I know. I was hoping you could do me a favor, arrange a meeting." Oliver requested.

"He's difficult man. He doesn't like new friends." The man warned.

Oliver stepped forward, pulling out the file he had gotten from Kate. The man reached for it, but Oliver pulled it just out of his reach.

"This is everything the police have on him. Tell him it's a gift." Oliver said as he let the man take the folder.

"I will see what I can do," The man said, "provided you do a favor for me."

"Anything." Oliver said in Russian.

The man gave a nod to one of his workers, who moved off.

"It's very unusual for an American to hold such a rank of esteem in our organization, Mr. Queen," The man said as his eyes traveled back and forth between Oliver, "Anatoli Knyazev. He speaks very highly of you."

"He should. I saved his life." Oliver told him.

At that moment, the worker returned, dragging a bloodied man with him.

"What did he do?" Oliver inquired.

"Something I told him not to do. Now the favor: kill this man for me and I will believe your interest in our organization is genuine. And I will arrange a meeting with the count." The man said.

Nobody did anything for a moment. Then Oliver moved. He walked over and took the man from the worker, holding him in a tight chokehold.

"Oliver." Diggle said shocked.

Oliver tightened his hold on the man and the man fought against Oliver desperately but it was useless. After a few moments, the man went limp and Oliver dropped him to the ground. The worker knelt down next to the man and felt for a pulse before looking at his boss and nodding. Diggle stood frozen, shocked as the boss turned to Oliver with a chilling smile.

"What are friends for?" Oliver said.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Yao-Fei was escorting Oliver, restrained, out of camp.

"What's going on, am I getting out of here?" Oliver asked but Yao-Fei said nothing, "Where are you taking me?"

Oliver's question was answered when the trio came upon a circle of Fryers men around a fire. The man with the strange orange and black mask was meeting a man. The man fought back but the masked man was too good and the other man was down. The mask man helped him up and looked over to Fryers, who nodded. The masked man flipped the other man up into the air and when he came down, used his swords and the man was dead before he hit the ground.

"While I admit that that bout was particularly one-sided, would anyone else like to give it a try?" Fryers asked as Yao-Fei pushed Oliver into the circle, "the point of these little gladiatorial distractions is to strengthen our unit cohesion. To that end, I believe our newest recruit should have the opportunity to try his hand."

Oliver looked over to Yao-Fei. The Asian took off his rifle and handed it to another soldier before walking to the center of the circle. Oliver waited with baited breath to see what would happen next.

Starling City

Afternoon

"I can't believe you killed that guy." Diggle said disgusted as he and Oliver walked out of the garage, Oliver lugging the body over his shoulder.

"You really have a low opinion of me." Oliver scoffed.

Diggle opened the trunk of the car and Oliver lowered the body inside in it. After making sure no one was around, Oliver placed a hand on the man's neck and he shot up. Diggle blinked in surprise.

"Whoa, that's a neat trick! You gonna teach me that one day?" Diggle asked as Oliver punched the guy knocking him unconscious.

"No." Oliver said as he closed the trunk, "I need you to arrange a new identity for this guy, get him out of Starling."

"Right, so that way your Russian pals draw out the count so you can take him down." Diggle said.

"No, because then the Bratva would know we used them and that relationship is too valuable." Oliver said as they got in the car, Diggle in the driver's seat and Oliver in the back. "I do the meet with The Count as myself, let him leave, then we follow him to his hideout."

"Just that easy huh?" Diggle asked skeptically.

"Well, I still need my trusty body guard." Oliver said with a cheeky smile.

"Fantastic. Looking forward to my new and exciting career as a drug dealer." Diggle said as he started the car.

Queen Mansion, next day

Morning

Dinah and Oliver sat across from Thea in the sitting room. Thea wore a bored expression as her brother and his ex-girlfriend explained the new deal.

"My father was able to get judge Bracket to back off on his hardline stance." Dinah explained.

"And why would he do that?" Thea asked curiously.

"Because I asked him to." Dinah told her.

"Well, no one asked you to do that." Thea said snidely.

"Thea." Oliver warned.

"The judge has agreed to a sentence of five-hundred hours of community service and two years of probation. Provisional on the appointment of loco parentis." Dinah explained ignoring Thea's remark.

"In Loco what?" Thea asked confused.

"It means the court will appoint someone to assume responsibility for you. In this case, me." Dinah explained.

"So you can't even stand to talk to your father but it's okay to make her my glorified baby sitter?" Thea asked in a brattish voice.

Oliver gave her a warning glare but Dinah was largely unaffected.

"This isn't about my issues with my father, this is about you Thea." Dinah explained calmly.

"Well I say thanks but no thanks." Thea said rudely.

"You don't have a choice." Oliver growled.

"Actually, I do. I'm eighteen now, so I can make my own decisions. And I decide not to play your ex-girlfriend's office monkey." Thea said snottily.

"Dinah, could you please give us the room? I'd like to talk to my sister alone." Oliver said in a barely controlled voice as he resisted the urge to strangle Thea.

"Sure." Dinah stood before walking out of the room.

Once Dinah was gone, Oliver slowly sauntered away from the mantle and came to stand in front of his sister. "Thea. You are in real trouble, and rightly so. Or do I need to remind you of the conversation we had the other day?"

"I already have a mother," Thea snarked.

"Even if I emphasize with you being angry with Moria, that isn't worth spending your entire life in jail just to spite her," Oliver sighed.

"Why not?" Thea challenged standing to her feet. "She's a liar and a cheat. I mean, deal with it."

"Liar? Yes. Cheater? No," Oliver shook his head.

"Wow. So it would seem denial really isn't just a river in Africa. Look, you can pretend that she's a saint, but I hate her. She betrayed Dad!" Thea yelled, as she began to walk away.

"Thea, Moira didn't cheat on Robert!" Oliver shouted. "He cheated on her!"

Thea stopped dead in her tracks. "Is that the best you could come up with?"

She rolled her eyes and plopped back down on the couch, crossing her arms across her chest as she looked up at her brothers expectantly. "What is it?"

Oliver's gaze softened dramatically, which, in turn, caused Thea's attitude to shift. "Thea, you know how I always keep my promises?" he inquired softly, earning a nod from his sister. "Well, right now, I promise you that what you are about to hear from me is God's honest truth. Rob— Dad did cheat on Moi— on Mom. Several times throughout their entire marriage, it seemed like."

Thea groaned and stormed off angrily.

Oliver exhaled and turned around only to be faced with his mother scowling back at him. "How dare you?" she snarled. "How could you tell her that?"

"Because she deserves the truth, Mom. Oliver responded evenly, narrowing his eyes. "And at this rate, the only way you're gonna get Thea to forgive you is with the truth." Moria stormed off as well.

"Oliver, the Russians called. The meeting is set. It's tonight." Diggle told him and Oliver turned serious.

Starling City

Night

"Do you know why call him the count?" the Russian asked Oliver as the two stood with Diggle waiting, "When he was developing his drug, he experimented on the homeless. Prostitutes, runaways. The police would find their bodies with puncture marks on their necks, like a Vampire. You should not be in such a hurry to meet this man."

Oliver and Diggle exchanged a look as a black SUV rolled up. Several men walked out of it and walked over to them. Oliver, and Diggle held up their hands as they allowed them to search them. A man they assumed to be The Count walked up to them holding the folder Oliver had given the Russian earlier.

"Thank you for this but I'm not overly concerned about the SCPD. Now, I understand you wish to get in on the feel good business." The Count said jovially.

"Yes." Oliver said.

"Why is that?" The Count asked curiously.

"Well, I am opening a night club and I'd like my customers to have…a little something extra." Oliver lied easily.

"Well as it happens, I'm looking to expand my brand," The Count said as he stepped back and one of his men took out a silver briefcase, "a good wine's value is measured by its vintage. The number of years it took to finite. Vertigo is measured in lives," The Count said as he opened the brief case and took out a small package of pills, "fifty-six people died to perfect this high. Believe me when I say they did not die in vain."

The Count closed the case and was about to hand the pills to Oliver when tires screeched. Sirens blared as cop cars rolled into the area. Everyone scrambled and got behind a car as the police got out of the car.

"SCPD, put your weapons down now!" Quentin shouted.

The Count's men and some of the Russians opened fire on the cops. As they cops returned fire,  Diggle saw Oliver go after The Count's retreating figure. Diggle shouted after him he used the opportunity to go after Oliver. He found him pulling two syringes out of his body, looking dazed. Immediately realizing what had happened, Diggle supported him on either side as they rushed him out of there.

The Foundry

Later

"Get down now!" Diggle barked as he opened the case that held the herbs.

Diggle held the weakened Queen down as he mixed the herbs. Delirious, Oliver instinctively grabbed Diggle around the throat as he finished the potion. Seeing what was happening as he finished the medicine, Diggle rushed over and pried Oliver's hand off his throat. Diggle restrained Oliver as Diggle forced Oliver to drink the medicine. Oliver thrashed, screaming before he went limp. The bodyguard stared at worriedly as Diggle checked his pulse, sagging with relief when he found one.

The foundry, next day

Morning

Feeling like he had the worst hangover of his life, Oliver groaned as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry for a moment before it came into focus. The face of Diggle appeared before him, his eyes shining with concern.

"Morning." Diggle said calmly as Oliver realized he was handcuffed to the table.

"Like I have the worst handover of my life." Oliver groaned as he sat up.

"That's saying something, considering you spend your adolescence and early twenties in a hangover." Diggle quipped and Oliver shot him an unamused look.

"Think you can uncuff me?" Oliver asked and Diggle looked down at him wearily, "I'm not gonna kill you John."

After a brief hesitation, Diggle walked over and did what he asked. With some effort, Oliver stood up as Diggle looked at him in surprise.

"You're standing, that's impressive," Diggle said as he tossed Oliver a shirt, "the count only got you with half a dose but you still sweated out a small swimming suit coming down."

"Any chance our friends at SCPD took him down?" Oliver asked after he put on his shirt.

"Are you really even asking that?" Diggle scoffed and Oliver nodded.

"But we did manage to get this," Diggle said as he held half the vial, "listen Oliver, maybe you need to give it a few hours. I can handle this and a near drug over dose isn't something you just walk away from."

"Neither is Thea." Oliver said as he walked out of the room.

Queen Mansion

Later

Oliver went into the room, seeing Quentin Lance and Kate Spencer sitting on the couch with Moria. That instantly set off red flags in his mind.

"Is everything okay with Thea?" Oliver inquired.

"This isn't about your sister, this is about you," Quentin piped up, rising to his feet, his signature scowl already set into his face.

The crease between Oliver's eyebrows intensified and his eyes squinted as he looked at Lance in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Last night, we got a call from a CI. Busted up a drug sale between a big-time dealer and the Russian mob," Lance explained, holding Oliver's attention.

"We?" Oliver balked, breaking eye contact with Dinah's father to stare at Kate. "I thought you were in the DA's office."

Just then, Lance cleared his throat drawing everyone's attention back to the current situation. "Normally she would be in the courthouse, but this whole Count Vertigo situation's got everybody holding hands," Lance said, walking towards the billionaire. "Now, like I said, last night, a drug deal gone south... an eyewitness put you at the scene."

"Whoever he is, he's mistaken," Oliver replied easily.

"Yeah?" Lance scoffed.

"I saw you, Oliver," Kate piped up, causing him to turn his head in her direction.

"Is this true?" Moira asked.

"I was checking into The Count," Oliver confessed. "He's the guy who sold drugs to Thea, and I figured if we could find out what he looked like then I could give your sketch artist something to go on. So I paid a lowlife with a Russian accent an obscene amount of money to arrange a meeting."

"Well, you at least got eyes on him, right?" Kate asked.

"No," Oliver answered.

Quentin shook his head as Kate lowered hers in defeat.

"Alright, are you pressing charges against my son?" Moira cut in.

Lance let out a deep breath as he regained his composure, and said, "You get involved in this investigation again, you'll see the inside of a cell, and unlike last time, you will not see the way out."

As the detective started walking out of the room, Oliver cut him off midway. "Detective," he began softly. "Thank you for what you did for Thea."

"My daughter asked me for a favor and I did it," Lance said curtly. "And that's the end of it."

Without another word, he walked away from Oliver and left the mansion just as Kate approached him. "Hope you don't think I sold you out," she said.

Oliver smiled and shook his head. "No. Just doing your job."

"What on earth were you two thinking?" Moira snapped.

"I was trying to help," Oliver chimed in.

"Running around with the Russian mob and a murderous drug dealer is not helping, Oliver?" Moira seethed. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Oh, please Mom, the real reason you're upset is because I told Thea the truth about Robert," Oliver shot back.

"She never needed to know that!" Moira said and stormed off.

"Now what?" Diggle asked once Quentin had closed the door behind him.

"Like you said, we analyze the Vertigo," Oliver said as he walked towards the kitchen, "it's in liquid form, which means there's water in it. So maybe we can trace back where in the city The Count is cooking up this Garbage." Oliver said before he swayed on his feet.

Oliver's vision became disoriented and Diggle called out to him as he passed out.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Morning

Oliver, unconscious, lay above a water fall. One of Fryers men checked him over and was about to roll him there when Yao-Fei volunteered. With Fryers consent, Yao-Fei walked over to him and reached underneath Oliver's body before rolling him over the edge. He hit the water within moments of it.

The Foundry 

Afternoon

Oliver was putting his suit on with Diggle watching him wairily.

"Going somewhere?" Diggle piped up.

"You can't stop me from going out," Oliver grunted.

"Fine. Hit this tennis ball, and you can leave," Diggle said, handing Oliver the bow.

Dropping the bow, Oliver walked out.

The Count's hideout

Night

The Hood silently walked up the stairs and easily threw the first goon over the railing. As the next one moved in, he took out his baton and struck him across the face, knocking him out. As the last one moved in, The Hood quickly got behind him and pressed his baton to his neck before snapping his neck and sending a powerful kick to the last goon. As he let the body fall to the floor, the last goon fell unconscious once he hit the wall. With the coast clear, he made his way upstairs.

It wasn't long before The Hood found The Count and his men fired at him. Easily dodging the bullets, he went after his men. Throwing a knife at one, it easily hit his target, killing him instantly as it pierced his heart. As the other gunmen approached, he performed a backflip and got behind him before putting his baton to his throat before snapping his neck. And in a similar fashion, soon all The Counts men were dead.

"You should have stuck to your depraved elite. I am merely providing people with what they want; I am providing a public service!" The Count shouted deranged.

"So am I." The Hood said in his disguised voice as he threw another knife.

The knife knock the gun out of The Count's hand and, no longer having a weapon, he turned and fled. The Hood jumped onto the table he was standing on and quickly caught up to him. They exchanged a few punches before The Hood grabbed the three syringes from his hands. Quickly getting behind him, he put the three needles into his neck and injected him.

"Enjoy the fruits of your labor." The Hood hissed in his ear

"Freeze!" The Hood looked up to see Quentin burst in with at least three other officers, all guns aimed at him.

"He deserves this!" The Hood sneered.

"Not according to the law!" Quentin shot back.

"When has the law come through when it really needed to?! The world is not black and weight, there are no clear cut heroes and villains!" He snapped before throwing The Count to them.

The Count dropped to Quentin and he had to lower his gun to catch him. In the distraction, The Hood had escaped.

Crime scene 

Same time

"Hey, I'm Quentin Lance," Quentin stopped the Count while he was in handcuffs, "apparently, Oliver Queen was meeting with you. Mind telling me what you said to him?"

"Oliver Queen?" The Count looked confused for a second. "He was a member of the Bratva. He showed up wanting to purchase vertigo," the Count laughed, seeing how stunned Quentin was.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Morning

Oliver went to land, breathing heavily.After a moment, Oliver pulled something out of the pocket of his vest. Opening it, he saw it was a map of the island. He then stared at it, knowing Yao Fei must have put it there.

Queen Mansion 

Night

"Where did you get this book? It's an exact copy of the list," Oliver asked Wendy who looked at him.

"From Walter, who got it from Moira." Wendy said as he looked up at Wendy stunned.

"What?" Oliver asked hoarsely.

"You heard me. I think your mom's hiding something." Wendy told him.

Chapter Text

Foundry, next day

Morning

"So this book has the names of the guys you've been hunting," Diggle said as he held up the battered book from the island before holding the book, "and this book, your mother's, has the same list of names."

"It's identical." Oliver confirmed as he took both of the books.

"So where'd she get her copy? For that matter, who gave it to you?" Diggle inquired.

"Wendy White gave it to me; she said that Walter found it in their bedroom." Oliver told him.

"And now he's missing." Diggle mention idly as he sat down, causing Oliver to frown.

"Diggle, she is my mother." Oliver said defensively.

"Oliver, I understand why you'd believe your mother over your step-father, but I tend to believe the innocent party is the one that's missing…and presumed dead." Diggle told him.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Having followed the path on the map that Yao-Fei had marked for him, Oliver came upon a wrecked cargo plane. The fuselage was intact, while the wings, nose, and end were all broken off. He walked over to the wreckage and entered the fuselage cautiously, Oliver entering cautiously. He looked around cautiously for a second before a man jumped down and put a sword to Oliver's throat.

"Twitch, and I will open your throat! How many more with you?" The man demanded with an Australian accent.

"What?" Oliver asked stunned by this turn of events.

"You have ten seconds to tell me something I believe before I cut out your voice box." The man hissed.

"Wait wait wait! Yao-Fei sent me okay! And I highly doubt it was so you could kill me!' Oliver said desperately.

After a moment, the man stepped back and spun Oliver around. However, he held his two swords in Oliver's direction, the tips just inches from his face.

"What?" The man demanded.

"Yao-Fei. He gave me directions to your…plane." Oliver finished lamely as he looked at the war-faced man.

Queen Mansion

Afternoon

"Hey. Heading out?" Oliver asked as he entered Moira's room.

"Oh, yeah, it's a meeting with the financial planners." She noticed the concerned look on his face. "Are you alright?"

"There was something that I wanted to talk to you about." Oliver said as Moira looked intrigued while he pulled Walter's notebook from his pocket. "I want to talk to you about Walter; right around Christmas, when he… disappeared, he gave me this."

Moira picked the notebook, reading the names listed on the pages inside. "This is your father's notebook. He kept a list of all the people in Starling City who owed him favors. I had no idea there were so many of them."

"I've just been researching some of those names online and, uh, they're not good people." Oliver pointed out.

"Oliver, I have no idea what your father was involved in or with whom." She denied. "And you and your sister both now know that he wasn't exactly honest with me."

"Then we need to find out—"

"No." Moira interjected. "If what you say is true and this list is filled with bad people, and Walter was looking into it and now he…" She looked at the notebook, considering before tossing it into fireplace, burning it. "The only way to keep this family safe is for everyone in it to stop asking questions, including you, Oliver." She touched his breast. "Promise me." Oliver gave her a short glance before again looking at the notebook that was burning.

The Foundry

Later in the afternoon

"You don't find this a little convenient?" Diggle asked Oliver, "Her just so happening to have burnt that book?"

"She did it out of concern for my safety, Diggle." Oliver tried to defend.

"Or her own." Diggle pointed out. "Oliver, you said it yourself; whoever compiled that list is involved in something very dangerous. And if your mother is lying to you—"

"And she didn't know any of the names on the list." Oliver argued.

”She said that, Oliver,” Diggle pointed out. “You don't have to take her word for it. Oliver, if this was anybody else, you'd be hooded up right now on your way to have an arrow-sided chat with them."

“This isn’t anybody else,” Oliver said. “This is my mother. And I know her, “ but a phone rang before they could discuss it further.

"What's that?" Diggle asked.

"That is the phone I gave to Lance so he could contact The Hood." Oliver explained as he walked over to it.

"He gonna ask you to turn yourself in?" Diggle asked dryly.

"He gave it to Dinah."Oliver explained as he answered it.

"Hello?" Oliver answered.

"I need your help." Dinah answered.

"That's why you have the phone." Oliver reminded her.

"Cyrus Vanch was just released from prison on a technicality. Living large in his lawyer's house," Dinah said as Diggle ran a search on the computer, "there's no evidence of foul play but I know he's just Vanch's first victim."

"What about the police?" Oliver inquired.

"They can't move on him without evidence of any new criminal activity." Dinah said and Oliver sighed in frustration.

"Dinah, obtaining evidence isn't exactly what I do." Oliver said as he exchanged a look with Diggle.

"Vanch is dangerous." Dinah pointed out and Oliver knew she was right.

"I'll be right there." Oliver agreed as he hung up.

Vanch's safe house

Night

Two guards stood outside the mansion when two arrows shot out. The two were dead before they could even think to signal for back up. The Hood quickly moved through the area, The Hood shooting arrows into anyone they came across. The Hood shot an electrical arrow over the roof and, by sheer luck; Vanch and his dinning party didn't see it. The Hood activated the recording device just as a gunmen came up behind him. The Hood raised his fist and knocked him out, though his gun went off, but it didn't hurt him. Realizing he was out matched, the vigilante fled.

Starling City

Later

Dinah went on the rooftop, approaching the archer, who turned on his voice changer. "Hello, Dinah."

"Thank you for helping." Dinah said.

"I couldn't do much. Vanch's position is heavily fortified but I did get this." He handed Dinah a flash drive. "Evidence he's trying to take over the positions vacated by Frank Bertinelli and…" He stopped as his survival instincts kicked in. "And the Triad…" He trailed off, looking around.

"What's wrong?" Dinah asked.

"We're not alone." The Hood realized.

"What?!" Dinah gasped as suddenly, Quentin and the police burst in.

"SCPD! Get down, hands in the air! Do it now!" Quentin roared.

"Dad!" Dinah exclaimed as the Hood grabbed her from behind.

"You so much as leave a bruise on her, and I swear I will drag you down to hell myself!"

"Dinah, I'm sorry." The Hood whispered as he pushed Dinah away and jumped down from the roof, while a high-pitch sound stunned the policemen and Laurel and as they all recovered, Hilton pointed to the direction of the Hood.

"There!"

"He’s mine!" Quentin snarled as he ran at the Hood, who jumped on a flagpole and slid down as Quentin followed him.

"Dad, no!" Dinah wailed.

"Quentin, don't!" Hilton yelled at him as Quentin also jumped on the flagpole but a few feet above the ground he lost his grip and fell on the ground roughly. He had a shot at the Hood though and fired, hitting him in his arm as he hissed. Quentin followed the vigilante but a truck driving down the road got in his way as he vanished from his sight.

Starling City police station

Later

"I don't know what's worse," Dinah huffed as she glared daggers at her father who was leaning against his desk. "The fact that you lied to me or nearly got me killed!"

"You were completely safe," Quentin brushed off, blinking his eyes rapidly as the effects of the flashbang started to wear off.

"I was on a rooftop with an army of men pointing their guns in my face!" Dinah yelled. 

"Well, you shouldn't have been on that roof in the first place," he sneered. 

"No!" she snapped, storming towards him with purpose. "You wanted me on that roof. Wasn't that the whole point of your little trap?"

"I'm trying to catch a killer," Quentin defended.

"You manipulated me," Dinah seethed.

"Manipulated?" Quentin scoffed, standing to his full height. "You practically ran to this guy I told you to stay away from him and you did not."

"That was before you gave me the phone!" Dinah countered.

"What?" he questioned.

"That was before you gave me the phone," she said. "Before you realized that you could use me as bait. Your own daughter."

"Yeah, but you wouldn't listen to me," Quentin screamed, his face turning a brilliant shade of red, complementing the haze of his anger. 

"You are so blinded by your hatred for him that you don't realize the damage that it's doing in your own life. To your family," Dinah snarled. "So what happens when you catch them? What then, Dad? You're gonna find another criminal, somebody else to blame for Mom leaving? For Sandra dying, for your drinking?"

Quentin peered at his daughter as he let out a shaky breath, raising his index finger warningly at his daughter. "That's enough, Dinah," he said. 

"Yeah, you're damn right it is," Dinah gritted out, before turning around and heading for the exit. 

"Dinah," her father called out, as she walked away. "Dinah."

Dinah sighed and turned back around, waiting to hear whatever apology her father was about to say.

"The phone," he said, throwing her completely off-guard, as she turned around. "Give me the phone."

Dinah growled in exasperation even as she walked back towards her father and slammed the phone down on his desk.

The Foundry

Same time

"Dinah could have been hurt or worse." Oliver snarled as he put away his gear.

"I don't think Lance would have allowed it," Diggle said as Oliver turned to him, "But I imagine you'll still blame Lance anyway."

"What's your point, Dig?” Oliver asked as he faced him.

"Just that you don't see straight when it comes to Dinah.” Diggle said. “Or your mother.”

Oliver walked up to Dig and hissed, "This is not the time to bring this up again."

Diggle raised up his hands in a gesture of surrender, “I think I should tell you something right now. I'll be driving your mother around for a few days."

"You're spying on her?!" Oliver growled.

"Just doing my due diligence,” Diggle said. “See if she meets with anyone we might be interested in."

"She's not a suspect.” Oliver stated. “She's my mother."

"We need to take a closer, objective look at her.” Dig said. “Something is going on and it involves this city. We need to know if she’s involved.”

"She's not involved.” Oliver sighed.

"Then there's no harm in me driving her around for a few days, is there?" John replied as he picked up his jacket and walked out.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

The man poured over the map as Oliver stood back.

"Shengcun." The man read off the map.

"It's Chinese, it means s-" Oliver began.

"Survive." The man translated.

"What do you think he means besides not getting killed?" Oliver asked curiously.

"There is an air field klicks from here, it's key off this island. Yao-Fei had been observing it for months, familiarizing ourselves with their operations. We were supposed to get off this island together. But then Yao-Fei was compromised, and we were separated." The man explained.

While he was talking, the man had walked behind Oliver. Opening a munitions box, the man reached in and pulled out a sword. He then tossed one to Oliver who caught it clumsily.

"What is this for?" Oliver asked.

"I think Yao-Fei sent you because he knows that I can't take the airstrip alone." The man explained.

"Sounds like Yao-Fei." Oliver said dryly.

"He is a softer judge of character than I am. If you are going to have my back, I need to know you can cover it." The man said before swinging his sword at him.

Oliver instinctively raised his sword to block it but the man then took on Oliver simultaneously with ease. The man easily batted Oliver's hand away and put his sword to Oliver's throat.

"What are you doing? Fight back." The man told him bitingly.

Oliver shoved the man's blade away from his throat before taking a swing at the man. However, the man deflected and with a skilled push, sent Oliver to his knees.

"Always stay behind your sword, keep your blade up." The man said as Oliver got to his feet.

Oliver then moved to strike him, but the man side stepped Oliver, sending him flying into a grate.

"You have no skill. No strength, no training. To say you fight like a girl would be a compliment." The man sneered as he got to his feet.

"I'm not a soldier. I told you, the only reason I have this uniform is I had his gun and he was tied up." Oliver said defensively.

"Where was Yao-Fei?" The man demanded.

"He told me to run…and I did." Oliver admitted and the man then struck him hard across the face.

Starling City police station

Night

"Mr. Lance!" Tommy ran over to Quentin's desk, out of breath and holding an arrow with a recording device attacked.

"Merlyn, what are you doing here? And where'd you get that?" Quentin asked as he stood up.

"I went to Dinah's apartment, the place was trashed. I found this there and you need to listen to what's on this." Tommy said eyes wide with panic.

Dread settling in his stomach, Quentin took the arrow from Tommy and pressed play.

"Make sure this message finds its way to the vigilante. Do it fast; otherwise I'll start leaving pieces of this girl all over Starling City unless he pays me a little visit. You know, give us a chance to get to know each other." The recording ends and Quentin collapses into his chair.

"What are we gonna do? I mean, can't your CSIs I-I don't, track this, or can they trace it or something?" Tommy asked desperately.

"How does he know about Dinah?" Quentin asked numbly.

"What?" Tommy asked confused.

"How does this guy know that Dinah is connected to the vigilante?" Quentin asked.

"I don't know, I just found about it this morning. She said that you knew." Tommy told him.

"Yeah, just me and…" Quentin trailed off as he glanced around the room, letting the implications of what he was thinking sink in.

"Mr. Lance, this maniac has got Dinah. Can't you call in a posse or a SWAT team or something?" Tommy asked desperately as Quentin dug through his drawer to pull out a mobile.

"I have to go make a call." Quentin said as he walked off leaving a frustrated Tommy.

The Foundry

Same time

Oliver walked down the stairs to see Diggle sitting at the computer. From the look on his face, he knew that it wasn't good news.

"Thanks for comin'," Diggle said, watching Oliver stop in front of him. “Didn't seem like a good idea to talk about this at your house."

"Yeah, well, it would have been a little awkward for you to explain to my mother that you're spying on her," Oliver snapped.

“No, man,” Diggle sighed as he handed him a recording device, “awkward parts coming up.”

"You bugged my mother?" Oliver asked with a forced calm tone.

"Just listen," Diggle said, as Oliver pressed the button on the device, and let it play loudly for all of them to hear,

"I made it clear to him persuasively that his plans endangered The Undertaking," Moira countered. "I didn't have to make the usual threats."

"It's taken care of." Moira said. "I've taken care of it. Carl Ballard won't be a problem anymore."

"Given your propensity for squeamishness, I'm assuming that Mr. Ballard remains in good health." The other, distorted voice no one present could recognize, said.

"I made it clear to him persuasively that his plan endangered the Undertaking. He won't be a problem anymore. I didn't have to make the usual threats." Moira assured.

"Excellent. Now, one more matter to attend to. I need you to have the contents of this address removed and disposed of thoroughly. The warehouse, where you're storing the remains of the Queen's Gambit."

"I already told you, I knew Robert's yacht was sabotaged."

Oliver felt like if he had been punched in his stomach with an iron fist as he turned the recorder off.

"I'm sorry, man." Diggle said.

"The yacht was sabotaged." Oliver whispered. "Somebody tried to kill my father."

Diggle pointed out, "And your mother was involved somehow."

Oliver glared at him and said, "You do not know that she was involved, Diggle!"

Dig stared at him and said, "What I do know, Oliver, and so do you, is that she kept this a secret. Why would she do that if she didn't have something to hide?"

A buzzing sound was heard and Dig asked, "Is that-"

"Yeah!" Oliver took out the phone and accepted the call before growling, "You have three seconds before I have this line permanently disconnected."

"It's Dinah she's been kidnapped," Quentin said and Oliver promptly froze, "whoever this is, he's got my daughter. Please believe me."

Lian Yu, five years ago

Late afternoon

Oliver came to in a chait. His hands were tied behind his back as he was in a chair. Oliver tried to wiggle his hands out of his bounds as the man drank some water before turning around to face him.

"Sorry, it's nothing personal," the man said as he walked over to him, "the airstrip is a heavily fortified position. I know, I've been there. And I cannot take it on my own."

The man reached behind his back and took out a sword before holding it to Oliver's neck.

"So what, huh, you're just gonna kill me?!" Oliver demanded.

"Like I said, it's nothing personal," The man said as the sword began to dig into Oliver's neck "if you are alive, they will find you. And when they find you, they will torture you until you give up my location and I cannot allow for that to happen!" The man snarled.

"Hey don't," Oliver pleaded as he got to his feet, "I promise I'm not gonna say anything-"

Oliver got off when the man pushed him down into the chair.

"Don't make this more difficult upon yourself; I can do this in a way that you won't feel it at all." The man said trying to be merciful.

Oliver twisted his hand and a crack was heard. Oliver doubled over, crying out in pain as the man looked at him, the man in confusion, wondering what had happened. Then Oliver stood up and punched the man in the face. He barely moved and Oliver was sure this was the end for him as the man grabbed him by the collar. Then the man laughed and extended his hand for Oliver to shake.

"Slade Wilson." He said as they shook hands.

"Oliver Queen." Oliver said as they shook hands.

"Well Oliver Queen, there may be a fighter in you after all." Slade said.

Starling City

Night

Quentin stood on the rooftop, waiting for the Vigilante.

"Detective," Quentin turned around to see the man, "if this is another trick, you won't like the consequences."

"I don't like you, I hate what you stand for, but this lunatic has my daughter. He left this behind as some kind of ransom note." Quentin explained as he held up the arrow.

"His name is Cyrus Vanch." The Hood said and Quentin reeled back.

"He'll kill her if he doesn't get to you." Quentin said aghast.

"He'll kill her anyway. So why come to me?" The Hood demanded.

"It's a pretty tight circle who knows about my daughter and you. If Vanch knows, it's because someone at the present talked. There isn't anyone else I can trust." Quentin explained.

"Vanch is at a mansion. It's pretty heavily fortified, I can't take it by myself." The Arrow told the detective.

"I need your help." Quentin begged.

"Then I need yours." The Hood said.

Vanch's hideout

Later

The Hood jumped out of the shadows. The Hood firing off two arrows, killing two guards before they knew what had happened. Two more guards ran over from opposite directions and were easily taken care off. Both were killed by arrows fired into the air.

Spotting two sharp-shooters on opposite balconies, The Hood shot an explosive arrow. It exploded after making an impact on the wall, temporally blinding them. The Hood shot two arrows and both gunmen were taken out. Making his way towards the back of the mansion, the figure came face to face with an army of guards. Within only a minute, the guards were all either incapacitated or dead. He entered the house only for them to come face to face with two gunmen. Out of arrows, the Hood appeared to surrender and let himself be captured by the two men.

Dinah was tied to a chair at the head of the table with Vance and a blonde woman stood near her. Vanch smiled a nasty smile upon seeing him.

"Lost the bow, Merida," Vanch ordered and The Hood reluctantly lowered his bow to the floor, "ventilate that guy."

The guards were just about to do that when two gunshots rang out. The guards dropped dead as Quentin Lance walked into the room, rage in his eyes. The woman tried to run but The Hood knocked her out with a single punch to the face.

"My Daughter! My girl!" Quentin snarled as he zeroed in on Vanch.

Vanch looked on in fear as Quentin approached. As the angry father was about to pull the trigger, The Hood picked up a knife and threw it. It hit Quentin's gun and knocked it out of his hand.

"I'm the vigilante, you're the cop." The Hood reminded him.

"…Doesn't mean I have to read the bastard his rights." Quentin said after a moment.

Quentin walked over and punched Vanch in the face. The criminal went down to the floor, unconscious. The Vigilante turned to leave.

"Hey," he paused as Quentin called out to him, "I'll never be okay with what you do…but I can't argue with your results. Maybe the world isn't as black and white as I thought."

The Hood's back were to him, so he couldn't see the smile that spread across The vigilante's face. But he didn't say anything, simply walked out the door.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Oliver, his arm in a cast, sat across from Slade, a fire lighting up the inside of the plane.

"This does not change anything between us. It takes at least two soldiers to take the airfield. You tcompromise my getting off this island in anyway, and I will kill you." Slade told him.

"You need me as much as I need you." Oliver told him and Slade just smiled.

"So what's our next step?" Oliver asked.

"Turning you into something that won't get us both killed. Choose a weapon." Slade ordered as he gestured towards the crates.

"We're starting now?" Oliver asked surprised.

Slade gave him a look and they stood up. He walked over to the munitions box and opened it. He started to look through the weapons when Oliver spotted something. Oliver picked up the now familiar black and orange mask in a horrified realization.

"That's mine." Slade told him.

"You're the lunatic who tortured me!" Oliver snarled, lunging forward at Slade viciously.

"That was another guy." Slade told him.

"Bull!" Oliver denied.

"That's mask is my operation equivalent to a balaclava. My partner and I wore them to keep our identities classified during our missions." Slade explained.

"Why should I believe you?" Oliver asked hesitantly.

"You shouldn't but it's the truth. My partner and I came here to free Yao-Fei and get him off this island. We're ASIS, Australian Intelligence. Now, you are going to choose a weapon. Have you considered a sword? I like swords." Slade said with a grim smile.

The Foundry

Later

Diggle walked up to see Oliver listening to the recording of Moira.

"I've listened to this fifteen times, it's definitely her voice. I just…can't believe it's her." Oliver admitted agonized.

“We all have blind spots when it comes to family,” Diggle responded.

"Yeah, and Dinah’s almost got her killed tonight," Oliver retorted. "Vanch never would have known about her connection to us had Lance kept her out of his one-man war against me.”

"Guess the lesson of the week is that blind trust can be dangerous," Diggle supplied.

Oliver turned on the recorder as they heard Moira's voice. "I made it clear to him persuasively that his plans endangered the Undertaking. I didn't have to make the usual threats."

"The Undertaking?" Diggle repeated. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Oliver admitted. "But with all this talk about threats, it can't be good." He took a breath. "You warned me that if she was lying, it would be to cover up her own involvement in something dangerous." He made a decision. "I need to know what the Undertaking is." He got up.

"What are you gonna do?" Diggle asked.

"I need to have another chat with my Mom."

Queen Consolidated

Later

The Hood burst through the office window. He took care of the security, knocking them out as Moira's guest fled. Moira stood up in shocked as The Hood notched an arrow and took out her light. The Hood notched an arrow as he approached the terrified Moira.

"Moira Queen, you have failed this city!" he shouted.

Chapter Text

Queen Consolidated

Night

Moira lunged for the phone but The Hood let go. The arrow in his bow flew into her desk and Moira jumped back.

"Stand still!" The Hood barked.

"Please don't kill me." Moira begged.

"Do you know anything about your husband's disappearance?" The Hood asked.

"What?" Moira asked thrown.

"Is Walter Steele still alive?!" He shouted at her.

"I don't know where my husband is, I swear." Moira said and after studying her reaction, The Hood determined she was telling the truth.

"Do you know anything about the undertaking?" The Hood asked and Moira reached for something behind her, "I said don't move!"

"I-I'm a mother," Moira dropped to her knees, holding a picture of Oliver and Thea in front of her, "I have a son, Oliver. And a daughter, her name's Thea, she's just a teenager. Please don't take me from my children. They lost their father, they can't lose me to. Please, whoever you are, please."

Oliver felt very conflicted for a moment. The Hood and Oliver battled internally for a moment but Oliver easily won. Call him stupid or sentimental but this was his mother after all. The Hood took a deep breath as he lowered his bow.

"I'm not gonna hurt you." He told her.

Moira dropped the picture and reached behind her into the hutch behind her. She turned around, a gun in hand and started firing. The Hood dropped to the floor, but the pain in his shoulder let him know that he had been hit at least once. As Moira stopped to call security, Oliver stood up and quietly fled, cursing himself for letting his emotions cloud his judgement.

Parking Garage

Not too long after

Wendy White got inside her car and turned it on. She looked back to see The Hood in her back seat, nearly giving the blonde a heart attack.

"I'm not gonna hurt you Wendy." He groaned.

"How do you know my name?" Wendy demanded.

"Because you know my name." Oliver said as he lowered his hood.

"Oliver…oh…wow. Everything about you and just became so unbelievably clear," Wendy said as all the little things Oliver did that didn't make sense suddenly all came together, "you're bleeding."

"Take me to my father's old factory in the Glades." Oliver ordered.

"What? Oliver, you need a doctor, not a steelworker." Wendy told him.

"Wendy, you need to promise me that you will take me to there and nowhere else." Oliver ordered.

"Yeah…promise." Wendy finally agreed as Oliver lost consciousness.

The Foundry

Later

Diggle was watching a news report on what had happened tonight at Queen Consolidated. He was worried that Oliver hadn't called to let him know his status when his danger sense went off. Diggle pulled out a gun and turned to face Wendy, who sported a bloodied shirt.

"Um, could you help me? He's really heavy." Wendy said ignoring Diggle's gun.

The man didn't need to be told twice as Diggle prepped for medical attention. Diggle had a metal table out and the two gently lower Oliver onto the table and Diggle removed his shirt as he assessed Oliver's wound.

"Damn it, they just missed a cardiac. It's a zone two wound, press there." Diggle ordered and Wendy pressed a rag to the wound as Diggle walked over to a medical cart.

"I should have taken him to a hospital." Wendy fretted.

"No, that's why he asked you to bring him here. Police would want to know how and why he got that wound." Diggle disagreed.

"I'm guessing how and why are your least favorite words?" Wendy asked dryly.

"There's also the when and where that we're not too fond of." Diggle said in the same tone.

"So if we can't bring him to the hospital-"

"We bring the hospital to him." Diggle finished as he pulled out a bag of blood.

"Is that…" Wendy asked.

"Blood. He stored some in case of an emergency. If this isn't an emergency, I don't know what is." Diggle said.

"I got it, over here." Diggle said donning a pair of surgical gloves as Wendy walked over to the other side of the table.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Wendy asked.

"Yes." Diggle said.  "Trust me; Oliver's been through a lot worse than this."

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Slade was trying to whip Oliver into shape but wasn't having much luck. Oliver didn't have much ability with hand to hand or a knife as they went at it constantly with escrima sticks. Oliver seemed to be doing a good job blocking Slade but then Slade managed to get past Oliver and strike him in the face. Oliver went down with a pained groan. Oliver stood up, frustration on his face.

"How'd you survive here for six months? I know girl scouts with more fight in them." Slade jabbed.

"You fighting girl scouts now Slade?" Oliver said cheekily before Slade struck his hand, "Ow! What the hell?!"

"We ten days until the supply plane lands. Ten days to turn you into at least half of a soldier. Start taking it seriously." Slade growled at him.

Oliver picked up the stick again and moved to attack. He lasted all of about a second before Slade knocked it out of his hand again, striking his wrists in the process. As Oliver groaned in pain, he had enough. Oliver stormed in Slade's face.

"What is the point of all this?! Bamboo will always lose against a gun, so what am I supposed to do when they point a gun at me?!" Oliver demanded.

"Jam this in my face." Slade said as he pulled out a pistol and handed it to him.

Oliver took it and did as he instructed. No sooner had he done this then Slade struck. Slade grabbed his arm and twisted it around, disarming him before throwing him onto the ground, the gun now in his hand. Oliver rushed forward, glaring at Slade.

"There is no giving up to these guys. No crying or buying your way out of it. You have two choices: escape or die. So choose." Slade told him and he didn't even have to think about it.

"Escape." Oliver said.

"Then let me show you how not to die." Slade said as he put his gun away.

Slade walked back over to where his sticks laid and he picked them up. Slade tossed one to Oliver, who caught it. The two of them rushed at each other.

Later, in the downed plane, Slade lays out a map as Oliver stands right beside him.

"Lian Yu." Slade said as he looked at the map.

"It's the name of the island, I know. It's Mandurian for purgatory." Oliver explained.

"Wonderful." Slade drawls as he goes over to one side. 

"Is that the airstrip?" Oliver asked as he pointed to a spot on the map.

"ASIS took satellite images of the whole island. This," Slade said as he pointed to another spot on the island, "is Fryers' main camp, where I was held for almost a year."

"Do you think that's where Yao-Fei is? Maybe there's a way we can get a message to him, tell him we found a way of the island?" Oliver suggested.

"Forget about him," Slade dismisses harshly as he moves his finger over to a new spot on the map, "this is the airstrip. And inferred images show that there are at least ten soldiers guarding the perimeter at any given time."

"Too many of them for you?" Oliver quipped.

"No," Slade said and Oliver sombers up as Slade moves to another part of the map that shows a tower, "m6y problem is the guy here in the tower. It's a PTAC: a portable air traffic control tower. The US government set these up for disaster zones like Thailand after the tsunami."

"So what's the problem?" Oliver asked knowing Slade would have easily taken him out unless something was stopping him.

"The glass is bullet proof. I can't take him out with my snipper rifle. If he suspects anything is wrong, he'll radio Fryers and we're cancelled. That will be up to you. You need to take him out, up close and personal. Are you ready for that?"

"Do you think I'm ready for that?" Oliver asked him.

"What I think is that there is one supply plane every three months. We leave tomorrow or we die soon afterwards. I pick leaving," Slade said with his younger companion nodding reluctantly, "so get some sleep; we leave at o-six hundred."

The next day, Slade and Oliver were trudging through the forest. Oliver had a backpack on while Slade had two swords and a snipper rifle strapped to his back. Suddenly, Slade stopped and held up his hand, signaling Oliver to stop as well. For a moment, the only sound for miles was sound of running water from the river.

"All clear." Slade said as they continued on.

"Can we, huh, rest for a second?" Oliver asked out of breath.

"You can rest on the plane." Slade dismissed.

"Yeah, really looking forward to the in-flight movie-" Oliver began when he heard a click beneath his feet.

Evidently, Slade had heard it too. The man turned to him, horror and alarm on his face.

"Don't move." Slade ordered.

"Is it a mine?" Oliver asked.

Slade held up his hand for Oliver to be quiet. Slade got down on his knees and carefully dug away the dirt, leaves, and wood around Oliver's feet to reveal the bomb.

"Yeah." Slade confirmed.

"They mined the island?" Oliver asked though he really wasn't surprised.

"No, it's probably Japanese, left over from world war two. Still active, impressive." Slade observed.

"Can you disarm it?" Oliver asked.

"Without disarming you?" Slade asked sarcastically before his eyes widened as he looked over Oliver's shoulder, "soldiers."

Oliver looked over his shoulder to see about three of Fryers' men approaching. Dread filled him; this was possibly the worst thing that could have possibly happened to him. Today, at least.

"Can they see us?" Oliver asked fearfully.

Slade ripped the bag off Oliver before running away.

Slade didn't stop. Growling in frustration, Oliver pulled out his black mask and put it on just as the soldiers reached him.

"What are you doing so far from camp?" one of the soldiers demanded.

"I got separated from my unit." Oliver said the first lie that came to mind.

"Come with us." The same soldier demanded.

"I can't," Oliver said as they looked down and saw the mine, "I'm kind of having a bad day if you know what I mean."

At that moment, Slade rushed out of the woods with a roar, his sword drawn. Slade ran the first soldier threw with his sword before pulling back and slitting the others' throats. Oliver, who had ducked down, looked up amazed as Slade kneeled down in front of him.

"Be still." Slade ordered.

Grabbing one of the soldier's bodies, he yanked it forward as he pushed Oliver and himself off the mine. Both braced for explosion in case this failed but nothing happened. They sighed with relief as they stood up. Thanks." Oliver said.

"Come on, we need to move." Slade ordered and they quickly fled the scene.

Later at night, in the woods, the two had made camp. Oliver was trying to start a fire using sticks, key word trying. Slade, who was cleaning his gun, observed dryly.

"Obviously you were never a boy scout." Slade said dryly.

"Yeah, what tipped you off?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"Better hurry, the wolves come out at night." Slade said and Oliver stopped as he stared at him stunned.

"There are wolves here? Of course there are wolves here, because what would the worst place on Earth be without wolves?" Oliver grumbled.

"The only thing that will keep them out is fire." Slade said. "everyone is in this life for themselves." Slade said bitterly.

"You learn that in Australian spy school?" Oliver asked mockingly.

"No, I learned that here. Do you remember I told you I had a partner?" Slade asked and Oliver nodded, "well, do you remember the guy who tortured you kid?"

"That…that freak show was your partner?!" Oliver demanded stunned.

"His name's Billy Wintergreen." Slade told him.

"Oh, okay." Oliver said sarcastically.

"Our mission was to find Yao-Fei and find out why Fryers and his men were so interested in him. But our Bird was shot down before we ever found the airstrip." Slade explained.

"That's where I found you." Oliver realized and Slade nodded before continuing.

"When Fryers captured us, he asked if we join him and his men. Billy accepted Fryers invitation, I declined. He was the godfather to my son Joe and yet he turned his back on me without thinking twice about it," Slade said as he got in Oliver's face, "everybody is in this life for themselves."

Slade then walked off. After a moment of thinking to himself, Oliver stood up and followed.

Later, the two approached the airstrip. Standing on the edge of camp, Slade turned to him and pointed to the tower.

"If you let him radio camp, we're done." Slade warned him before handing Oliver one of his swords.

"What about the others?" Oliver asked.

"You worry about your one, I'll worry about my ten." Slade said before they moved out.

The Foundry

Later

"Good job…I think." Wendy said as Diggle finished stitching up Oliver's wound.

"His heart rate's elevated but at least the bleedings stopped." Diggle said as he put down the surgical equipment.

"Thank you for bringing him here." Doggle said as he turned to Wendy.

"well, I always wondered how I'd react if I found my boss shot and bleeding inside my car," Wendy said dryly before jumping, "not that I helped because he's my boss, I'd help anyone who was shot and bleeding."

"I was thinking this would be more of a shock," Diggle said and caught sight of Wendy's grin, "what, are you saying that you called this all along?"

"I'm not saying anything…except Oliver had brought me a laptop with bullet holes and made me research a company involved in armored car heists."

"Yeah, he isn't so great with cover stories." Diggle admitted.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

As Slade took out the soldiers, Oliver made his way to the tower. Walking up the tower stair well, Oliver peaked inside to see only one man inside. Oliver opened the door and carefully walked inside. He rushed over to the man but he saw him. The man stood up and he and Oliver got into a fight, during which Oliver lost his sword. Seeing the man point a gun in his face, Oliver tried to do what Slade had done to him during the day but failed. The man threw Oliver into the monitors and held a gun up to him only to get stabbed in the heart. The man dropped the gun, gasping as he bled before the sword was pulled out. Oliver revealed the sword he'd been hiding, masking a smirk.

The Foundry

Not too long after

The two of them rushed to Oliver as his heart rate monitor suddenly lit up like the fourth of July. Oliver thrashed around as Diggle checked him over.

"What's happening?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"There's a syringe labelled Ativan. It should stop the seizure." Diggle explained as he gestured to the cart.

Wendy moved towards the cart when the erratic movement stopped a dial tone was heard.

"His heart has stopped." Diggle announced.

"I'm calling Nine-One-One." Wendy moved for her phone.

"No, wait." Diggle said as he rushed over to the cart.

Taking out two shock pads, Diggle rushed over to Oliver. Placing them on Oliver's chest, Diggle turned the dial.

Nothing happened. As Diggle felt a wave of crushing despair and grief settle over him, Wendy rushed over.

"I heard a charge, that's good news." Wendy said as she went over to the machine, pulled out a scalpel, and pried open the casing.

"How's that?" Diggle asked.

"It means it may not be the machine, it could be the wiring." Wendy said as she went to work on the wires.

"Hurry Wendy!" Diggle shouted eying the monitor showing Oliver's non-beating heart.

"Okay, try again." Wendy said as she closed the casing.

Diggle put the shock panels back on Oliver's chest and they sent a jolt through Oliver's body. When his heart showed no response, Diggle repeated the process and his heart restarted.

"What the hell did you do?" Diggle asked Wendy as he put the shock pads back.

"I've been building computers since I was seven, wires are wires." Wendy said sheepishly before looking down at Oliver, "what do we do now?"

"Nothing we can do but wait." Diggle told her.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Before anyone could say anything, a voice was heard.

"Island tower, this is Sky Hawk 801 Foxtrot. We are 700 kilometers south east of your position, ETA three hours twenty two minutes, over." The voice said and Slade picked up the radio.

"Island tower, Sky Hawk 801 Foxtrot, acknowledged." Slade said and there was no response, so Slade repeated himself.

"Of the creatures that move and breath upon the earth." The voice said and Slade looked worried while Oliver looked confused.

"What is that?" Oliver asked confused.

"It's a challenge code to verify our identities." Slade explained before grabbing the radio, "Sky Hawk 801 Foxtrot, please repeat."

"Of all the creatures that move and breathe upon the earth."

"Wait, wait I know this," Oliver said before laughing lightly, "They picked the one book I read in college."

"what are you talking about?" Slade asked.

"It's a quote, from the Odyssey," Oliver closed his eyes as he tried to remember, "of all the creatures that move and breath upon the earth, nothing-nothing is born that is weaker than man."

"Are you sure about this, because if you're wrong this plane will turn around." Slade warned him.

"No, just one thing that I forgot to say before. Nothing is bred that is weaker than men," Oliver continued saying.

"Nothing is bred that is weaker than man." Slade replied and they both waited for a tense second.

"Roger that, see you in a few hours, over." The voice replied and they both gave a sigh of relief.

"The Odyssey." Slade said.

"Yeah. It's a story about a guy trying to get home, so-" Oliver cut himself off with a sigh.

"Well after a few days at Langstughl Airbase, you will be on your way home." Slade assured him.

"You sound like you're not coming with me." Oliver noticed.

"I'm coming with you, after I radio in an air strike on this location. I'm going to send Fryers and all his men straight back to hell." Slade told him stunning the castaway.

"Wait, Yao-Fei will still be on the island." Oliver protested.

"He is not my concern." Slade said callously.

"He's the only reason you came here, rescuing him was your mission!" Oliver pointed out.

"Well the missions changed. Edward Fryers is a mercenary and he is not on this island by mistake. He has plans for Lian Yu and they involve Yao-Fei! Now I don't know what they are, but they must end!" Slade said as he got in Oliver's face.

To Slade's surprise, Oliver didn't flinch.

"Yao-Fei saved my life." Oliver pointed out.

"That is your debt to repay, not mine." Slade said coolly.

Oliver turned around and picked up a gun. He moved to leave but Slade stopped him.

"Where are you going!?" Slade demanded.

"All my life, all I have thought about is myself. I took my family for granted, I took people for granted," Oliver said as he looked over at a picture before turning back to Slade, "I'm not gonna be that person anymore. I can't leave without Yao-Fei, I won't."

"If you aren't back here with Yao-Fei in three hours, I am leaving without you." Slade told him.

Oliver turned to Slade, "If Yao-Fei and I don't make it back…call my family."

"Sure kid." Slade said after a moment.

Oliver nodded at him, before walking out the door.

The Foundry

Not too long after

"He's going into cardiac arrest again!" Diggle shouted as the machines beeped.

"No, the leads just came loose." Wendy said after studying the wires and fixed it, the sounding stopping.

"It's less stressful when he’s jumping off rooftops." Diggle complained.

"You know, this bow has put arrows into quite a few people." Wendy mentioned as she fingered Oliver's bow. "And this doesn't bother you? You seem like someone who would be bothered by this."

"When I was in Afghanistan, my unit was tasked with protecting this local war lord. He was less than human, sold opium, sold children. One day we were accompanying him to Mosul when my convoy was attacked. We had them outgunned, fire fight didn't last more than a minute. When the smoke cleared, I knew which one I had killed. When I pulled back his keffiyeh, I could see he was just a kid, no more than eighteen. I shot him in the throat. I killed this kid to protect this human piece of garbage and I thought 'am I still good? Am I still a good man?' Doing this with Oliver, I feel good again for the first time in a long time." Diggle explained.

"And that's worth all the…collateral damage? Wendy asked hesitantly.

"People have died more from the people we've taken down than they ever have from Oliver. He isn't a serial killer, Wendy. We have to measure the needs of the few against the needs of the many. Not everyone is worth saving." Diggle told her.

Lian Yu, five years ago

When they came upon the camp, Wintergreen was about to kill Oliver. Slade took out his rifle and shot at one of the jeeps. An explosion drew everyone's attention. In the chaos that followed, Oliver limped over to the back of a jeep. He watched as Slade and Wintergreen fought before Slade stabbed his former friend through the eye. As they emerged from bb behind the jeep, Fryers appeared and shot Slade in the arm and the Australian went down. Oliver grabbed an assault rifle and fired back, causing Fryers to run for cover.

"Come on!" Oliver shouted and led him away from the scene.

As they fled, a soldier appeared and pointed a gun in Oliver's face. Oliver. Angry behind patience, disarmed the soldier in the manner Slade had done to him just yesterday. Slade laughed in pure amazement as Oliver pointed the gun at his enemy. Oliver held the gun at him for a moment before he pulled the trigger. As the soldier fell to the ground, blood pouring out from his head, the two fled. But not before they saw a plane fly overhead.

"There goes our ride." Slade mentioned idly.

Later, in the fuselage, Slade groaned in pain as Oliver dug the bullets out of Slade's arm. Slade flexed his arms but he was restrained by ropes. Finally, Oliver got it out and Slade gasped in relief.

"I'm impressed, you didn't puke." Slade said.

"I swallowed it." Oliver said weakly.

"You can untie me now." Slade told him.

"Why'd you want me to tie you up in the first place?" Oliver asked curiously.

"A man in pain is unreliable," Slade explained as Oliver took off the ropes, "I was afraid I might kill you. Thanks."

Suddenly, Oliver laughed and Slade looked at him like he was crazy.

"Sorry, it's just I'm trapped on an island and my only friend is named Wilson," Oliver sighed, "so what now?"

"We hope my firework show sets fryers back, maybe enough for the ones that hired him in the first place to call things off." Slade explained.

"Hired him?" Oliver asked confused.

"Well Fryers is a merc, he follows the money. So he's on this island under someone's employ." Slade explained as he stood up.

"So what do we do?" Oliver asked.

"We have to make sure none of us dies on this god-forsaken island." Slade told him firmly.

"I thought you said if we didn't' make it on the plane, make it off this island, we wouldn't live much longer." Oliver pointed out confused.

"Well, those dumb kid I trained? He would never have made it," Slade said before flashing a genuine smile, "but you? You might just have a chance."

The foundry, next day

Morning

Oliver opened his eyes, realizing immediately that he was on an infirmary table in his home base. Oliver looked over as Diggle, and Wendy walked up to him, concern on their faces.

"So I didn't die. Again. Cool." Oliver said.

Diggle shook his head, and Wendy laughed.

Later, Oliver winced as he buttoned up his shirt.

"So how am I gonna explain this one?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"Hickey gone wrong?" Diggle joked.

"Police collected a sample of your blood at Queen Consolidated," Wendy called over from the computer, "I hacked into the crime lab and had it destroyed. Oops."

Oliver looked over at the computers, noted the upgraded system.

"I hope you don't mind, but your system looked like it was from the eighties. And not the good eighties with Madonna and legwarmers." Wendy babbled.

"It's a lot of work. Why'd you do that?" Oliver asked curiously.

"I want to help find Walter." Wendy said.

"My step-father." Oliver said.

"He was nice to me. And Mr. Diggle told me that the notebook you use to fight crime is the same one that got Walter abducted," Oliver shot the man a look but otherwise said nothing, "I'll help you rescue him but that's it. After that I want to go back to my boring life as an IT girl at Queen Consolidated."

"Okay." Oliver agreed.

"Now, is there a bathroom?" Wendy asked and Oliver smiled amused as Diggle snickered.

"Upstairs to the left." Oliver told her and Wendy ran upstairs.

"I know you don't want to hurt this girl and you didn't have a choice in telling her who you really are but you're asking her to get involved with some pretty dangerous stuff." Diggle pointed out.

"I'll take care of it, I'll protect her." Oliver told him.

"How?" Diggle countered. "You couldn't even stop your own mother from shooting you.”

"She was scared," Oliver argued. "She was defending herself."

"Or she was hiding something," Diggle remarked. "Like maybe her involvement in Walter's disappearance or worse."

"Diggle, we don't always know why people do what they do," Oliver declared. "But what I do know is that when I was standing in her office, with an arrow aimed at her heart, she begged me to spare her, all on behalf of me and Thea. Now, I've taken down a lot of bad people. None of them brought up their kids.”

“Oliver, she had the list," Diggle replied. "Now she may not be in charge of whatever it is, but she is definitely involved."

“I never said she wasn’t, but we don’t have proof,” Oliver argued. “All I'm saying is that there has to be a better way to find out what she knows than by threatening her life. We still don't even know what it is, and until we do, no one touches her. Am I clear?"

Diggle nodded his head slowly.

"You really believe that she's innocent, or you don't want to face the fact that your mother might be guilty?" Diggle pointed out.

Oliver took a breath, not answering.

Chapter Text

The Foundry

Night

Oliver was sparring with wooden batons as Diggle looked on. Wendy was at the computers, discreetly looking up at him every now and then.

"You know, maybe you should take it easy," Diggle suggested, "I mean, Oliver you were just shot."

"This is me taking it easy." Oliver said as he snapped the staff in two.

"So who's our lucky guy tonight?" Diggle asked curiously.

"Ken Williams," Oliver said not noticing Wendy start typing, "people didn't just lose their homes, lives were ruined."

"I'm not expecting trouble, you two take off early tonight." Oliver ordered as he moved towards the exit.

He picked up his gear and walked over to the exit. Oliver put in the code like he had done a million times before. But when Oliver tried to open the door, it was still locked. Perplexed, Oliver reentered the code and tried again but it was the same result. Quickly figuring out what had happened, Oliver turned around and stormed over to Wendy.

"What the hell are you playing at Wendy?" Oliver demanded.

"I pulled up some information on Mr. Williams. Do you know he's a widowed father of a ten-year old boy? I told you, I'm in this to help Walter, not to be an accessory to making kids orphans." Wendy said defensively, growing worried as Oliver's expression turned angrier the more she talked.

"I'm just giving him a warning," Oliver responded through gritted teeth.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you could do real good in this city beyond just recovering people's stock portfolios and their saving accounts?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Wendy," Oliver griped. "I thought that's what I was doing when I stopped Floyd Lawton from shooting up an auction gala, and stopped the bank robbers, and saved the Christmas hostages, and so on, and so on." Then he leaned over her and pressed the lock icon on the touchscreen to disarm the lock on the door, leveled her with a piercing glare, and said, "You're not the only one who knows how to reboot my system."

"I made a mistake," she muttered.

"Getting in my way? I don't disagree," Oliver snarked.

Wendy huffed in frustration as he stood back up to his full height and she soon followed suit and got up from her chair, scowling at him. 

"No," she said. "Signing on with you, even provisionally."

Then she walked past Oliver and headed for the stairs. 

On the other side of the desk, Diggle observed the two of them and found himself surprised and amused by their dichotomy.

Queen Consolidated, next day

Morning

Oliver and Diggle were in the office, looking for Wendy, when they found her as she briskly walked past them and sat at her desk.

"I had a bet going with myself on how quickly you two would visit, tell me not to reveal your secret," Wendy started, as she took a seat. "Looks like I won."

Oliver let out a sharp breath as he continued on. "I was hoping that you would change your mind and rejoin the team," he said. "I was worked up on adrenaline last night and didn't exactly put my best foot forward. I was hoping you would give me the opportunity to do that now."

"How about you start with Ken Williams?" she said defiantly. "Did he also enjoy some of your adrenaline last night?"

"No, he returned the money that he stole just in time to put his son to bed," Oliver said with a snarky lilt in his voice, wiping the smug look off Wendy's face. "Like I said, Wendy, I was giving him a warning. You do know what a warning is, right?"

But just before she could give a definitive answer, the television broadcast coming from her laptop diverted her attention, causing the others to follow as they all tuned in.

"At this time, we'd like to remind the public that we are coordinating our efforts with Interpol, as the Dodger operates primarily in Europe, and they have advised us to warn the public that he is to be considered armed and dangerous," Kate Spencer said to the sea of reporters standing in front of her on the screen. 

"Yeah, I heard about this guy," Diggle echoed. "He uses hostages to do his stealing for him."

Oliver looked at Diggle curiously. "How?"

"By putting a bomb collar around their necks," Diggle answered. "Last year, a guy in Madrid didn't steal what the Dodger told him to and the guy got his head blown off, literally."

"And now this psycho is in Starling," Wendy huffed. "Too bad his name's not in your notebook." 

"Mhm. Just because the names on the list are our primary focus, doesn't mean we don't know how to branch out, as I said last night when I mentioned some of the other bad things that we stopped outside of the list," Oliver cut in, with a smug grin. "Some of which you were complicit in. So why don't you stop acting all high and mighty and get down in the dirt with the rest of us to help us take him down?"

Big Belly Burger

Afternoon

Oliver sat across from Diggle and Wendy at Big Belly Burger as they tried to come up with a plan to take down the Dodger.

"So to catch this guy we need to figure out where he is or where he's gonna be." Oliver told them.

"So, this is how you guys figure out how to get your target. Over burgers and shakes?" Wendy asked torn between exasperation and amusement.

"Sorry it took me so long," Carly said as she walked over and set a sugar shaker in front of Diggle, "I'm waiting on some particularly rowdy customers."

Diggle looked over to see some little kids making a scene.

"You need me handle that?" Diggle offered politely.

"Thanks but I'm pretty much an expert at this." Carly assured him.

"I'm here if you need me." Diggle said politely and she flashed him a smile before walking away.

"Girlfriend?" Wendy asked once Carly was gone.

"My sister-in-law. Sort of." Diggle said and Wendy looked at him confused.

"Carly was married to Dig's brother. And then he passed away." Oliver was all too willing to offer up.

"Well, looks like she's hot for you." Wendy told Diggle teasingly.

"Can we get back to crime fighting please?" Diggle begged.

"So, Diggle, I was thinking that you should probably ask Carly out," Oliver said.

"Really?" Diggle remarked. "Well, if it's all the same to you, I'll do that five minutes after Oliver asks out Kate."

"Ooh, Kate? Isn't she the DA on the Dodger case?" Wendy asked.

"On that note—" Oliver intervened, changing the conversation, "Dig, I don't see you asking Carly out."

Diggle exhaled and tapped his fingers on the table two times before he got up and walked over to the bar counter, where Carly was pouring drinks.

"Okay, Wendy, this guy, he's targeting a particular type of jewel," Oliver said. "We figure out why, and that'll give us the how to catch him."

"I have an idea," Wendy piped up. "Your crush object with a badge said they were working with Interpol?"

"Yep," Oliver said.

"So, why don't I work up a little tech, and then you can distract her with a little flirty flirt and slip said tech onto her phone?" Wendy suggested. "It'll turn into a micro-transmitter and boop. We'll learn everything she knows."

"It's certainly not how I typically get my information," Oliver said, sipping his milkshake.

"How do you typically do it?" Wendy inquired.

"I find the person," Oliver informed. "And then I put the fear of God into them until they talk. But we can try it your way."

The Glades

Later

Dinah and Thea were getting food from a hot dog stand. 

"Mm," Thea hummed as she bit into her hotdog while walking away from the hotdog stand with Dinah. "God, who knew street meat could taste so good?" 

"I had a feeling you needed a break from the office," Dinah chuckled. "Hank was my first client. I kept his son from being sent away for a mugging that he didn't commit."

"And how did that not score you free hotdogs for life?" Thea questioned, earning a bombastic side-eye from Dinah.

"CNRI gives low-income people access to the legal system," Dinah stated. "Without them, his son could have gone to prison forever."

"Well, I could have gone to prison, too," Thea chimed.

Dinah gave the younger girl a pointed look and said, "Not everyone can afford a dream team of super attorneys or has a mega-rich big brother who can cash in favors with upper-echelon law enforcement officers."

"So I'm supposed to feel guilty because I'm lucky enough to be born into a rich family?" Thea pouted.

Dinah shook her head in response. "No, Thea. You are lucky. And hopefully, CNRI will show you that."

Out of nowhere, a teenage boy with strawberry-blond hair, wearing a red hoodie and jeans bolted past the two women, snatching Thea's purse in mid-stride before he sped off down the street as Thea and Dinah in hot pursuit, nearly getting hit by a car in the process. After a while of chasing him, they managed to corner the assailant in an alleyway closed off by a metal gate.

"Give us the purse, and we won't press any charges," Dinah demanded.

However, the mugger smirked before jumping off the brick wall and hopping over the fence, leaving Thea and Dinah helpless on the other side of the gate. He looked back one last time before darting off, disappearing around the next corner.

"Yeah, you're right," Thea sighed in frustration as Dinah approached the fence and yanked something off it. "I really am lucky."

Dinah turned around, presenting what she had found to the younger girl, saying, "This got snagged as he bolted over the fence." She tossed it at Thea, who caught it just as Dinah continued. "Looks like a chain from his wallet," she said.

The Courthouse 

Later 

A while after he swung by the Foundry to get the transmitter from Felicity, Oliver found himself walking through the courthouse precinct, bound for Kate's desk.

"Hi," he greeted with a bright smile.

She looked up from her desk and smiled back. "Hi," she returned. "What are you doing here? I thought you gave up crime-fighting."

Oliver nearly collapsed as soon as the words left her mouth before he realized she hadn't found his secret and was referring to Thea's trial. After he calmed down, he tilted his head and shrugged, saying, "Eh, more or less. But actually, I saw you on the news and realized I never thanked you for what you did, so thank you."

"You're welcome," she grinned.

Then Oliver took a look at her new desk and nodded appreciatively. "So you got promoted," he asserted.

"I'm working with the Vigilante task force," she nodded.

"Wow!" Oliver marveled.

"And they assigned me to the Dodger case," she said eagerly, stacking many files on her desk. "He extorts people into stealing for him."

Oliver nodded his head in intrigue despite knowing this information. "How's that going?"

"Slow," she answered, picking up the files. "Give me a sec." Then she moved out from behind her desk and walked across the room to put the files in the cabinet with her back turned to Oliver the entire time.

Oliver looked around to make sure no one else was watching him before grabbing her phone off the desk and sliding the small piece of technology into the back of her phone case, setting it back down where it was just as she turned around and headed back for the desk. 

"Well, uh... it was nice seeing you... the last time that I saw you," he said adorably. 

"Yeah, it was good seeing you, too," Kate beamed. "You really surprise me."

Oliver smirked. "How do you mean?"

Kate laughed awkwardly as she folded her arms. "Well, you know I always know how to have a good time," she said.

"So how 'bout a drink?" Oliver inquired a little too eagerly, making him pause at his own words. "Not now. Would you maybe, out, I-I'll take you for a... Would up you like to have dinner with me, Kate?

Kate covered her mouth to stifle the laughter from erupting from her lips as she watched Oliver fail miserably to ask her out. 

"I don't know if you heard, but I was on a deserted island for five years and I am totally out of practice," he rambled as his cheeks turned red. 

She hummed in amusement and nodded. "Well, dinner would be nice. Uh, in fact, I can make myself free tonight."

Oliver tried to pretend to consider it before nodding in agreement. "Yeah, that works."

"Great," she blushed. 

"So I'll pick you up at eight?" Oliver asked.

"That's perfect," she said.

"Okay, awesome," he replied, still standing awkwardly at her desk. "I'm lingering. I'm gonna go."

"You're okay," she giggled, as she watched him leave.

The foundry

Late afternoon

"So how's it going?" Oliver asked as he walked inside.

"We got something." Diggle told him and he turned to them expectantly.

"The Dodger's been using a fence, but he just got rid of his current fence." Wendy explained and her partners caught on.

"Which means he'll be in the market for a new fence." Oliver began.

"We find the fence, we find him." Diggle finished.

Restaurant

Night

Kate and Oliver were finishing up their meal, and Oliver laughed as Kate decided to hog the chocolate souffle they were supposed to be sharing.

"No way," she moaned, taking another bite out of the chocolaty desert as Oliver smiled. "No, no, no, no, no, it is not possible for something to be this good!"

"Right?" Oliver nodded, sitting back in his chair as he placed his fork back on his plate.

"So you must have missed souffles," she said.

Oliver tilted his head to the side inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"Five years on an island away from civilization. What did you do?" she interrogated. "What did you eat? Where'd you sleep? What do you think of the Hood who has to be stopped?"

"Kate," Oliver said pointedly, chuckling softly.

Kate winced and looked down at her plate with a sheepish smile. 

"Sorry," she said. "It's been a while since I've had a regular conversation with a man without prosecuting them, so..."

"I know what you mean," Oliver nodded before quickly adding, "Not about the prosecuting them thing... but having a genuine conversation with someone that, you know, wasn't my family."

She looked back up at him, placing her elbows on the table as she braced her chin with her forearms. "Yeah, but still, those years must have changed you," she remarked.

Oliver sucked in his teeth and shook his head. "Not as much as you might think," he sighed, making her tilt her head in confusion. "Don't get me wrong, I changed a lot, but... I don't know. I actually wanted to talk about me. You've always had an interest in prosecuting criminals, but now you want to bring down the Hood. What is it about him?"

"He's a hypocrite. He goes after the criminals, but he doesn't have the guts to eliminate all of them," Kate argued.

"So you would prefer it if he finished them all off?" Oliver tried not to show his frustration. "At least he's helping people too."

Kate nodded in understanding, pinching her lips together as she tried to discern the Oliver she knew from the Oliver currently sitting across from her. All the while, Oliver was being plagued by visions and flashes of all the horrors that he endured to stay alive, which, of course, went completely unnoticed by his date. At least so he hoped.

"You're right. Doing what's right is never something that's easy," he huffed tersely.

"What do you mean by that?" Kate inquired, leaning forward against the table.

However, Oliver quickly cut her off, saying, "I don't want to talk about the vigilante, Kate. And I don't know why you're so obsessed with him."

Kate jerked back in shock at the edge in Oliver's voice and opened her mouth to reply when her phone started ringing. 

"Saved by the cell," she muttered, answering the call as Oliver looked away clenching his jaw. "Spencer. Okay, put what the CI told you in the warrant application. I'll be right there." Then she hung up and looked back at Oliver apologetically. "It's work, I gotta go."

Oliver exhaled deeply as he pulled out his phone and dialed Wendy's number.

"Wendy, listen, please, I need you to activate the bug on Kate's phone," he said. "I think the police just got a lead on the Dodger. Okay."

Down town

Later

The Dodger ran out of the building where the cops were moving in on him. He was running when an arrow fly passed him and landed in the dumpster in front of him he turned around and looked up. The Hood was staring down at him from a rooftop.

"Come quietly!" The Hood barked in his disguised voice.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." The Dodger said in a mocking voice.

"Then I'm afraid you won't be going to jail." The Hood told him.

The Hood notched an arrow and fired it. The Dodger jumped out of the way and ran for cover as the vigilante jumped down from the rooftop. As he reached the ground, The Dodger threw one of his armed shock collars at him. It exploded and knocked the vigilante off his feet. When the dust cleared, he had gotten away.

The Foundry

Later

"So, how'd you dates go?" Wendy asked Diggle and Oliver.

"Awesome." Diggle said tonelessly.

"Great." Oliver scoffed.

"You both suck at lying." Wendy told them as she walked over to the computer.

"The police and I busted it up before he could get himself payment." Oliver mentioned to spare Diggle and himself.

"Is the bug still working?" Diggle asked as he came over to stand behind Wendy

"Yeah, it's still getting a strong signal." Wendy said after checking.

"Pull up the police records, everything The Dodger's stolen so far." Oliver ordered.

"What are you thinking?" Diggle inquired curiously.

"We know The Dodger has a very specific type of antiquity." Oliver explained as he and Diggle walked up behind Wendy.

"It looks like everything he's stolen is from the Ominous decade." Diggle noted as Wendy pulled up the reports.

"Are there any other places that sell or display those kinds of items?" Oliver asked Wendy.

"Not really," Wendy said after checking the files, "I guess the people in Starling prefer the Elizabethan era."

Oliver spotted a fundraiser on the screen and took a closer look.

"Starling City Cancer Society. They're throwing a fundraising auction tomorrow night." Oliver mentioned.

"We could lure him out to the open." Diggle caught on to Oliver's train of thought.

"With what, a fake?" Wendy asked.

"No, he's obviously got a trained eye for this sort of thing. He's not gonna fall for anything less than the real thing." Diggle explained.

"So where are we gonna get our hands on a rare Spanish antiquity?" Wendy asked and everyone gave her blank looks.

"You really have no idea how rich the Queens are, do you?" Diggle asked.

Police precinct

Evening

Quentin Lance entered the interrogation room with an open file as he greeted his latest perp. 

"Roy William Harper Jr.," he said, looking up from the file at the teenage boy sitting down with his hands handcuffed in front of him. "Where's senior?"

"Norris Cemetery," Roy snipped, his face contorted cruelly.

Meanwhile, Thea and Dinah were watching the entire interaction unfold outside of the interrogation room behind the reflective glass. 

"Sorry to hear that," Lance said as he sat across from Roy. 

Roy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you and an army of bookies," he said. "Can I go?"

"No. You've been ID'd as a suspect in a purse-snatching," Lance replied, looking back down at the file. "It's quite a resume you've compiled here. Petty theft, B and E, robbery, petty theft. Stolen car. Well, it's nice to change things up once in a while. And petty theft, again. What, you got something against banks?" 

"Well, it is hard to run with one under your arm," Roy snarked.

"Well, maybe you'll learn a few new skills in prison," Lance retorted, narrowing his eyes. 

"Look, I don't want to steal," Roy huffed angrily, leaning forward over the table. "Okay, I don't have a choice."

At that, Quentin scoffed.

"It's my mother. She... she has a problem," Roy murmured hesitantly.

"Yeah, her son's a moron," Lance snarled.

"No," Roy sniffled. "Vertigo."

Quentin paused, and outside the interrogation room, Thea stepped closer to the glass, her expression shifting from anger to sympathy. 

"She got hooked on Vertigo last year. She kicked it, but I guess she had done enough of it that... it messed her up," Roy explained, though Quentin was hard-pressed to believe him. "She hasn't been the same, and her medical bills... look, I'm just trying to help her get out from under. Look, we're not privileged enough to have as much as other people. Okay?"

"Fine," Thea said on the other side of the glass before turning to walk away. "Let him go. It's just a damn purse, right?"

Downtown Hilton, the Gala

Night

Oliver, in a suit, was standing by the tables when Diggle joined him.

"The police are here too," Diggle told him quietly, "your bait attracted them at least."

"Not exactly what I'm looking to catch." Oliver told him as he spotted Wendy walk in.

"So, I'm getting a signal from the GPS I put in your family's broach. Speaking of, have you given any thought to what might happen if this goes wrong and The Dodger absconds with your family's jewels?" Wendy inquired.

"That won't happen." Oliver said firmly.

She followed the tracker on her GPS until she saw a man dressed in an all-black suit walking towards the exit, tucking the broach in is pocket.

"Hey!" she called out, getting his attention. "That broach was donated by the Queen family. If you want it, you're gonna have to bid."

The man turned around, revealing himself to be none other than the Dodger, smiling arrogantly as he walked toward her. 

"Actually, love, I thought I'd just take it. And you should know better than to dance the devil's jig," the Dodger retorted, as his eyes flitted to black.

Later. 

"Guys, get away from me," Wendy panicked as she backed away from Oliver and Diggle as they entered an empty office room. "If this thing blows—"

"Wendy calm down," Oliver began, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. "That's not gonna happen."

"The Dodger said if I call the police, he'd..." Wendy gulped fearfully as tears brimmed in her eyes. "I'm gonna get decapitated, aren't I?"

"Alright the tracker's on the move," Oliver stated. "If I find him, I can get him to disarm it."

Starling City

Minutes later

Oliver, on a motorcycle he had stolen from a guy, was closing in on The Dodger's location. Diggle was having little success in trying to disarm the shock collar. Oliver cut through traffic, ignoring the honks of angry drivers, and closed in on The Dodger's car. However, the Dodger rammed against him, sending Oliver into the side walk. Oliver revved the engine and rode back into the street. Oliver quickly caught back up to his prey, who tried to lose him by driving into a construction side of the road. Oliver pulled out of his arrows and threw it towards the car. It hit a tire and the wounded tire blew out and The Dodger lost control of the car.

The car flipped over and Oliver stopped the motorcycle behind him. Without taking his helmet off, Oliver got off and slowly walked forward as The Dodger crawled out of the wreckage. The Dodger stood up and pulled out a small, silver remote switch.

"Don't do anything stupid," he warned Oliver, "I had the foresight to collar up a particularly inquisitive blonde. I assume she's a friend of yours. Harm one hair on my head and she loses hers. You've got quite the choice to make.”

"Not today." Oliver said calmly.

Oliver pulls out a flechette and throws it quickly. It goes into The Dodger's lower elbow and he looks up at Oliver, stunned and in pain.

"I've just severed your median artery. You couldn't push that button if you tried." Oliver said calmly as he walked up and pulled the remote from The Dodger.

Back at gala, the collar around Wendy’s neck flashes green before it unlocks. The other members of Team Arrow all sigh with relief.

"Why are you doing this to me?" The Dodger asked Oliver confused, "I'm exactly like you, I only steal from the rich."

While he was speaking, The Dodger had slide his stun rode down his sleeve and into his hand. He moved to strike Oliver and but Oliver caught it and pulled it out of his hand. Oliver then struck The Dodger with it and the thief fell down as Oliver slide the visor up.

"I'm not Robin Hood." Oliver told him.

Courthouse, the next day

Morning

"Do you ever take time off?" Oliver asked, half-jokingly, as he approached Kate's desk.

She stopped rummaging around her desk, but still refused to look up at him. "I do," she responded. "In fact, last night, I went on a date. The guy was kind of a jerk."

Oliver snorted as he leaned over the desk, a casual smile playing across his lips.

"Really? Well, he might have had a reason," Oliver defended. "Kate....I didn't just lose five years on the island. I lost the part of me that enjoyed... being alive."

At last, Kate looked up at him. This time, with a more sincere look gracing her features.

"Listening to music and, uh... eating a souffle with a beautiful girl. It's the easy things," Oliver continued awkwardly. "But when you asked me about the island it... it reminded me of all the hard things and the hard choices I had to make to come back to this place. Choices that... still stay with me. Made me question how I can trust anyone or if I'm even worthy of being with anyone."

By now, Kate was on her feet and her eyes glimmered with emotion as she leaned and kissed Oliver, who reciprocated in kind.

"You are," she said, once they pulled apart. 

Oliver let out an airy chuckle as he once more asked her out on a date; one that he intended to finish this time. She agreed, naturally, and they once again kissed each other.

"District Attorney," Lance called out, cutting their moment short.

Kate quickly pulled away from Oliver as Lance entered the room. "Sergeant."

"Queen," Lance said stiffly.

"Detective Lance," Oliver replied curtly.

Detective Lance redirected his attention towards Kate and said, "You got a minute?"

"Actually, I was just about to leave," she remarked. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. I just came to inform you that the M.E. wasn't able to confirm the cause of death for Dodger," Lance informed her, causing Oliver to tense up. "But we do know for certain that the vigilante was involved somehow. This guy.. he's starting to get out of control. We need to bring him down now... and I'd like your help to do that."

Oliver and Kate's eyes widened in surprisez but he noticed something sinister in Kate's.

"Wait. Really?" she asked.

"I'd like you to work with me on the Vigilante investigation," Lance declared.

Kate smiled and nodded vehemently, while Oliver contemplated taking a closer look at her when he got home.

"Yes, sir!" she beamed. "And don't worry, we'll bring them in."

Lance nodded to her and smiled before walking away, leaving the couple on their own again.

"So... ready to go?" she asked.

"Yep," he smiled.

Yeah, he was definitely going to dig deeper into Kate Spencer.

Chapter Text

A man was on the heliport, making a deal on his phone when an arrow pierced his phone, knocking it out of his hand. The man looked at his phone in shock before turning to see The Hood standing before him.

"Frank Berteneli, you have failed this city!" The Hood bellowed in his disguised voice.

"You have built quite a reputation." Berteneli noted calmly.

"And you should have stayed overseas." The Hood snarled.

"I thought about it. But then I realized that I have a reputation too." Berteneli said as he pulled two knives out from under his sleeves.

The Hood reached back for another arrow before notching and firing. Berteneli blocked with the knives and The Hood fired another arrow. The arrow was blocked but The Hood had snuck up behind him and fired an arrow. Berteneli didn't even see it coming as the arrow went through his chest. Berteneli looked at the arrow and looked over his shoulder at The Hood before falling to the ground, dead. Hearing sirens, The Hoos grabbed his phone before he took off. The man was gone before the first police cruiser could get there.

The Foundry

Later

"So what's going on here?" Oliver asked as he walked down to see Diggle and Wendy looking like they had just worked out.

"Just a little training." Diggle said.

"Which I already said I get enough of that from gymnastics." Wendy said with a glare at the bodyguard.

"So how'd it go?" Diggle changed the subject.

"Badly for him." Oliver said as he set his bow down.

"Who's him?" Wendy asked curiously.

"An assassin with an affinity for knives, his name was Frank Berteneli." Oliver explained.

"Was?" Wendy asked hesitantly as Oliver crossed his name off the list.

"So we can't ask him about his intended target." Diggle realized.

"No, which is why you need to hack this," Oliver said as he handed Wendy the phone, "Berteneli’s world class, he only goes after high profile targets. Which means whoever he was after is still in danger. We need to figure out who he was here to kill and fast."

"And while you work on that, I have a prior engagement." Oliver said as he walked away.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"That makes four." Slade said idly as Oliver let go of the bar and fell to his knees.

"I'm more of a runner." Oliver told him.

Slade shook his head as he sat down before he walked up and began to do pull ups.

"Why the sudden need to work out?" Oliver asked.

"What else if there to do?" Slade asked sarcastically.

"Maybe we could try and figure out another way off the island?" Oliver suggested.

"There is no other way; I would have found it by now." Slade dismissed.

"Well we can't just wait for Fryers to come and kill us!" Oliver snapped.

Slade dropped down and looked over at Oliver.

"I did have one idea," Slade said and he gave his attention, "if you go into the forest and gather enough bamboo…"

"Yeah?" Oliver asked as he looked at Slade hopefully.

"We can build ourselves a boat like they did on Gilligan's island'.'" Slade said mockingly and Oliver rolled his eyes.

It was then that Oliver noticed a radio. He walked over and kneeled down as he began to examine it.

"It's broken, the crash killed it." Slade told him.

"Did you try and get it to work?" Oliver asked him.

"I'm better at pulling things apart." Slade said deadpanned.

"My father was a pilot and he used to do his own maintenance." Oliver told him.

"So what, you're hoping that aircraft maintenance is genetic?" Slade asked sarcastically.

"No, I used to help and I liked it. Then I got pretty good at it. So maybe, I can make it work." Oliver suggested.

"You should be training for the inevitable fight that's looming." Slade warned him.

"I think I have a better chance at making the radio work." Oliver told him as he went to work.

Dinah's apartment

Night

Kate was fixing the heel of her shoe when Oliver finally rounded the corner of the hallway in Dinah's apartment. 

"Hey, sorry, I'm late," Oliver said as he walked up to her.

"No, I am," Kate breathed, standing upright. "I just got out of the office."

"Me too," Oliver echoed, smiling at her adoringly. "You look beautiful."

She giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear, as she leaned in and kissed him.

"We should go inside," Kate muttered against his lips.

"Yeah, we should," Oliver agreed, even as he kissed her again.

A few moments later, Oliver and Kate knocked on Dinah's door and Tommy opened it and smiled at the couple.

"Welcome, buddy," Tommy beamed.

"Happy birthday, Tommy," Oliver smiled, handing his best friend his birthday gift and giving him a hug. 

"Thank you," Tommy replied. "Ooh. This feels like a Chateauneuf-du-Pape."

"It's gonna taste like one, too," Oliver affirmed.

"You are a true friend," Tommy chuckled, as he led them inside the apartment.

"Tommy, you remember Kate right?" Oliver asked as he took her jacket.

"Yes, she works with Dinah," Tommy answered. 

"And now I'm here," Kate quipped.

They finally made it to the dining room where Dinah had finished putting the final few touches on the table settings.

"Oh, everything looks beautiful," Kate complimented. 

"Thank you," Dinah responded, reaching out to hug Kate. "It's so good to see you again."

"And you, too, counselor," Kate grinned.

Tommy excused himself to open the bottle of wine while Oliver and Kate  made themselves at home and talked with Dinah.

Kate looked at a picture of a canary and smiled. 

"How old were you?" She asked.

"That's actually Sandra," Dinah corrected.

Kate froze. However, before she could start to apologize, Dinah waved it off and said, "You're fine. I don't know why he got her that canary. That thing chirped night and day. Drove us all nuts."

"A toast," Tommy declared suddenly as he came back into the dining room balancing several glasses of wine. He passed one out to each person before holding his out with a wide smile. "To the first birthday that I have enjoyed in a long time," Tommy toasted. "I got my best friend back. And I have finally found out why poets have been in business for the last few thousand years."

Dinah leaned into his embrace and kissed him chastely on the lips before they clinker their glasses together.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. 

"Oh, I think that's the food," Dinah said.

She pulled away from Tommy and set her glass down and went to answer the door. However, when she opened it, it was not the food delivery person.

"Mr. Merlyn," she stammered.

"Dinah," he greeted. "May I come in."

She hesitated for a brief moment before nodding and letting him into her apartment. He smiled wider, stepping through the threshold and taking in his new surroundings. 

"Hello, Oliver," Malcolm said. 

"Mr. Merlyn," Oliver nodded. "Good to see you."

"Tommy. I've been trying to get in touch with you." Malcolm said as he turned to his son.

"What are you doing here dad?" Tommy demanded.

"Happy birthday Tommy." Malcolm said as he pulled out a small blue box with a box tie.

"Just give us a minute." Tommy told Dinah before leading Malcolm out to the hallway, Malcolm tossing Oliver the gift.

"Well, I'd say the evening is officially ruined." Oliver said as he sat down at the table.

"Yeah, I know Tommy and his dad never really got along, but it only got worse when Mr. Merlyn cut Tommy off." Dinah said as she and Kate sat down as well.

"Do you know why they never got along?” Kate asked Oliver who pauses before speaking.

"I don't know how much you remember of before Tommy's mother died but growing up; Malcolm Merlyn was like the fun uncle you never wanted to leave. When we threw birthday parties, instead of hiring a magician, Mr. Merlyn would do the magic tricks, he was good at it. Everyone loved him. Then Tommy's mother died," Oliver took a breath before continuing, "I have never seen a man so broken before or since. He left for two years, two years. Tommy stayed with us during that time. When Mr. Merlyn came back…I know that grief changes people, but it was like he was a completely different person."

At that moment Tommy walked back in. it was clear he was angry but he tried to case it off with a smile that everyone could see was fake.

"So, when is that food supposed to get here huh?" Tommy asked in a tone he hoped was joking.

The Foundry, next day

Afternoon

"This thing is encrypted up to the eyeballs; this is Cobalt level stuff here." Wendy said as she went to work on the phone while Oliver and Diggle sparred.

"Can you break it?" Oliver asked as he pinned Diggle to the matt.

"Yes, but it going to take some time. But we did get something so far." Wendy said as the two men looked up from their spar.

"What?" Oliver demanded.

"The last number he was on a restaurant in China town. Jade Dragoon." Wendy said as she brought up a picture of the restaurant.

"Jade Dragon is a front for the Chinese mafia." Diggle explained.

"I feel like taking my best friend out for Chinese suddenly. Dig, call the restaurant and make a reservation for two. You two," Oliver said as he turned to Wendy, "need to decrypt that phone."

The Jade Dragon

Later

After finding out where Barrera had been calling earlier, Oliver got a reservation in the Jade Dragon restaurant, which was the Triad's front.

Oliver and Tommy were at a table, when the waiter came by and dropped off a fried fish on a large plate. The waiter left as Oliver and Tommy stared at their meal.

"That is…that is one big fried fish." Tommy said, as they both chuckled.

"I was told this was the most authentic Szechwan in town." Oliver said before shaking his head. "Whatever. I wanted to make sure that your birthday celebration got its due celebration. It was a little bit, um, tense last night."

"Well, trust my dad to run all the smiles out of the room." Tommy grumbled.

"He did come by, and it seemed like he was trying to act a little bit dad-like." Oliver defended.

"Dad-like, that sums up my father perfectly." Tommy said in sarcasm.

"I know the two of you have never been close, but it couldn't have been easy for him after your mom was killed." Oliver noted.

"Yeah, I guess he forgot that there were two of us in that club." Tommy scoffed.

"I'm not defending him, Tommy. It's… with everything I've been through, people that I've lost... I know how hard it can be." Oliver pointed out.

Tommy nodded. "You probably don't remember this. We were eight. But after her funeral, he left for like two years. And when he did come back, he was... he was so freaking cold. We barely spoke. And that's why I spent so much time at your house."

Oliver nodded in understanding.

"From the outside, it always looked like I had a father. He paid my bills, he lived in the house, and he bailed me out. But your dad took me to my first hockey game." Tommy smiled. "Your dad taught me how to fly fish. Your dad took us to our first R-rated movie."

"But he wasn't perfect." Oliver said. "My dad made mistakes. And…" He took a breath. "We haven't talked about this. But I have a lot of anger towards him. But still, I would give anything to have him back, because… at the end of the day, your dad is… your dad."

Tommy felt touched. "I meant what I said last night. I'm really glad that you're back."

Oliver smiled, as Tommy started to eat. Oliver was about to as well before he saw a large Asian man with a tattoo on his neck walk past them. "I got to hit the restroom."

The big man moved through kitchen to a back room where a smaller Asian man was counting the Triad's money. The big man pulled stacks of cash out of an envelope and handed it to the accountant, who was about to put it into an electronic cash counter when the light suddenly went out.

They looked around, and the big man reached for a gun when suddenly Oliver jumped at him from above, slamming his head to the ground. Oliver grabbed a squeeze bottle of hot sauce and sprayed it into the accountant's eyes, blinding him. The small man shot up up and tried to run out of the room, but Oliver was on top of him. He slammed him into the wall and held him there.

"The Triad put out a hit on someone. I want to know who." Oliver demanded in Chinese.

"I don't work for the Triad!" The man protested.

"You're not making Dim Sum here." Oliver growled, choking him.

"I don't know who it is." The man said.

"But you know something. Tell me." Oliver demanded.

"Tomorrow. Whatever it is. It's supposed to happen tomorrow." The man said as Oliver left.

"Who was that man?" The tall man asked.

"I don't know. He spoke with a perfect accent. Definitely Chinese." The accountant said.

The big man ran out of the room and headed back into the dining room, looking for the guilty party. All the while Oliver sat at his table, and as the big man walked past, he gestured to the waiter. "Check, please."

"Here you go." The waiter said, revealing himself to be an elderly man with a bushy moustache with white hair, wearing glasses and smiling.

Starling City Police Department

Same time

"You asked to see me Detective?" Lucas Hilton asked as he walked up to Quentin.

"Yeah. You'd do anything for me, right" Quentin asked and Hilton briefly nodded in his direction.

"Yeah. Is this about Oliver Queen again?" Hilton said and he nodded before he continued.

"I need you to do something for me off the record. I need you to follow him." Quentin told Hilton who looked at him stunned for a moment.

"You want me to spy on Oliver Queen…why?" Hilton asked confused.

"About a month ago, I learned that Queen went undercover to stop the Count because of the connection to the Russian mob. But the Count said that Queen was a member. When I had Queen under the polygraph, there was a slight flutter when asked if he killed anyone," Quentin held up a hand to stall the question.

"You've caught him in two lies and now you can't believe him. Hilton said and Quentin nodded.

"I'm worried what he may have gotten involved with. He wasn't exactly a model citizen before the island and I don't want to think about what he may be doing to cope if he isn't handling what happened to him as well as we all thought." Quentin said.

"I'll do it, off the record." Hilton promised and he nodded in thanks.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Oliver is working on the radio when Slade walks in, Slade carrying a large boar on a pole on his back.

"I hope you like barbecue," Slade quipped and Oliver appears to ignore him, "don't fall over yourself to thank me for spending six hours up a tree so you can eat."

"What?" Oliver said distractedly as he looks over, "great, I'll eat later."

"Maybe take a break?" Slade suggested.

"I know I can do this.” Oliver said determined.

"Sure kid, when pigs fly." Slade scoffed as he turned away from him.

No sooner had Slade said that then the lights on the radio lit up and they could hear the chatter of talking. Slade dropped the boar to the ground as he raced to Oliver and the radio.

"Can you clear this up?" Slade asked hopefully.

"I don't know, I don't know how I got this far!" Oliver said happily.

"Continue approach, big jet three-sixty five." A voice came over the radio.

Slade picked up the speaker and hit the button.

"Mayday, Mayday, mayday. This is Wedgetail three-two five, pilot and two passengers down." Slade said with a smile.

"Cleared to land, run-way two-seven right, big jet three- sixty five." Another voice said and the two frowned in confusion.

"I repeat, pilot and two passengers down on the island of Lian Yu. Request immediate rescue." Slade said into the speaker.

It dawned on them what was wrong as Slade slammed the speaker down. Oliver slumped in defeat.

"They can't hear us and we can't call out. We're still trapped." Slade said grimly.

Starling City Police Station

Night

"Yeah?" Quentin said as he answered the phone he had taken from a cop.

"The Triad hired a contract killer." Oliver said as he stood in the foundry.

"Yeah, you mean the one you put in the morgue? Congratulations, you are the talk of the station." Quentin said sarcastically.

"They hired one and they'll hire another detective." Oliver told him reasonably.

"Who's your target?" Quentin asked after a beat.

"I'm trying to find out but I keep hitting dead ends. I need you to put your people on it." Oliver told him.

"My people don't work for you and neither do I. I've got better things to do than talk to a criminal." Quentin said dismissively.

"It's not about us detective, it's about saving a life." Oliver said and Quentin sighed in resignation.

"Call me back when you got a name." Quentin said as he hung up.

The Foundry, twenty four hours later

"Yes! We're in!" Wendy called out and Oliver and Diggle joined the woman at the computer.

"Good job." Oliver said Wendy a grateful look.

"Thanks, do any of you speak Spanish?" Wendy asked as she saw the program.

"Arabic." Diggle told her.

Wendy nodded and ran a translation program. It didn't take long but everyone's blood ran cold with what they saw.

"Oh my god." Diggle said aghast.

"The Target is Tommy's father." Oliver said horrified.

"At the award ceremony. Tommy's there." Oliver said as he dialed the phone.

"Lance." Quentin answered.

"The Target is Malcolm Merlyn. Establish a perimeter but keep your distance. I don't want the police caught in the crossfire." Oliver said before hanging up.

Humanitarian benefit

Later

Malcolm led Tommy to the second level floor only to get shot at by two men carrying SMPs. Malcolm threw himself and Tommy against the wall, using a column for cover. The window shattered as the Vigilante burst through the glass. The figure rolled on the ground, The Hood firing an arrow at one of the gunmen. The arrow struck the man under his collar bone, sending him to the ground as he writhed in pain as the other gunmen opened fire on the man. The vigilante took cover behind a different column as The Hood turned to the Merlyns.

"Go somewhere safe, I'll hold them off. Go now!" The Hood barked at them.

Malcolm led his son away as the Vigilante emerged from behind the column. Shooting another arrow, The Hood watched as it struck his heart and he dropped dead. He had little time to enjoy it as three more triad assassins appeared in the hallway. The Hood killed two with his arrows. It was then that he noticed a familiar foe. The Hood's grip tightened on the bow as he saw China White.

"Why do you want Malcolm Merlyn dead?" The Hood barked.

"I'll settle for you." White said as she pulled out two knives.

Hesitating only a moment longer, The Hood turned and ran after the Merlyns before clashing with her. White swung her knives at The Hood but the Vigilante dodged. When White came around and tried again, The Hood blocked with his fist. The exchanged kicks and punches, The Hood knocking out the knives from White's hands in the process. They knocked each other to the ground, White picking her knives back up. White tried to stab The Hood but he once more used his fists to block. The Hood then used his legs to kick White off of him. In the process, White had lost her knives. The Hood tackled her and used his fist to begin the process of crushing her throat.

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this." The Hood hissed menacingly.

"Missed me?" Manhunter growled as she came across the Hood fighting China White.

Cursing, The Hood knew he had to make a choice. His revenge or her life. It didn't take much thought, as The Hood fired an arrow into the air and Manhunter dropped to her knees holding her ears as the glass shattered. The Hood fled and ran down the hall.

The Hood walked in to an office that he had heard the shots from. Malcolm was on the floor, unconscious, and Tommy was kneeling over him. Realizing that he wasn't alone, Tommy picked up a gun and aimed it at him.

"Stay back." Tommy ordered.

"I'm not here to hurt you or your father." The Hood assured him as he leaned down ad picked up a stray bullet.

"I said stay back!" Tommy barked as The Hood smelled the bullet.

"Your father's been poisoned. In an assassin that laces his bullets with Curare, I've dealt with him before. We need to dilute the poison in his bloodstream." The Hood told him.

"I said stay the hell back!" Tommy barked.

"In three minutes he's paralyzed. In four, he suffocates. If you don't let me help him now, he's dead before anyone gets here!" The Hood told him.

"Help, how?" Tommy demanded.

"Fresh blood will but him some time to get to the hospital." The Hood told him.

"A blood transfusion? That's insane." Tommy scoffed at him.

"It's the way, he needs your blood." The Hood told him.

"Why should I trust you!?" Tommy demanded.

Realizing he was out of other options, The Hood deactivated his voice modifier and pulled back his hood.

"Because you always have." Oliver said as he faced him.

"Oliver?" Tommy gapped in shock.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"If they can't hear us, what's the point?" Oliver asked dejectedly as Slade fiddled with the radio.

"Wait, you still might have done us some good." Slade said as they heard a familiar voice.

"That's Fryers!" Oliver exclaimed as he rushed over to Slade.

"I tuned into the soldier's frequency." Slade explained.

"Scylla en route. ETA o-six hundred hours. At the southwest bay, I'll call you when Scylla is in my possession. Fryers out."

"Who is Fryers talking to?" Oliver asked uneasily.

"I don't know, probably someone off this island, maybe his benefactor. More importantly, who or what is 'Scylla?'" Slade mused as he walked away.

"The Scylla and the Charybdis. It's from the Odyssey, one of the four nightmare chapters. Scylla was a monster." Oliver explained.

"I want to go meet this monster," Slade said as he slide the swords onto his back and walked towards the exit before turning to Oliver, "am I going alone?"

It took only a moment for him to grab his weapon, a knife, and follow Slade out the door.

The Foundry

Later

"So does it feel to save a one-percenter?" Wendy asked as Oliver walked down the stairs.

"Malcolm Merlyn made it to Starling General. Good thing he was wearing a bullet proof vest." Diggle said.

"Dig…Mr. Merlyn isn't in the hospital because he was shot." Oliver began uneasily and Diggle looked confused. "He was poisoned by Curare."

Diggle's face fell as he turned around. He walked off to the side slightly, a mix of emotions crossing his face.

"Lawton's alive." Diggle said an undertone of anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry John." Oliver told him and Diggle walked off.

"Did Lawton kick his dog or something?" Wendy asked confused.

"No, he killed Dig's brother." Oliver explained and Wendy looked after Diggle sadly.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

The two approached Fryers' camp, stealthily hiding behind some fallen trees. Slade took out some binoculars and looked over at the camp. Slade cursed and Oliver knew it was bad.

"What is it?" Oliver asked worriedly.

"You were right kid, it is a monster. A Russian made S-Three hundred anti-aircraft missile launcher," Slade explained as he handed the binoculars to Oliver and the younger man took a look, "those can take out a hundred targets while engaging at least a dozen. With that, Fryers can take out a commercial airline or start a war."

Starling General Hospital

Later

"Hilton," Quentin stopped Hilton in the hospital, "did you find anything out on that...assignment I sent you on?"

"A few things," Hilton said as they walked over to where no one could hear them, "he spends a lot of time at the club, which wouldn't be so weird if was finished. He goes there with two people: one's Oliver's body guard."

"And let me guess, the other's a blonde female with glasses?" Quentin asked and Hilton nodded, looking surprised.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Hilton asked curiously.

"That's Felicity Smoak, works at Queen Consolidated." Quentin explained and Hilton nodded in understanding.

"I had to leave after I got the call over the radio, so I can't say what's happened since." Quentin nodded.

"Don't worry about it; we've got time to figure it out." Quentin promised.

Humanitarian benefit

Later

Tommy stood outside and heard Oliver approach.

"My dad's going to be okay,” he said, "Thanks to you. It's thanks to you."

After a sigh, Tommy said, "No one's asked you what happened to you on that island. You said 'a lot.' That doesn't quite cover it."

"Tommy-"

"I saw you kill those guys who kidnapped us when you first got back, didn't I?" asked Tommy.

Oliver stared at Tommy for several moments and said, "I-I know you have a lot of questions."

"Yeah,” said Tommy, "But for now, just the one."

With tears in his eyes, he asked, "Were you ever going to tell me?"

Oliver stared sadly at him as his eyes watered too and he said, "No."

Tommy walked off without another word.

Chapter Text

Big Belly Burger 

Morning

“Dinah,” Quentin said as he moved to the table and took off his coat, "I'm glad you called. Two months. Too long for us to go without talking."

As he sat down, Dinah said, "Dad, I have to tell you-"

"No, no, listen,” he said sincerely, "Before you say anything, I got to apologize. I should never have used you to try and catch the archer, and I'm sorry. Dinah, I'm just- I'm sorry."

"Thank you,” Dinah said uncomfortably, "But I owe you an apology too."

"For what?" Quentin asked in confusion.

"Hello, Quentin."

Quentin spun around- to see his ex-wife standing there. He quickly stood, staring at her in shock.

"How are you?" Dinah Drake asked him, "You look well."

"What are you doing here?" Quentin asked as he started stammering, "Why…..why are you here?"

"I'm here because I believe Sandra’s still alive,” she said without wasting time on niceties.

"What?"

"Dad,” Dinah rose and put a calming hand on his shoulder, "Sit-"

"What is going on?" he asked though he let Dinah help him sit.

"Just hear mom out,” Dinah pleaded, "Sit."

"What is going on?" he demanded again.

"Start from the beginning,” Dinah told her mother.

Dinah Drake sat down and pulled out a map, "Oliver was found on an island called Lian Yu on the North China Sea,” she said, pointing to said island and then gesturing at many surrounding islands, "There are hundreds, thousands of deserted islands in this chain. What if Sandra had survived too? And nobody would know if she'd washed up in any of those."

"So you don't actually have proof that she's alive?" Quentin asked.

"I have proof,” Dinah Drake said as she pulled out a photograph and showed it to him. It was of a tall, brunette girl with her hat pulled down. "A tourist took this..

After looking at it, Quentin said, "Could be anybody."

"Doesn't it look just like Sandra?” Dinah Drake pleaded, "Our daughter's a survivor, Quentin."

After a few moments of silence in which he looked at the picture, Quentin said, "Ah, you have some nerve. Three years, no phone calls, no emails, nothing. You just show up with an old photo-"

Dinah tried to say, "Dad, please-"

"No,” he said to her, "Please, you listen to me, okay? Sandra died on that boat."

He looked between his ex-wife and daughter, almost in tears, and said, "Why…. are you making me relive this?"

He then moved to leave, "I'm not doing this."

Dinah said, "Dad, no-"

But he was already out.

The Foundry

Afternoon

"Hey Dig, how you doing?" Oliver asked as he walked into the room.

"You want an honest answer to that?" Diggle asked glumly as he pulled up a video file, "I think you'll want to see this."

Oliver stared at the screen stunned as a man was held at gun point with a crossbow wielded by a very familiar face.

"The Manhunter." Oliver breathed stunned.

"I checked the police records, she's still out there with access to the online databases. Whoever she is, she's got a lot of pull in the law. Her next victim, Louis Almont."

"That's a mob lawyer," Oliver recalled as he turned away from Diggle, his mind racing, "why would she kill him? It's not like he did a good job, she only targeted the mob before."

"I don't know. What do you wanna do Oliver?" Diggle asked as he looked towards his friend.

"Reach out to our contacts in the Bratva. I want to know who the Manhunter is. She can't just want Almont dead; killing him is all part of a bigger plan." Oliver said as he walked away.

"Oliver!" Diggle seemed startled, as if he'd just discovered something.

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Got a facial recognition match for Manhunter."

"And who is it?"

"Kate Spencer."

Kate's Apartment

Day

Kate walked out of her bathroom in a bathrobe but stopped. The Hood stood in her room, The Hood holding his bow at his side. Kate crossed her arms, not at all intimidated.

"Well well, I'm honored the Starling City Vigilante has graced me with his presence. So what do you prefer? The Hood or Oliver Queen?" Kate demanded and, after a stunned silence, Oliver removed his hood.

"how'd you know?" Oliver demanded.

"After our kiss and I saw your eyes. The island changed you in ways that only someone like me could understand." Kate told him.

"no, we're not the same," Oliver said as he crossed his arms, "you may think what you're doing is justice, but it's revenge. They aren't the same thing."

"Sometimes they are." Kate disagreed.

"no, they're not. Justice is setting things right, revenge is an eye for an eye. You haven't cared who's gotten caught in the crossfire, you've endangered innocent people, others included." Oliver told her angrily.

"I'm sorry, they weren’t supposed to get hurt." Kate said remorsefully.

"you're missing the point: they shouldn't have gotten hurt because you shouldn't be doing this. If you keep going, you're going to start a war between the triad and the mob. Blood will spill in the street, men, women, and children and it will all be on you." Oliver snarled. "This is your only chance to stop. The next time we have this conversation, it will be you trying to convince me not to put an arrow in your chest. Do we understand each other?"

"Perfectly." Kate said blankly.

The vigilante nodded before Oliver put up his hood and he left through the window.

Verdant

Early night

"She knows who I am Diggle, made threats against my family. I want extra security on my mother and sister," Oliver told Diggle as they stood in Verdant as it prepared to open.

"Already on it." Diggle said as he walked away while dialing a number on his phone.

Oliver sighed in relief but noticed Tommy at the bar.

Oliver tentatively turned around to look at his best friend. "Where you been? Club opens in four hours," he piped up awkwardly.

"I've been dealing with the vendors," Tommy replied swiftly, without looking at him.

"No, you haven't," Oliver countered. "Tommy, we need to talk."

Tommy let out a sharp breath through his nose as he turned to face his friend, a look of cold detachment etched into his features.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Oliver whispered. "But I kept this a secret to protect the people that are closest to me."

Tommy scoffed derisively. "Do you think that's what I care about?" he remarked. "What, that my feelings are hurt? You're a murderer. You're a killer. You were my best friend in life, but now I feel like I don't even know you."

"You're right. I changed," Oliver began. "But, listen, buddy, now I can explain it to you. I can explain to you how and why—"

"What's the fucking point, Ollie? I wouldn't believe a word of it anyway," Tommy exhaled, shaking his head. 

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"One of those missiles has a range of over twenty-four hundred kilometers," Slade told Oliver as the trio stared down at Fryers camp, "we're not going anywhere until we find out what Fryers is planning."

"Wild guess: he's planning on blowing something up." Oliver said sarcastically as Slade looked at him annoyed.

"One of those could do that but this," Slade shook his head as he looked back at the camp, "this is about starting a war."

"With who?" Oliver wondered.

"It doesn't matter. We need to stop Fryers before he kills thousands of innocent people." Slade said grimly.

"There are dozens of soldiers down there and even if we get through all of them, we can't exactly steal a missile launcher." Oliver told him.

Slade put the binoculars to his eyes and saw the soldiers carrying boxes of explosives. Slade put the binoculars down, a plan forming in his mind.

"Who said anything about stealing?" Slade asked.

"So what's the plan, ambush?" Oliver asked.

"Impossible, we can't take out all six without one radioing for backup." Slade dismissed.

"We need to get all the soldiers in one place." Oliver suggested and Slade looked at him impressed.

"You're right." Slade agreed as he got an idea.

Verdant

Night

Oliver was at the stairs and he was about to head one to the dance floor when a server walked up to him.

"They said it was urgent." He said as he handed Oliver a piece of folded paper.

Once he walked off, Oliver exchanged a look before Oliver unfolded the paper to see a message. 'Meet me down stairs. – Dig' was written across the paper. Oliver walked off, unaware that he was being watched by Lucas Hilton. He walked over to the basement, Oliver punching in the code and opening the door, before they walked down the steps. Turning the corner, they stopped short at the sight of Kate holding Tommy against a table, bending his arm at a painful angle.

"Let him go or I swear to god I will kill you before you can move." Oliver growled.

"You've opened my eyes, Oliver. Together, we can kill anyone that poses a threat!" Kate shouted.

"What you failed to understand is that we only kill if they are a threat! You kill everyone that you come across!" Oliver shot back.

"People will always be a threat! One thing you taught me was to find leverage, find my enemies weaknesses and exploit them," Kate said as she twisted Tommy's arm and he cried out in pain, "There's a whole club full of leverage right above us. Oliver, don't make me do something we'll all regret."

"Okay, you win. Now let him go!" Oliver snarled.

Kate stared at him impassively for a moment before twisting Tommy's wrist again. Tommy cried out in pain from his broken wrist as Kate released him before she walked away.

Verdant, the lair, next day

Morning

"How did she even get in?" Diggle asked Oliver frustrated.

"Part of a bigger plan Dig. She's been watching us after she put everything together," Oliver explained as he ran a hand over his face.

"So why are you letting her blackmail you into killing someone?" Diggle wondered.

"I'm not," Oliver said after making sure Kate wasn't around, "it's a set up. Kate thinks I'll help her kill more people, but I'm getting her to drop her guard. The moment she has, we'll kill her."

"Am I interrupting?" Kate asked as she walked in, thankfully not having heard Oliver. "and you are?"

"No one to you." Diggle said roughly.

"We haven't been able to find any new targets for you to eliminate." Oliver told her to get on with business.

"I can help with that, I've been dying to hack into the cops' security system." Wendy said as she walked in.

"This is a private thing Wendy. Please leave." Oliver told her as Diggle stepped up to the younger woman with a 'do it' look.

"Oh, okay. See ya I guess." Wendy said as she turned around and walked away.

"Who's she?" Kate asked curiously.

"She's no one either." Oliver said roughly.

"Like I said, I don't know where targets are," Oliver interjected, "but what I do know is the Marshall Service is taking a group of people to a hearing at the Justice Department tonight. There's a problem though. There's two vans, one of them is a decoy."

"Well I guess it's a good thing there's two of us then." Kate said nonchalantly.

"It's not too late to call this off." Oliver said trying one last time to reach her.

"I think we all know it is." Kate said roughly.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"Hey!" Oliver, in his soldier uniform and mask, walked up with a seemly bound Slade, "I found an intruder while I was circling the perimeter!"

Oliver shoved Slade to his knees as the six guards approached.

"It's Wilson. You killed a few of my friends you son of a bitch." One soldier said.

"And I'm gonna kill a few more." Slade said as he brought his hands out from behind his back to reveal two pistols.

Oliver dropped down as Slade opened fire. In no time at all, Slade had killed all six soldiers with one shot each. As Oliver stood up, Slade looked over at him with a grin.

Starling City

Night

As Kate moved her motorcycle in the opposite direction of The Hood's, the two vigilante made his move. The Hood threw a flechette at her motorcycle and it hit the rear tire. There was an explosion of air and Kate was thrown from her motorcycle. As she landed on the ground The Hood notched an arrow. He got off his motorcycle and began to circle Kate as the wounded woman looked at him, hatred in her eyes. Oliver was preparing to fire when two squad cars neared them from opposite directions, one of the cops from each car. Growling, The Hood grabbed Kate and the vigilante took off.

The two drove for ten minutes until he was sure that they had lost the police. Pulling into a deserted parking lot, Oliver put the motorcycle in park as he got off.

"If you were planning on killing me, why'd you take me with you? The police were there?" Kate demanded.

"I couldn't have you tell the police about me." Oliver said coolly. "The police know you're tracking criminals, you're never gonna get another chance at them. So just give up. This is your last chance, because I believe in second chances. I don't think you're evil Kate, I think you're lost. And I know a little something about being lost," Oliver said as he thought about the Island, "leave and never come back. This is your last warning. Next time, I will kill you."

With Kate watching, Oliver got on his bike and drove away.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Slade opened a crate of explosives and handed some to Oliver.

"Place these around the launcher. Do it quickly, their back up will be here any moment." Slade said as they went to work.

"Sixty second back and we'll launch." A voice came over the radio and their hearts froze as they put the explosives around the machine.

"Set you're charges and we'll blow it!" Slade shouted at him.

"Wait, I think I have a better idea." Oliver said as he saw an access panel.

Opening it, Oliver saw what he was looking for and grabbed it.

"What are you doing?" Slade growled as he took it out.

"I stole the circuit board. Computers won't work without them and neither will this." Oliver said as he held the device out to Slade.

"Leverage." Slade smiled before the two took off.

Queen Consolidated

Later

"Wendy?" Oliver called out as he walked into Wendy's seemingly empty office.

"Over here." Wendy called out and he saw her foot behind her desk.

The man ran and saw Wendy, her phone pressed to her ear, with her hands tied behind her back. Quickly untying her, Oliver helped the younger woman sit up, Wendy obviously shaken, as Oliver stood up with a knife but it was just Diggle. As Oliver lowered his knife, Diggle walked over to them.

"I got your call, what happened?" Diggle demanded.

"Kate." Oliver growled.

"She wanted the address of the safe house the criminals were at. I sort of hacked the FBI database. I'm sorry guys." Wendy said.

"It's not your fault." Diggle assured his friend.

Oliver then started to leave.

"Where you going?" Diggle demanded.

"To finish what the police interrupted tonight." Oliver growled.

FBI safe house

Not too long after

Kate was on the stair case, having killed multiple FBI agents and was about to kill another when an arrow intercepted her bolt. She fired two shots, forcing the vigilante to take cover as she kicked the door in. seeing the empty room, Kate growled before jumping out the window to pursue the criminals. The Hood followed her, seeing her staring after the criminal’s retreating figures.

"Kate!" The Hood barked in his mechanical voice.

She turned around, aiming her gun at him. The Hood had an arrow trained on her.

"You won't kill me, you're a hero, right?" Kate said mockingly.

"You're a threat to innocent people. I let you go, I might as well be killing those people myself." The Hood sneered.

The Hood fired but she caught the arrow, to the vigilante's surprise. She smirked at his expression.

"I practiced that move, I had a feeling I might need it someday." Kate bragged.

"Well did you practice protecting yourself from this?" The Hood demanded as he threw a knife.

"Enough!" he barked as someone exited the house.

"Freeze!" Hilton said as he aimed his gun on them, "put down your weapons!"

There was a tense moment before The Hood reluctantly did as he asked. The moment he did, Kate picked her fallen gun off the ground and took aim.

"No!" The vigilante shouted as Kate fired.

Hilton was hit and Kate was forgotten as The Hood rushed to his side. The bullet had hit him in the waist Hilton was unconscious. Hearing sirens, the left, knowing Hilton would get to the hospital.

Starling General Hospital, next day

Morning

"I loved being a cop." Hilton told Quentin as he sat by his friend's bedside.

"You'll still be a cop. You just need to take some time off, to help you recover." Quentin told hin understandingly.

"I'm moving to Coast City, it has the best physical rehabilitation facility in the country."Hilton told him and he nodded.

"We'll miss you." Quentin told him.

"About Oliver-"

"Don't even worry about it." Quentin cut him off.

"No, listen. The other night at the club, I followed him. There's this room at the basement, it has a deadlock with a security code. I asked around, no else has any idea what it is, I think that whatever you're looking for…is in that room." Hilton told him.

Verdant

Same time

Oliver was sitting at a table alone when someone sat down across from him. Looking up, Oliver was surprised to see Tommy.

"You all right?" Tommy asked him and Oliver said, "I will be. What about you?"

"I will be,” Tommy said too, "Look, I know that I've been a jerk lately. I just couldn't understand how you could keep such a big secret from me. But seeing you there, begging Kate to stop hurting me, and thinking about something earlier, I realized I never….. I never considered the toll it must take on you."

"Lying to the people that are closest to me is the hardest part,” Oliver said with an exhale.

"I get that,” Tommy assured him.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Oliver and Slade were hidden behind the ridgeline they had first spotted missile launcher as Fryers and his men searched. Slade handed Oliver the radio.

"Your plan, your call." Slade said simply, to which Oliver nodded.

"Fryers." Oliver called out after activating the radio.

"Mr. Queen, I thought I might be hearing from you." Fryers angry voice came over the radio.

"We have the circuit board." Oliver told him.

"You are making a grave mistake. My men are scouring the island for you," at this, Slade looked back through the binoculars towards the camp, "when they find you, they will kill you. Slowly I'm afraid."

"If your men kill us, then you'll never know where the circuit board is. And after that, we both know all you'll be left with is a really ugly piece of modern art." Oliver said causing Slade to smirk in amusement.

"Then what would you purpose?" Fryers asked and the two knew they had beaten him.

"A trade." Oliver told him.

"And what would you want in return?" Fryers inquired.

"I want a way off the island." Oliver demanded.

Chapter Text

Verdant, the lair

Night

Oliver was training as Diggle and Wendy watched a police report on the computer. They were watching a police report on their next target.

"John Nickel is one of the wealthier real estate developers in Starling City, but he's also one of the dirtiest." Oliver said as he did six pullups on the machine he was using. "That building that burned down last night? The wiring wasn't up to code."

"Maybe he didn't know." Wendy suggested hopefully.

"I guess he also didn't know about the seven other people that have frozen to death in his buildings over the last few years." Oliver said sarcastically as he jumped down from the machine.

"Yeah, he's a real man of the people." Diggle said sarcastically.

"Not for long," Oliver said as he picked up the list when he walked over, "the D.A. ignores it and the police can't do anything since all these slums are in The Glades. So tonight, I cross Mr. Nickel's name off the list. You okay with that Wendy?"

"Absolutely." Wendy said as she stared at Nickel's picture on the screen.

John Nickel's penthouse

Later

The Hood dropped down from the ceiling quickly. He moved down the stairs as he searched for Nickel, The Hood notching an arrow. However, as he reached the kitchen, he lowered his weapon as he saw the over turned lamp. Walking over, The Hood leaned down and picked up the knife on the floor as he noticed the lack of blood.

The Lair

Later

"He was just gone?" Wendy asked in confusion.

"No. Not gone, taken." Oliver told her irritated.

"Looks like he was on someone else's list too." Diggle noted.

"After last night's fire it's not entirely surprising." Oliver admitted. "Wendy, I need you to get us anything you can on John Nickel. Focus on the tenants, specifically anyone who filed a complaint or lost something in the fire."

"I just don't understand. You went over there to say 'Grr, stop being bad or I'll kill you' and now you want to rescue him?" Wendy asked confused and Oliver calmed down.

"I don't like the idea of someone dangerous being there." Oliver said and Wendy gave him a look. "Somebody else, because typically, they don't show my level of restraint."

"So you are gonna cross off Nickel anyway?" Diggle asked as Oliver readied himself to go out.

"No, but it's a big city. There are a lot of one-percenters." Oliver said indifferently.

"Why don't you go home, relax." Diggle suggested.

"The city needs me." Oliver protested.

"Those one-percenters aren't going anywhere. How about I take you out to dinner?" Diggle suggested.

"I'm not hungry." Oliver said blankly.

"I wasn't asking." Diggle said and Oliver he wouldn't budge.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

"A simple exchange: a way off the island for the circuit board so that your missile launcher isn't just furniture." Oliver said into the radio.

"You've grown up quite a bit Mr. Queen, I'll give that," Fryers paused before he spoke again, "I can get you a boat, but I'll need time."

"You've got an hour Fryers and then you're never-" Slade yanked the radio out of Oliver's hands, giving him a look.

"We understand that it might take you more than an hour to get a boat. What we mean is that you need to move with some dispatch." Slade spoke into the radio.

"Ah, Wilson, still in command ah? I thought your little pet had staged a little coup d'état." Fryers said annoying all two of them.

"Just get us the damn boat." Slade growled.

Big Belly Burger

"I was hungrier than I thought." Oliver said as he wolfed down his food while Diggle ate at a much slower pace. "So, are you going to finish before you give me that lecture?"

"You have been spending a lot of time in uniform the last couple weeks," Diggle looked at Oliver pointedly.

"What's the problem, you think I'm losing my grip?" Oliver inquired before taking a drink of his soda.

"No, just the opposite. You're calm, too calm. Every day, you suit up, you go home, you repeat. It's not much of a life." Diggle noted.

"I can get a life once the city is safe." Oliver said shortly as Oliver began to notice cell phones going off around him.

"I'm used to isolation." Oliver said distractedly as he eyed the other customers, whose phones were going off.

"That's the problem. You have been home for eight months, but I don't think you ever left that island." Diggle told him as the noise of the phones finally caught the attention of Diggle.

"What is going on?" Diggle asked bewildered.

At that moment, Oliver's phone went off. Picking it up, Oliver saw it was Wendy and answered it.

"Yeah?" Oliver answered.

"Found Nickel. Click the link I just sent you, this came up on every phone with an I.P. address originating from The Glades." Wendy said frantically.

Oliver did as she said and the screen on his phone changed to an image that chilled the two to their bones: a bound John Nickel with grey tape over his mouth.

"If you live in The Glades, you know who this man is," a deep, mechanical disguised voice said, "John Nickel. He owns your tenements, manages your slums, provides the leaking roofs over your heads. The mold in your pipes and the asbestos in your walls. Basically, he makes money off our suffering. But the police aren't interested in helping us. They may have let us down, but I won't. John, I'm gonna give you a chance to plead your case. Why shouldn't you be punished?"

"I knew there was bad stuff in my buildings." Nickel said fearfully.

"Wendy, try and track him." Oliver whispered.

"I'm working on it!" Wendy said defensively.

"Okay, so I made a little profit! At least they had a place to live. Without me, people like that would have ended up on the street!" Nickel said, realizing too late that it was the wrong thing to say.

"People. Like. That," the voice repeated angrily as he put the tape back on Nickel's mouth, "that's all we are to people like him," the camera shifted its viewpoint and a gun became visible, "John, I find you guilty."

He fired twice and the people in the restaurant jumped, horror paying across their faces. The two exchanged an uneasy glance.

"There are plenty more people who need to answer for their crimes against us. So, who's next?" the voice asked before the feed went dead.

The lair, next day

Morning

"Anything?" Oliver asked as he walked over to Wendy at the computer.

"Whoever this guy is, he's good. His entire website's encrypted. This is almost Argus level stuff." Wendy said as she tried to get something.

"Talked to my friend at the NSA," Diggle said as he walked over, "the website code matches a cyber crusader who's been on their radar. He hacks into fringe sites under the user name 'The Savior.' NSA believes he's a former resident of The Glades."

"Former?" Oliver repeated curiously.

"A year ago, he went off the radar, erased all traces of his existence." Diggle explained.

"So what happened a year ago?" Wendy wondered out loud.

"We're back," The Savior said as his site went active again and the three turned their attention to the computer, seeing a man in a similar position to Nickel, "I have with me Assistant District Attorney Gavin Carnahan," Carnahan lets out a muffled scream before The Savior continues, "now, D.A.'s are supposed to go after bad guys, but this one can't even be bothered to bring them to trial. Like the ones who killed my wife in a bodega."

"He just gave us something to work with. Wendy, let's go!" Oliver barked as Wendy began searching the internet.

"Said there wasn't enough evidence. Do you think that the evidence would have turned up if she had been killed in one of the city's nicer neighborhoods?" The Savior asked as Carnahan groaned against the tape.

"I've got something!" Wendy said as she pulled up a news article on the screen.

"Emma Falk, grieving husband is Joseph Falk. What do we have on him?" Oliver demanded.

"Not much," Wendy said after pulling up some articles on him, "forty-two, former city worker. Department of transportation, computer technician, left his job when she was killed…one year ago today."

"No current phone or address." Oliver chimed in.

"Gavin, you're a lawyer. You're used to making a case, so go ahead. I'm gonna give you ten minutes to give the closing argument against your life. Ten minutes to convince me not to blow you away." Falk said as he put the camera down so that the audience could see a timer.

Lair

Later

"I got him!" Wendy said victoriously as she pulled up a map that shows Falk's location.

"Shut him down." Oliver barked.

"We can't, he's got a pretty good fire wall protecting his wireless signal. Even my current hacking skills, it would take hours to shut him down. But he's working off I-PX between twenty-third and Mira." Wendy explained.

"You gonna Hood up?" Diggle asked and Oliver gave him a look.

"It's the middle of the day!" Oliver pointed out before taking off.

Starling City

Not too long after

"How's Carnahan?" Oliver asked as he wove through traffic on his motorcycle.

"Not making a very persuasive argument." Wendy said as the rest of the team watched Carnahan fumble his chance for life away.

"I'm almost there!" Oliver said as he pulled up in front of the building.

Hopping off, Oliver rushes inside only to encounter a security door. Growling in annoyance, Oliver punched through the glass with ease before reaching down and unlocking the door. Oliver all but shoves the door open and rushes up the first flight of stairs and into the hallway.

"Find anything?" Wendy asked hopefully.

"I'm only on the first floor!" Oliver snapped as he kicked open a door.

Angrily, Oliver searches the building. Door after door reveals nothing but an empty office building. Oliver kicks up a door to reveal the roof and Oliver is stumped as he walked onto the roof of the building.

"He's not here!" Oliver snarled into his comms.

"What?" Wendy asked startled.

"I searched every office on every floor, he's not here! Are you sure this is the right place?!" Oliver demanded.

"Yes, it…this…shouldn't be possible." Wendy said as she stared at the screen.

"What?!" Oliver demanded.

"He moved, just north of you, Ocean and Grand." Wendy told him.

"On my way!" Oliver said as he jumped off the rooftop.

Oliver his feet to roll onto the next rooftop before getting up and running to the end. He then repeated the process five times before sliding down a fire escape on the side of the building and jumping on the roof of a supply truck. As it stopped, Oliver jumped off the truck onto a wooden crate and into the road. As cars honked at him, Oliver ran over to a fence, which he easily hopped over, and made his way to his destination before stopping at what he saw.

"I'm at Ocean and Grand, there's nothing here! That's just a vacant lot!" Oliver said over the comms.

"I don't understand, how is this possible?! It shouldn't-" Wendy wondered bewildered before Falk shot Carnahan three times in the chest.

Wendy ripped out her comms and threw it on the desk before storming out. there was silence in the lair for a moment before she tapped her comms.

Lian Yu, Five years ago

Day

Oliver and Slade walked into a clearing. Fryers, Yao-Fei, and about six of Fryers' men walked into the clearing from the other side.

"Welcome. So happy we could reach an accord." Fryers said sarcastically.

"Oh good, small talk," Slade muttered in annoyance, "are we gonna do this?"

"Straight to business eh? The circuit board where is it?" Fryers demanded.

"Somewhere safe. Take us to the boat and then we'll tell you where it is." Oliver ordered.

"And of course you'll be honest about where it is." Fryers said sarcastically.

"Well I wouldn't be, but this one has some strange hanging about principals and integrity." Slade said mockingly.

"I imagined as much. Which is why I'd like to make a counter proposal. Me!" Fryers called out.

Two of Fryers men came forward, dragging an Asian woman around Oliver's age with black hair and her hands bound behind her back. The men dropped her to her knees and Yao-Fei moved towards her but some of Fryers men stopped him.

"You will deliver back to me the circuit board or I will kill Yao-Fei's daughter." Fryers ordered.

"That's why you wouldn't leave." Oliver said as he looked down at Yao-Fei with understanding.

"I can't imagine you'd want the death of an innocent young woman on your hands. Not with your…principals. Fryers spat.

Verdant

Night

"How's it going Buddy, Rough day?" Tommy asked as Oliver walked over.

"Yeah, you could say that." Oliver said as a news report came on the television.

"More on the kidnapper seems to have another victim and is broadcasting the feed directly to his website. Warning to our viewers this live footage, so we're not sure what we're about to see." The news anchor said as the two looked at the report and Tommy could contain his gasp of shock at the face.

"Meet Roy Harper," Falk began, "arrested for Larceny and Robbery, aggravated assault. And yet you're out on the streets, another Gangbanger just like the ones who killed my wife. I grew up in The Glades too; it didn't turn me into a criminal."

"I know that kid." Tommy told him and Oliver turned to his friend.

"Tommy!" the two turned to see a disheveled and clearly upset Thea run up to them, stopping once she was the television, putting a hand over her mouth and turning to Oliver, "I didn't know where else to go."

"You know him?" Oliver questioned as he took her gently by the shoulders.

"He's my friend and we were in a fight and some guy came out of nowhere and just attacked us. He doesn't deserve to die!" Thea wailed.

"Listen, he's gonna be okay. Stay here with Tommy alright." Oliver said and, once she nodded, Oliver turned and walked away.

Verdant

Later

"Anything?" Oliver asked as he paced back and forth while Wendy went to work.

"I've been going through all the video we've got, but I haven't come up with anything but sound. Buried in the ambient noise, it's like a rhythm." Wendy said frustrated as she brought up the sound. "What is that? It sounds like a car, driving over lane markers.”

"No, it's bigger than a car." Oliver disagreed.

"So it's bigger than a car, what, a bus?" Wendy guessed.

"Show me a map of the abductions where we've seen the signal," Diggle ordered and Wendy brought up a map with dots signifying the sites, "Ocean and Grand, Locksley and Adams, those are all subway stops!"

"Starling City doesn't have a subway." Oliver interjected confused.

"No, but there used to be. When I was a kid, my dad used to take me to the Rockets game. By subway. For fourteen minutes, I'd lean my head against the window, learn the rhythm of the train." Diggle explained.

"That's how he did it. He was at twenty-third and Mira but he was underground. He used to work for the department of transportation; he knows all the old subway stops." Oliver realized.

"It's why we couldn't trace the signal, he was moving, he was in a subway car." Wendy continued.

"Where is he now?" Oliver said as he stood up.

"At the old town cross line. If he continues on, he'll be at the Spring Street stop in fifteen minutes." Wendy said as he walked out.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"Let the girl go." Slade demanded as he aimed a gun at Fryers head.

"No deal?" Fryers asked and Slade made no move to lower his gun, "Very well: kill her!"

Slade brought two guns and knocked the guns away two Soldiers. The girl knocked away the gun nearest to her and then leapt behind the soldiers who had restrained her. She punched them before she wrapped her legs around one while holding onto the arm of another. Slade opened fire while Oliver tackled a soldier. The soldiers shrugged him off before Oliver grabbed a rock, and beat his solder into unconsciousness with it. As he stood up, the two watched as the girl knocked out another soldier by punching him repeatedly in the face.

"Well, this was not what I expected." Slade said as the girl walked over to them.

"Fire!" Fryers said and a barrage of bullets followed his order.

Oliver, Yao-Fei, and the girl ran for cover as Slade picked up an assault rifle and returned fire. As they ran, a bullet hit Yao-Fei in the leg and he fell to the ground. Oliver helped them up and they hide behind a tree as Slade dealt with the mercenaries.

"Get her to safety," Yao-Fei told Oliver urgently, "I'll only slow you down, go!"

Despite the girl's protests, Oliver grabbed her and ran with Slade covering their escape before the Australian joined them.

Starling City

Later

The Hood walked inside a subway stop, The Hood firing an explosive arrow into an access grate. Using a line, The Hood made it down and was forced to step aside or be crushed by Falk's train.

"It's happening." Wendy said through the Comms.

Notching an Arrow, The Hood fired it at the wheels of the trains, slowing it down a few notches. Jumping up on the train, The Hood  ran down towards the back and jumped through one of the windows. Standing up, he saw Falk standing before him and a wounded but still living Roy. The Hood notched an Arrow.

"Let the kid go!" The Hood barked. "You kill this kid; he'll never get an opportunity to change! You can give him a second chance.”

"We're the only ones who can save this city, we can't stop now!" Falk said.

"We're not the same! I'm doing it for the good of others; you're using your personal tragedy as an excuse to carry out a vendetta!" The Hood snarled. "I understand loss, more than you know, but that doesn't give you the right to kill people who may have something in common with the people who killed her."

"Emma never got a second Chance, why should he?" Falk demanded as he looked back at Roy.

"I understand pain, but that's no excuse. Be better than them, not just like them." The Hood tried to reason with him.

"He deserves it; he's no different than them. They gunned her down, now I get to gun him down." Falk said as he turned and aimed at Roy who had managed to free himself from one bind and was now working on the other.

"Don't do it!" The Hood ordered and Falk fired.

Roy managed to free himself and ducked. Falk fired one more time before The Hood fired his arrow. It pierced him in the heart and he stumbled, looking back at the vigilante in shock. Falk dropped the gun and fell to the floor, dead.

The Foundry

Later

Verdant

Later

Oliver watched Thea reunite with Roy. Oliver wasn't sure how he felt about Roy. He had the potential to be something great, maybe one day…nope, don't go there.

Oliver made his way out of the club when he ran into a familiar face. He almost ran straight into Dinah.

"Hey, I heard about Thea's friend. Is he okay?" Dinah asked concerned.

"Yeah, he's fine. This Roy…is more than just a friend, isn't he?" Oliver asked already knowing the answer.

"Bad boys, hook you every time," Dinah said as she looked at him, "hey…do you want to get some coffee or dinner or something?"

"…I don't want to be on an island anymore." Oliver said and the two were off.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

"Slade, the circuit boards gone." Oliver called out.

Stunned, Slade moved past him and checked the tree that they had hidden the circuit board to see he was right.

"Damn, Fryers played us. While he was screwing us around, his men were searching the woods. And now his missile launcher is fully operational." Slade growled.

"He was never gonna let us off the island." Oliver realized.

"Of course he wasn't. he couldn't chance you warning the mainlanders what he was planning!" the girl snapped and the two looked at her stunned.

"And she speaks English." Oliver said dryly.

"Well guess what, none of us having any idea what his plans are." Slade snapped.

"I do." The woman said as she turned around to face them.

Verdant

Not long after

Having seen Oliver leave with Dinah, Quentin made his way inside. Making his way towards the door, Quentin found the door Hilton had told him about. Thinking, Quentin punched in Oliver's birthday as the code but the negative beep and the red blink told him that wasn't it. He tried Oliver, Thea's, Dinah's, Moira's, Robert's, even his own, but nothing. Growling, a thought occurred to Quentin. With equal parts dread and hope, Quentin punched in the date the Gambit set sail and the sound of unlocking doors was his answer.

Opening the door, Quentin made his way down the stairs and into the area. Feeling along the walls, Quentin felt a switch and pushed it. Lights came on and the set up reminded Quentin of a supervillain's lair in a movie. As Quentin walked in, he spotted the setups of arrows. As he passed a table, he froze upon seeing the green hood. Suddenly, a million pieces fell into place and he didn't like where they led him.

"No…no." Quentin shook his head in denial even as the truth set in.

Chapter Text

Verdant, three days later

Night

"I love how we've gone from throwing money at clubs to making money at them." Tommy said jovially.

"Yeah, what kind of business has a lost and found consisting solely of women's underwear?" Oliver asked as he picked out a black lace bra.

"The best business ever?" Tommy joked. "Oh, having this much fun should be against the law.

“Oh, if wishing made it so." The two spun around to see Quentin walking up to them, "Sorry, am I interrupting anything?"

"Is Dinah okay?" Tommy asked him after having heard about the events of the previous week.

"She's fine,” Quentin said before getting down to business, "This meeting's about something else. A girl just got mowed down a couple of blocks from here,” he pulled out his phone and showed them the photo of the dead girl, "On Starling Bridge. Ring any bells with you two?"

"No,” Tommy said.

"Should she?" Oliver asked.

"She was in your club tonight,” Quentin said as he pulled out an evidence bag which had a neon green wristband which all customers got on entering Verdant.

"A lot of people were,” Tommy pointed out.

"You think someone killed her?" Oliver asked him.

"Not someone,” Quentin said as he pulled out another evidence bag which had some disturbingly familiar black and green pills, "Something."

"Vertigo,” Oliver said in realization.

"Yeah,” Lance agreed before turning to Tommy, "You got a problem with that in this club?"

"Not that I am aware of,” Tommy replied sharply.

"We don't allow drugs in here, Detective,” Oliver told him firmly.

"Control your clientele," Quentin said as he put the bags away, "before someone else wonders into traffic."

Quentin looked over at Oliver, looking like he was about to say something. Then he glanced at Tommy and walked away. Under normal circumstances, Oliver would be concerned with Quentin's behavior, but he had bigger problems.

"Is it possible she could have scored the drugs in here?" Oliver demanded once Quentin was gone.

"Doubt it; I try not to hire too many drug dealers." Tommy said as they walked out of the bar.

"Get me a list of our employees anyway; I'll have Wendy cross-reference it for drug related arrests." Oliver said as he walked towards the entrance to the lair and punched in the code.

"I thought that the Hood took care of The Count." Tommy said as Oliver opened the door.

"He did." Oliver said before closing the door behind him.

Starling City mental institution

Later

Entering the room undetected, The Hood quickly spotted The Count. He is sitting on a bed, mumbling incoherently to himself. The Hood stormed over and grabbed him by the collar, slamming him against the wall.

"A woman died tonight, because of your poison." The Hood growled.

"Lots of women die, lots of nights, for lots of reasons." The Count mumbled madly.

"Someone is selling Vertigo, where is it coming from?" The Hood demanded as he walked forward.

"I remember you," The Count said as he looked towards The Hood,"you have failed this city," The Count sneered as he pulled out his drawing of The Hood, "you are never far from my thoughts."

Hearing the jingle of keys in the doorway, The Hood dropped him as the vigilante fled.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Oliver fingered Shado's bow as he watched Slade and Shado go at it.

"Who taught you how to fight?" Slade demanded once they stopped.

"My father wanted a son." Shado said simply as she turned away from him.

"He got one." Slade said impressed.

"Careful," Shado said as she spotted Oliver fingering her bow, "the tension in that bow is one-hundred fifty pounds. Snap it and you'll be covered in Carbon fiber shrapnel in your eyes."

"She's right, you're not strong enough," Slade told him before turning to Shado, "go again?"

"You know, it's pretty exciting that both of you are such badasses but shouldn't we be making a plan to stop Fryers and, I don't know, save your dad?" Oliver asked pointedly.

"Does he always whine this much?" Shado asked amused.

"Today's one of his good days." Slade told her.

"Can he fight?" Shado asked.

"I've tried limited success." Slade said.

"I'm sitting right here." Oliver said annoyed.

"I haven't tried." Shado said as Slade laughed.

Verdant, The Lair

Later

"I got as quick as I could, this about the glyph in your family's notebook?" Diggle asked as he walked into the room.

"Wendy is still working on that, this is about another problem." Oliver said as he pulled up a news report about Vertigo.

"For the past few days, the city has been flooded with a new version of Vertigo. More addictive, more unstable, it killed a girl in the club." Oliver said as he turned off the report.

"So what do you think, you should pay The Count a visit?" Diggle asked.

"That was my first visit, but it was a waste of time. He's sumasshedshiy." Oliver explained before motioning to his head at Diggle's look.

"Since he was the only one that knew the formula, we're not sure where to begin." Oliver said as Wendy walked in.

"Good, you're here. Of course you're here; you guys clearly love it down here. You guys need to see this." Wendy said as she brought up another report.

"I'm here at the scene where police say a disturbed mental patient escaped hours ago," a female news reporter said and Oliver started paying close attention, "authorities have issued a lock down at the Starling City facility for mental heal. Police warn citizens to avoid contact with the individual known as The Count."

"Not so crazy after all, huh?" Diggle said as Oliver angrily overturned a table.

Starling City mental institution, next day

Morning

"Did we get anything from the security cameras?" Quentin asked his boss stiffly.

"Due to budget cuts, the cameras were the first thing to go." Pike said and Quentin let out a humorless laugh.

"Unbelievable." Quentin said sarcastically.

"There's another angle," Pike said and Quentin looked over at him, "Veronica Sparks, the dead girl from Verdant?"

"Yeah?" Quentin asked slowly.

"I checked her LUDs, the last person she texted before she died was Tommy Merlyn." Pike told him.

"He said he didn't know her." Quentin said surprised.

"Merlyn has two collars for possession, one with intent." Pike reminded him and Quentin scoffed.

"That was over five years ago and Dinah said the kid’s changed since his father cut him off." Quentin argued.

"Maybe he's just better at not getting himself arrested?" Quentin scoffed and glared at Pike as they walked out.

"So, now you're going after her boyfriend?" Quentin sneered.

"Quentin, when we checked Verdant's accounts, there's ten-million dollars missing." Pike told him.

Knowing what he now knew, Quentin could admit this was a little suspicious. Realizing Pike wasn't going to let this go, Quentin made a snap decision.

"I'll go talk to him. I've got a good relationship with my daughter; it'll be more likely that they'll cooperate with me than with some other officer." Quentin told him.

The Lair

Night

"Person of color has successfully purchased your drugs." Diggle quipped as he put the plastic baggie down on the computer desk.

"I offered." Wendy said helpfully.

"When will the tracker be set up?" Oliver inquired.

"It hurts me that you even have to ask that," Wendy said as she pulled up an image of the city, "we're getting a good signal off the monofilament strips we placed in the bill."

"Drug money's like a pigeon; it always finds its way home." Diggle said.

"We can follow the money right back to The Count," Oliver said before turning to Wendy and stood up, "keep tracking it, call me with any updates."

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"Hold your hand up," Shado instructed Oliver as she poured a bowl of water in front of him, "hit the water."

"What?" Oliver asked surprised.

"Hit it." Shado repeated.

Bewildered, Oliver did as she asked.

"Again." Shado ordered.

Going from bewildered to annoyed, Oliver did as she asked.

"Again, harder." Shado ordered.

"If the point of this is to make me feel like an idiot, it's working." Oliver said as he hit the water with greater force.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Shado quoted and Oliver laughed humorlessly.

"Confucius, nice. I'm beginning to see the family resemblance." Oliver snarked.

"Laozi, actually. Again." Shado ordered and Oliver hit the bowl again.

"Now what?" Oliver said once the bowl was empty.

"Refill the bowl and start again." Shado said.

Starling City

Later

"What have you got?" Oliver answered the comms as he and stood in an alley.

"the end of the money trail, I'm sending the dealer's location to you now." Wendy said.

A moment later, Oliver got the link and he clicked on it. The dealer's location came up and Oliver got on his motorcycle.

At the dealer's location, the dealer tossed a large wade of Vertigo over to his clients. However, an arrow pierced the package, causing the pills to scatter. The Hood fires an arrow into the dealer's car, which landed at the door. The dealer took off as a guard got out of his car and started firing at The Hood. The Hood fired an arrow at the guard and he fell to the ground dead, the arrow in his heart. Unfortunately, the dealer was gone by the point.

The Lair

Later

Oliver, tired and frustrated from tonight's events, walked inside The Lair. He was going to put his gear away when he heard what sounded like a recording come over from where Wendy at at the computers. It sounded like someone was reporting something at the aquarium.

"This just came over the police frequency," Wendy said catching his attention, "I hacked the security system to get a better look."

Oliver walked up behind her as she pulled up security footage from the aquarium. A man was ranting before he pulled out a gun and started firing. One of the bullets took out the camera and the two were left staring at a black and white screen.

"Bystanders say they saw him pop some green and black pills." Wendy began before she noticed Oliver walk away. "So you aren't gonna…"

"Thea got high on this stuff, could've killed someone. She didn't deserve an arrow in the heart. This guy didn't fail the city, the city failed him. And so did I." Oliver said regretfully.

"You didn't make this guy take drugs." Wendy tried.

"But I did fail to put The Count in a grave so deep he couldn't hurt anyone again." Oliver pointed.

"You locked him up." Wendy said naively.

"And now the city is a breeding ground for a more dangerous Vertigo, so it clearly it was the wrong decision!" Oliver said before taking a deep breath and continuing in a calmer voice, "get in touch with Dig. With the security feed out, we need another pair of eyes."

Aquarium

Later

The Hood watched as the junkie popped some more pills. Notching an arrow, The Hood fired and the arrow knocked the gun from the junkie's hand. The junkie looked up at him before taking off. Entering into the boiler room, the junkie came face to face with The Hood. He turned and tried to run but The Hood came around the corner. The Hood grabbed him and tried to wrestle him to the ground without hurting him too much when he suddenly stilled.

Verdant

Later

Oliver came down the stairs, embarrassingly passing Tommy and Dinah in an intimate moment. As they broke apart, the couple mumbled an apology. Seeing the look on his face, Dinah opened her mouth to speak when her father walked in. Dinah was about to snap at him when she saw that he hadn't even noticed her, he walked right up to Oliver, an unsure look on his face.

"Oliver, could I talk to you privately?" Quentin requested right before Pike came in with a few officers.

"Mr. Merlyn, the warrant you requested." Pike said as everyone turned to him surprised.

"Warrant?" Quentin asked surprised.

"A Warrant to search the premises." Pike said as Dinah took it.

"On what grounds are you searching my club Lieutenant?" Oliver demanded.

"Your general manager bribed public official not to search the entirety of your club. Because he's selling Vertigo out of it." Pike said.

Oliver looked over at Tommy, stunned. He looked back at Oliver with an angry look.

"Ollie, it's valid." Dinah put in.

"Thank you," Pike said as he took the warrant and walked towards the basement, "a sub level is not listed on the inspection plans. However, city records say that there's something down there. And I'm gonna see what it is."

"Frank, there's no need for this. I know him." Quentin said in a pleading tone that surprised almost everyone.

"It's our job Quentin," Pike said as he found the door, "open the door Mr. Queen.

"You're making a mistake." Oliver insisted.

"That depends on what's down there. Open the door." Pike insisted.

With everyone watching, Oliver reluctantly put in the code and opened the entrance. Everyone walked down there and, to the surprise of almost everyone in the know; it was just a room full of crates. Pike walked over and opened one, pulling out a wine bottle.

"I use this room to store our inventory. Would you like to open the rest of the crates?" Tommy asked sarcastically.

"If you have nothing to hide, why didn't you want anyone down here?" Pike demanded.

"The ventilation system hasn't been updated since the sixties. We probably shouldn't even be open." Tommy lied.

Pike nodded and the cops moved out of the room. The rest of them followed out and Oliver moved away as he saw Diggle.

"What's his problem?" John asked Oliver about Tommy as he arrived.

Oliver glared at Dig and angrily asked, "What's yours?"

”Excuse me?” Diggle scoffed as he stared at Oliver.

"I asked Wendy to get in touch with you,” Oliver told him, "There was a hostage situation at the aquarium.”

"I'm sorry, I was busy doing something else and I didn't get the message until it was over." Diggle apologized.

”What could possibly be more important than a hostage situation?” Oliver asked, exasperated.

"Lawton." Diggle said and Oliver glared at him, "you didn't end up needing me."

"You couldn't have known that!" Oliver snarled.

"In other words 'find your brother's killer on your own time.” Diggle snapped.

Vertigo's tearing the city apart, Diggle!" Oliver yelled angrily, "So yeah, maybe now's not the best time to engage in a personal vendetta."

"You're actually gonna stand there and tell me that you going after the Count is not personal?" Dig asked angrily and ignoring Oliver's look continued, "Oliver, listen, I cannot read a book to my nephew without knowing that Lawton took his father from him. I can't move on with Carly, I can't move on with my life knowing that he's still out there. I thought that if anybody got that, it'd be you."

The Lair

Later

"What happened here?" Wendy asked as she walked down to see Oliver moving things out of the way.

"Long story." Oliver said.

"Where's Dig?" Wendy asked.

"Long story," Oliver echoed as he typed on the tablet, "the hostage taking junkie is the only lead we have on The Count. And guess what, he didn't die of a Vertigo overdose." Oliver said as he looked up.

"I thought you saw him." Wendy said. "According to the coroner's report, cause of death was a severe allergic reaction to chlorpromazine."

"That's an anti-psychotic," Oliver as an idea started to form, "pull up the Veronica Sparks autopsy. Did she have chlorpromazine in her system?"

"Yes," Wendy said after checking and she caught on to Oliver's thinking, "oh my god, he's still in the asylum!"

Starling City mental institution

Later

The Hood dropped into a service tunnel under the asylum. Taking out and activating a glow stick, the figure threw it down to light his path as he walked down the tunnel. Making his way into what resembled a mix between a meth lab and a mad scientist's home, he looked around as he heard The Count's voice. Finding the criminal in a chair in the corner of the room, the Vigilante immediately readied his weapon.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance," The Hood snarled, "turn around. I said turn around!

The Hood paused, seeing him restrained there. He had wires in his head and a vacant look in his eyes. He was so stunned he didn't hear someone sneak up on him until he was hit over the head with a crowbar.

When the figure awoke, he was strapped to a bed, his weapon across the room. He tried to break free of his restraints but to no avail. The doctor walked in and Oliver glared at him as an orderly walked in behind him.

"The Count didn't fake losing his mind, did he? It was you the whole time." Oliver put together. "How'd you get him to tell you the formula? I don't he could score a D on a chemistry test right now."

"He couldn't tell me if he wanted to, I had a biopsy run on his kidneys," The doctor said as he started mixing a batch of Vertigo, "there was a narcotic mixed in with his tissue after his OD. When I got the results, I realized I could reverse engineer the chemical compound of the drug, produce a synthetic version here at the compound using the facilities."

"And made a few improvements, like adding the chlorpromazine." Oliver noted as The Doctor was mixing Vertigo.

"That's how you found us." The Doctor realized.

"Cops came around and started asking questions, you faked The Count's escape to draw attention away from yourself. It's clever." Oliver said as he worked on his restraints slowly as to not draw attention to what he was doing.

"I wasn't trying to be a criminal mastermind, I just needed the money," The Doctor said as he walked over to the bed. "that's something I'm sure a billionaire couldn't understand."

"I understand you perfectly." Oliver said coolly.

"Open his mouth." The Doctor said.

"No, don't do it!" Oliver shouted in protest.

"Admirable, but I'd like to do it now." The Doctor said as the orderly grabbed Oliver.

Oliver's mouth was forced open as he struggled. Oliver was forced to drink the Vertigo. Hearing a beeping, The Doctor and orderly turned around to see Oliver's quiver with a beeping arrow. The orderly approached it before it exploded. The blast killed the orderly and sent Oliver's bed on its side as The Doctor was sent back. Oliver managed to free himself, despite how the vertigo damaged his motor skills.

Oliver was a little slow, not even sensing that the Orderly hadn't been killed as he first thought. The orderly walked up behind him with an IV stand. He was about to strike Oliver when Diggle burst in, punching the orderly, forcing him to drop the stand. As they fought, Oliver grabbed the injection arrow and stabbed himself in the heart with it. After the medicine went into his body, Oliver removed the arrow before vomiting up the green substance. Oliver stood up to see Diggle had electroshocked the orderly to death.

"Clear." Diggle said as he got up, causing Oliver to laugh.

They were staring at The Count as he mumbled madness. Oliver walked over and took out the bow, putting it at the base of his throat. He debated about killing him internally for a moment as Diggle stared at him. Then, he lowered the bow.

"You're as good as dead anyway, killing you would be a mercy. And you don't deserve a mercy for what you've done to this city." Oliver said before turning around and they walked away.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

"You're still doing that?" Slade asked as he walked in to see Oliver still hitting the water, "Fryers better be careful with his bowls of water."

"When am I going to do actual training?" Oliver asked.

"There once was a young boy who was sent to a monastery to study Kung Fu." Shado began.

"Good, a story." Oliver said sarcastically.

"After a year, the boy went to visit his family. When asked what he'd learned, they boy hung his head in shame. All the monks had him do was slap a bowl of water for a year." Shado continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Well we don't have a year, so I hope your training regimens a bit faster." Slade sneered.

"The family didn't believe him, so he raised his hand and hit the table. It broke in half." Shado said.

"I'm gonna be able to break a table?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"Better," Shado said before picking up her bow and handing it to Oliver, "draw the bow."

Oliver stared at him in disbelief before doing as she said. To everyone's surprise, Oliver was able to draw it back with seemingly no effort.

"I'll be damned." Slade smiled.

"What's next?" Oliver asked.

"I teach you how to shoot." Shado told him.

The Lair

Later

"You had my back,” Oliver said as Diggle walked down.

“You needed me,” Diggle said to him sincerely. “Wendy told me where you were headed."

"You okay?" Oliver asked him, referring to the orderly, "I'm the killer, remember?"

"I've killed before, Oliver,” Diggle said to him, "It's just been a while. But if you're the killer, why isn't the Count down too? I'm sure it must have been tempting to take him off the board for good."

"People change,” Oliver told Dig.

"People like the Count?" Dig asked in confusion.

"I meant me,” Oliver clarified, "Not so long ago, I would have put down that guy for good, but looking at him today, all vacant….. there didn't seem to be a point. But not everybody deserves mercy."

Oliver then pulled up an image of Floyd Lawton on the computer, "For example."

Dig moved closer to look at the picture and said to Oliver, "I thought he wasn't a priority to you."

"He's a priority to you,” Oliver told him. "You two have unfinished business. But there’s something else.”

“What?” Diggle asked.

"When Quentin came down here... He had a look on his face," Oliver realized.

"What look?" Diggle asked not sure he liked where this was going.

"He was surprised. Not by what was down here, but because it was down here…because he's been down here before. He knows who we are," Oliver revealed.

Chapter Text

Verdant, The Lair

Afternoon

Diggle had boxing gloves on and was punching the pads Oliver had on. This had been going on for about half an hour in an attempt to work out Diggle's anger. So far, it wasn't helping.

"Feel better?" Oliver asked.

"I'll feel better once we end Deadshot." Diggle told him before continuing, "We need to end this guy before he makes any more widows out of wives."

"We will," Oliver said as Diggle finally tired himself out, "Diggle, we'll stop him. I promised I would help you take him down and I will. But he's on another continent."

"Not anymore." Wendy said from by the computers, "Someone told me to track Argus' manhunt for Deadshot, so I decrypted there communication logs. Which means I just hacked a federal organization. This kind of makes me a cyber terrorist, which is bad because I don't see myself fitting in well at Guantanamo Bay."

"Wendy, they don't send Blondes there." Oliver joked.

"I dye it actually," Wendy said thoughtlessly before looking up at Oliver startled, "I keep your secret."

"What did you find?" Diggle asked impatiently.

"Deadshot is supposed to meet a potential client here in Starling except the potential contract is bogus. Your friend Lyla's setting a trap for him. Lawton took the bait." Wendy explained.

"Good, I'll talk to Lyla, see if I can suss out any details," Dig said before looking at Oliver, "where are you going?"

"I'm on my way to have lunch with Dinah." Oliver explained.

Lian Yu, five years ago

"Rescuing your father and stopping Fryers isn't gonna be some walk in the park. They're not gonna just allow us to stroll on into their camp." Slade pointed out to Shado as Oliver watched.

"Which is why we'll need cover." Shado told him.

"And if both of us are infiltrating, who'll provide it?" Slade sneered.

"Him." Shado said as she looked over at the stunned youth.

Slade laughed in amused disbelief before he spoke.

"The assault rifle is flushed, useless." Slade pointed out.

"We have a bow, arrows." Shado reminded him.

"And no one capable of shooting them," Slade said before turning to Oliver, "no offense."

"I was gonna say the same thing." Oliver said.

"We should focus on trying to come up with a plan that will actually work, not lowering our already slim chances of survival." Slade said as Shado looked over at Oliver with an unreadable look on her face.

"Oliver will hit his mark by sundown," Shado said as she picked up her bow and quiver, "If not, we'll do things your way.

CNRI

Afternoon

Oliver walked up to his former girlfriend's desk, Dinah hard at work. Dinah glanced up at him, surprised.

"Didn't you get my message?" Dinah asked.

"No." Oliver asked confused.

"Things got a little crazy around here, back to back meetings. I'm so sorry, rain check" Dinah asked with a guilty smile.

"Its fine, I get it." Oliver assured her as he laughed before frowning, "has your dad been acting…weird to you?"

"No," Dinah said attempting to hide her nervousness, "why?"

"Never mind, it's nothing." Oliver said as a family of three walked in.

"Are we early Miss Lance?" the father asked.

"No, not at all, this is Oliver, this is Eric Moore and his wife Nancy. I'm prepping them for a reposition tomorrow." Dinah explained.

"Hi, Oliver Queen," Oliver introduced himself before smiling jokingly at the child between the two, "and this must be your body guard."

"This is our son, Taylor." Nancy introduced after some laughs.

"Well, you're in good hands. Nice to meet you." Oliver smiled politely before walking past them.

Queen Mansion, next day

Morning

Oliver was drinking coffee on the couch when he was watching the news currently taking place.

"…the bodies of Eric and Nancy Moore were found early this morning. The couple was being represented by attorney Dinah Lance in a law suit against Financier Edward Rasmus. Miraculously, their seven year old son Taylor survived the horrific attack."

Starling City Police Department

Later in the morning

Oliver entered the station and saw Dinah with Taylor. He was about to head over when he was intercepted by Tommy.

"What are you doing here?" Tommy demanded.

"I wanted to check on Dinah," Oliver explained.

"You could have just called," Tommy responded.

"She didn't tell you about lunch?" Oliver asked.

White as a sheet, Tommy stepped back. Oliver left, pausing only to give Tommy a brief look before walking over to Dinah and Taylor.

"Hey, how's the little guy?" Oliver asked as he reached them.

"He's okay; he'll be coming home with me and Tommy tonight." Dinah explained as she put her arms around Taylor.

"If there's anything I can do, anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." Oliver told her.

"You're just a phone call away." Dinah nodded as she and Taylor walked off.

The Lair

Afternoon

"What's this?" Oliver asked as he walked into the room to see Wendy and Diggle at the computers.

"Lyla's mission profile on the trap they've set for Deadshot." Wendy explained without looking up.

"Lawton is set to meet his new client tomorrow at eight P.M. except his client is an Argus agent. Lyla and her agents will then swoop in and arrest him." Diggle explained.

"Dig, do you want Lawton arrested?" Oliver asked.

"No." Diggle said after a moment.

"Then tomorrow night we cross Floyd Lawton's name off your list." Oliver said in finality."There's something else we need to look into," Oliver leaned down towards the computers and brought up some pages on Rasmus, "last night, two of Dinah’s clients were murdered. Their seven year old son barely managed to escape."

"That's terrible." Diggle said appalled.

"Edward Rasmus. The financial advisor Dinah's taking to court may not have pulled the trigger, but he probably called in the hit." Oliver pointed out. "Wendy, go over his phone records, bank accounts, anything that could connect him to the killer."

"And where will you be?" Diggle asked as the vigilante turned to leave.

"Dinah's." Oliver called back.

Dinah's apartment

Night

Dinah was standing with a useless gun in front of her assailant when the window shattered as the vigilante crashed through it. The Hood fired an arrow, which knocked the gun out of the hitman's hand. Dinah ran for safety as The Hood fired more arrows. The hitman ducked for cover then fired back with bullets, causing the vigilante to duck for cover this time. This gave the hitman enough time to escape. The vigilante shot to his feet but it was too late, as he was gone. Tommy sat up and the two of them looked at each other for a moment before the vigilante turned and left.

Queen Manor, next day

Afternoon

Oliver watched Moira lead Taylor away. Sometimes it was easy for him to forget that Moira played the part of a loving mover to a tee. Tommy thought he was using a front, he had nothing on Moira. Oliver then turned to Dinah and Tommy, who stood by Diggle in the doorway.

"Mr. Queen, may I take you to your next meeting?" Diggle asked politely causing Oliver look at him confused, "the Lawton meeting."

"Yes, of course! I just need to swing by the club, get my good clothes. I'll meet you there." Oliver said as he understood.

"Of course sir." Diggle said before running out the door.

"You're leaving?" Tommy asked the undertone of anger clear.

"I have a meeting with some clientele for the club, about setting up a program for the underage youth." Oliver lied easily.

"Is that more important than what's going here?" Tommy demanded as he looked over at Dinah.

"No offense to him, but I think I need Mr. Robbins and his men more than I need Oliver." Dinah said.

Oliver nodded in understanding and Dinah walked away. Oliver turned to go but Tommy blocked him.

"You are the whole reason we are here and trust me, that wasn't easy to admit." Tommy said tersely.

"They'll be fine." Oliver said and walked off.

The Lair

Night

"I'm uploading a satellite overview of the plaza to your phone." Wendy announced as Oliver got ready.

"Thanks but I know the place-"

"Dig was pretty specific about where you should perch," Wwndy cut him off, "what position you should perch…I think. He used a lot of military jargon. You're sniping a sniper, kind of ironic don't you think?"

As Oliver, a beep went off at the computer. Oliver raced over and checked it out, paling as he did.

"Edward Rasmus has a flight to Shanghai set for eight-fifteen tonight." Oliver said.

"He's running." Wendy realized.

"Deadshot is the priority," Oliver said. “But someone owes me a favor. We’ll take down both our targets.”

Starling City

Later

Edward Rasmus was being driven to the airport when he heard a sound behind him. He whirled around, stepping out of the car for a moment but he suddenly found himself surrounded by over a dozen SCPD officers, all of whom were armed with assault rifles that were aimed right at him.

“Drop your weapons and put your hands up! Do it or we will open fire!” one of them shouted and he cursed hia luck.

Plaza

Same time

The Hood was perched in his vantage point, his bow notched with an arrow. He was waiting for Deadshot when he saw the Argus agents react to a man in a hat. Oliver aimed his bow and waited but relaxed when the man took off his hat to reveal he wasn't Lawton. When a shot went off and Oliver found where it was coming from, Oliver fired his arrow as he perused. Deadshot's trajectory was thrown off, so he only grazed his next target. Oliver notched another arrow and fired. The arrow missed Lawton who managed to escape. Oliver growled in frustration as he escaped.

Outside the plaza

Later

"How's your operative doing?" Diggle asked Lyla as they walked away.

"He's hurt, but he'll live. I suppose I should thank you." Lyla said and he looked at her surprised.

"Thank me?" Diggle said surprised.

"Johnny, I know how you and Oliver Queen spend your nights," Lyla said and Diggle froze, "under normal circumstances, I'd be angry about you interfering in an Argus operation, but since your interference saved the lives of my team, I'll let it slide."

"Thank you." Diggle said as he relaxed.

"I'd like to thank Oliver Queen in person, if you can arrange it." Lyla said.

"I'll see what I can do." Diggle promised.

Queen Mansion

Later

"Hey," Oliver said as he walked into the room to see Dinah and Moira talking on the couch, "the police just called: Edward Rasmus was just arrested."

"Really?" Dinah asked shocked as she stood up, "what happened?"

"Apparently he confessed to everything. He's gonna go prison for a long time, won't be able to hurt anyone again." Oliver told her.

"Why would he confess, it doesn't make sense." Dinah pointed out.

"The Vigilante was involved." Oliver said almost unable to stop the proud smirk from crossing his face.

"Good for him." Tommy said as he walked up behind them.

"I guess it's over." Dinah said.

"Good, I'll go wake up Taylor." Tommy moved to leave.

"Wait," Moira said, "he's been through a lot and you are all welcome to stay."

"It's your call." Tommy said as Dinah looked at him.

"Thank you Mrs. Queen." Dinah said as she looked over at Moira.

Queen Manor

Later

Oliver and Tommy ran over after the lights turned off and it was clear by the look on Oliver's face that he had a feeling.

"You two, stay here with Taylor." Oliver said as he began to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Dinah demanded.

"It's an old house, fuses blow all the time." Oliver lied easily.

"...okay." Dinah said uncertainly before she and Tommy closed the door to Taylor's room.

Oliver kicked off the door handle before he stalked off. Oliver  roamed the halls, looking for the intruder. He rounded a corner when the internal alarm went off. He ducked just as the assailant fired. Oliver quickly fled into the shadows with the hitman quickly following. Blending into the shadows, the billionaire waited until he walked into the room. The billionaire was momentarily stunned to see it was the same hitman from last night but shook it off.

Oliver lunged at him, tackling him to the ground where he lost his gun. The hitman pushed Oliver off of him and they exchanged a few blows.

"What happened to you on that island?" the hitman asked.

"You're about to find out." Oliver promised.

Oliver lunged at him, tackling the hitman off the stairs and into the ground floor. The two landed on top of the small table, breaking it in two. The hitman turned around and began to exchange blows with Oliver who picked up a poker from the fire place. While the hitman was distracted, Oliver rushed forward and stabbed the poker through his heart. Oliver stepped back as he fell to the floor, dead, as Oliver sunk to the floor.

Queen Manor

Later

"Death by poker, that's a new one." Quentin quipped as the medics put the hitman in a body bag.

"He was gonna shoot me, so Mr. Robbins grabbed the poker and saved my life." Oliver said giving Quentin a pointed stare, waiting to see how Quentin would play this now that he knew the truth.

"Mr. Robbins was a real hero." Tommy mentioned, unaware that it was a lie he didn't need to tell.

"I've got enough for my report; I'll get my boys out of here." Quentin said as he turned to leave when Oliver stopped him.

"So how'd you find out?" Oliver asked.

"I opened the door," Quentin sighed.

"I…realize you must have lots of questions," Oliver said.

"Just one: why? Why are you really doing all this?" Quentin inquired.

"I guess that starts with this." Oliver said as he pulled out the list and placed it on the table.

"What's this?" Quentin asked as he picked it up.

"That is the list of names of people who are poisoning our city. I pulled it from my father's body." Oliver explained and he looked up at Oliver startled.

"I thought you said Robert died on the boat?" Quentin asked.

"He made it to the life boat with me. But there wasn't enough water for both of us, so he shot himself in the head to give me a better chance." Oliver explained. "A few years later, I found a message from my father, explaining what this is. My father did something terrible and everyone on this list is involved in it. It's why you can't go one day without running into road blocks in your job. Because these people don't care about the law or the innocent or anything that the two of us do. They only care about their own wealth and power and they are willing to step on anyone to maintain it. So I have to do something about it, law be damned.”

"...alright. I can't say I agree with everything you're doing, but you're right. I remember a time when the people of this city helped each other. When you came back, I was pretty hard on you. I'm sorry." Quentin said grudgingly and Oliver smiled, "out of curiosity, what were you doing at that Gala?"

"Stopping The Dodger." Oliver said and Quentin blinked.

"Seriously?" Quentin asked and he nodded, "well I'll be. And why did you look so sick when I came to talk to you about the meeting with Vertigo?"

"Because the Count injected me with some." Oliver said and Quentin's jaw dropped.

"Um, okay, and how did you throw off suspicion when fingers were pointed at you for being the vigilante?" Quentin asked.

"My body guard, John Diggle, dressed up as The Hood and went down to break up an arms deal." Oliver explained and Quentin was surprised.

"Mr. Diggle knows about this?" He asked.

"Do you really think I could keep a body guard this long if he didn't?" Oliver asked and he nodded in understanding.

Chapter Text

The Foundry

Evening

"A crook missing his laptop?" Wendy asked as Oliver showed her the laptop he had confiscated.

"Harold Backman." Oliver said. "He's who the Starling City's worst call when they want to launder money in the Caymans."

"Shouldn't we just turn this over to, I don't know, the IRS?" she asked him as she opened the laptop, booted it up and connected it to her system.

"We will. Just as soon as you return the money to their rightful owners." Diggle added.

Wendy tried going through the records but the screen flashed red, "Well, it sounds like a very nice idea. Backman's files are all protected with an asymmetric encryption algorithm."

"Really?" Oliver asked though he had no idea what it meant, "So it's gonna take a while to break in."

"It's going to take days at least to go through this." Wendy said.

”Better get started, then.” Diggle added with a smile.

Verdant, next day

Morning

"This coffee is terrible Oliver." Dinah told him as he walked in.

"That's what you get for ordering coffee in a bar," Oliver quipped as he looked over at her, "so what are you doing here this early?" Oliver inquired.

"I was wondering what's going on between Tommy and you. Lately, it seems like he can't even stand to hear your name." Dinah said curiously.

"We have a difference of opinion. Dinah, I appreciate you coming down here to try and mend fences between me and Tommy, but there's nothing you can do. Tommy is the one with the problem, not me. When he wants to talk, he knows where to find me. There's nothing I can do for him until then." Oliver said as the door behind the bar burst open and Wendy ran out.

"Oliver, I need to show what," Wendy stopped upon seeing Dinah, "I'm sorry, I totally just walked in on a thing, didn't I?"

"No, we were just finishing up here. Wendy, this is my friend Dinah. Dinah, this is Wendy White, a friend of mine from work. She's helping me set up the internet."

"Router. And I need to show Oliver something very important related to the router." Wendy said anxiously.

"I'll be right down," Oliver said before turning back to Dinah, "it was good to see you, maybe I'll see you later."

"Yeah." Dinah said as Oliver and Wendy walked through the door.

"Tell me you got in." Oliver said as they walked down the stairs to the lair.

Better," Wendy said as she handed Oliver a sheet of paper, "I made a list of all deposits Harold Backman made last year."

"Wendy, what good does that do us if we don't know whose money it is?" Oliver pointed out.

"Look at the biggest deposit, bottom of the page." Wendy instructed and Oliver, frustrated, did as she asked.

"Two-million dollars on December…" Oliver trailed off as he read the paper, "December twelfth, that's…"

"The day Walter disappeared. What if one of Backman's clients was paid to kidnap Walter?" Wendy asked.

"Then we find out which client it was and we use them to find Walter. Backtrack the account, follow the money, and hopefully it will lead us to Walter." Oliver barked as Wendy took a seat at the computer.

"After all this time, do you really think Walter could be alive?" Wendy asked as she began surfing the web.

"I don't know." Oliver said as Diggle walked in.

"Hey, what's going on?" Diggle inquired.

"We think Backman may have paid a client to kidnap Walter." Oliver said and Diggle gaped at his friend.

"I got something," Wendy spoke up and both turned their attention to her, "Demonic Alozo."

"The guy who runs the underground casino in Starling?" Diggle asked and Oliver nodded.

"When he's not busy kidnapping." Oliver said grimly.

"He looks like the kind of lowlife someone would hire to kidnap Walter," Wendy said as she looked at Alozo's picture, "so how many arrows do you think you'll need to put in him before he gives up Walter?"

"It's not that simple Wendy: Alozo has his own private army. We're gonna need to get into Alozo's computer without setting off any alarms." Oliver said as a plan began to form.

The Glades

Night

The Hood and Diggle stood on a fire escape across from the casino as they watched a man walk over to the front door. Oliver was monitoring the bugs Oliver had placed near the door when he got conversation. Oliver tapped the communications network for the team.

"Password is Snapdragon, you get that Wendy?" Oliver asked.

"I got it." Wendy said as she walked toward the front door in a red dress, "snapdragon."

The guard let her in and Wendy looked around. It was a gathering of underground, illegal activity under the guise of sophistication.

"What do you see?" The Hood asked through the communications.

"Six armed guards, two pit bosses, and a floor man." Wendy reported as she assessed the threats.

Wendy walked over to a blackjack table, taking out her purse. Wendy pulls out a stack of bound hundreds and passes it to the dealer.

"One stack of high society." Wendy said in a tone that she had perfected, even though it wasn't good and from the gala's she had attended.

The dealer gave her the cards and the games began. It wasn't too suspicious until Wendy kept winning. After a while, Wendy felt the pit boss approach and almost sighed in relief, she had been waiting all night for this.

"Miss, I need you to come with me." The pit boss said.

"Is something wrong?" Wendy asked playing the part of the innocent woman.

"Get up." He said roughly.

"Since you asked so nicely." Wendy said sarcastically as she stood up with a sugar-sweet smile.

Wendy let them man lead her away, when he grabbed her arm. She looked around to where he was taking her, her mind grasping for details.

"So there's the bathroom, I should have known the manager's office would be down the hall and to the right of the bathroom." Wendy played the part of the drunk, babbling fool to a tee.

The pit boss led her to Alozo's office. Alozo was on the phone when they walked in, not noticing them.

"Mr. Alozo." The pit boss called out.

Alozo looked up and hung up the phone as Wendy was led further into the room, finally having her arm released.

"Have a seat," Alozo said and Wendy was all but shoved into a chair on the other side of the desk, "what's your name?"

"Megan." Wendy lied, turning on the bug.

"Do you know where the term eighty-sic comes from, Megan?" Alozo asked.

"No." Wendy said.

"Well, there was once an illegal casino at eighty sixth Bedford Street in new York. The term has evolved to meaning to ban or kick out. And Megan, you've been eighty-six'd. Leave your chips and go." Alozo ordered.

"Of course, thank you." Wendy ducked her head as she stood up and turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing," Wendy stopped as the pit boss blocked her way and took out a metal detector as Alozo stood up, "the thing about card counters is that sometimes they work with a partner."

The pit boss ran his metal detector and it went off near her ear. Alozo pulled out the comms before throwing it on the ground. Alozo stomped on it, breaking it instantly.

Outside, The Hood and Diggle ripped out there comms as they heard the feedback after Wendy's coms was destroyed. They jumped down the side of the fire escape and moved in toward the casino.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Wendy said dangerously.

Out in the casino, business was interrupted when two shots rang out and the door burst open. The security guard was thrown on his back, unconscious, as The Hood, bow drawn, walked in with Diggle following him with a gun in hand. Guards rushed them but Diggle fired, killing two instantly as The Hood grabbed another guard and slammed him through the blackjack table. Both Diggle and The Hood ducked as the other guards opened fire. The Hood notched arrow under the table before shooting up and firing, hitting one gunman in the chest. While they were distracted by his partner, Diggle shot up and fired, killing the rest of the gunman.

The Hood and Diggle burst into the room. Alozo back up, terrified of these strong, powerful enemies. The Hood grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.

"Where is Walter Steele?" The Hood growled.

"What?" Alozo asked seemingly confused.

"Six months ago you had him kidnapped, now where is he?" The Hood snarled.

"It was just a job. I was given a name, I didn't ask any questions." Alozo said terrified.

Snarling, The Hood grabbed Alozo around the throat and squeezed lightly. Enough to cause pain but not enough to cut off oxygen.

"Last chance." He growled.

"I'd take it, he's not known for bluffing." Diggle advised.

"He's below ground, alright?" Alozo said against the Hood's grip.

"You're lying!" The Hood shouted as he tightened his grip.

"I delivered him and they killed him. I heard the gunshot, he's dead." Alozo said desperately.

No one did anything for a moment. Then The Hood punched Alozo, knocking him out cold. As Alozo dropped to the floor, Oliver turned around; lowering his hood and his partners could see tears in his eyes. Wendy burst into tears as Diggle watched, unsure what to say.

Queen Mansion

Later

Thea and Moira were in a living room, looking at some online clothes shop on a tablet before Oliver entered.

"Ollie, are you OK?" Thea asked, noticing that Oliver was upset.

"I need to talk to you both." Oliver whispered as he sat on a chair across them.

"What is it?" Moira asked.

"It's about Walter." Oliver replied as Thea put the tablet aside, intrigued about news about her stepfather.

"Did the police contact you?" Moira asked.

"One of Mr. Diggle's army buddies works for the FBI now and they got news tonight."

Thea and Moira shook their heads in denial. "No."

"I'm very sorry."

"No, no, no, no, no." Moira shook her head in denial. "There must be some mistake. Who did Mr. Diggle talk to? Did they find a body?"

"Mom… Walter's gone." Oliver said softly.

"No. This isn't right." Moira said as she was walking out from the room.

"Where are you going?" Oliver asked.

"Out."

"It's ten o'clock at night."

"I need some air."

"Mom, you're in shock."

"Don't tell me what or how I feel, Oliver." Moira snapped as she whirled on him before storming out from the manor.

"Why is she acting like that?" Thea wailed.

"Come here." Oliver embraced her in his arms as she sobbed into his chest.

Verdant, The Lair

Later

Diggle and Wendy came down the stairs to see Oliver looking at his computer and an arrow recorder device.

"Walter's alive." Oliver said and shock was the first thing the two felt.

"Oliver, Alozo said-" Diggle began but Oliver cut him off.

"Wendy, I need one of you to pull up Malcolm Merlyn's phone records," Oliver said, spitting the name of his former friend's father like poison, "he made a call from his office to wherever Walter is being kept at ten-thirty P.M."

"Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy's father?" Wendy asked stunned.

Wendy, while stunned, did as Oliver told her. Sitting down at the computers, Wendy easily hacked into the phone lines and pulled up Malcolm's phone records from his office. Scanning them, Wendy quickly found what she was looking for.

"LUD show he made a call to a tenement complex in Bludhaven." Wendy said as she stood up.

"Can you pull up a satellite view?" Oliver asked as he walked up behind her.

"As long as Lyla doesn't mind me borrowing her satellite for a minute." Wendy said as she hacked into Argus' satellite and pulled the view of all thermal readouts of the area.

"That's a lot of security for low income housing." Wendy said as she and Diggle walked up behind them.

"There are two guards at every access point." Diggle whistled, impressed despite himself.

"There's just one on the roof." Oliver pointed out.

"Oliver, there's no other building's in that area." Diggle pointed out.

"I don't need them." Oliver growled as he walked off.

Bludhaven

Later

The Hood jumped from the cargo plane, the parachute slowing his descent. He landed on the roof, unseen to any of the guards. Throwing off the parachute, The Hood slides down the access stairs using feet, knocking the solo guard off to his death and he entered the building through the back door. Walking down the stairs, he encountered two guards, which were easily taken care of by one punch.

He walked down the hall and encountered two more guards. The Hood knocked out the two with his bow. Hearing someone approach, The Hood notched an arrow and whirled around, firing. The arrow struck a guard in the heart, making him scream as he died. More and guards appeared, The Hood firing his arrow. The last guard caught the vigilante in a choke hold but that was his fatal mistake. The Hood spun out of it, punch the guard twice in quick succession, before grabbing his head and slamming his head into the wall twice, knocking him unconscious.

The Hood stared at his work briefly before turning around and walking on. He found a metal door with a dead bolt. It was not locked, however, and The Hood opened it to reveal Walter, lying on a mattress. Movement revealed he was simply asleep, so The Hood activated his voice changer.

"Mr. Steele," The Hood spoke softly bety Walter didn't seem to hear him so he spoke louder, "Walter."

This seemed to wake the older man, as he turned around and looked at him. He seemed thinner and his face had a beard on it from not shaving for all these months. Otherwise though, he seemed alright.

"What's happening?" Walter asked as he looked at him.

"You're going home." The Hood said in her disguised voice.

Starling General Hospital, next day

Morning

Oliver walked away and opened the door. Thea, Moira, and Walter looked up at him as he entered. He felt a surge of anger at seeing Moira but plastered a smile on his face. Oliver walked inside and closed the door behind him.

"Welcome home Walter." Oliver said as he walked forward.

"Thank you son." Walter said.

Dinah's apartment

Same time

"Where are you going?" Tommy asked curiously as he saw Dinah about ready to head out the door.

"Haven't you been watching the news? They found Walter, I'm gonna go see if he's okay." Dinah said and Tommy tensed.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Tommy asked and Dinah turned to him.

"Whatever your problem with my sister and Oliver is, it's yours. It has nothing to do with me. Tommy, I love you but Oliver is my friend."  Dinah said before she turned and walked out of the apartment, leaving Tommy alone with his thoughts.

Chapter Text

Verdant, The Lair

Morning

Wendy was at the computer, going over all they had on Moira and Malcolm. Oliver was pacing back and forth as Diggle stood behind him with his arms crossed.

"Oliver, I've been watching your mother more closely than we have in months and so far nothing," Diggle told his pacing partner, "she goes to work, she goes home, occasionally she goes out to dinner. She seems to particularly like the salmon tartar at Table Salt."

Wendy sighed as she looked at the data on Moira, "nothing different than when we checked last week, just a few calls to Malcolm's cell."

"Why wouldn't she call him? They're old friends, we're all old friends." Oliver said in a false cheerful voice.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asked.

"My mom and my best friend's dad are involved with a conspiracy that may have dire consequences for the city. And I'm pretty sure they murdered my father. I'm not planning to use the word 'okay' anytime soon." Oliver deadpanned.

"All we know for sure is that Malcolm and your mother are planning something for The Glades." Diggle said as he walked over.

"And Walter and I were getting too close to it, so he had Walter kidnapped." Wendy chimed in.

"We need to find out what The Undertaking is." Diggle finished.

"I got to go ask her." Oliver said as he stood up only for Diggle to stand up and block his path.

"Oliver, the last time you did that, you wound up with a bullet in your shoulder." Diggle pointed out.

"That was The Hood. This time it will be me asking, a friendly mother-son chat." Oliver said as he walked out of the lair.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

Oliver, Slade, and Shado were bound, being transported in a military convey. They eyed the missile launcher as they passed it, seeing with dismay that it was now fully functional. Once they stopped, the three of them were roughly escorted from the truck to Fryers' tent. As they were all lined up, Oliver saw one of the men at Fryers station. While none of his companions recognized him, Oliver did.

"You!" Oliver snarled as he lunged for the man.

Oliver was held back by two of the guards. The man smirked at him before going back to what he was doing.

"Save it. We don't have the luxury of indulging in personal vendettas." Slade cautioned him.

Upon seeing Yao-Fei, Shado called out to him. As Yao-Fei greeted his daughter, Slade attempted to lung for the other man only to be held back by the guards restraining him.

"You led Fryers right to us you coward!" Slade snarled.

"Fryers was about to firebomb the entire forest to eliminate you. At least this way you still have a chance." Yao-Fei defended.

"Well, pray that I don't get a chance to repay your mercy." Slade said coldly.

"How fitting," Fryers said smugly as he walked in, "everyone reunited for the end."

"The end of what?" Slade snapped.

"What is all this for?" Oliver demanded.

Suddenly, the radio flared to life.

"HKIA, this is Ferris air flight 637 out of Berlin, nonstop to Hong Kong. We are steady at approach at thirty-three thousand feet and winds at fifteen knots. ETA, two hours and fifteen minutes. Over." A voice said over the radio.

The man that Oliver knew activated his microphone. "Ferris 637, this is HKIA. Adjust course to zero-point-six degrees south, eleven minutes. Over."

"Roger, HKIA. Why the course change?" The pilot asked.

"Nothing to worry about 637. Just, uh, making sure to avoid turbulence." The man lied.

"Roger. Adjusting course." The pilot said before cutting out and the man turned off communications.

"they're changing course sir. They'll be in range of Lian Yu within twenty-six minutes." The man told Fryers.

"Good, keep tracking it." Fryers commanded it.

"That's a commercial airliner Fryers, it can't exactly land here." Oliver told the madman angrily.

"It won't be landing anywhere, Mr. Queen. I'm going to destroy it." Fryers said coldly.

Starling City

Afternoon

"Arrows are black, not green." Quentin noted as he and Pike arrived on the scene.

"The copycat archer." Pike said even though Quentin already knew that Oliver didn't do this.

"Vigilantes are color coating themselves now, makes our job easier." Quentin quipped.

"Except we haven't seen the copycat in a while." Pike pointed out and Quentin tensed, not wanting to have to pin this on Oliver.

"Last time he took hostages to draw out the vigilante, this time he massacres a bunch of lab nerds? No his is part of something bigger, a bigger plan." Quentin said as he made a note to call Oliver once he had a free minute.

Queen Mansion

Night

"Hey mom, how's Walter?" Oliver asked as he walked over to his mother at the window.

"He's upstairs resting; I think he's doing well." Moira said as she turned around to face him.

"Who took him?" Oliver asked bluntly.

"Well we don't know yet but I'm putting all the resources at Queen Consolidated behind it." Moira said smoothly.

"That's the answer you gave the press yesterday. I want the truth." Oliver said bluntly.

"I don't know what you mean." Moira said innocently.

"I think you do. A couple months ago, I brought you dad's notebook. You claimed to know nothing. I didn't believe you then…just like I don't believe you now." Oliver said and Moira looked at him almost insulted.

"Are you suggesting that I knew something about my husband's kidnapping?" Moira asked a slight edge to her voice.

"I'm suggesting that you were scared. Maybe you didn't want any of this to happen, but it was harder than you thought and now you're barely keeping your head above water," Oliver said coolly even as Moira looked distressed as she frantically shook her head, "please mom, let me help you. Before you drown."

"You need to stop asking these things. Do you understand? I need you to stop." Moira said fearfully.

"I can't, I need to know." Oliver said firmly.

The lights went out in the house and Oliver acted confused, even though he knew what was coming next.

"Is that a power outage?" Moira asked confused.

"I don't know." Oliver lied as he waited for what was to come.

The sound of breaking glass pierced the air as a dark landed in Oliver's neck. Oliver put a hand to his neck before he fell on his side, apparently unconscious. Moira cried out and knelt by his side before a dart landed in her neck as well. She took it out and began to feel weak almost immediately. She caught sight of a shadow on the wall, one of a man, before she fell on her back. Before she lost consciousness, Moira caught sight of a person entering the room.

Ware house

Later

Moira awoke, groggily, to find herself in an unknown location, strapped to a chair, with her son across from her in the exact same position.

"Mom." Oliver called out once he appeared to wake up.

"Oliver." Moira said weakly as she discovered her position, "how are …we …we need to get out of here."

"Moira Queen." 'The Hood' said as he stepped out of the shadows. "You have failed this city." 

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"It doesn't make sense, why do you want to blow up a plane?!" Oliver demanded.

"When the New York Stock Exchange reopened after nine-eleven, the Dow Jones dropped nearly six-hundred and eighty five points. Can you imagine what would happen to China, the world's second largest economy, if all air travel in and out of China were to be grounded indefinitely?" Fryers demanded as he got in Oliver's face.

"You want to destabilize China's economy." Slade realized.

"It's not what I want; it's what my employer wants. We have enough missiles here to shoot down any aircraft approaching the mainland. And that will decimate China's economy. Especially when a rouge element in China's own military claims responsibly," Fryers said as he turned around and faced a stunned Yao-Fei, "you see, inconvenient as you always were, you always were worth more to me alive than dead."

"Then you should have killed me, because I won't do it." Yao-Fei said firmly.

Fryers smiled a nasty smile before he turned around and slugged Oliver, sending him to the ground. He then pulled out a pistol and fired three times. One shot hit Slade in the knee while the others hit and Shado in the shoulder. As they all went down, Yao-Fei cried out.

"Shado!" Yao-Fei rushed to his wounded daughter's side.

"I said I needed you alive but I can kill everyone you care about." Fryers said as he raised the pistol once more.

Ware house

"Please, do not hurt my son." Moira pleaded.

"Tell me what I want to know and I won't have to." The Hood said coldly in his disguised voice. "What is The Undertaking?”

When Moira hesitated in answering, Oliver looked up at Diggle and subtly nodded. Diggle gave a slight, almost unnoticeable nod before he slugged Oliver. Oliver faked a groan of pain as Moira cried out.

"Tell me!" 'The Hood' demanded as he punched Oliver again.

"Leave my son alone!" Moira pleaded.

"Then tell me." The Hood snarled.

"I can't! He'll kill me and my family!" Moira said desperately.

"You should be more worried about what I'll do." The Hood snarled.

The Hood then struck Oliver across the face, knocking over his chair and setting Oliver on his side. Moira seemed to reach her breaking point and gave in.

"Malcolm is planning to level The Glades!" Moira shouted shocking everyone, "it's so he can rebuild them but…"

"How?" 'The Hood' demanded.

"He has a device." Moira said.

"What device?!" The Hood demanded as he stalked over.

"He says it can create an earthquake." Moira revealed stunning all of them even further.

"How is this possible?" 'The Hood' demanded.

"I don't know, he says it was created by Unidac Industries. He used my companies Applied Science division to turn it into a weapon." Moira revealed.

"Why would you get involved with something like this?" 'The Hood' demanded as he stepped behind her.

"My husband…he got involved without my knowing. He was just trying to do some good, he was lost, and his actions left me vulnerable to Malcolm and I had to protect my family and my children." Moira said sounding like she was on the verge of tears.

"This device, where is it?" The Hood demanded.

"I don't know." Moira said.

"If you don't tell me, I can't stop him." 'The Hood' said.

"You can't stop him, it's too late." Moira said miserably.

The Hood  took out a knife and knelt in front of Oliver and cut him loose before he did the same for Moira. Unseen by Moira, Diggle then rose before he took off. Moira rushed over to Oliver but he pushed away her hands.

"Oliver, honey, I know what you must be thinking, but I never intended for this to happen. You know I would never be a part of this willingly." Moira said, pleading with him to understand.

"I don't know anything anymore." Oliver said as he looked at her disgusted.

Oliver rose and limped away from her.

The Lair

Later

"My god, Oliver what happened?" Quentin asked as he walked down and saw Oliver's face.

"Long story, what is it Quentin?" Oliver asked as he eyed the papers in Quentin's hand.

"I found something I think you guys should see," Quentin handed the papers to Oliver who began looking at them, "that copycat archer of your touched every record at Unidac Industries. And there was a few calls to Merlyn Global at an unaccounted line," Quentin said before he was the looks on their faces, "what?"

"The Undertaking is Malcolm Merlyn's plan to destroy The Glades." Oliver told the cop and he gapped at him openly.

"What?" Quentin asked in a low voice.

"Malcolm purchased a device from Unidac Industries and then used the Applied Sciences from my family's company to turn it into a weapon that could cause an earthquake so it would seem like a natural disaster." Oliver explained.

"Why the hell would your mother get involved with this?" Quentin demanded stunned beyond belief.

"My father was involved without her knowing; Malcolm killed him and brought her in after under the threat of Thea and Walter's lives." Oliver explained anger visible in his voice.

"My god." Quentin fell into a chair.

"The Copycat archer killing those scientists…it's Malcolm covering his tracks." Oliver realized.

"Wait, this other Archer works for Merlyn?" Quentin said as he began to overcome his shock.

"He's destroying evidence so that no one can trace this devastation back to him." Oliver put together.

"Then you need to have a pointed conversation with Mr. Merlyn." Diggle said as he looked at Oliver.

"Even if we cross off Merlyn, that other archer is still out there." Wendy pointed out.

"He could set off the device. We need to find the archer, and then we deal with Merlyn." Oliver declared.

"Maybe there's another way to get Merlyn to tell us." Wendy pointed out and Oliver smirked as he saw what Wendy was doing. "Computers don't keep secrets." Wendy said at the boys confused expressions.

"Wendy, are you hacking into the Merlyn Global mainframe?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, yes I am," Wendy chuckled as she sat forward in her seat.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

"Stop!" Yao-Fei held up his hand as Fryers had his gun trained on Shado, "I'll do it."

"I knew your good judgement could be counted on," Fryers said as he lowered the gun, "come along now, we need to get you back into uniform."

As Slade started thrashing around, he drew attention of Fryers and the guards. As Fryers went over to restrain him, Yao-Fei put a knife in Oliver's hands. Exchaning a look with Shado, Oliver hid the knife with his hands by grabbing it as Yao-Fei talked to Shado in Chinese.

The Lair

Later

"Damn it!" Wendy shouted as she failed after hours of trying to hack into Merlyn Global.

"So no luck then?" Quentin asked as he, Oliver, and Diggle watched from afar.

"If we get in, I will throw my hands in the air and shout 'Yes!" Wendy said dryly.

"There has to be some other way we can find out where he's keeping this device." Diggle said frustrated.

"Short of waltzing up to Merlyn's mainframe and plugging in my tablet directly, there's no way I can get that location." Wendy said as she gave up.

"Then it looks like we're breaking in to Merlyn Global." Oliver said grimly.

Merlyn Global, next day

Late morning/early afternoon

Oliver, in his best suit, walked up to the front desk, a brief case in his hand.

"Hi, I have an eleven-thirty appointment with Tommy Merlyn. Oliver Queen." Oliver said as he put on his most charming smile.

As the security checks the card Oliver gives him, Wendy walks up, dressed as a Big Belly Burger delivery girl. She places the bag of food on the counter and looks at the guard, seemingly bored as she smacks her gum.

"I have a super deluxe big belly buster for a Mr. Andrews. I think he's in security. He a good tipper?" Wendy asked, sounding like a teenager.

"You can go on up Mr. Queen," the guard as he handed Oliver his card back before turning to Wendy "you can wait a second."

As Oliver walked past her, Wendy waited as the guard made a call, playing the part of the ditsy delivery girl. After the guard gave the okay, Wendy made her way to the security room. Knocking on the door, she held out the bag of food to Diggle, who gave some money.

"Keep the change." Diggle said and Wendy smiled politely.

Walking away, Wendy pocketed the money as she followed Oliver by the elevator. The couple entered the elevator and heard someone call out to hold the door. Wendy pushed the close doors button repeatedly but it was too late as a smooth looking man entered the elevator.

"Where you headed sweetie?" The man asked Wendy as he eyed her lustfully, not noticing Oliver's glare.

"Nineteenth floor." Wendy said sounding bored.

"That's too bad, I'm going to thirteen." The man said.

Oliver would be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy it when he pushed the man's folder out of the elevator. As the man rushed the elevator, Wendy pushed the close button again and this time it worked, leaving the two of them alone to do their work.

"Mr. Andrews got his lunch?" Oliver asked conversationally.

"Yep." Wendy said, popping the p.

"Mainframes on twenty five guys, this is as close as I can get you." Diggle said through the comms as the elevator stopped.

Oliver opened the elevators emergency hatch and the two of them climbed up through it. Oliver opened his brief case and took out a grappling gun. Putting an arm around Wendy, Oliver shot off the gun and the grappling hook embedded itself in a wall across from the elevator. They swung across to the opposite ledge and let the grappling gun go, it swinging uselessly as Oliver opened the elevator door. Seeing that the coast was clear, Oliver and Wendy walked through, the door closing behind them automatically.

"Security protocol is on a ten minute weep. I'll have my meeting with Tommy and be back in nine, 'kay?"

"'Kay." Oliver looked at her before he walked off.

Wendy quickly entered the code and swiped the card into the card reader. The wall moved aside to reveal a secret room. Considering that Malcolm fancied himself master of the universe, she really wasn't surprised by the look of it. Wendy sat down at the table with the computers and plugged in her tablet.

"When I read your name in my file, I thought it was a typo." Tommy said as he turned around as Oliver walked in.

Oliver turned around and began to walk away when he paused.

"What exactly is it you do here?" Oliver asked curiously as he looked over his shoulder.

"I work closely with my father." Tommy said simply.

Oliver nodded before walking off. After he walked out of Tommy's office, Diggle's voice sounded in his ear.

"Guys, we got trouble. Wendy's about to have some ahead of schedule security." Diggle warned.

"I haven't finished the download." Wendy said as watched the tablet work.

"I'm on my way, hold tight." Oliver said.

Oliver rounded the corner and almost ran straight into Malcolm.

"Oliver!" Malcom said cheerfully.

"Mr. Merlyn." Oliver held his hand out to Malcolm and they shook hands.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Malcolm said as they dropped hands.

"Tommy and I had some unfinished business." Oliver said as he began to grow impatient.

"I know things have been challenging between you two but I trust you're working things out." Malcolm said as Oliver heard Diggle call for him.

"Yes. I'm sorry I have to go, there are some investors waiting for me at the club." Oliver said hoping to get away and help Sara.

"I'm on my way out; I'll walk you down to the lobby.”

Oliver plastered a fake smile on his face as he joined Malcolm and his colleague in the elevator, unable to answer Diggle lest he give himself away.

"Just a few more seconds!" Wendy shouted at Diggle as she silently watched the tablet with anticipation.

"You don't have a few more seconds. " Diggle said as the download completed.

"Don't need 'em." Wendy said as she unhooked the tablet.

Wendy picked up the tablet and ran out of the room but ran into security. Cursing under her breath, Wendy ducked under his arm before putting him in a choke hold until he was unconscious. Dropping him, she put the tablet under her arm.

"Sorry." Wendy said to the unconscious guard before she ran out into the hall.

The Lair

Afternoon

"It'll take a little while for me to shift through all this data." Wendy said as she eyed the data on the computer.

"You alright?" Diggle asked as he looked over at Oliver.

"My father told me he failed the city," Oliver said as he picked up the list, "asked me to right his wrongs but I never knew what he meant until now. The Undertaking. I told myself once I crossed all the names off this list I'd be done but…The Undertaking is what I returned to stop, I just cured the symptoms while the disease festered."If I stop the Undertaking…then it's really over. I can finally move on with my life." 

"So what, you retire then?" Diggle asked curiously.

"Yeah…I can." Oliver said slowly as the realization set in.

Dinah's apartment

Night

"What do you want?" Dinah asked as she saw Oliver.

"I need to talk to you," Oliver sighed.

"About what?" Dinah asked.

"I thought I couldn't be happy," Oliver replied, his voice full of fear and desperation. "I don't know if I can be full. Until I realized... Maybe it's a good thing to just accept what's waiting for me. Hiding is just going to make it worse."

Walking towards him, Dinah kneeled down and touched Oliver's hands. "For starters, you can stop pushing me away to protect me." She said catching her attention. "After you came back... You cheated on me with Sandra... after I stopped crying ... and stopped being angry, I realized what you were doing. Pushing me away to protect me, I thought we decided to stop doing to each other?"

"This is different Dinah." He told her.

"No, it isn't. Oliver even when we're not together ... even when we're with other people we can't stop loving each other; so we might as well stick together because that is our best chance." She reasoned.

"I just hope I'm not too late " He said tearing up.

"I know. Listen, Ollie, I'm going to tell you something I probably should've told you sooner." She said clasping his face. "I love you ... and I forgive you for what happened to Sandra. I forgive you for cheating on me with her because I know ... I know you are not that man anymore. And, I forgive you for not being able to save her ... because I know that if you were even half the man that you are now, I know you did everything you could to save my sister." She proclaimed tearfully, as the two lovers then tightly hugged each other in comfort, kissing passionately, not knowing Tommy was watching and heard everything.

The Lair

Later

"Got it!" Wendy said as she read the decrypted data, "The device is in a ware house downtown."

"Great," Oliver stood up and went to get his hood, "I can handle this. Coordinated attack: Dig, you get the device, I'm going after Merlyn."

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

As he worked on his restraints with the knife, Oliver watched with the others as Yao-Fei recorded the speech Fryers had given him. Feeling his hatred for Fryers grow stronger, Oliver tried to quicken his pace. After it was finished, Fryers took out his pistol and, to the shock and horror of Oliver and company, shot Yao-Fei in the head.

"No!" Oliver shouted in outrage and grief as Yao-Fei fell back dead.

the sobbing Shado was on the floor even as she, Oliver, and Slade glared at Fryers with pure hate.

Merlyn Global

Night

"Malcolm Merlyn, you have failed this city." The Hood growled at Malcolm.

"And how have I done that?" Malcolm asked innocently.

"The Undertaking. It ends now." The Hood growled.

"Oliver, the device. It's gone." Diggle said through the comms.

"The Hood notched an arrow and aimed right at Malcolm.

"Where is the device?" The Hood growled.

"Safe. I don't know how you got into my system, but it prompted me to take precautions.” Malcolm explained as he held up his hands, "there is nothing you can do that will stop what is about to happen. And you shouldn't. The city needs what is about to happen in order to survive. The people who are destroy this city from the inside out need to be erased from the map."

"Fine. Let's start with you." The Hood growled before he fired the arrow.

To The Hood's shock, Malcolm expertly caught the arrow. The Hood stared in shock and disbelief as Malcolm spoke again.

"Ironic isn't it? Last Christmas I almost killed you, a few months ago you saved my life, and now you're here trying to kill me. You should make up your mind." Malcolm told him.

"Done." The Hood sneered as he moved to grab another arrow.

Malcolm threw the arrow at him and he dodged it as the arrow went through a glass case behind him. Malcolm lunged at him and they exchanged blows before Malcolm quickly gained the other hand. Malcolm grabbed The Hood and slammed him down on the table before kicking him several times in the midsection in quick succession. The Hood tackled him onto the table and it collapsed under their combined weight. The Hood picked up his bow but with a precise strike, Malcolm broke the bow in two. Pausing in shock, The Hood regained himself and tackled Malcolm into a wall. Malcolm threw him across the floor and kicked him in the face. Everything went black.

Chapter Text

Unspecified location, next day

Early morning

Oliver woke up as someone dumped a bucket of cold water on him. The man, one of Malcolm's employees, walked off as Oliver looked around, becoming aware of his surroundings. He had been stripped down to his jeans, his comms device was gone, and he had no idea where he was. Not good. Hearing footsteps, Oliver looked up as Malcolm approached him.

"I hope I didn't hurt you," Malcolm said and Oliver gave him a dirty look, "at least now I can properly thank you for saving my life. If I only knew how you were spending your nights. My hope is that I can explain everything to you, so you can understand."

"You murdered my farther, sentenced me to five years of hell!" Oliver shouted angrily.

"I am sorry about what happened to you and your father. You know, I have lost people too." Malcolm said as he began to circle Oliver.

"Like your wife? Do you really think you are honoring Tommy's mother by destroying The Glades?" Oliver inquired in disbelief.

"As surely as you believe you are honoring your father by putting on that hood. Not a day goes by that I don't miss your father." Malcolm said honestly.

"You'll see him soon." Oliver growled.

Malcolm got a cold look on his face as stepped closer to Oliver. The two archers glared at each other for a moment before Malcolm spoke again.

"You can't beat me Oliver. Yes you're younger, you're faster. But you always seem to come up short against me. Do you wanna know why? Because you don't know, in your heart, what you're fighting for. You don't know what you're willing to sacrifice and I do," Malcolm paused to let that sink in before he shrugged and turned around, "no one can stop what's about to come. Not even the vigilante."

Malcolm threw Oliver's hood on the floor before walking away. Oliver stared after him as he tried to think of a way out.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Day

As Shado cried softly, Slade noticed the knife as Oliver cut his binds. Oliver gave him a meaningful glance before jerking his head towards Shado. Feeling his restraints break, Oliver stood up with an angry roar and lunged for Alan. Oliver pushed Fryers aside before he stabbed Alan twice in the side. Oliver whirled around as Shado stood up and Oliver brought the knife down, freeing them both. As Slade and Shado beat on the guards, Oliver grabbed the knife.

"Should have checked me better!" Oliver sneered as he struck Fryers across the face with it.

Fryers went down and stood up, knocking the baton out of his hand as he pulled out his radio.

"Fire! Fire the missile!" Fryers shouted into it.

Fryers ran out as Shado assisted Oliver with his opponent. Grabbing the bow off the floor, Oliver rushed out as the missile fired into the sky.

Early morning

Oliver swung himself around by his chains and used his legs to begin climbing the chains. He almost to the top when he let go. He fell down and he stopped, all the sudden weight was too much for the pipe holding the chains and it broke. As water sprayed over him, a guard ran down, gun in hand. Oliver used the chains as a whip, throwing them at the guard. The guard fell down the stairs as he lost his gun. Rushing Over, Oliver snapped his neck before rushing up the stairs. Stopping, Oliver waited until the next guard came before putting the hands around his neck and snapped the neck of the guard with the chains. As Oliver tried to untangle the chains from the guard's neck, another guard came out with a gun drawn. Before he could fire, Diggle rushed in and shot him in the chest.

"I take back every joke I ever made about you sticking a tracer in your boot." Diggle said.

The Lair

Later in the morning

"Hey, you alright?" Quentin asked as he and Diggle stood up as Oliver came down the stairs.

"Physically, I'll be fine." Oliver said as he reached them.

"Wendy's at Queen Consolidated, going through everything we got of Merlyn's network." Diggle got right to business.

"Did she find anything?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, the semantics of Merlyn's earthquake machine so we can shut it down." Diggle said and Oliver nodded.

"Quentin, I need you to go to the police, try and get Pike to issue an evacuation for The Glades," Oliver told the cop who nodded. "Dig, wait here for Wendy. I'm gonna go have another chat with my mother." Oliver ordered and the rest of his team all nodded in understanding.

Oliver, and Quentin left Diggle in The Lair to wait for Wendy as they went up to the club. As they exited the lair, they encountered Tommy. Tommy stilled as he stared at Quentin, having no doubt that he knew. Giving the police officer a look, he nodded at Oliver before leaving the two old friends alone.

"Lance knows." Tommy said and Oliver nodded.

"Yeah." Oliver said.

"How long?" Tommy asked.

"It doesn't matter, I have to go." Oliver tried to walk passed Tommy but Tommy blocked him.

"I was hoping we could…talk." Tommy said quietly.

"On any other day, I would take you up on that, but not today." Oliver said as he pushed passed Tommy.

"What's going on Oliver?" Tommy asked and Oliver cursed under his breath before turning around.

"Your father…is planning to destroy The Glades." Oliver said and Tommy gapped at him.

"Are you insane, why would he do that?" Tommy demanded.

"He thinks it will avenge your mother's death." Oliver said and Tommy snarled.

"You keep my mother out of this!" Tommy tried to punch Oliver but Oliver side stepped him.

Tommy landed on the floor and sat up painfully as Oliver kneeled down to his lever.

"The difference between us Tommy is that I didn't find out the truth about my father until it was too late. But you have always known, deep down, you have always known, the man he is." Oliver told him as Tommy stared at him unblinkingly.

Tommy did not say anything, simply stared at Oliver with an unreadable expression on his face. Oliver stood up and walked out of the club.

Lian Yu, Five years ago

Day

Oliver moved towards the launcher but the guard fired on him, forcing him to take cover. Shado emerged from the tent and ran towards the guards taking them out one by one. Slade came out with an assault rifle, firing at the guards.

"Go!" Slade shouted at Oliver.

Nodding, the castaway moved towards the missile launcher as Slade fired at the guards. Shado was pulling open the circuits when Oliver got there.

"We need to reprogram the missile!" Shado told him over the gun fire.

"I don't know how to do that!" Oliver shouted.

"I do!" Shado assured him as she pulled out the command chip.

"Watch out!" Oliver shouted as a guard got back up.

Shado kicked him off, grabbed is gun, and shot him in the back of his head. The missile launcher began to roll as another guard came at Shado, beginning another fight with her.

"Put the chip in!" Shado shouted at him.

Oliver ran forward but another soldier blocked him. Oliver began fighting the soldier. He ran forward, looking up as the missile neared the plane, before finding what he was looking for. Oliver put the chip in before he pushed the soldier off him. He looked up as the missile turned around and headed for him. Oliver jumped off the missile launcher and took cover. He watched in both relief and horror as the missile hit the camp.

Queen Mansion

Afternoon

"Mom," Oliver said as he walked into, "we need to stop this."

"Everything I've everything done has been to protect both you and you're sister." Moira said as she packed up Walter's thing.

"I think you actually believe that mom, and maybe that's true, but dad told me something once: 'what good is a family without a soul?' How do you expect to defend the decision to let hundreds of people die?" Oliver demanded.

"I'm not their mother." Moira said tersely.

"I get protecting us, but you're missing the point. Half your job as a parent is to protect us; the other half is to set an example for us. What kind of example are you setting for Thea by letting this happen? If this is what it means to be a Queen…then I don't want any part of this family anymore." Oliver said as Moira's phone went off.

"Malcolm, how can I help you?" Moira asked as Oliver began to pay attention to the call, "I see. Thank you for calling."

"What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Malcolm has accelerated the time table. The Undertaking is happening tonight." Moira said and Oliver nodded and turned away, "where are you going?"

"Someone in this family needs to put an end to this. If it's not gonna be you, then it sure as hell will be me." Oliver snapped as he walked out.

Dinah's apartment

Same time

"Hi,” Oliver said.

”Hey,” Dinah replied, "I woke up and you were gone."

"I'm really sorry about that,” Oliver said as he walked up to her.

"I hope you're not scared like last time,” Dinah said with some fear in her voice.

“No,” Oliver shook his head, "That's not it."

"Then please tell me what is going on with you?" Dinah begged.

"I had some business to take care of at the club,” Oliver told her, "And when it is, I will do anything to make this work."

The two shared a passionate kiss and as they pulled away, Oliver told her gently, "Dinah, I need you to do something for me. Stay out of the Glades tonight."

"Why?" Dinah asked.

“You'll know soon,” Oliver promised, "One way or the other, I have to go."

Oliver then walked out of her apartment.

The Lair

Late afternoon

"The Undertaking is happening tonight." Oliver said as he walked into the lair to see Diggle and Wendy.

"Wendy may have found something." Diggle mentioned.

"This symbol," Wendy said as she held up the list, "it's the map of the old subway tunnel systems."

"It's what got us thinking that The Undertaking is connected to The Glades." Oliver remembered.

"But what if it's more specific than that?" Wendy asked.

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked confused.

"If I had a machine that could trigger an earthquake in an otherwise geologically stable area, where would I position it?" Wendy asked rhetorically.

"Underground." Oliver breathed.

"Yeah," Wendy said as she brought up a geographical map, "this is a US geological survey of the tectonic plates under Starling City. The red line here is a known fault that runs right below The Glades."

"About a mile, the fault runs underneath the old Tenth street subway line." Diggle chimed in.

"Dollars to donuts, the device is somewhere down there." Wendy said.

"I know where that is."

Before he could tell them, his phone rang. He walked away for a moment before hanging up and turning back.

"Wendy, pull up the local news please." Oliver ordered.

Wendy did as he asked and everyone was shocked to Moira on the screen.

"My name is Moira Dearden Queen. I am the acting CEO of Queen Consolidated and, god forgive me, I have failed the city. For the past five years, under the threat of my life and lives of my children…I have been complicit in an undertaking with one horrible purpose: to destroy The Glades and everyone in it. I realize now that my family's safety will mean nothing if I let this dreadful act occur. But you need to know that the architect of this nightmare is Malcolm Merlyn. And I have proof that he has killed dozens in pursuit of this madness. Adam Hunt, Frank Chen, and my husband Robert. Please, if you reside in The Glades, you need to get out now. Your lives and lives of your children depend on it."

"Looks like you got through to her." Wendy said as the new feed cut out.

"She gave those people a chance." Oliver agreed as he walked over to a crate.

"I thought Merlyn broke your bow." Diggle said as Oliver opened the crate.

"I have another." Oliver said as he pulled it out.

"I was going over the semantics, the device be activated by a timed detonation or a mobile transmitter." Wendy explained.

"Which Merlyn could have on him." Oliver pointed out.

"If we get our hands on this device, maybe we don't need to find the device." Diggle suggested.

"Too big of an if Diggle," Oliver said as he turned around, "we need you in the subway. Find the device and disarm it.

"You faced him once before and he beat you." Diggle pointed out.

"This time I know what I'm dealing with." Oliver said.

"Just to be safe, why don't you bring along something you didn't have before: me." Diggle said.

"I can't let you do that." Oliver said firmly.

"You are not by yourself anymore, not since you brought me into this. Us into this," Diggle corrected himself as he glanced over at Wendy briefly, "besides, army regulations: a soldier never lets a brother go into battle alone."

"We're out of bows." Oliver quipped.

"I've got my gun." Diggle smirked.

"I guess that leaves the dismantling to me." Wendy mentioned.

"Wendy, this whole place is ground zero, you need to go." Oliver ordered.

"If you guys aren't leaving, I'm not leaving. Besides, if I don't deactivate the device if I don't deactivate the device, who will?" Wendy asked.

"I can do it." Quentin said as he walked down the stairs.

"I'll need to talk you through it." Wendy pointed out.

"It's in an abandoned subway station near Pabst Street." Oliver said.

"How do you know?" Diggle asked curiously.

"That's where his wife was murdered." Oliver explained.

Merlyn Global

Night

The Hood and Diggle entered Malcolm's office. Looking around, they saw the dead bodies of police officers.

"Looks like we missed him." Diggle noted.

Lian Yu, five years ago

Night

Oliver walked among the ruins of the camp, looking around for the camp.

"Shado, Slade!" Oliver called out.

No one responded. Spotting a box, Oliver kneeled down and opened it. It was Yao-Fei's bow and arrows, as well as his hood. Oliver picked it up, feeling the weight of the bow in his hand. Oliver notched an arrow when he heard a laugh. He jumped but relaxed when he realized it was only Slade. He was propped up behind a crate and pulled himself to his feet.

"Figures you couldn't save the day without making a mess." Slade said amused as he used the crate to support himself with one arm.

"Where's Shado?" Oliver inquired.

"I thought she was with you." Slade said.

"Actually," The two turned around to see Fryers, a gun aimed at Shado's head, dragging her towards them, "she's with me."

"Let her go. It's over Fryers!" Slade shouted as he limped forward but fell to his knees.

"Let her go." Oliver said deathly calm as he aimed the bow at Fryers.

"Unbelievable. A two year operation undone because a trust fund brat washes up on shore. And now here you are: a killer. You wanted nothing more than to leave this island, and now you can. I can call in a rescue ship, you and can go home Mr. Queen. Are you prepared to sacrifice your freedom for her?" Fryers asked as he jerked his head in Shado's direction.

Shado was pushed forward as Fryers let her go. Oliver did not need to think to know what he wanted to do. At Shado's nod, Oliver fires. The arrow pierced Fryers in the throat. The mercenary stumbled back, gasping for breath, before he fell back, dead.

"Guess so." Oliver said as he lowered the bow.

Slade grinned in disbelief, as Shado smiled before looking over at Fryers corpse. It was over.

Merlyn Global

Night

Hearing a cough, Oliver turned towards the noise, ready for anything. However, he relaxed when he saw it was just Tommy.

"Tommy! Tommy." Oliver pulled back his hood as he helped his friend up.

"Oliver," Tommy blinked as he looked up at his friend and Oliver was filled with rage at the wound under Tommy's eye, "you were right about my father."

"Do you know where he is?" Oliver asked as he walked forward.

"No," Tommy shook his head before shooting up, "Dinah!"

"She's safe Tommy, I had her taken out of town before all this began." Oliver assured him and he calmed down.

"Oliver." Diggle called over.

"Are you gonna kill him?" Tommy asked almost fearfully.

"Only if I have to." Oliver told him.

"Get to safety." Oliver ordered and Tommy nodded.

Tommy stood up and walked out of the room as Oliver put his hood back over his head. The Hood walked over to Diggle. Diggle hand his cut out and was aiming it at part of the wall that was slightly agape, revealing another room.

"Looks like a false wall." Diggle told him.

At The Hood's nod, Diggle opened the wall and the two stepped inside. It was a room of weapons and standing in the back, in front of a fan, was Malcolm Merlyn, dressed in his Dark Archer outfit.

"Welcome gentlemen. I've been waiting for you, I wanted you to watch your city die." Malcolm said smugly.

"Where's the transmitter?" The Hood demanded.

"Somewhere I can easily get to it." Malcolm said confidently.

"I doubt it," Diggle said and Malcolm raised an eyebrow, "you'll be too dead."

The Hood notched an arrow as Diggle began firing. Malcolm retreated behind some weapons as The Hood fired an arrow. None made impact and the two of them pursued him further into the room. Malcolm fired back at The Hood with an arrow but The Hood ducked just in time. Diggle rounded a corner but Malcolm grabbed him, knocked the gun out of his hand, and threw Diggle across the room. Picking up the gun, Malcolm threw it. The Hood moved in as Diggle picked his gun back up. They tried attacking Malcolm but he used his bow to block them. With Malcolm occupied, Diggle moved in close with his gun, Malcolm began to engage in one fist fighting with Oliver before retreating, knocking the gun out of Diggle's hand once more on the way. As he passed by a table, Malcolm grabbed a pair of knife and threw them. Diggle cried out as he was hit in his shoulder and his knee. Malcolm ran up a pair of stairs as The Hood checked on Diggle as he went down to the floor, his back against the wall.

"Stair, go. Go!" Diggle shouted and he nodded.

The Hood followed Malcolm through the door and up the stairs. They burst through a door to find Malcolm on the roof of the building, facing him with his hood up.

"So, are you ready to die?" Malcolm asked.

Old Starling Subway tunnels

Same time

"What exactly am I supposed to be looking for?" Quentin asked as he walked down the path.

"Do you want me to describe it to you?" Wendy asked as Quentin saw something.

"No, I got it." Quentin said as he stared at the machine in front of him.

"Okay, you should see something that looks like a circuit board. Pull it out," Wendy instructed and Quentin walked over and did as she asked, "do you see a timer?"

"Yeah, less than seven minutes." Quentin said as it counted down.

Merlyn Global

Same time

Malcolm was attacked by a bow by The Hood. Yet he seemed to be doing well. Malcolm got a punch in and The Hood stood back and fired an arrow. Malcolm expertly caught it but The Hood smirked as it blew up in his face. Malcolm went down.

Subway tunnels

Same time

"There are three wires, you need a green, a yellow, and a blue. Cut the blue." Wendy said to Quentin through the comms.

"Alright, I got it," Quentin cut the blue wire but the machine suddenly activated and the timer reset itself to two minutes, "no no no no no!"

"There must be some kind of anti-tamper safeguard, let me try and override it." Wendy told him.

"There's not enough time, there's not enough time!" Quentin shouted.

"Just hold on." Wendy pleaded with him.

"Not enough time." Quentin said as he pulled out his phone and dialed.

Dinah was stuck in traffic, all the people trying to get out of the city. Suddenly, Dinah's phone rang. Seeing it was her father, Dinah answered it.

"Dad, don't worry, I'm trying to get out of the city before all this started." Dinah answered.

"I know, that's not why I'm calling," Quentin told her, "I just wanted to say…that I love you and I'm proud of you."

"Daddy, you're scaring me." Dinah said at the tone in his voice.

"I'm not gonna make it sweetie. I want you to promise me something: you're not gonna die alone like me. You have that boyfriend of yours. I didn't think I had the right to live when Sandra and Oliver didn't, promise me you won't make the same mistake. Promise me Dinah."

"I promise." Dinah said her voice cracking.

"I love you." Quentin said.

"I love you daddy."Dinah said as tears ran down her face.

Quentin hung up, steeling his emotions as he put his phone away.

"Detective, I need you to listen to me very carefully." Wendy said.

Merlyn Global

Same time

Malcolm swung his sword, which The Hood blocked with his baton. The steel weapons locked it in a battle for a moment before Malcolm pulled back. The Hood grabbed his arm and wrestled the sword from Malcolm's hand. The sword clattered to the ground as the archers battled it out. The Hood flipped Malcolm to the ground but Malcolm grabbed him in a choke hold. Oliver tried to break it but it was useless.

"Don't struggle. It's over," Malcolm told Oliver as he lowered them to the ground, "there was never any doubt to the outcome. Don't worry, your family will be joining you soon."

Oliver reached out for the arrow and drove it through his shoulder, piercing Malcolm's chest, who gasped as he let Oliver go as they both fell down. Oliver grunted as he got up on his feet, groaning. "Thank you for teaching me what I'm fighting for." He turned around to face Malcolm. "But my father taught me how."

Diggle stumbled through the door afterwards. Seeing Oliver standing over Malcolm, both smiled, thinking they had won.

Subway tunnels

Same time

"Come on." Quentin grunted as he twisted two wires together.

To Quentin's shock, amazement, and great relief, the machine sparked and died. Quentin sat back, amazed as he breathed out.

Merlyn Global

Seconds later

"Lance did it, it's over." Wendy said through the comms.

"It's over." Oliver said as he walked over and Malcolm laughed, drawing his attention.

"If there's anything I've learned as a successful businessman, it's," Malcolm coughed, "redundancy."

Malcolm fell to the roof, face first. As they stood there for a moment. Then, as they absorbed what this meant, the two exchanged horror filled looks.

"Wendy, there's another device." Oliver told her.

Almost as soon as Oliver finished speaking, the vigilante saw the destruction beginning to happen in The Glades. They watched in horror and awe at the destruction that they thought they had stopped only moments earlier, destroyed The Glades.

"Wendy…and Lance." Oliver said as dread settled in his stomach.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Oliver asked Diggle.

"Yeah, I'll just slow you down. Go!" Diggle shouted and he took off.

Quentin looked at his vantage point in shock. Although the cars here weren't near The Glades, the earthquake's massive vibrations had allowed many drivers to lose control of their cars. It was basically one big accident. He was walking, looking at the accidents in stunned awe when he spotted something: a familiar car. Quentin rushed over and looked through the window in horror at Dinah's unconscious form.

Quentin stepped back and, with all the strength he could muster, punched the window. he hand went through the window, although he wasn't exactly uninjured. Quentin groaned in pain before reaching down and unlocking the door. Quentin pulled his hand out and pulled open the door. With some difficulty, he manages to unbuckle Dinah and pick her up bridal style. Carefully, Quentin climbs out of the car and sets Dinah down. Tommy checks Dinah over.

"Hey," the pair turn around to see a man behind them, "you're Detective Lance, that cop."

"Yeah," Quentin stood up,

A shot rang out and Quentin stopped. Dinah is jerked awake by the sound and Quentin looks down. A red stain is spreading across his shirt. Quentin looks up to see the man holding a gun before he falls down.

"Dad!" Dinah screams as she rushes to him.

The man aims his gun at her but before he can fire, an arrow hits him in the shoulder. He goes down, groaning in pain. Dinah looks up to see the Hood rush over.

"Quentin," Oliver rushes to his friend's side and applies pressure to the wound to slow the bleeding, "you'll be alright Quentin."

"I'm sorry, " Quentin said as he looked up at Oliver, "When you came back…I was pretty hard on you. "You and Sandra, you were just kids then. And whether she came back or….I was out of line. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you Quentin." Oliver said as he tried to stop the bleeding.

"Thank you, I'm glad." Quentin said weakly.

Quentin closed his eyes and his head fell limply to one side.

"Quentin," Oliver said as his voice cracked as they realized what had happened, "it should have been me!"

"Dad!" Dinah rushed to his side as tears ran down her face.

"Open your eyes Quentin!" Oliver cried as tears ran down his face as well, "open your eyes."