Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For the past five months, Oliver was trying to keep a low profile in Slabside prison, even though he was locked up with criminals that he had put into prison as the vigilante, such as Daniel Brickwell, Ben Turner or Derek Sampson but despite all that, he tried not to get into fights and keep his head down, all while thinking about returning home to his son William and his friends.

When Oliver woke up, a guard Yorke tapped on the bars of his cell with his baton. "Morning, 4587. Beautiful day."

Oliver was in the yard in the gym area, doing pullups, when a scrawny inmate approached him, excited about meeting him.

"You're the Green Arrow." Stanley said.

"Wrong guy." Oliver shook his head. The last thing he needed was an enthusiastic fan following him and getting into trouble.

"But I saw you on TV. The beard threw me off a little bit, but… it's definitely you. I'm a big fan. 'You have failed this city.'" Stanley said, mimicking the Green Arrow's voice.

"OK, I'm not that person anymore, alright?" Oliver snapped.

Stanley turned nervously to Brick and Turner, who were observing before turning to Oliver again. "Look, I'll join whatever gang you're in. I don't care what I have to do. I just… I need your protection."

"I'm not in a gang." Oliver said. All he wanted to do was to try to keep a profile and not unnecessarily extend his sentence.

"Or your lookout or something. Please. Just, I… how am I supposed to survive in here?" Stanley begged.

"I don't know. Leave me alone." Oliver said bluntly as he walked away.

In the cafeteria, Oliver was alone at the table, while most of the inmates he had locked up, Sampson, Brick and Turner included, observed him. Turner passed by an inmate and spilled a cup of milk on him and the inmate mistakenly assumed that another inmate did this as a fight began.

Oliver observed and his instincts turned on as he dodged, when Sampson and Brick attacked him.

"I told you this wasn't over, didn't I?" Brick sneered.

"We waited a long time for this. Revenge is a bitch." Turner said, twirling in his hand a knife he made from a piece of sharpened metal.

"We don't have to do this." Oliver reasoned.

"But we want to." Brick smirked.

Oliver dodged and jumped over the table as Turner swung his knife but was hit in the face by Brick and Sampson bashed his tray at him. Oliver blocked and dodged their blows as he drove Turner's knife into Sampson's leg and dodged Turner's kick, while Sampson accidentally hit Brick in the face. Oliver pulled the knife out of Sampson's leg and dodged as Turner kicked Sampson by accident and Sampson slumped against a wall.

Turner grabbed Oliver and slammed him against the table, beating him up before guards entered as one of them hit Turner with his baton.

"Break it up! You've all had enough fun for today, don't you think?" Yorke said as Oliver, Turner, Sampson and Brick were on their knees with their hands behind their heads and Yorke pulled the knife out of Turner's shirt. "You know the penalty for being in possession of a weapon, Mr. Turner. Take him to the hole."

Turner glared at Oliver, when the guards dragged him away. "You're dead. When I get out, you're a dead man! He planted that! That's not mine!"

Star City

Jason Stent, a suspected weapons dealer, was walking down the street, making a deal over the phone, when arrows shot the lights and then Stent screamed as an arrow shot his hand. A rope arrow shot him in the leg as he fell down and stared in horror at the hooded archer.

"It can't be you!" Stent screamed in horror as the archer neared him.

SCPD

The officers stared in surprise to see Stent restrained at one of the cruisers.

"Go get the captain." Nick ordered.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was sitting in his cell, when Yorke approached. "4587, you pull that crap again from yesterday, I'm gonna make an example out of you. Understood, inmate?"

"Yes, sir." Oliver said.

"You got a visitor." Yorke said.

Yorke accompanied Oliver to the visitor room as Oliver sat at the booth and smiled at Sara.

"Hey, Ollie. You've been worse." Sara said, smiling back.

"How's Felicity and William?" Oliver asked.

"Dig and Lyla are keeping an eye on them, 24/7 and I have some old friends from the League who are watching over them too." Sara assured.

"Has the FBI made any progress?" Oliver asked.

"No, but neither Watson or A.R.G.U.S. is gonna stop looking for Diaz. And me neither." Sara assured. "How are you doing? Honestly."

"I'm… trying to keep my head down. Hopefully shorten my sentence." Oliver said.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea but I doubt it's as easy as you'd like it to be." Sara noted.

"Cuts heal, Sara." Oliver assured.

"You know that's not what I meant. When there's a problem, you don't just bury your head in the sand. You always fight back, Ollie." Sara said.

"I've always done what I have to do. Right now, this is what I have to do." Oliver said.

"Ollie, are you sure?" Sara asked.

"I'll be fine." Oliver assured.

SCPD

Stent was in cuffs in the interrogation room as Nick observed him. "I want to talk to your captain."

"You sure about that?" Dinah teased as she entered with a file. "Because officer Anastas is a lot more patient than I am."

"Lady captain? Oh, nice." Stent teased.

"Well, you have quite the list of allegations against you, huh?" Dinah said, reading from the file. "Fraud. Racketeering. Embezzlement."

"The key word being 'allegations'." Stent countered.

"Well, when there's smoke, there's fire, Mr. Stent. And in my experience, innocent men don't typically show up bound and gagged at my doorstep without reason." Dinah said.

"There's a reason, alright? The Green Arrow." Stent sneered.

"Maybe you hit your head a little too hard but Oliver Queen is in prison." Dinah noted.

"Then there's another psycho in green leather assaulting people with bow and arrow." Stent said.

"There have been no vigilantes in this city for five months." Dinah pointed out.

"Looks like you got your work cut out for you then, don't you?" Stent asked rhetorically as Dinah looked annoyed. "Now, are you gonna let me go, or do I have to sue your asses?"

"Yeah. Just as soon as Officer Anastas takes your statement…" Dinah turned to Nick, who approached Stent as she left the interrogation room. "…very slowly." She finished.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was returning to his cell, when he saw Brick holding in his hand a photo of William.

"Cute kid." Brick smirked.

"Put. That. Down." Oliver growled.

"Slow your roll, Arrow. You wouldn't want this conversation to get messy." Sampson warned as he snuck up on Oliver with a shiv pointed at Oliver's back.

"You know I can just take that from you, right?" Oliver countered.

"Well, that'd be a good thing. You see, it'd save us the trouble of planting it, when we rat you out to Yorke, just like you did to Turner. Now, I know you're trying to get back to your kid." Brick said as he looked at the photo of William and smirked at Oliver. "You're probably counting down the days."

"Just tell me what do you want." Oliver said.

"Yeah. Well, you see…" Brick got up from the bed. "You see, me and Sampson here, we've got a three-man operation with Turner. Side hustle. And because of you, we're a man down, so I think you should take his place."

"No chance." Oliver shook his head.

"Now, here's a reason I don't believe you." Brick said, showing a photo of William, warning Oliver. "Now, I bet you really wish you hadn't stopped Merlyn from killing me, don't you?"

Brick smirked as he realized he had Oliver and walked off.

"See you soon, Arrow." Sampson whispered as he left.

The Glades

Tony, one of Rene's students from his gym, was buying guns from a dealer, when Rene showed up. "He's not interested."

"You followed me?" Tony demanded.

"Yeah. I figured you would do something stupid and it looks like I was right." Rene said, glaring at Tony.

"Hold on. I know you." The dealer pointed at Rene. "You're the one that dropped a dime on Oliver Queen. Uh, Crazy Dog, or something like that."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rene turned to Tony. "Let's go. Come on."

"Unfortunately for you, you just saw my whole operation." The dealer said, gesturing to his guns in the trunk of the car. "And that can't be good for anybody."

"Get down." Rene said as Tony backed away before Rene engaged the dealer and his thugs but then froze, when the dealer aimed his gun at him.

A moment later, lights exploded and an arrow flew into the trunk and exploded in flames, destroying the guns and an archer in green hood jumped down from above at the car, shooting down the thugs and knocking one of them down, while Rene disarmed the dealer and knocked him down and Rene stared in disbelief as the archer fired a grapnel arrow and rappelled away.

"You OK?" Rene asked.

"Was that the Green Arrow?" Tony asked.

"I don't know who the hell that is." Rene said as he pulled out one of the arrows. He had no idea who the archer was but he couldn't help himself but think there was something familiar about him.

Hope Springs

Felicity, now with dyed hair and with a new identity, was living with William and was working as a barista in a café and stared in shock to see on TV the news report about the new Green Arrow.

City Hall, Star City

Earth-2 Laurel, now taking over the role of the District Attorney, was addressing the press conference regarding the new Green Arrow.

"We have reason to believe that a vigilante impersonating the Green Arrow is out there. While we're still pursuing leads as to the identity of this unknown assailant, we can tell you with 100% certainty that he is not Oliver Queen. This is someone new." Laurel said.

"You said 'assailant'. Does that mean that the city hall considers this new Green Arrow a threat?" One of the reporters asked.

"To the rule of law? Absolutely. Star City continues to employ a zero tolerance policy against any and all acts of vigilantism. Anyone found committing or aiding and abetting these acts will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Laurel said.

A.R.G.U.S.

"I really miss this, guys. Not that I don't like being the head of R&D at A.R.G.U.S., it has better benefits, as in, there are actually benefits. I just miss the team." Curtis said as he talked with Sara, Diggle, Dinah and Rene, while trying to track down the New Green Arrow and Stent.

"Less talking, more typing." Diggle ordered.

"Right. Sorry." Curtis approached the computer. "Should only be a couple of minutes before I'm in, which Felicity could beat one-handed."

"Look, why are we even after this New Green Arrow, if he's trying to help?" Sara questioned.

"I'm not saying that he's not trying to do some good but he's only making things worse, considering that the vigilantism is outlawed now. The least we should to is bring him in quietly, since, if it's not us, someone else will and they might decide not to take him in alive." Dinah pointed out and Sara nodded.

"So, when we find him, are you going to protect him or arrest him?" Sara questioned.

"That depends on whose side is he on." Dinah said.

"He could've killed me last night and he didn't, that's good enough for me." Rene pointed out.

"Are you sure he saved you or were you just not his target? Because there's a big difference, Rene." Dinah argued.

"I think what Rene means that the least we owe this New Green Arrow is the benefit of the doubt." Sara said.

"If you arrest that vigilante, D., you're making a big mistake." Rene pointed out.

"No. I'm doing my job." Dinah said firmly.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Stanley sat across Oliver at the table, much to Oliver's annoyance.

"This food isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Stanley said excitedly.

"You can't sit here." Oliver said.

"It's just like high school." Stanley chuckled.

"I don't really know how to be much clearer than I've been being. Go away." Oliver warned.

"So, what do you think about your replacement? It's gotta bug you there's a new guy that can do all the things that you can't do anymore." Stanley said.

"OK, just because I have decided to let you sit here doesn't mean we're having this conversation, you understand?" Oliver asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his tone.

Brick then approached Oliver's table. "You ready to hustle?"

"No." Oliver declined, glaring at Brick. "Listen. If you try to leverage my family, ever again, I will expose whatever it is you have going on to every single guard in here."

"Disappointed to hear that. We'll just have to try it a different way." Brick said.

"This your new friend?" Sampson asked, nearing Stanley, who paled as Sampson moved away his tray of food.

"It has nothing to do with him." Oliver said.

Sampson slammed Stanley's face onto the desk.

"It has now." Brick said.

"I didn't do anything." Stanley begged as Sampson punched him.

"Do you want to come with us now, Queen?" Brick asked.

"No." Oliver declined.

"Oliver…" Stanley looked at Oliver brokenly.

"I can't help you." Oliver said.

"Oliver, don't…" Stanley sobbed as Oliver walked away before Brick and Sampson continued beating Stanley up.

Later at night, Yorke accompanied Stanley back to his cell, which was next to Oliver's before the doors closed.

"Are you OK?" Oliver asked.

"What do you care?" Stanley sobbed and Oliver sighed, remorseful he didn't help him. "I'm not gonna survive in here."

"Yeah, you will. You'll be fine." Oliver assured.

"You… you just left me to die." Stanley said.

"I…" Oliver took a breath. "I knew that they didn't want to kill you because they… I knew that they were coming after me."

"So you just let them beat the crap out of me?" Stanley asked incredulously.

"I'm on the guards' radar after what happened the other day and I… I get another strike against me and I'm back to square one and I want to get back to my family. I can't do that to them." Oliver said.

"I have a family too, did you ever think about that?" Stanley argued, sobbing and Oliver could feel himself deflate, realizing what a coward he was. "I mean, I shouldn't even be in here. I was wrongly accused of murder. And that's what this city is like now. There's no justice."

Oliver then remembered Barry's father as he tried to assure Stanley. "Just keep your head down. You'll be fine."

"That's your advice?" Stanley asked incredulously. "All this time, I thought you had a raw deal, like I did. But it all makes sense now why there's a new Green Arrow out there. Because the old one is a coward."

Oliver took a breath, realizing Stanley had a point.

Star City

Stent was making another deal, when Dinah and the SCPD was about to bust in and were waiting for the Green Arrow to show up. Suddenly, the lights exploded as Dinah and the SCPD entered.

Stent attempted to run, when the Green Arrow jumped down from above and fired a rope arrow into Stent's back as Stent screamed in pain. The Green Arrow yanked the rope as Stent crashed against a wooden wall before the archer aimed at him another arrow.

"Please, I'll give you anything." Stent begged.

"I have what I came for." The Green Arrow said before he notched another arrow. "Jason Stent, you have failed this city."

Suddenly, the SCPD burst in with Dinah, surrounding the Green Arrow.

"Drop your weapon now!" Dinah ordered. "Don't be stupid."

A nearby light exploded in sparks, blinding the police as the Green Arrow jumped through a hole.

"Vigilante heading north!" Dinah yelled as the officers scattered and Dinah looked up to see Wild Dog on one of the rafters.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

It was another day for Oliver as he woke up and was heading into the shower.

Hope Springs

Felicity was waking up and about to prepare breakfast for William, when she heard gunshots, slamming and fighting outside.

"What's going on?" Felicity asked but screamed, when a bullet passed by her, destroying a light and she saw Sara fighting with Diaz.

"Felicity, run! Get William out of here!" Sara yelled.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was in the shower but sensed someone sneaking up on him and dodged, when one of the inmates attacked him with a shiv and fought back before he was cut in the leg. Another inmate attacked but Oliver slammed him against the shower stall as it shattered but groaned when another inmate punched him in his side and due to lack of clothing and his skin exposed, Oliver was more susceptible to pain.

Hope Springs

Felicity and William had run down the fire escape as Sara was fighting Diaz. Sara blocked Diaz's blows and elbowed him in the face but Diaz grabbed Sara by her leg as she attempted to kick him and threw her down. Diaz pulled out his gun but Sara kicked it off his hand before kicking him in the face and knocking him down.

Diaz pulled out a knife but Sara dodged and knocked him down. Realizing he was in over his head, Diaz ran off and jumped through the window. Sara was about to chase him but when she looked down, Diaz had managed to escape.

Sara entered Felicity's apartment and went down the fire escape and saw Felicity and William hiding in a nearby store.

"It's OK. You're safe now." Sara assured.

"Where's Diaz?" Felicity asked.

"Gone. But he'll be back. Come on, let's get out of here." Sara ordered.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver had managed to beat up the inmates, when the guards broke up the fight and decided to let the fight slide, since Oliver was defending himself. Later, Oliver was back in his cell, when Yorke approached. "4587, you have a visitor."

Oliver was in the visitor room, talking with Sara.

"How's Felicity and William?" Oliver asked.

Sara took a breath. "Diaz went after them but don't worry, I fended him off for now. They're in A.R.G.U.S.'s protective custody, until this is over."

"Thank you." Oliver said.

"I promise, I'm not gonna let Diaz get away with it. And I'm not going to stop until he's dead or in prison where he belongs. I'll make him pay for what he did to you and me and Dad and our families." Sara promised as she reached out with her hand and placed it on the glass, while Oliver did the same. "Whatever happens, I'm always here for you, Ollie."

Later, the Glades

Rene used the money he had stolen from Stent to renovate his gym and other businesses in the Glades, when Dinah visited his gym.

"I should be arresting you for the crap you pulled the other night, do you have any idea of the position you put me tonight, Rene?" Dinah demanded, glaring.

"Hey, I'm sorry, D., but I couldn't let you lock him up, alright? He's not a criminal and you know it." Rene said.

"No, I don't and it's not a leap of faith I'm willing to take." Dinah snapped. "You know, I am working so hard to restore the city's faith in the men and women who serve it. Rene, if you go out as the Wild Dog again, I will not hesitate to lock you up just like that vigilante."

"Are you serious, D.?" Rene asked incredulously.

"I just want you to think long and hard about what that means, OK? For these kids and for Zoe and for our city, man, because I'm not giving you a second warning." Dinah warned before she left as Rene considered.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Knowing now that his family was in danger and that keeping a low profile was not going to work anymore, Oliver went into the gym yard, looking angry.

"Check it out." Sampson said, looking intrigued.

"Queen, you don't look too hot there. Maybe I can help you—" Brick grunted, when Oliver slammed his book into Brick's throat as Brick choked before Oliver hit him in the back of his head, knocking Brick down and was nearing Sampson.

"Stand down." Yorke warned as Oliver stopped, turning to him. "Don't be a hero."

Oliver picked a weight and bashed it at the head of the huge guy, who attacked Oliver in the shower and told him that Felicity and William were dead and started to beat him up before the guards surrounded Oliver.

"You should have killed me." Oliver warned before he went on his knees and put his hands behind his head as the guards took him in.

Chapter Text

Oliver was doing pushups, while locked up in a cell in the solitary confinement, until Yorke entered and Oliver got up on his feet as Yorke accompanied him back to the general population section.

"Vacation's over, 4587. You're lucky you only got two days in the hole after what you pulled. Apparently, there are still people in here who believe that you're a hero. But we know better, don't we?" Yorke said condescendingly and Oliver was silent as they stopped. "I asked you a question, inmate."

"You don't know anything about me." Oliver said.

"Sure I do. I grew up with kids just like you; entitled, rich, thought the law didn't apply to them." Yorke said as he eyed Oliver with contempt. "But look at you now, a criminal, just like every other bastard in here."

"My family was attacked. I'll do anything to protect them." Oliver said.

Oliver entered the gym area as Stanley approached, smiling in relief.

"Oh, you're back! Oh, man! The way you beat the crap out of that Grim Reaper guy was awesome. That face looked like a hamburger meat." Stanley said.

"Where is he?" Oliver asked as he looked around.

"He's gone. The warden found out he attacked you in the shower, got sent down to Level 2, which is worse than a death sentence." Stanley explained.

Oliver sighed in frustration. "He's my only lead on Diaz."

"Don't worry, he doesn't know anything. He just got a nice payday." Stanley explained.

"Right." Oliver turned to Stanley curiously. "Why do you know that?"

"I asked around." Stanley said.

Oliver glared at Stanley, as if he was stupid. "You should be keeping to yourself, asking questions in here is going to get you killed."

"Not when you're asking for the Green Arrow. Everyone saw what you did and they're all afraid of you. 'Cause we're friends, now they're all afraid of me." Stanley explained.

Oliver sighed. "Alright, if that prisoner wasn't behind the attack, then who hired him?"

"That scary bald guy who attacked me." Stanley explained.

"Right. Brick." Oliver muttered. He should have expected that.

"So what's our plan? Beat him up? Torture him for info?" Stanley asked.

"No. We do it my way." Oliver said.

A.R.G.U.S.

"Felicity and William are under constant surveillance in A.R.G.U.S. custody and some of my old friends from the League are keeping their eye on them until we take down Diaz." Sara said.

"It's been five months. Why now?" Rene wondered.

"Well, whatever he's up to, now we know it's personal." Diggle said.

"Which is exactly why I put Laurel on protective detail. She's gotta be on his hit list." Dinah agreed.

"How are we gonna find Diaz?" Sara asked.

"Well, Felicity has been working on that with me." Curtis said as he showed a series of images on the monitor. "It's analyzes all the data and looks for any additional intel we have on Diaz and then it uses a predictive algorithm to estimate where is he gonna show up next."

"Like a brain thinking only about Diaz." Sara said and Curtis nodded.

"Gross." Rene said.

"But also cool." Curtis said as he showed them a device. "He used this to break Felicity's A.R.G.U.S.-level security system, when he tried to attack them and a model like that is very hard to get."

"Diaz has new friends." Diggle noted.

"The algorithm also tracks all of Diaz's known associates like Cyrus Broderick or the Longbow Hunters. The moment Diaz gets on our radar, we'll know." Curtis explained.

"We're gonna find him and when we do, we're gonna make sure he's not gonna hurt anyone else, ever again." Sara vowed before an alert bleeped on the computer.

"Speak of the Devil…" Diggle muttered.

"What is that?" Sara asked as they turned to the screen, where it showed a hi-tech device.

"There was a break-in in one of our off-site facilities." Diggle explained as Curtis went through the data.

"Looks like they stole only one thing. An ultra high-density renewable battery. One of these has enough juice to power a town. We were using then to help refugees." Curtis said as he went through the report. "Looks like they used specified weapons for this. Hi-tech shield, nano-powered darts and a sonic manipulator, these are super impressive weapons."

"I know who did this." Sara said, looking disturbed. "The Longbow Hunters. The weapons their M.O."

"Which means Diaz was behind it." Diggle realized.

"You wanna tell Felicity and William or should I?" Curtis asked.

"No. Keep them out of this. The moment Felicity finds out, she's gonna freak out and do something stupid that's gonna get her killed. No one tells Felicity about this, understood?" Sara ordered and everyone nodded, although Curtis seemed reluctant about lying to Felicity.

District Attorney's office

"We need to talk." Dinah said, approaching Laurel, who was on her way to her office.

"If this is about the Conway case, I already told Anastas I need more time." Laurel said.

"That is not why I'm here and you know it." Dinah said bluntly.

"Aw, did you miss me? That's so sweet." Laurel said sarcastically.

"Laurel, you ditched your protective detail. Again." Dinah said.

"Perhaps you should get your facts straight, Captain, your officers had a medical emergency. Food poisoning, I think it was." Laurel drawled.

"Food poisoning doesn't cause hearing loss or vertigo, you know what does? A sonic wave." Dinah sneered.

"Ooh, that sounds serious." Laurel said sarcastically as she sat at her desk.

"This isn't a joke, Laurel. You know, I just heard from A.R.G.U.S. that the Longbow Hunters are in Star City." Dinah said and Laurel froze. "Diaz won't be far behind. Matter of fact, for all we know, he could already be in town." She neared Laurel, leaning onto the desk. "Now, I don't really care if Diaz kills you, but I do care if he kills the D.A."

"Touching." Laurel said.

"Diaz kidnapped you, he killed Quentin, who everyone believes was your father. It's such a joke." Dinah shook her head in disgust.

"Hey. I cared about him." Laurel snapped.

"Then let my officers protect you. It's what he would have wanted." Dinah pleaded.

"I can take care of myself." Laurel said firmly.

"Fine." Dinah sighed in frustration.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver entered the mess hall and neared Brick. "Ricardo Diaz."

"That seat's taken." Brick said sarcastically.

"You're gonna tell me where to find him." Oliver growled, grabbing Brick by his arm.

"Hey. You sure you want to do that?" Turner warned as Brick shook Oliver off. "I still haven't gotten a chance to thank you for sending me to the hole."

"I guess you don't know your place here. You may have gotten your fight back, but we're still at the top of this food chain." Sampson sneered, as he and Turner were about to beat Oliver up.

"It's OK, boys. I got this." Brick said as Sampson and Turner backed off. "Diaz? Doesn't ring any bell." He said in feigned ignorance.

"You hired those prisoners to attack me in the shower for Diaz." Oliver insisted as he sat next to Brick. "So why don't you tell me how I can find him?"

Brick turned to Oliver. "You know what your problem is, Queen? You've forgotten where you are. This is prison and you're playing by the wrong rules."

"I'm not playing any games, Brick." Oliver growled.

"What I'm saying is, if you want to be a mate of mine, you got to prove yourself worthy of my friendship." Brick said.

Oliver scoffed in disgust but realized he had no other choice but to play by Brick's rules to get what he wanted. "What do you want?"

Brick turned to Yorke. "I want him gone."

Oliver was uncomfortable with killing a guard and as much as he didn't like Yorke, he didn't deserve to die. "Why?"

"That is no concern of yours. You just take care of that guard and I'll tell you everything you want to know. Everybody wins." Brick said.

Oliver considered before giving in. "Fine."

He was about to get up, when Brick grabbed Oliver by his wrist. "Queen. If you say anything to anybody, the deal is off."

Oliver later met with Stanley back in the gym yard.

"This is prison. There are tons of guys that would be happy to handle Yorke, if you know what I mean." Stanley said.

"Yorke's a hardass but he doesn't deserve to die." Oliver pointed out and Stanley nodded. "Just… I need to find his pressure point."

"W.W.G.A.D.?" Stanley asked.

"What?" Oliver asked, turning to Stanley in confusion.

"What would Green Arrow do?" Stanley asked.

"Oh. I…" Oliver considered. "He'd have Overwatch gather information."

"What's an overwatch?" Stanley asked and an idea hit Oliver.

"We need a computer." Oliver said.

Oliver and Stanley were in line in the corridor leading to the shower area.

"Once we get inside, we have two minutes before the guards miss us. You up for this?" Oliver whispered.

"Yeah, hell, yeah. It's my first Green Arrow mission." Stanley said, excited.

Oliver let Stanley get in front of him and used a plastic bottleneck and piece of rubber and fragments of a pencil as slingshot, destroying the lights and sending the whole corridor into the dark.

"What the hell?" One of the inmates demanded.

"No one moves! Everyone, stay right where you are!" Yorke ordered as he and other guards were trying to subdue the inmates, while Oliver and Stanley took advantage of the havoc and snuck away into the office area.

"Does this thing even have the internet?" Stanley asked as Oliver sat at the computer.

"We'll soon find out." Oliver said, accessing the computer.

"Even if it does, they don't let felons surf the web." Stanley noted.

"I know my way around computers. Sit tight." Oliver said before he pulled out Yorke's record.

"OK, so what are we looking for?" Stanley asked.

"Anything that will give me leverage." Oliver said as he and Stanley were going through Yorke's files. "Peter Yorke was born in 1978, he joined the army at nineteen, serves eight years, commendations, injured in line of duty, started working at Slabside and he's been here ever since."

"He's been here for twelve years, no wonder he's such a jerk." Stanley muttered.

Oliver nodded as he continued reading. "He's got no complaints, he's got no disciplinary record, but he's a jerk but a law-abiding jerk."

"No one's that clean, there's gotta be something." Stanley noted before something piqued his and Oliver's interest. "Look at that. He's got a wife and a kid. I bet a guy like that would do just about anything to keep his family safe."

Oliver was uncomfortable with using a family as a leverage but that could be his last resort, if nothing else would get rid of Yorke.

"All right! Back in line!" They heard Yorke yell outside the office.

Oliver turned off the computer, realizing that was their cue to return. "We have to go."

Stanley nodded as he followed Oliver.

District Attorney's office

Dinah entered Laurel's office but noticed it was empty as she turned to one of the A.D.A.s. "Hey, where's the D.A?"

"She said she needed some air." The A.D.A. said.

"Damn it." Dinah swore, realizing what Laurel did.

A.R.G.U.S.

Felicity was watching the news on TV with William as Sara entered.

"Hey. Have you got any leads on Diaz?" Felicity asked.

Sara took a breath. "Not yet. But we're getting close." She entered and placed an assuring hand on Felicity's shoulder. "I promise you, we're not gonna let him hurt you, ever again."

"That's not enough, Sara. I need to know you're gonna stop him, whatever it takes." Felicity said hotly.

"Felicity, trust me, I want to take down Diaz as much as you do, especially after what he did to Laurel and Dad and I know you may be losing your patience but if we go off half-cocked and without a plan, it's not gonna help us stop him. I'll do whatever I can to protect you and William and I get that you don't like sitting on your butt here and do nothing but there's nothing you can do here. Understand? Ollie wouldn't want you to put yourself at risk." Sara said.

Felicity was about to open her mouth but stopped, when Sara shot her a look and Felicity realized that she was not going to win any argument she was about to engage in with Sara.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

In the gym area, Oliver was doing pullups as Stanley got an idea. "You know, just because Yorke isn't dirty, doesn't mean we can't get him fired. Blackmail's pretty much a prerequisite for getting in this place."

Oliver jumped down and shot Stanley a look. "I'm not about to ruin an innocent man's life, OK?"

"Not the Green Arrow way. Noted." Stanley said before Brick, Sampson and Turner approached.

"I'm starting to think you've lost interest in my information, Queen." Brick said, looking impatient.

"Yorke's clean." Oliver said.

"There are other ways of getting rid of somebody. More permanent way." Turner said, showing Oliver a shiv.

"That's not how I do things." Oliver protested.

"That's not how you do things out there." Sampson corrected.

Oliver sighed before turning to Brick. "You asked me to take care of Yorke. You didn't say how."

"Let me make this clear." Brick glanced at Yorke before pointing at the shiv in Turner's hand. "You use that to get rid of Yorke, or I will."

Oliver, reluctantly, took the shiv from Turner's hand and walked off.

Oliver was in his cell, as it opened and Yorke entered. "Cell check time. You're up, 4587. You know the drill."

Oliver went out from his cell as Yorke entered and searched Oliver's bed.

"You need to listen to me." Oliver whispered.

"No chitchat, inmate." Yorke warned.

"Someone in here wants you dead." Oliver said.

"News flash, everyone in here wants me dead." Yorke drawled.

"Yorke, I don't care if you quit or transfer, but whatever you do, you need to do it today, do you understand?" Oliver pleaded.

"I have no idea what kind of game you're playing, but if you don't knock it off, I promise you'll regret it." Yorke growled.

"I'm not playing a game. I am trying to help you." Oliver explained.

"I don't need your help, inmate." Yorke snapped.

"I just want to do the right thing." Oliver insisted.

"The right thing?" Yorke approached Oliver, again looking at him in contempt. "Is that what you were doing? Running around in that costume? You turned the law into a joke. The Green Arrow's very own existence invited criminals into your city. You think you're some kind of a hero." He dragged Oliver back into his cell as it closed. "Have you ever stopped to think that maybe all they've done is make things worse?"

Yorke left as Oliver considered. He tried to reason with Yorke and sort this out nonviolently. Well, it was time to do this the dirty way.

A.R.G.U.S.

"Why didn't you take on the hood, when Ollie asked you?" Sara asked Diggle.

"I watched as Oliver lost everything important in his life because of that hood or what being the Canary cost you and Laurel. Our Laurel." Diggle said. "I wanted to put it because Oliver asked me to but I couldn't. The truth is… I saw what the hood did to him and his family."

"And you didn't want to put your through it." Sara said and Diggle nodded. "I get that." She took a breath. "Honestly, I didn't like the idea of Laurel being the Black Canary, when I found out, after she brought me back from the dead, because I didn't want her to pay the price I did but I respected that she tried to honor my mantle and my legacy. And now Black Siren is trying to honor Dad and Laurel by being the D.A. I guess we all are trying to honor the people we love in our own way."

Diggle nodded, when Curtis entered. "Sorry to interrupt. John, you have to see this. I was finally able to pull data from that damaged hard drive, look what I found. Train schematics." He showed the schematics on his tablet.

"Let me guess, one of these directed energy weapons on your list is being transported by train." Diggle realized.

Curtis nodded. "Yup. It's being shipped out of Star City for testing tonight."

"We can't let the Longbow Hunters get their hands on that weapon." Diggle said.

"Let me help, Dig." Sara said.

"Sara, these assassins are feared even by the League of Assassins." Diggle pointed out.

"Which is why you need all the help you can get." Sara insisted.

Star City

Dinah and Laurel entered a building that Diaz had bought after joining the Quadrant but looked around to see that it had been apparently abandoned for a long time.

Diggle, Sara and the A.R.G.U.S. strike team were in the train, while Curtis was back in A.R.G.U.S. monitoring the entire situation and turned on the thermal imaging of the train and widened his eyes.

"Above you!" Curtis yelled.

From above jumped down a bearded man with a leather jacket, wielding a metal shield with razor blades at the edges of the shield and a spike in its center.

"It's one of the Longbow Hunters!" Sara cried out.

"Hold your fire!" Diggle ordered, when one of the operatives fired but Bear blocked with his shield as the bullet bounced off and Bear cut down one of the operatives and impaled another one and then cut another across his chest and kicked him down. Another operative rushed at Bear but Bear stabbed him with the spike in the center of his shield and threw him over his shoulder and then cut another one in the neck, killing him.

Diggle whacked Bear in the face with the butt of his rifle but it didn't even faze him as Bear grabbed the rifle and cut it into two and kicked Diggle, knocking him down.

Sara dodged as Bear attacked with his shield and backed away.

"Get to the weapon!" Diggle ordered as he and Sara retreated.

Laurel was going down the floor under construction, when she noticed someone sneaking up on her and turned around to face a dark-skinned woman with a small afro haircut, wearing a silver jacket and black pants.

Laurel unleashed her Siren Cry but much to her surprise, there was only deathly silence and her Cry had no effect on Silencer. Laurel dodged, when Silencer attacked with her knife before Silencer kicked her in the face, knocking her down. Laurel got up and dodged, when Silencer attacked again and picked a pipe, blocking Silencer's knife and trying to hit her, while Dinah was in a corridor adjacent to the room, where was Laurel and Silencer, oblivious of the fight due to the silence as Laurel and Silencer continued trading blows.

Diggle, Sara and the A.R.G.U.S. team were entering another cart, when they dodged as a red dart hit a nearby wall and turned to face a Caucasian brunette in a red leather suit with red tinted glasses, holding some kind of a wrist gun.

"Hello there." Red said as the dart let out gas and Diggle and Sara covered their noses and mouths.

"It's gas!" Diggle yelled.

"We gotta get out of here!" Sara ordered as they ran to the exit but Red fired another dart at the lock as a shock followed and the door closed.

"Oops. Guess it's locked." Red said before she left, locking another door and leaving Sara, Diggle and the team in the cart to suffocate on the gas.

"Curtis, we're trapped!" Diggle coughed.

"Already on it! Hang on!" Curtis said, typing away.

Sara's and Diggle's vision started to blur, when they saw Diaz tap on the glass outside and waving and smiling at them.

"Diaz…" Diggle whispered.

"I'm opening the door, get out of there!" Curtis said as the door opened and Sara and Diggle rushed out.

Laurel kicked Silencer back but Silencer blocked as Laurel swung her pipe and punched her in the face, knocking her down and disarming her.

Dinah entered and unleashed her Canary Cry on Silencer but it had no effect due to Silencer drowning out all sounds.

Laurel joined in as she and Dinah unleashed both their sonic screams at Silencer and the combined force overloaded Silencer's muter, making all sounds audible again and the sonic wave knocked her backwards before Silencer got up on her feet and ran off.

"Are you OK?" Dinah asked, turning to Laurel.

"Yeah, I think so." Laurel nodded.

"How the hell did she do that?" Dinah demanded, turning to the direction in which Silencer had gone.

"I have no idea." Laurel said.

Diggle and Sara cornered Diaz as Diggle pulled out his gun.

"Diaz, freeze!" Diggle yelled as Diaz stopped. "Hands up, slowly!"

Diaz slowly raised his hands and smirked at Diggle. "You missed me, John?"

Diaz suddenly pulled out a flamethrower and Diggle and Sara took cover behind a barrel to dodge the torrent of fire Diaz sent at him and Diaz dodged, when Diggle pulled out his gun and fired. Diggle picked a barrel lid and used it as a shield as Diaz again used his flamethrower. Diggle rushed at Diaz and knocked him down.

Diaz got up but Sara tackled him to the ground as they struggled as they exchanged blows. They got up as Sara dodged Diaz's kicks before Diggle grabbed Diaz and they both struggled before the battery fell off Diaz's jacket. Diggle threw Diaz down and Sara kicked him in the face as Diggle rushed to the battery.

Sara was about to finish Diaz off but stopped, when she saw Red and Bear nearing the door as she retreated.

"We got the battery. Curtis, when I tell you, I need you to uncouple that flatcar." Diggle ordered.

"Got it." Curtis said.

"Do it!" Sara ordered as Red and Bear entered.

Sara and Diggle jumped onto another cart as it detached from the flatcar and the distance between them and Diaz and the Longbow Hunters grew until they were safely away.

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"Are you going to tell Felicity?" Sara asked.

"No." Diggle said. "She's upset enough that she's hiding in here with William. She doesn't need more stress." Sara sighed as Diggle held her by her shoulder. "We'll get him, Sara. I promise."

"The Longbow Hunters are just as dangerous as Darhk or Merlyn or Ra's. If we're going to get them and Diaz, we're going to need help." Sara said.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was in the line in the mess hall as Brick approached him.

"I don't think you understand our deal. It's a limited time offer and it's about to expire." Brick warned.

"I understand. I'm gonna take care of him." Oliver said. He didn't like doing this but obviously, to get what he wanted, Oliver was going to have to play dirty.

SCPD

Laurel had entered Dinah's office as Dinah looked up at her.

"I just… I wanted to come by and thank you for the backup. Also, from now on, I will be accepting protection from the SCPD." Laurel said as Dinah looked surprised. "No more ditching. No more complaining. Maybe a little complaining.

"Well, I appreciate that." Dinah smiled. "Anything else?"

"No. That's it." Laurel was about to leave, when she spoke up again. "Actually, that's not it." Dinah looked up at her again. "I know that Quentin wasn't my father. Not… not the father that raised me anyway. And… I guess I had just forgotten what it felt to have someone who cared about me." She took a breath as her eyes got wet and voice broke. "And losing him, it was the worse pain that I haven't felt in a very long time and I can only imagine how you must have felt after Vinnie's death."

"Please, don't." Dinah begged, not wanting to go down this road as she looked into Laurel's eyes, unwilling to accept it.

"Listen, I don't expect you to forgive me but I have to tell you that I am truly sorry about killing Vinnie and I hope one day, you'll see I'm not that person. Not anymore." Laurel said as her voice broke and eyes got wet before leaving Dinah's office.

Dinah just looked down, holding back her own tears, having a hard time accepting that Laurel had changed, if she showed remorse over murdering her former lover.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

"This Diaz guy seems like a real nightmare, but are you sure this is a good idea?" Stanley asked as they were in the mess hall.

"My way's not working. I don't have a choice." Oliver said as he got up and approached Yorke. "Hey. Hey!" Yorke turned to Oliver, who looked angry. "What's your problem?"

"I know you're not talking to me, inmate." Yorke warned as he neared Oliver.

"You've had it in for me since day one." Oliver sneered.

"You need to shut your mouth and get back." Yorke growled.

"Do your wife and son know you're such a dick?" Oliver asked, lowering his voice.

"What did you just say?" Yorke demanded.

"It's Jenna and Noah, right?" Oliver whispered.

Yorke glared as he reached for his baton. "You don't say their names, you—"

Oliver grabbed Yorke's hand and stabbed himself in his side with a shiv as Oliver groaned and fell down, pointing at Yorke, trying to act terrified as he crawled back. "You—You stabbed me!"

"What? I didn't stab you!" Yorke protested.

"Get away from him!" Dunbar ordered as he and other guards grabbed Yorke.

"He stabbed me! He stabbed me!" Oliver yelled, pointing at Yorke.

"Dunbar, what are you doing? I didn't touch him!" Yorke said.

"Get him out of here!" Dunbar ordered as he and other guards dragged Yorke away.

"No, wait, no! He's lying! I didn't do anything!" Yorke shouted as they dragged him out of the mess hall.

Brick smirked at Oliver, looking impressed that he managed to get rid of Yorke without killing him as Oliver slumped to the floor, passing out.

Chapter Text

After getting some rest from stabbing himself, Oliver returned to the mess hall as he and Stanley were taking their meals.

"Wow. I still can't believe you stabbed yourself. Did you hit anything big, like your liver or something?" Stanley asked and Oliver shook his head in annoyance. "Right. You probably don't have a liver, just muscle."

"You think I had any other choice?" Oliver pointed out. He then turned and saw Brick, Sampson and Turner and limped towards them. "I did what you asked. Now tell me what you know about Diaz."

"That wasn't exactly what I meant by getting rid of Yorke." Brick said.

"Well, I found a better way."

Sampson chuckled in amusement. "He still thinks he's a hero."

"You're a bigger idiot than I thought." Turner said.

"Easy, gents, a deal's a deal. Getting Yorke off our back means we're in business. Thanks to Queen here, we're gonna have one hell of a night." Brick said.

"Where is Diaz?" Oliver demanded.

"I don't know, but I do know who does." Brick said as Oliver looked intrigued. "There's an informant here at Slabside. Anything that goes on here goes through the Demon first."

"The Demon?" Oliver asked. He certainly wondered who this person was, if they were going by this alias.

"The person, who arranged the hit on you and who's the direct connection to Diaz. All I did was handle the transaction but seeing as how I'm a man of my word, I will arrange a meeting." Brick said.

"You expect me to trust you?" Oliver snorted.

"You don't have much choice, do you?" Brick reminded.

"When?" Oliver asked.

"Tonight. Cell 3-B after lights out." Brick said and was about to leave but stopped to add a final note. "And you will know when."

A.R.G.U.S.

"So, from what I can tell, the Longbow Hunters hacked into the CDC and breached their security protocols and looks like they are looking for a shipment that just came from Central City." Curtis said.

"Diaz is gonna want to take that shipment." Sara realized.

"Then why aren't you doing something about it?"

They turned to see Felicity, who had entered the room, clearly upset.

"Tell John or Lyla to get him, if we have a lead on Diaz, shouldn't we pursue it? We can set a trap." Felicity demanded angrily.

"Felicity, it's not that simple." Curtis explained.

"Besides, last time we went up against Diaz and the Longbow Hunters, we barely made it out alive." Sara pointed out. "I called in help, they're on their way here."

"I'm done sitting here and waiting, when that monster is still out there and we're still in danger!" Felicity exploded.

"Felicity, calm down. I understand that you're upset but there is nothing you can do—"

"No. Diaz took everything away from me. It's time I fought back. Until that monster is out there, Oliver's sacrifice will have been for nothing." Felicity said firmly.

Sara considered and sighed. "Fine. But you're going to do everything we say, down to the letter and you're not gonna do anything stupid. Understand?"

Felicity considered and nodded.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver and Stanley went outside and saw the inmates leaving their cells after lights-out, realizing Brick was up to something as they went to investigate until they approached the cell 3-B.

Oliver opened the door and entered the cell, which turned out to be empty. "Not here."

"So, what do we do, do we wait?" Stanley asked.

"It'll be a long wait." Turner said upon entering with two more inmates.

"Where's the Demon?" Oliver demanded.

"Hell, if I know." Turner chuckled. "You actually thought Brick was gonna help you? Well, Brick got what he wanted, and now he wants you dead."

Turner pulled out a knife as Oliver gestured for Stanley to back away and Oliver ducked as Turner attempted to stab him and threw Stanley aside before Turner kicked him as Oliver fell against a table. Oliver picked a book and used it as a shield as Turner attempted to stab him before elbowing him in the face and Oliver then threw Turner aside.

One of the inmates attacked but Oliver threw him down on the floor before the second inmate rushed at him but Oliver dodged as the inmate fell off the railing down to his demise. The first inmate attacked again but Oliver slammed him against the door, knocking him out.

Turner pulled his knife out and attempted to stab Oliver but Oliver grabbed Turner by his hand and pinned him to the wall, with the blade against Turner's neck.

"You're not going anywhere until I get some answers." Oliver growled and then tied Turner up against the door. "We had a deal!"

"A deal that means nothing, now that Brick got what he wanted. With Yorke gone, we're finally free to have some fun." Turner smirked. "Brick's got a game going on right now in the mess hall, all thanks to you."

"First rule of prison: Trust no one." Stanley noted.

"Ah, the kid's right. Now, how did he manage to figure that out before you did?" Turner asked rhetorically.

"Alright, so Brick was lying. There's no Demon." Oliver grumbled.

"Oh, there is, but you don't summon the Demon. The Demon summons you." Turner corrected.

"I think I'll take my chances." Oliver sneered.

"You're not getting this. The only way to get to the Demon is through Brick. There's a system, that's how this place works." Turner explained.

"Well, looks like I'm gonna force Brick to make good on his deal."

"Hmmm. Good luck." Turner said sarcastically. "His party's 'invite only', and you're not on the guest list."

"I'm guessing you are." Oliver said, pointing the tip of the knife against Turner's neck.

CDC

Sara, Nyssa, Dinah, Rene, Curtis and Felicity approached the security checkpoint as Nyssa pulled out a fake FBI ID.

"Agent Nyssa Raatko. FBI. We'd like to commence a routine security check of your facility, please." Nyssa said.

"You're working late." The receptionist noted.

"Orders are orders." Nyssa shrugged.

"Door to the right, I'll buzz you in." The receptionist said, unlocking the door as they entered the corridor.

"Thank you for the help." Sara said, turning to Nyssa.

"Thea and Roy wanted to go after the Thanatos Guild on their own anyway, besides, if the Longbow Hunters are in your city, then it's as much my problem as yours and I respected your father." Nyssa said, turning to Sara in sympathy.

"The biocontainment lab should be right here, this is it." Felicity said as they stopped.

"So, all we gotta do is trap them inside?" Rene asked.

"Rene, Dinah, cover the exits, Nyssa and I will keep an eye on the labs." Sara said and they nodded.

"The cameras are on the loop. Curtis and I'll be in the server room. As far as Diaz can tell, the place will be empty." Felicity said.

Rene was hiding in one of the labs as Diaz, Red and Bear passed by him. "I got eyes on Diaz and he brought two psychos with him."

"Felicity, do you have eyes on the third one?" Sara asked.

"Not yet. Maybe they left her at home." Felicity said.

"It's doubtful, the Silencer wouldn't want to miss this." Dinah said as she went down the corridor.

"They've reached the lab." Rene observed and was shocked to see that they didn't need to override the lock. "Hold up. The zombies just walked right in. No keycard or nothing."

"That doesn't make any sense." Felicity said.

"Can you lock them in?" Sara asked.

Felicity typed away and swore. "Frak. Frak, frak, frak."

"Make better sounds, Felicity." Rene grumbled.

"Whatever's jamming the door is jamming my access frequencies, it's some sort of sonic disruption." Felicity said.

"Comms are still working." Nyssa noted.

"The Silencer. She must have brought a new toy." Dinah noted.

"I got her, she's in the northeast corridor, headed towards the mechanical room." Felicity said.

"I'm on it. But once I catch up with her, it'll be radio silence, literally." Dinah warned as she fastened her pace.

Rene, Nyssa and Sara observed as Diaz was seizing some vials from a cooler.

"Felicity, when I tell you, lock them in." Sara ordered as she entered the lab with Rene.

"I'm in the mechanical room." Dinah said as she walked down the corridor but suddenly, she heard no sounds and tapped a nearby canister with the barrel of her gun and when she heard no clanging, she immediately realized what happened.

Dinah turned around and dodged, when Silencer attacked with her knife and knocked the gun off Dinah's hand. Dinah and Silencer exchanged blows briefly before Silencer kicked Dinah back. Dinah picked a wrench from a nearby worktable and rushed at Silencer.

"Uh, guys, just, FYI, a lot of things in that lab don't react nicely to gunfire. So, one stray bullet and the whole place goes 'boom'." Felicity warned.

Sara, Rene and Nyssa entered as Nyssa pulled out her bow and notched an arrow.

"It's over, Diaz. Drop the box." Sara said.

"Miss Lance. Looks like our paths cross on many places." Diaz said, not turning around.

"This is going to be the last." Sara vowed.

"Can you please handle this?" Diaz asked.

Red fired darts from her wrist gun as Sara, Nyssa and Rene dodged. Rene slid down to avoid as Bear swung his shield, while Nyssa fired but Bear raised his shield to block the arrow before kicking Rene, sending him sliding across the floor.

Sara picked a tray and used it as a shield as Red fired more darts before rushing at her as they exchanged blows.

Dinah kicked Silencer in the back and swung a wrench but Silencer dodged and attempted to stab Dinah. Dinah grabbed Silencer's arm and threw her down on the ground before Silencer kicked Dinah back and got up on her feet.

Sara blocked Red's punches and tried to kick her but Red grabbed Sara by her leg and knocked her down. Sara rolled away as Red fired more darts and some of them grazed Sara, as she and Nyssa started to realize, why had even the League feared the Longbow Hunters.

Rene attacked with his knife but Bear blocked with his shield and forced Rene to dodge as the blades of the shield scratched Rene's jacket and Bear threw Rene, sending him sliding down the floor. Nyssa attacked with her sword but Bear raised his shield to block and pushed her back and slammed her against a nearby cabinet. Nyssa ducked and rolled away as Bear was about to finish her off and cut through the cabinet door.

"Playtime's over!" Diaz shouted as he pulled out his gun and opened fire, forcing Sara and Rene to take cover behind tables as Diaz hit some containers and gas leaked before Diaz turned to Red and Bear. "Let's go!"

Diaz, Red and Bear retreated as Sara, Rene and Nyssa stared in disbelief.

"Guys, we got Silencer, she's still here in the mechanical room." Curtis said.

"Go help Dinah, Diaz is mine." Sara ordered as Nyssa and Rene ran off and Curtis got up, rushing out.

Sara attempted to chase Diaz, Red and Bear but Red fired a flashbang dart, blinding Sara and giving them an opening to escape.

Silencer aimed at Dinah's head with her knife but Dinah dodged and attempted to throw a punch but Silencer slammed her in her chest as Dinah gasped for air. Before she could recover, Silencer punched her in her face, dazing her and slit her throat as Dinah gagged and fell down.

Silencer smirked in satisfaction as she turned off her device. "One down."

Silencer dodged as Rene threw a knife and ran off.

"I got her, she needs your help." Nyssa ordered as she followed Silencer.

"Dinah! D!" Rene exclaimed, horrified as he knelt next to her.

"Oh, God…" Curtis panicked.

"We have to call an ambulance!" Rene said.

"They won't make it in time but maybe there's something I can do." Curtis said as Rene turned to him. "I've been working on a new prototype, mid-infrared lasers that might be able to cauterize the wound."

"Might or will?" Rene demanded.

"I don't know but the only way to bond the cut is by burning it first, I've never tested it, though—"

"We don't have time, Hoss, just do it!" Rene said, holding Dinah's wound as she choked, blood filling her mouth. "It's gonna be OK, D., just hang on."

Curtis turned on his T-Sphere as the laser started to cauterize the wound on Dinah's throat as she gasped.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

"Brick's gonna be extra pissed to see you, he thinks you're dead." Stanley said.

"Well, he's in for a surprise. Come on." Oliver said as Turner accompanied them down the stairs. "What are we walking into?"

"Brick will probably have prisoners posted outside the mess hall." Turner said.

"You talk us past them. And if you say one wrong word—" Oliver warned.

"Yeah, slash goes the artery, I get it." Turner drawled. "You know, it's nice to know that you'd rather shiv yourself to save some hard-ass guard but you have no problem shivving me."

"Well, you ambushed me." Oliver reminded.

"You think I had a choice in that? Brick calls the shots, if I don't try to kill you, then Brick kills me. Every man here is out for number one, including you." Turner said.

"Everything I do is for my family. You're just out for yourself." Oliver sneered.

Turner stopped and actually looked at Oliver in disbelief before his expression turned into full of contempt. "You think you know me so well. You know nothing about me."

"I know you made a deal with China White to have me killed and I know you helped steal a weapon that blew up half the Glades." Oliver noted.

"What about Markovia, 2014? A known terrorist named Gholem Qadir. Or did you forget I was part of the mission that helped bring him down?" Turner reminded.

"A.R.G.U.S. put an explosive in the back of your neck. You didn't have a choice." Oliver pointed out.

"But I did have a choice to save your friend's life." Turner revealed and Oliver looked shocked. "Yeah. Lyla and I were alone, when Qadir threatened to slit her throat and I drove my blade right through his back."

"John never told me it was you who saved her life." Oliver said in surprise.

"Yeah, why would he? You and your team only saw me as one thing, the enemy. But now look at us, both in prison. So I guess we're not that different after all." Turner said and Oliver considered that perhaps he had misjudged Turner.

When they approached the door to the mess hall, it was guarded by two inmates.

"Step aside, fellas. Green Arrow's joining our little game." Turner said.

"Are you kidding? We can't let Queen in here." One of the inmates protested.

"You'd better. He's VIP. The high rollers will be very happy to see him." Turner said and after a moment, they banged on the door.

"You're coming in there with me." Oliver warned.

"Good. I'd hate to miss all the fun." Turner smirked.

A moment later the door opened and the inmates cheered as the mess hall tables were positioned to act like walls to a fighting ring and Oliver watched Sampson beat up one of the inmates as he entered the ring.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" Brick yelled as Oliver and Stanley looked up to see him above on the upper floor. "It seems we have an unexpected treat for you this evening. An epic once-in-a-lifetime matchup: Our champion, Sampson, vs. the Green Arrow!" He pointed at Oliver as cheers sounded across the mess hall and Oliver realized they wanted him to fight.

"I kind of wish we stayed outside." Stanley muttered as they turned to Sampson.

"No. I don't have time for this." Oliver protested but the inmates blocked his way out of the fighting ring.

"Where are you going, Arrow?" Sampson taunted and Oliver sighed and turned to him, realizing he had no choice but to fight.

"Oh, you're way better than this guy." Stanley assured.

"What do you say? Time for a rematch?" Sampson asked.

"Last time didn't end so well for you." Oliver reminded.

"This time, I'm gonna kill you." Sampson growled.

"Gentlemen, place your bets." Brick said as the inmates and guards cashed in their money and then they cheered as the fight began.

Sampson tackled Oliver to a table and started pummeling him and Oliver groaned in pain as he still felt the wound where he had stabbed himself before Sampson punched him in the face as Oliver slumped back.

"That's it, Sampson, hit him!" Brick said.

Oliver blocked Sampson's punch and sent a right hook at his face as Sampson staggered back and Oliver then noticed he was bleeding out and realized that he needed to put a quick end to the fight. Oliver rushed at Sampson and pinned him to a nearby table but Sampson kicked him back as Oliver fell against another table and blocked Sampson's punches.

"You got this, Oliver!" Stanley cheered as Oliver slammed Sampson against the table. "Yes!"

Oliver jumped off the table and slammed Sampson to the ground before they both got up on their feet and Oliver kneed Sampson in the groin and elbowed him in the head and then slammed him against another table. Oliver then flipped forward and kicked Sampson in the head as Sampson fell down.

Sampson got up and threw a punch but Oliver grabbed him by his arm and kicked Sampson in the head and broke his arm as Sampson groaned in pain. Sampson got up and Oliver pummeled him in the chest and pinned him to the table, grabbing him by the throat.

"Yield!" Oliver snarled as he grabbed Sampson's other arm.

"Never!" Sampson choked out.

Out of patience, Oliver broke Sampson's other arm as Sampson screamed in pain and the cheers of the spectators stopped.

"That was awesome." Stanley said, amazed.

"What a performance." Brick said as Oliver looked up. "I'll let you in on a secret, Queen. My money was on you. You're a hard man to kill."

Oliver jumped off the table to the upper floor and kicked a guard in the chest as he fell down before pointing a knife at Brick, while the rest of the guards aimed at him.

"Stand down!" Oliver warned Brick nodded as the guards dropped their weapons. "No more games. Tell me how to find the Demon." Brick smirked as Oliver's patience was wearing thin. "Brick… don't make me ask you again."

Brick chuckled. "I've had you running around, playing fetch for me like my grandmother's springer spaniel. And you know the best part? You'll never get to the Demon 'cause you're on the wrong level. The Demon is on Level 2, the place for the worst of the worst and that just isn't you now, isn't that right, Arrow?"

Oliver sighed and considered. For so hard he had been trying to play the good guy in prison to make sure he could return to William and his friends as soon as possible, but with them all in danger now, he had no other choice. Oliver kicked a guard and cut Dunbar across his arm and then punched another guard and stabbed another in the shoulder and then punched him in the face before dropping his knife and more guards entered, aiming their weapons and Oliver fell on his knees and put his hands behind his back and Brick chuckled, impressed that Oliver would go that far.

"Oliver, you got a plan, right?" Stanley asked as they were back in their cells.

"Stop worrying about me. Just try to keep your head down." Oliver said.

"Maybe Level 2 isn't as bad as everyone says." Stanley said optimistically.

"As long as it gives me what I want, I don't care." Oliver said.

"You were never going to stay hero… not in this place." Stanley said, looking at Oliver worriedly.

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"How are they?" Sara asked as the medics were treating Dinah's and Rene's injuries.

"Rene's just a bit banged up but Dinah… it's bad. If not for Curtis, she'd be dead. Her vocal cords had been damaged." Felicity sighed in frustration. "God, we almost had that son of a bitch."

"Felicity, I told you how much dangerous the Longbow Hunters are. Look at what they did to us today." Sara pointed out. "Look, you did everything you could, what happened tonight is not on you. Just rest, OK?"

Felicity considered and nodded before Sara walked off.

Star City

Sara entered a basement as she approached Nyssa. "I secured her as much as I could."

They turned to Silencer, who was in shackles, bound to the floor as Sara pulled out a knife. "Now… you're going to tell us everything you know about Diaz."

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was sitting in his cell as Dunbar approached with a small group of armored guards with billy clubs, showing Oliver the cuffs. "Let's go, 4587. You're going downstairs."

Oliver let himself be escorted out as the inmates, Stanley, Turner, Brick and Sampson included, observed.

"Have fun down there. I hear that the only way out of Level 2 is through the morgue." Brick said as the guards escorted Oliver out.

Chapter Text

Oliver was in his cell in Level 2 of Slabside as the lights flickered and high-pitch sound went off from the speakers before it stopped and a middle-aged black man accompanied by two guards entered.

"I am Dr. Jarrett Parker. Chief psychiatrist of Level 2." Parker introduced himself.

"Keeping me in here without food or water." Oliver said glumly.

"I understand these conditions may cause some discomfort, but your recent behavior indicates that you are… a danger to other inmates and yourself. Until I can determine you are in the right mental state to be with the other inmates, it will be just the two of us for a while. I'm here to conduct your psychiatric evaluation." Parker said.

"But I'm not crazy." Oliver protested.

"That's what I aim to determine. Now, let's begin." Parker said as Oliver looked up to him. "What is your name?"

"You know my name." Oliver said.

"Please. Answer the question." Parker insisted.

"My name is Oliver Queen. I don't belong here." Oliver said.

"I'm hearing someone who doesn't want to take responsibility for his actions. The choices that led you to Slabside are of your own design." Parker said.

"You're not understanding me. A man named Ricardo Diaz tried to kill my friends. Somebody on this level has a connection to him. I need to find this person." Oliver looked into Parker's eyes. "The only reason that I am here is because I put myself here."

"For the sake of the argument, what will you do after you find this person?" Parker asked.

"I will use them to stop Diaz." Oliver replied.

"How? By hurting or killing him and then Mr. Diaz?" Parker asked. "Recidivism is the likelihood that a violent criminal offender will commit another violent crime when set free. That is what I'm trying to prevent but I believe everyone here has a chance at redemption. Even people like you."

"I don't need your help and I don't need redemption." Oliver protested.

"You don't?" Parker raised his eyebrows. "How many people have you hurt besides the prisoners and guards you sent to the infirmary?"

"I don't know." Oliver admitted.

"How many people have you murdered? Hmm? Would you say you have violent tendencies?" Parker questioned.

"I would say I'm trying to protect the people that I care about." Oliver said.

"Including your son?" Parker asked as he pulled out a photo of William and handed it to him. "We'll unpack this more later."

Parker and the guards left, closing the door to Oliver's cell.

Star City

Nyssa had cleaned up her knife as Silencer's chest and arms were covered in cuts and bruises.

"I can see why even my father respected you." Nyssa said as she turned to Silencer. "Where is Diaz? What is he planning?"

"You really think that will make me talk?" Silencer gloated.

"I will get what I want, one way or another or you can spend the rest of your days locked up in the basement forever." Nyssa said coldly.

Starling General

Sara had entered the hospital as she met Rene, Diggle and Curtis outside in the corridor.

"I heard about the fire. They said they saw the Green Arrow there." Sara said.

"It wasn't him." Rene said.

"How's Zoe?" Sara asked.

"She'll be fine." Rene assured.

"Who did it?" Sara asked.

"Maybe it's a homicidal maniac running around town with a shiny new flamethrower, goes by 'Dragon', hates our guts." Curtis drawled.

"It wasn't Diaz." Dinah said as she approached.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Diggle asked.

"Look, I'm fine but I appreciate your concern." Dinah assured.

"You sure?" Sara asked and Dinah nodded.

"How do you know it wasn't him?" Rene asked.

"Because the perp's used an accelerant that's also been used in a rash of other fires around the Glades, one on the same night Diaz broke into the CDC." Dinah explained.

"That gives him an alibi." Diggle said before looking at his phone at the message he just received. "This is A.R.G.U.S. We have to go, keep us posted."

Diggle and Curtis walked off, leaving Rene, Dinah and Sara alone.

"How's Zoe?" Dinah asked.

"She'll be OK." Rene assured.

"Good." Dinah relaxed.

"The guy who did this won't be, not when I get my hands on him." Rene said.

"We'll find him and that vigilante, I've got patrols combing the city." Dinah said.

"Dinah, he saved Zoe's life and Rene's, don't you think you owe him at least the benefit of the doubt?" Sara pointed out.

"You think I don't care about finding out who did this?" Dinah demanded.

"No, but the mayor doesn't give a crap about a fire in the Glades, she cares about the New Green Arrow because it will make her look good. He saved Zoe's life." Rene said.

"Doesn't definitely make him innocent, what was he doing there in the first place?" Dinah argued.

"Dinah, you really think he started that fire? Or that he'd purposely manipulate Stent to make the deal and then take him down on his own?" Sara pointed out.

"Look, I get you want to believe in him but these people have completely lost their faith in law enforcement because Diaz corrupted it and my job is to catch whoever did this and restore that faith. All I'm asking is that you put that faith in me." Dinah pleaded.

"And all we're asking you is for you to give the Green Arrow the benefit of the doubt." Sara countered and Dinah considered. "He could've left Zoe to die and kill Rene but he didn't. And I get that you want to make sure that the people can believe in the system again but what good it is with monsters like Diaz and the Longbow Hunters still out there?

Dinah, I get that you want to put faith in the system and restore it but it's not the first time it's been broken, when Ollie first came back, rich people had been buying off the entire force, judges and juries and he helped the city as the Hood because the system couldn't protect innocent people and Dad believed that we didn't need to go outside the system to get justice but he later realized that there were powerful people who mocked the laws of the city and twisted them to their own needs, which is why he helped Ollie to help, when the police couldn't. Don't you think we owe the Green Arrow that much?"

"This Green Arrow isn't Oliver and I can't work with a stranger." Dinah pointed out.

"If you take him in and innocent people die, what does that make you?" Sara argued. "All I'm saying is that sometimes, to get justice, you need to bend the rules and work outside the system because it's not perfect and it doesn't always get the results you'd want it to. Sometimes, vigilantism is a better form of justice than law."

Dinah considered and sighed eventually. "Fine. You win. We'll do this your way. For now. But if something's off about him, you don't want to be anywhere near him, when I bring him in."

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was forced to listen to the high-pitch sound and the lights in his cell flickered again before it stopped as the guards entered with Parker.

"Good morning." Oliver said.

"Good morning." Parker nodded, impressed. "I see you've found a way to keep track of time. I'm impressed. Active mind means you're thinking about things. What is your name?"

"I'm not answering any more of your questions." Oliver said firmly as he looked up at Parker.

"Still resistant. Hmmm." Parker frowned, disappointed. "I suppose we'll have to try a different approach."

One of the guards injected Oliver with a syringe as he groaned. "What… what was that?"

"That will help make you more comfortable, allows us to have a real conversation." Parker said and Oliver groaned. "You don't have to fight anymore. You've fought enough in your life. You consider yourself a hero. The question is, when was the moment the playboy son of a billionaire became the man known as the Green Arrow?"

Oliver remembered the moment his father had asked him to right his wrongs before killing himself.

"You're struggling, what do you see?" Parker asked as he saw the look in Oliver's eyes.

"I'm with my father at the sea." Oliver said lowly.

"Are you on the Queen's Gambit?" Parker inquired.

"No, we're on a life raft." Oliver said and Parker narrowed his eyes. "Gambit's already gone down."

"Was there anyone else there with you and your father?"

"Yes… his… his bodyguard Hackett. There… there were three of us who survived."

"Dad?" Oliver stared in horror as Robert shot Hackett and threw him over the raft.

"Survive." Robert said as he placed the gun on the temple of his head.

"No!" Oliver cried out as Robert pulled the trigger.

"What did you see?" Parker asked.

"I see my father asking me to right his wrongs… right before he shot himself in the head. He sacrificed his life to save mine." Oliver explained.

"Is that why you became the vigilante?" Parker asked.

"Yes." Oliver nodded.

"Because he put his sins on you?" Parker inquired.

"Would you please stop?" Oliver whispered.

"A father passes on more than just his name to his children. He provides them their legacy." Parker said. "What became of Hackett?"

"There was only enough food and water for one person. My dad shot him." Oliver explained.

"Your father shot him? Then what? Like he doesn't matter in this story? Just collateral damage? People without the last names are human beings too. They have hopes. Dreams. Lives. Your father wasn't a hero, Mr. Queen, he was a murderer." Parker pointed out.

"He saved me." Oliver said.

"He condemned you." Parker corrected. "He is gone, but here you are caught in the same vicious cycle, paying for his crimes."

Star City

Rene and Sara went to investigate another fire, when they met the Green Arrow, who notched an arrow.

"Hey, hey, we're on your side, OK?" Sara asked, raising her hands.

"He got away." Green Arrow said.

"Who got away?" Rene asked.

"Jon Cortez." Green Arrow replied.

"He's been setting those fires?" Sara asked and Green Arrow nodded. "Look, you and us, we want the same thing. We can work together."

"No. I know you want to help but I can't let you put yourself at risk." Green Arrow said as Sara looked into his eyes, realizing there was something familiar about him.

"Look, you don't have to go on your own, just take off that hood, so that—" Sara reached out with her hand but Green Arrow shook her off and knocked her down.

"Don't come looking for me again, Sara." Green Arrow sneered before he ran off and vanished into the night.

Rene helped Sara on her feet. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I planted a tracker on him. He might find it but if it is who I think it is, I have a pretty good idea where is he gonna go." Sara smirked, having suspicions about who it was.

Later, SCPD

"Any leads?" Sara asked.

"I thought about what you said about bending the rules and Felicity found this." Dinah showed them some bank records. "Jon Cortez has been receiving regular payments from Patbane Holdings."

"Let me guess, Patbane isn't on the up and up." Rene said.

"It's a shell company, one that's been buying these torched up properties at highly reduced rates." Dinah explained.

"So, somebody has been burning down the buildings in the Glades and buying them?" Sara asked and Dinah nodded. "Do you know who's the CEO?"

"That's what we need to find out." Dinah said.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was lying on the bed, with electrodes attached to his head as he had a hallucination of himself and William at his and Robert's place on the raft as Oliver committed suicide before he came to.

"You were talking… just now. You told your son you loved him. Why?" Parker asked.

"Because he's the most important thing in the world to me." Oliver said.

"Then it's up to you to end your father's cycle for the good of your son. Only you can do it. Do you see that now?" Parker said.

Rene's apartment

"Felicity untangled the Patbane Holdings web." Dinah said, showing them the information on the laptop. "This is our guy, Marcus Fish. A real estate investor here in Star City, he managed to buy up real estate on every Glades block where a fire happened. Can't be a coincidence."

"Cortez has been getting paid in two installments." Rene said as he went over the bank records.

"Half up front, half the day after the job. Patbane made a deposit earlier today but I don't see the second payment here." Sara said as she took a look.

"That means the next attack is happening tonight." Dinah realized.

"You know, I heard somebody was trying up Starling Palladium, old movie house over on 8th, owner's a crotchety bastard. Ain't no way he'd ever sell." Rene said.

"It's just a few blocks away from here." Sara realized.

Later, Starling Palladium

Sara, Dinah and Rene were on patrol as they searched the cinema before Rene found one of the arsonists in the area behind the screen and aimed his gun. "Hey, dummy. Hands up."

The man put his hands up as the other was were sneaking up on Rene before the Green Arrow entered, kicking him down. The man grabbed an explosive and threw it, knocking the Green Arrow down as it went off.

The man threw Rene down before Rene got up as they exchanged blows before Rene knocked him down and turned to the Green Arrow. "Thanks for the save."

"Where are the other two?" The Green Arrow asked as an explosion went off.

"Guessing over there." Rene said as they went out.

The people were running off as the fire started.

"Freeze!" Dinah yelled, aiming her gun as the man threw an explosive and Dinah tried to use her Canary Cry but groaned, realizing she couldn't as the explosion knocked her down.

Another henchman entered with a knife but Sara snuck up on him from behind, knocking him out as Dinah aimed her gun at the other man. "Drop it now!"

The man lit the fuse as Dinah shot him and an explosion went off before he pulled out his knife and turned to the other henchman. "Back to work. I'll take care of it."

The other man resumed the work but then, Sara snuck up on him, knocking him out as Dinah kicked the man approaching her and knocked the knife off his hand before knocking him out.

Sara approached the fire alarm and turned it on as the Green Arrow and Rene entered.

"You guys OK?" Rene asked.

"Yeah. What about you, did you get the other guys?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, we stopped them, how do we stop this?" Rene demanded.

"I can't turn on the sprinklers, they must have tampered with the fire system." Sara said.

The Green Arrow climbed up the pillar and ripped off the pipe, extinguishing the flames before he fell down onto the rafters as it collapsed and Rene and Sara helped the Green Arrow on his feet.

"You guys gotta get out of here before the SCPD arrives." Dinah said and Rene, Sara and the Green Arrow left as the SCPD entered. "Stand down! I'm a friendly!"

Star City

Nyssa had returned to the basement, about to interrogate Silencer again but Silencer had broken out of the shackles and tried to attack but Nyssa dodged before Silencer grabbed her device as a flash of light blinded Nyssa and when she recovered, Silencer had run off.

A.R.G.U.S.

"She escaped?" Sara asked, talking with Nyssa over the phone.

"As planned. The blade was coated with the same nanotechnology Oliver used to track down Merlyn." Nyssa said.

"I got a lock on her." Felicity said as she looked at the monitor. "Let's hope she leads us back to Diaz."

"Felicity, did you manage to track down the Green Arrow?" Sara asked.

"I used an algorithm to cross-reference all known sightings and narrow down the possible area in which he should be hiding." Felicity said as she showed Sara the map of the Glades. "It's the clock tower where you were hiding, when you first came back. Why would he go there?"

"I think I know why." Sara said, realizing who the Green Arrow was.

The Glades

The Green Arrow was sharpening his arrows at the top of the clock tower as he heard footsteps as Sara approached.

"I could see you coming from miles away. I thought you'd be subtler than that." Green Arrow said.

"If I wanted to sneak up on you, you wouldn't see me coming. But I think that we have a lot of catching up on and you have a lot of explaining to do. Like, what are you doing here?" Sara said as the Green Arrow turned around and lowered his hood and mask, revealing his face. "It's been a long time, Roy."

Roy just looked at Sara passively with a neutral expression on his face.

Chapter Text

"What are you doing, Roy?" Sara asked.

"Is that a serious question?" Roy snapped as he gestured outside. "Look around, Sara, this city isn't any better, and someone has to continue Oliver's mission and you certainly aren't doing much to help make the city a better place, neither does Dig, Felicity, Rene, Curtis or Dinah."

"You think I wanted to give it all up?" Sara scoffed. "Ollie gave himself up so that he could take down Diaz and I want to continue his mission as much as you do but if I go out as the Canary, they'll arrest me and his sacrifice will have been for nothing. I'm still trying to make this city a better place but I can't do it the way you do. Besides, someone needs to look after William and Felicity can't do it on her own, I owe Ollie at least that much." She sighed and took a breath. "Look, I didn't come here to argue with you. But what about Thea and the Thanatos Guild?"

"Since we saw the news about Oliver being arrested, we kinda argued about our priorities. Thea decided to go after the Lazarus Pits and the Thanatos Guild on her own and then we heard about the Longbow Hunters and Nyssa has been tracking them ever since and I wanted to help continue Oliver's mission." Roy explained.

"Roy, if you wanted to put on the hood, then I could understand that but you know you can trust me, right? At least me. Dig's got other priorities now, I'm not sure if I can rely on Rene, Curtis or Dinah and Felicity's too worried about William and Diaz to be in the right mindset to help you out." Sara pleaded. "Look, all I'm saying is that you don't have to do this alone. Let me help you."

"I'll think about it but right now I have more important matters to attend to." Roy said as he jumped out through the window and Sara sighed.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was lying on the bed in his cell, when a guard entered, accompanied with orderlies. "On your feet, 4587."

Oliver got up and sighed as he sat down. "Who are you?"

"Your new best friend. Now, on your feet." The guard ordered and Oliver complied. "Hold out your hand." Oliver reached out as the guard showed a metallic bracelet. "This will be on you at all times to ensure the safety of yourself and the other prisoners."

The guard placed the bracelet on Oliver's wrist as a 'beep' went off and red light blinked on the bracelet.

"Where's Dr. Parker?" Oliver asked.

"He said you're ready for Phase 2, which means you belong to me now. Move." The guard said.

"Where are you taking me?" Oliver demanded.

"Down the rabbit hole." The guard smirked as they escorted Oliver out of his cell.

Oliver then noticed the orderlies dragging away one of the inmates. "Where are they taking him?"

"Pray you never find out." The guard whispered and Oliver then noticed the huge inmate who had attacked him in the shower and that Oliver had later beaten up in the yard as the guard noticed Oliver staring at the inmate. "Friend of yours?"

"No." Oliver said.

"Is there a problem?" The guard demanded, reaching for his weapon.

Oliver shook his head. "No. No problem."

The guard nodded. "Good. Keep it that way."

"When is visitation?" Oliver inquired.

"There's no visitation down here." The guard sneered.

"No… what… what do you mean?" Oliver asked, confused.

"It's probably best that you forget about anyone on the outside. They'll eventually forget about you" The guard said as he locked Oliver up in one of the cells.

During the lunchtime, Oliver approached the tables and approached the inmate, who had attacked him earlier. "Remember me? I need to talk to you." The inmate got up and started walking away, ignoring Oliver as Oliver followed him. "Hey. I know it was the Demon who hired you to attack me."

"Stop talking to me." The inmate begged.

"Tell me who the Demon is." Oliver insisted.

"Leave me alone." The inmate said.

"Hey." Oliver grabbed the inmate but the next thing he knew, he was thrown down on the floor.

The guards turned to the inmate with narrowed eyes as he raised his hands, looking terrified. "It was an accident, I swear!"

Oliver saw the bracelet on the inmate's wrist being electrified as the inmate fell on his knees, with the guard aiming at him with some device that looked like a handheld remote as the guard eyed the inmate in disappointment, approaching him with the orderlies. "Looks like you're having a relapse. We warned you about this. You know what happens now."

"I'm sorry." The inmate paled as he turned to the door in fear. "It won't happen again." He then groaned as the bracelet went off again.

"Get him up." The guard ordered as the orderlies dragged the inmate towards the door.

"No. Not through there! Please!" The inmate begged as Oliver wondered was going on behind those doors.

A.R.G.U.S.

"Still tracking Silencer?" Sara asked as she entered the office.

Felicity shushed Sara as she glanced towards William, who was sleeping on the couch before the signal disappeared. "Frak."

"What? You lost her?" Sara asked as she approached the desk, while Felicity was typing away.

"No, the signal's still pinging, it's just faint but it may take a while for me to boost the signal to get an exact location." Felicity said.

"The moment you find out, let me know." Sara said and Felicity nodded. "Felicity, don't leave the office and don't do anything stupid, OK?"

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was sleeping, when he heard squeaking and got up, noticing that someone had entered his cell. Oliver and the intruder exchanged few blows before he knocked her on the ground and was about to deliver the finishing blow, but froze, when he saw her face and got up on his feet, pulling away.

"I understand you've been looking for the Demon." The woman said with an Eastern accent as she got up on her feet, revealing burns on her face.

Oliver stared in disbelief. "Talia?"

Last time he saw her, she had been alongside Adrian Chase on Lian Yu, until he committed suicide and triggered the explosives on Lian Yu and Oliver assumed that she had died in the explosion.

"You survived the explosion on Lian Yu." Oliver realized. "How?"

"You know I'm not so easily defeated." Talia said.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, I ran afoul of an old foe in Gotham." Talia shrugged before looking at Oliver curiously. "What surprised me was to see you here, a prisoner. I believe I taught you better than that."

"You taught me many things, including how to manipulate people." Oliver reminded as the realization hit him. "So, the attack in the shower, Brick's mind games… you pushed every button and pulled every string just to get me down here."

"You always were a quick study." Talia smirked.

"Where's Ricardo Diaz?" Oliver demanded.

"I don't know." Talia said.

"Liar." Oliver growled.

"I'm many things, but liar is not one of them. You asked how I survived Lian Yu." Talia turned to the bars of the cells. "The answer is barely and only with the help of a drug supplied by your Mr. Diaz, so, in exchange, I facilitated an attack on the man who murdered my father. left me for dead, more than a fair trade."

"There was a time, Talia, when aligning yourself with men like Adrian Chase and Ricardo Diaz would have been beneath you. You had to know Chase's father was on the list too. The same list you convinced me to target. And yet you train him? And besides, your father was going to kill innocent people in my city, the same way Chase's father did. What does that make you? A hypocrite." Oliver pointed out.

"I do what it takes to survive. Another lesson you seem to have forgotten." Talia turned to Oliver, looking at him as if he was stupid. "I taught you how to separate the man from the monster. Instead, you exposed your true identity for all the world to see and became the monster you always feared you were."

"What do you want from me?" Oliver asked.

"There is a way out of Slabside and I need your help to escape." Talia said.

"You expect me to help you after all the pain and the suffering that you inflicted on my family?" Oliver demanded incredulously.

"What does it tell you that I would even ask for your help after what you've done to mine?" Talia pointed out and Oliver stared at her in disbelief, as if she was insane. "You don't understand what they do to people down here."

"They reform them." Oliver said.

"They destroy them." Talia corrected. "You and I once stood on the same side, we can do it again."

"You stood on the same side as Adrian Chase and my son lost his mother, so now I'm here, trying to save what's left of my family, because I'm stuck in a cycle of violence and I have been stuck there since the moment you told me what to do with my father's list." Oliver said.

"You don't honestly believe that, Oliver." Talia shook her head.

"There's no Oliver here." Oliver countered as Talia raised her eyebrows. "I'm inmate 4587, so I'm asking you, however you broke into my cell, get out."

Sara was in the visitor room as she approached Dunbar. "Excuse me. I'd like to speak with Oliver Queen. I'm on his guest list and I asked to see him twenty minutes ago. What's going on?"

"Inmate 4587 has had his visitation privileges revoked." Dunbar said.

"Why? What happened?" Sara asked.

"I'm not at liberty to say, ma'am." Dunbar said.

"Please, can you tell me what's going on?" Sara pleaded.

"I'm afraid I can't." Dunbar said coldly as he walked off.

Sara looked confused before she noticed Stanley waving his hand at her and she approached his booth and picked the receiver.

"You're Sara Lance. I recognize you from the news article about the Gambit. You came here to see Oliver?" Stanley asked.

"Yeah. You know him?" Sara asked.

"I'm kind of his sidekick in here." Stanley said.

"What's going on? Is Ollie OK?" Sara inquired.

"He got sent down to Level 2." Stanley explained.

"Level 2?" Sara repeated.

"It's bad, it's really bad, it's where they send the worst." Stanley said, looking worried.

"Wait, I don't understand, what's going on?" Sara demanded, now more confused.

"It's kind of a long story, but he got set up and then he had to stab a guard or two, it all kind of happened really fast and there was a lot of blood." Stanley said.

"Ollie? Stabbing a guard?" Sara asked.

"I'm sorry about your friend. He's the best." Stanley said as he hung up and left and Sara stared, wondering what was going on.

Later, District Attorney's office

"So you can do nothing for Ollie?" Sara asked as she talked with Laurel.

"Prison authorities insisted that Oliver already maxed his visitation allowances this month." Laurel said.

"That makes no sense. Something's wrong." Sara said as she took a breath, not believing she was actually doing this. "Can you do a favor for me, please, Laurel?"

"Is that a serious question?" Laurel asked, not believing it.

"Look, I know you're not my sister and I know he's not your Ollie but deep down, I'm sure you want to make sure he's OK and I think that my Dad would've wanted for us to at least try to get along. Can you try to look up what this… Level 2 is? If not for me or Ollie, then for Dad." Sara asked with an imploring look.

Laurel considered before picking the phone. "I'll make some calls, see what I can do."

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver walked down the hall before he saw the orderlies go out from the door that had piqued his interest with a gurney on which was lying the inmate who had attacked Oliver and it was clear that he was dead, making Oliver wonder what was going on as he saw Talia eating at the table, looking indifferently at the dead inmate and Oliver sat across her.

"What the hell happened to him?" Oliver asked.

"You don't recognize a dead body?" Talia asked sarcastically.

"What goes on in that room?" Oliver inquired.

"That's where they reform you." Talia drawled.

"Therapy doesn't kill people, Talia." Oliver pointed out.

"You have a surprising amount of empathy for a man who assaulted you." Talia said indifferently.

"He's dead because of whatever happens behind those doors." Oliver said as he pointed to the doors.

"Then he's one of the lucky ones." Talia said.

"What?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Those who walk out alive suffer much more. You have no idea what your doctor is really doing down here." Talia explained.

"Come on. Dr. Parker's behind this?" Oliver asked skeptically.

Talia shook her head. "Not so quick a study after all. You fell for Parker's lies. That's what happens, when you fail to keep your two sides separate, you become weak."

"Whatever is happening, we need to stop it." Oliver said.

"These people are criminals, the likes of which you've spent past six years putting away, I'm surprised you want to help them." Talia said.

"But you were the one who pushed me towards helping others, towards fighting for justice. You had honor then." Oliver reminded.

"That was a long time ago. Now, all I care about is getting out of here. Are you prepared to help me with that?" Talia asked and Oliver was silent as she got up and left. "Then we have nothing further to discuss."

Out of options, Oliver approached one of the guards. "I need to see Dr. Parker."

"That's not how it works." The guard protested.

"I need his help. I'm having another relapse." Oliver explained, hoping his plan would work.

SCPD

"Dinah, we need your help." Sara said as she and Laurel entered her office.

"We?" Dinah raised her eyebrows. "What's going on?"

"Slabside is denying Sara access to Oliver." Laurel explained.

"Oliver's friend in the prison told me they were keeping him in something called Level 2 but we found no mention of it in any of the Slabside records, and neither did Felicity but she may have a lead." Sara said.

"A psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Jarrett Parker with a 'P'." Laurel said as Dinah picked a pen and started writing it down.

"Can you check if there any complaints about Parker doing his private practice in the police records?" Sara asked.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask Felicity to hack into SCPD herself." Dinah noted.

"We did but she found nothing in the digital records, so we're gonna have to do this old-school way." Sara said.

"OK, but what makes you think this Parker guy is shady?" Dinah asked.

"Slabside doesn't have a psychiatric program for the inmates." Laurel said.

"And that definitely is suspicious. Look, Ollie may be in trouble and we need to help him however we can." Sara pleaded and Dinah nodded.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

"When did you notice the rage happening?" Parker asked as he interviewed Oliver.

"When I saw the inmate with the Grim Reaper tattoo." Oliver said.

"Interesting." Parker said as he typed his notes down on his tablet. "Why do you think you responded so negatively to him?"

"He was among the group that attacked me on Level 1." Oliver said.

"Hmmm. Well, the good thing is you didn't give into your violent tendencies. You came here. That means the treatment is working." Parker noted.

"Dr. Parker, the main reason I didn't do anything was… he was dead." Oliver explained and Parker narrowed his eyes. "I saw him being wheeled out of the room with the blue door."

Parker got up from his chair as he turned to Oliver. "Unfortunately, some inmates don't respond as well as you to the process. When you're breaking new scientific ground, setbacks are inevitable."

"It seems a…" Oliver cleared his throat as he eyed Parker suspiciously. "A prisoner dying is a little more than a setback."

"Look at what we've done together. How we've eliminated that part of yourself that was trapped in a cycle of violence. Imagine that on a grander scale. The world would be a much safer place." Parker said as he turned his back.

"Right, but people are dying. What about them?" Oliver wondered.

"That sounds something the old you would say, 4587, the hero, who insisted on righting the wrongs of strangers at the expense of the safety and wellbeing and the people he loves." Parker said as he turned to Oliver. "I thought you weren't that person anymore."

"I'm not." Oliver said.

Parker nodded, seeming satisfied as he sat down. "Good. You need to continue focusing on yourself, on the man you need to be for the sake of your loved ones." He then turned to Oliver with quite unnerving look in his eyes. "If you're unable to do that, we'll be forced to pursue some other treatment options."

Later, Oliver was waiting in the dining room as he saw Talia pass by and approached her, lowering his voice as he cleared his throat. "If you still want to get out of here, we go tonight."

"Well, I'm glad you've finally come to your senses, though I suspect your willingness to conspire comes with… conditions." Talia said.

"I need you to help me expose the truth about Dr. Parker." Oliver said.

"And how do you propose we do that?" Talia questioned.

"The evidence we need is behind those blue doors." Oliver explained, glancing to the blue doors. "We break in, we get it, we escape."

"That would be unwise. You've seen what happens to people who go into that room, they go out in body bags." Talia protested.

"Talia, we are doing this my way or we are not doing it at all." Oliver said.

"You'd risk both our lives to help these prisoners, despite knowing every last one of them is a murderer or worse?" Talia asked incredulously.

"These people are being treated like they are disposable. No one deserves that." Oliver countered.

"Tell me, did you feel that same compassion for my father, when you rammed a sword through his chest?" Talia asked sarcastically.

"No. Because back then, I still allowed the monster, that you helped unleash, take over and you knew exactly, who your father was. It was either him or a city of innocent people." Oliver sneered.

"'Innocent' is a strong word to throw around Star City, Oliver and don't insinuate that my father's death was somehow my fault." Talia sneered.

"No. I…" Oliver raised his hand as Talia stopped. "Look, Ra's death was my fault. I couldn't see past what he intended to do to my city, so I didn't think to stop to think about his family and for that, I am truly sorry. I know you hate me but I was your student once and we trusted each other completely. We need to find that trust again because it is the only way both of us will get what we want."

Talia considered.

Later, Oliver was in the mess hall, waiting for Talia as an orderly passed by and Oliver took his keycard and knocked him down before another orderly approached with a remote to Oliver's bracelet as Oliver raised his hands in surrender before Talia snuck up on the orderly and knocked him out with a food tray.

"About time." Oliver said.

"You know, they say the mark of a great teacher is when her pupil finally surpasses her." Talia said.

Suddenly, she pulled out a shiv and cut Oliver across his shoulder as he groaned and stared at her in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have done from the beginning. Let you perish." Talia said.

Oliver and Talia exchanged blows as the shiv kept switching its owner until Oliver grabbed Talia in chokehold as the guards and orderlies entered.

"Brace yourself." Talia said.

"God, I could use a nap." Oliver muttered before their bracelets went off, incapacitating them both.

SCPD

"I got something." Sara said as she read the file. "During Parker's practice, he was also a defendant in three malpractice cases. All of them settled in court."

"Check this out. Robert Goodman. It's one of his patients." Dinah said as Sara took a look.

"'22-year old male referred to Parker back in 2015 after experiencing several violent outbursts. Parker promised the parents he could make their son docile. Instead, Goodman began suffering spontaneous bouts of amnesia.'" Sara read.

"What the hell is this guy doing to these people?" Dinah wondered.

"Some kind of an experimental treatment." Sara said.

"Looks like Parker's making a career out of because I am looking at eight different cases that are exactly like Goodman." Laurel said.

"'As Goodman's amnesia became more frequent, he eventually lost all sense of identity and was…'" Sara paled. "Oh, my God…"

"What?" Dinah asked as she and Laurel looked at Sara worriedly.

"We need to get Ollie out of there before it's too late. They're gonna erase his memory." Sara said.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver and Talia were in a lab, both of them restrained to chairs.

"I'm disappointed in you, 4587. It's always so unfortunate, when a study doesn't work out, but this failure is especially painful." Parker said.

"You're a monster." Oliver growled.

Parker banged the table in anger. "We could have done such great things together, helped so many people."

"This isn't helping people!" Oliver protested.

"I misjudged you." Parker said as he prepared a syringe. "I thought after our work together, you were committed to breaking your family's cycle of violence."

"My father pushed people away. He kept secrets and I made those same mistakes but if I choose to break the cycle, I'm gonna do it my way." Oliver said firmly.

"I suggest you hold very still, 4587." Parker said, about to inject Oliver but Oliver grabbed Parker by his throat.

"My name… is Oliver Queen!" Oliver snarled as he got up and threw Parker as Parker fell against a cart.

Oliver grabbed one of the orderlies and kicked the other one back, while throwing down the first one and then the other one as Talia got up.

"Well, it seems like you've picked up a few new tricks without me." Talia noted.

Oliver approached the computer and picked a flash drive, plugging it into the computer and copying the files, while Talia picked the drill and undid the bracelet and then an alarm blared throughout the whole level.

"Must have an anti-tampering alarm." Oliver realized as he started to undo his bracelet.

"I got the keycard." Talia said as she took the keycard from one of the orderlies.

"I've got the file. We gotta go." Oliver said as he unplugged the flash drive from the computer.

"We'll not be able to go quietly." Talia said as she picked batons and handed Oliver a chain as he wrapped it around his hand.

Talia then used the keycard to open the door as they went out and saw the inmates fighting the guards and orderlies and were about to approach the exit.

"Hey! Where the hell are you two going?" A guard called out as Oliver and Talia turned to him. "We're on lockdown. You're supposed to be in your cells." The guard ordered but Oliver and Talia just kept standing. "I said, get back to your cells."

The guard used the remote but was shocked to see that Oliver and Talia had managed to take the bracelets off before Oliver knocked him out. Oliver and Talia then went downstairs, looking for a way out.

"Straight ahead." Talia said as they kept going, they then had to face several armored guards with riot shields and billy clubs and she smirked. "Do you think they realize they're outmatched?"

"I think they're about to." Oliver smirked as Talia extended her batons.

Oliver and Talia rushed at the guards, beating them up as Oliver slammed two guards to the walls and threw another one down, while Talia jumped at a guard and kicked down another before throwing the first one to the ground and then kicked the other one down again. Oliver kicked another guard back and wrapped the chain around another, slamming him to the ground. Oliver and Talia worked together in tandem as they fought their way past the guards until they were all beaten up and lying down.

Oliver and Talia then entered the morgue as Oliver used a stand to lock the door and Talia opened a shaft. "This goes down to the water."

"Right. The only way out is through the morgue." Oliver drawled.

"Shameful way to treat your dead." Talia noted before they turned to the door as they heard shouts. "They won't be long. We must go."

Oliver handed Talia the flash drive. "I need you to give this to Sara."

"If you stay, you will die." Talia pointed out.

"If I leave, I'm a fugitive forever. I won't do that to them. All those years ago, you were wrong. Giving the monster an identity didn't contain the darkness, it just gave it power. Separating into two selves, hiding in the shadows… that was never the answer." Oliver said.

They heard banging on the doors as Talia turned to Oliver. "I will make sure Sara gets this and that she knows that you are stubborn."

"I'll hold them off." Oliver said as he noticed the doors were about to break and Talia gave Oliver one last smile before entering the hatch.

The guards burst in through the door as Oliver engaged them but was quickly overpowered as he curled to the ball, while they beat him up with their nightsticks.

Oliver was back in his cell, when the guards entered. "Time to go, inmate."

"Where are you taking me?" Oliver asked.

"This whole place is getting shut down. You're going back to Level 1." The guard said.

District Attorney's office

"I wonder who sent us those files." Sara said as they saw the news report about Parker getting fired from Slabside due to his malpractice.

"Does it matter? Oliver's back safely in his cell in Level 1. Plus, this, and the files we got from the records room will earn Dr. Parker his own cozy little prison cell." Laurel said as she picked the flash drive.

"You know, Slabside's got a real P.R. nightmare on their hands right now. What if we could use that for more than just shutting down Level 2?" Dinah suggested.

"We can use this to appeal Oliver's conviction." Laurel realized.

"We can use it to get Ollie out of prison." Sara realized.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Parker was carrying a box of his things and walking towards his car, when Talia slammed him to the trunk and put the bracelet on his wrist, much to his confusion before Talia picked the remote as the bracelet went off and Parker fell on his knees.

"Suffering from a relapse, doctor?" Talia asked sarcastically as she pulled out her sword. "Allow me to provide the cure."

"No!" Parker screamed in terror as Talia swung her sword.

The guards accompanied Oliver back to his cell on Level 1.

A.R.G.U.S.

"You have a lock on Silencer?" Sara asked as she entered the office.

"She's in Russia." Felicity said.

"What is she doing there?" Sara wondered.

Moscow

There was deathly silence as Silencer walked past a trail of corpses up on the rooftop and turned off the muter as she approached Diaz. "You got what you came for?"

"Yup. Just making good on an old promise." Diaz smirked in satisfaction as he grabbed the terrified Anatoly and lifted him into the air.

Chapter Text

"I thought that mind control stuff only happened in movies." Stanley said as Oliver filled him in on what had happened in Level 2 as they ate in the mess hall.

"It wasn't exactly mind control." Oliver said as he looked around at the armored guards stationed around. "This place seems like it's gotten a lot worse."

"They came in after you stabbed that guard. These guys are professional jerks. Less yard time, cell checks every half-hour." Stanley explained as they sat down.

"Have they been rough on you?" Oliver asked.

"Me? No way. I'm glad they're here." Stanley said, relaxing. "Brick's been pissed ever since you shut down his fight club and I'm the only one he can take it out on. If they weren't here, he'd have come after me. You totally saved me. Typical Green Arrow move."

Oliver then noticed Dunbar throwing Brick's food down on the floor. "Pick it up." Dunbar said.

"Thought Dunbar was on Brick's payroll." Oliver frowned.

"Not anymore. Ever since that fight club fiasco, Dunbar's got a slap on the wrist. Now he treats Brick like, well, you." Stanley explained.

"On your feet, 4587." Dunbar ordered as he approached Oliver.

"Speaking of…" Stanley muttered under his breath.

"Time to go." Dunbar ordered.

"Have my meal privileges been revoked?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"I said, let's go, inmate." Dunbar insisted as he grabbed Oliver by his shoulder. "I'm not telling you again." Oliver sighed as he got up as Dunbar smirked. "That's what I thought. You have a visitor."

"I thought I didn't have any visitation." Oliver wondered.

"Well, it must be your lucky day." Dunbar said sarcastically.

Oliver entered the visitor room and was surprised to see Laurel smiling at him as he sat down and picked the receiver, wondering why did she come.

"What do you want?" Oliver asked, more surprised than annoyed.

"Try to sound a little bit more grateful, Ollie. I had to file an emergency motion just to get in here to see you and it's a good thing that I did because you look like crap." Laurel said as she picked her phone and took a picture of Oliver's face that looked beaten up. "Just need to document…"

"Hey!" Oliver protested.

"Your injuries heal really fast." Laurel noted.

"What are you doing?" Oliver demanded.

"We got the Level 2 psych records from wherever or whoever you had sneak them out of Slabside. How did you do that, by the way? No. No. Never mind, don't tell me." Laurel said before Oliver could as much as open his mouth. "It's better for your case if I don't know."

"What do you mean, my case?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Your case." Laurel repeated.

"What… are you working with Jean Loring?" Oliver demanded.

"No. I'm working with Sara." Laurel said and Oliver stared. "Now, I know what you must be thinking but… I don't know, I guess she thinks I have more of her sister than her and Quentin had thought I had and… I figured I owed you that much after what happened in the past two years. I'm not trying to replace your Laurel. But before you start condemning me, don't pretend you haven't done things you're not proud of that you wanted to make up for by trying to be a better person. I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing this because that's what Quentin and Sara and your Laurel would have wanted. I know what I did and who I was, but that's not who I am anymore. Everyone has good and bad inside of them and you can't put people in one box or the other, ever."

Laurel hung up and Oliver stared, considering if he owed her a benefit of the doubt.

A.R.G.U.S.

"I think I know why Diaz had Silencer sent to Russia." Felicity said, looking at Sara in sympathy.

"He wanted to get revenge on Anatoly." Sara realized. She suspected as much.

"I can't get specific confirmation but the rumor on the dark web is that the entire Bratva was massacred two nights ago in Moscow, which doesn't bode well for Anatoly." Felicity said and Sara looked worried.

"I can only hope he's OK." Sara sighed before the computer beeped.

"I just got a hit." Felicity showed the footage on the screen. "Diaz and the Longbow Hunters were spotted outside a munitions plant in Orchid Bay."

"Weapons?" Sara asked.

"Maybe." Felicity said.

"Thanks. I'll take it from here. Good job, Felicity." Sara said as he left.

Later, Star City

"Keep your eyes opened." Sara warned as Roy, dressed as the Green Arrow and Nyssa were on rooftops.

"Area's clear." Roy said.

"No signs of the Silencer." Rene said as he looked around.

"According to the tracker, she's inside." Sara said as they entered the munitions plant and saw crates stored around, until all sounds were drowned out and they realized it was Silencer behind it and they approached a crate and carefully opened it to reveal Anatoly, who looked bruised and like if he had been through severe torture until Dinah, the SCPD, Diggle and A.R.G.U.S. strike team entered.

They pulled Anatoly out of the crate and Felicity found Silencer's muter and turned it off before they widened their eyes to see what else was inside the crate.

"Bomb!" Sara yelled.

"Go, go, move, move, move, move!" Diggle ordered as they ran out before the warehouse exploded.

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"A.R.G.U.S. has been tracking Diaz ever since he slaughtered the Bratva in Russia. The SCPD was responding to a munitions plant break-in, so, please, tell me, Sara, how the hell did you end up in the middle of my op?" Diggle demanded.

"If you need to know, we caught Silencer at the CDC and tried to get some information out of her, when that didn't work, we cut her loose and planted a tracker on her. Diaz must have found it and set up a trap for us." Sara said.

"Why didn't you tell us that you got her?" Diggle demanded.

Sara scoffed. "What would you have done, arrested her and interrogated her? She's an assassin feared even by the League itself, not even the SCPD or A.R.G.U.S. would've gotten anything useful out of her."

"Why didn't you tell us what you're doing, Roy?" Diggle asked, turning to Roy.

"Is that a serious question?" Roy scoffed. "Have you looked around? Pollard focuses more on her own image and trying to make the SCPD look good with vigilantism being outlawed." He turned to Dinah. "I get and respect that you're trying to do things by-the-book but in the past six months, I was the only one who has been able to make an actual difference in the city."

"So you resort to torture and interrogation?" Dinah demanded.

"Look, can we switch our focus back to the psycho who just tried to blow you guys up?" Felicity exploded.

"Sounds like a good idea." Anatoly said in agreement.

"First, ground rules. No one who isn't from this Earth." Diggle said coldly to Laurel.

"Wait. You're kicking me out?" Laurel demanded incredulously.

"Dig, come on…" Sara grumbled.

"Well, John has a point, you are the D.A., you could've been exposed tonight and I think there's no need to risk that again." Dinah said. "Look, it's not that we don't appreciate your help, but right now, there's nothing you can do, Laurel."

Dinah then turned hesitantly to Roy. "Are you gonna arrest me, Captain?" Roy asked sarcastically.

"I didn't see the Green Arrow tonight, so I can't." Dinah said and Roy nodded.

"If you want Diaz down as much as us, you can work with us. You don't have to do this alone." Diggle offered and Roy scoffed.

"You can't be serious. You all turned your backs on Oliver, when he needed you guys the most and you of all people don't get to ask for my help!" Roy sneered as he pointed at Diggle accusingly. "You bought drugs from Diaz and provided him the money he needed to buy off the city officials until he took complete control over the city and the police force and then you whined to Oliver about you being a better Green Arrow than he could ever be, when you would've saved a psychopath, who had no regards towards getting innocent caught into crossfire, over millions of innocents and the same goes for you. You turned your backs on him." He turned to Dinah with cold glare as they both winced in shame. "Look, you want my help to take down Diaz, fine, but don't expect that things are fine between us or that I'll put a smile on my face out there after that crap you pulled on Oliver last year." He finished coldly and left, leaving them silent.

"Well… he has a point. We all turned our backs on Oliver." Rene noted and Dinah, Curtis and Diggle had the decency to look ashamed.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver was in his cell, when he saw Felton and the guards open Stanley's cell.

"Let's go, inmate." Felton said.

"What? Where?" Stanley asked, confused.

"Oh, you're going to the hole, permanently." Felton said.

"Hey, what's going on?" Oliver asked as the guards were dragging Stanley out and down the corridor.

"Officer Dunbar was killed last night and this little bastard was the last one seen with him." Felton explained.

"What? I didn't kill anybody. It wasn't me!" Stanley protested.

"Wait. How do you know it was him?" Oliver called out.

"Oliver, it wasn't me, I swear! It must have been Brick! He set me up!" Stanley cried out as they dragged him away. "Oliver! Oliver!"

Oliver entered the mess hall and approached Brick's table.

"Look who just got out of the loony bin. You learn any life lessons in there?" Brick asked sarcastically.

"Maybe those doctors helped get your head on straight." Sampson drawled.

"Tell me what you know about Dunbar's murder." Oliver demanded.

"Sounds like you're accusing us of something." Turner said with a warning tone.

"I heard the poor chap got stabbed eight times. Messy way to go." Brick said sarcastically.

"You and he had a falling out, Brick." Oliver gave Brick a pointed look.

"Maybe we did, and maybe we didn't." Brick shrugged.

"Maybe an innocent man is rotting in the hole in your place." Oliver growled.

"There are no innocent men in here, Queen. You should know that." Brick pointed out.

"Brick, Stanley didn't kill that guard." Oliver noted.

"Well, I guess he's got nothing to worry about. The truth will set him free." Brick said as he got up before Oliver grabbed him by his arm. "Go ahead. Then you can join your friend in the hole."

Brick was about to leave, when Oliver spoke up as Brick turned to him. "Hey, Brick. If you or anyone in your crew had something to do with this, I'll find out."

A.R.G.U.S.

"Meet Pyotr Roslov. Former KGB, lots of deep scary ties to the Russian military." Curtis said as he showed the profile on the screen.

"Oh. He looks like a real charmer." Felicity said.

"He is not. Pyotr and I were associates at KGB but we had a… disagreement." Anatoly explained.

"Then why did Diaz have you call him?" Dinah wondered.

"Diaz wants to buy some kind of very powerful weapon from him. He wants to destroy Oliver Queen by destroying what he loves, his city." Anatoly said.

"That's why Diaz was trying to steal the directed energy weapon." Curtis said.

"And the chemicals in the CDC." Sara nodded.

"We find out where Diaz is going to attack, we take him down." Roy said.

"We find out what Roslov sold him and you're gonna help us." Felicity said, turning to Anatoly.

"No, no, no, no. Pyotr can smell a rat." Anatoly shook his head.

"Anatoly, we will help you." Diggle assured.

"I played hero once before and Diaz killed all my brothers as a punishment. Never again." Anatoly protested.

"Ollie was your brother too. Anatoly, please…" Sara pleaded. "He'd want you to stop Diaz."

"Look, all you need to do is to talk with Roslov for a few minutes and get close to his computer with my digital sniffer, I'll take care of the rest." Felicity said as she showed Anatoly a small rectangular device.

"I understand you're afraid, but we can protect you." Sara assured and Anatoly considered before he nodded.

Later, Star City

Anatoly, wearing a suit and Sara, wearing a dress, approached a guard as Anatoly spoke up in Russian. "Tell your boss the 'KGBeast' is here to see him."

A moment later, Roslov went out, not looking happy to see Anatoly. "Anatoly Knyazev. The balls on you… showing your face at my door." He then held Anatoly's shoulder in sympathy. "I'm sorry about the Bratva. Come, let us drink to their memory. And your girlfriend can come in."

Sara put on a fake smile as she and Anatoly followed Roslov into the warehouse.

"I suppose I owe you a debt of gratitude for sending the Dragon my way, Knyazev." Roslov said.

"Oh, I'm pleased your dealings with Mr. Diaz were, uh, profitable." Anatoly said.

"Oh. Yes. Very profitable." Roslov said. "Speaking of, you need 4K TV, sarin gas? All fall of truck, I swear."

"You need to get to that computer." Felicity said over the comms.

"Honey, I'm thirsty, can we have a drink?" Sara said.

"Pyotr, why don't we sit down and offer my dear some good vodka?" Anatoly smiled.

"Of course." Roslov said as they sat down at his desk and he pulled out a bottle of vodka and three glasses.

"On rocks, please." Anatoly said and Roslov left, leaving them alone.

"OK, stay put for a minute." Felicity said as she was downloading the data.

Sara's instincts turned on as she heard someone entering. "Stay here."

Sara got up and hid in the shadows as she noticed Roslov's thugs entering and was discreetly knocking them out before Roslov returned as Sara quickly returned as well.

"Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom. You know, women problems." Sara giggled.

Anatoly sighed. "Forgive me, Pyotr, losing Bratva was very painful. The pain taught me to see all the pain that I have inflicted. I'm hoping that you can see it in your heart to forgive me."

Roslov shook his hand with Anatoly before his eyes narrowed and pulled the sniffer out of Anatoly's jacket. "A snake may shed its skin, but it is still a snake."

Anatoly paled, realizing Roslov had caught him as he backed away in fear and Roslov snapped his fingers but was surprised to see that his men had not shown up.

"Yeah, your guys are taking a little nap." Sara smirked before Roslov pulled out his gun but Sara quickly disarmed him as she grabbed him by his wrist and hit him in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him out as she reached for her comms. "Felicity, you got it?"

"Yeah, got it." Felicity said.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver and the inmates were walking down the stairs before the prisoners started to fight and the guards tried to break up the fight and Oliver used the distraction to sneak into the solitary confinement as he opened the window to Stanley's cell and Stanley got up, looking bruised and bloodied.

"Hey, you OK?" Oliver asked.

"The guards, they took turns hitting me. They think I killed their friend." Stanley explained.

"Stanley, did they say why?" Oliver asked.

"They haven't even found the murder weapon. Dunbar's a jerk but I would never hurt him, I would never hurt anyone." Stanley said, terrified. "Oliver, if they pin this on me, I'm gonna be in here forever."

"Hey. I'm not gonna let that happen." Oliver assured.

"I heard that it happened in the shower." Stanley explained.

"OK." Oliver nodded.

"But that doesn't even make sense because I wasn't even close to there when that guy…" Stanley did a gesture of stabbing as he turned to Oliver pleadingly. "I know if anyone can find out what really happened, it's the Green Arrow."

"Just sit tight, OK?" Oliver assured and Stanley nodded as Oliver closed the window.

Oliver entered the shower area and looked around as he then found a loose tile in the wall and opened it to reveal a hidden compartment, in which was hidden a makeshift knife as Oliver touched it with his sleeves to make sure his fingerprints weren't on it and Oliver examined the knife and then shook his head, unsurprised at who was the culprit. "Of course."

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"What did Diaz buy?" Sara asked.

"Say hello to BetaB-500." Felicity said, showing the blueprints of an explosive.

"Yeah, that's a top-of-the-line aerial explosive, razor-thin precision, able to cut through concrete like nothing." Diggle said.

"And Diaz has two of them. That makes twice as many potential targets." Sara grumbled.

"Felicity, keep working on that hard drive. Prepare for mass evac of Star City." Diggle ordered.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Oliver entered the mess hall and approached Turner. "Why did you do it, Turner?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Turner demanded.

"Why'd you kill Dunbar?" Oliver demanded.

"I didn't kill that guard." Turner protested.

"Your blade says you did." Oliver said as Felton and the guards approached Turner. "Guards found prints on it."

"Turner, you're going to the hole. And this time, you're never coming out." Felton said as the guards picked Turner up.

"You did this?" Turner glared at Oliver as the guards were dragging him away. "Wait. You got the wrong guy. You got the wrong guy! I didn't do this!"

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"You know, sometimes I wish I had stayed with Ollie. Maybe I could've made sure things would not have fallen apart between you two." Sara said as she entered Anatoly's room.

"Regret. Guilt. These are demons you choose to live with, a trade you make to get what you want." Anatoly said.

"Why did you turn your back on him?" Sara asked.

Anatoly sighed. "Somewhere along the line I had forgotten who I was and became worse than this man Oliver and I were trying to stop. And Oliver stopped at nothing to take him down, no matter the cost."

Sara considered.

"Felicity, any leads on Diaz?" Sara asked as she entered the lab.

"Maybe. Diaz calls himself 'The Dragon'. And what is a statement worthy of a dragon?" Felicity asked.

"A huge fire." Sara realized.

"Exactly. I ran an algorithm cross-referencing the BetaB-500 and the manufacturer's specifications." Felicity said as she showed the blueprints. "Turns out that this model is a new version where you can attach it to a pipe."

"For instance, a pipe underground filled with gas." Curtis said.

Felicity then showed them a picture of Star City natural gas plant.

"Gas plant. That building's totally fireproof." Diggle noted.

"Can't say the same for the rest of Star City." Sara said.

"If Diaz sets off the bombs, a whole river of gas underneath the city goes up on flames, literally." Felicity explained.

"OK. A.R.G.U.S. will continue the evac. We'll handle the bombs." Diggle ordered.

"Dig, what about—" Sara started.

"Yeah, call the whole team and Roy, we're gonna need all the help we can get on this one."

Later, Star City natural gas plant

"I miss good old days when bomb could be turned off by computer, far away, in a dark warehouse." Anatoly grumbled as they walked down the service tunnels.

"Yeah. These are not those types of bombs and since we're on the topic of freaking out, the bombs are linked, which means we can't disarm one without detonating the other." Felicity said, carrying a tablet.

"Which means we have to disarm them at the exact same time." Curtis said.

"It's like the world's worst trust fall." Rene grumbled as they found one of the bombs.

"Oh, I was hoping it would look less scary in person. Wishful thinking." Curtis muttered under his breath.

"Bogey number one is attached to the main pipeline leading straight into Star City." Diggle said over his comms.

"We got eyes on the second bomb." Dinah said.

"The timer's started counting down." Sara said as she looked at the bomb.

"Mine too." Curtis said.

Felicity plugged her tablet into the bomb. "This timer was activated manually."

"Diaz is here." Sara realized.

"Dinah, Sara, meet me outside." Diggle ordered. "Anatoly, Rene…"

"We'll keep an eye on the bomb squad." Rene nodded.

"Curtis, each device is linked by its own crypto-key. We decrypt the passcodes, and then we input them at the exact same time." Felicity said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a little bit more time on my end, you got the easy bomb." Curtis grumbled.

"We do not have more time. When can we run?" Anatoly asked, terrified.

"Not now." Felicity said.

Curtis paled as he pulled out a phone plugged to the bomb. "Guys. We have a problem. My little bundle of joy came with a backup detonator. Cell phone transmitter."

"Can you remove it?" Felicity asked.

"Not if we don't want to set it off." Curtis said.

"We can't input those passcodes until we have that master phone. Once Diaz realizes that the timers have been stopped…" Felicity started.

"…he blows us up with phone call. Festive." Anatoly finished.

"Diaz must have that phone, Rene, meet me outside." Sara ordered.

All sounds were drowned out as Diaz climbed down from the ladder and dodged, when Diggle fired and Diggle rolled away as Diaz sprayed around with his flamethrower before they exchanged blows.

Dinah approached with her gun before Sara tackled her down as Bear threw his shield and Dinah dodged as the shield embedded itself onto a nearby fuse box and it exploded in sparks, blinding Dinah as Red and Bear and Silencer showed up.

Dinah dodged Silencer's kick as they exchanged blows before Sara tackled Silencer to the ground as the sound returned. Dinah fired at the barrels as they exploded, knocking them all down.

Rene exchanged blows with Silencer until she scratched him in the chest with her knife and kicked him, staggering him back and Bear grabbed Rene, throwing him away and Rene bounced off a fence before Bear threw him down on the ground, while Sara and Nyssa dodged as Red fired darts before they exchanged blows.

"We cannot wait any longer, they're gonna come through!" Curtis panicked.

"OK. On three. 1, 2, 3, type." Felicity said as they punched in the code at the same time and disarmed the bombs. "Now we run."

Curtis and Felicity unplugged their tablets and ran off.

Diaz picked his master phone and noticed that the bombs had been disarmed. "Impressive. But it's pointless."

Before Diaz could detonate the bombs, an arrow shot the phone off his hand and he looked up.

"Impossible." Diaz said, staring in disbelief at the Green Arrow.

The Green Arrow jumped down and engaged Diaz, blocking his kicks as they exchanged blows before Green Arrow hit Diaz in the chest with the bow and kicked him. Diaz grabbed Green Arrow by his arm but the Green Arrow flipped on the canister and hit Diaz in the face before Diggle rushed in, kicking Diaz and punching him in the face, knocking him out.

Realizing that it was over, Red fired a dart on the ground as it exploded, blinding them all as the Longbow Hunters retreated, while Diaz was on the ground, unconscious.

Later, A.R.G.U.S.

"Thank you, Anatoly." Sara said as they shook hands.

"Let's hope I'll find some safety on the beach." Anatoly joked. "And what about Oliver?"

"Laurel made deal with the FBI. Oliver for Diaz. He'll be a free man soon." Sara said.

Anatoly smiled at Sara. "I'm sure Oliver would be proud of us both. Take care, Sara."

They hugged each other before parting ways.

Slabside Maximum Security Prison

Stanley had returned to mess hall, sitting across Oliver.

"How did you do it? I mean, I knew the Green Arrow was good but I didn't think he was that good?" Stanley asked.

"Stanley, I'm just glad you're OK." Oliver assured.

"OK? I'm great! I was this close to be stuck in here for the rest of my life. If you hadn't found Turner's blade, it would have been all over for me." Stanley said.

Oliver eyed Stanley suspiciously. "How did you know it was Turner's blade?"

"What do you mean?" Stanley asked, confused.

"You were in the hole, Stanley. So, how'd you know it was Turner's blade?"

"I guess I must have heard it somewhere." Stanley shrugged but Oliver's eyes narrowed, realizing that Stanley was lying and started to wonder if he had been wrong about his friend all along.

Chapter Text

"Good morning, 4587." Felton said as he approached Oliver's cell.

"A beautiful day." Oliver said.

"Be ready for an escort to receiving and releasing in six hours. As of this afternoon, you will be pain in someone else's ass." Felton said.

Oliver was in the mess hall as Stanley sat across him. "I can't believe it. You're gonna get out of here, be able to eat real food, not this crap. I'm really happy for you, man." He smiled as Oliver narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion. "I mean, I'm gonna miss you, but the Green Arrow never should've been put behind bars."

Oliver did wonder, whether Stanley did deserve to be behind bars, though.

"Remember when I told you that I was wrongfully accused? I was thinking maybe now that you're getting out, you could ask your friend Laurel to help with my appeal, too." Stanley pleaded.

"Stop." Oliver shook his head.

"I know. It's a big ask, but, honestly, I don't know how long I can survive in here without you." Stanley said.

"Stanley, I'm not gonna help you, OK, because in here is exactly where you belong." Oliver said.

"What are you talking about?" Stanley asked, confused.

"You killed Dunbar, and then you manipulated me into blaming Turner for it." Oliver explained.

Stanley scoffed. "What are you talking about? Oliver, we're, like, best friends."

"We were never friends." Oliver sneered.

Stanley looked disappointed. "I was just doing what the Green Arrow always does to bad guys."

"I don't kill innocent people." Oliver pointed out.

"But you hurt them. Remember what you did to Yorke? To those other guards to get sent to Level 2? Prison changes people." Stanley reminded.

"It didn't change me. When I get out of here, I promise you... you will face justice for what you did." Oliver vowed.

"If you do that, I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in here." Stanley said, terrified.

"I know. That's what you deserve." Oliver said coldly as he got up and left.

"Don't do this. Don't do this to me." Stanley begged.

"I heard the news. Early release. You're a lucky boy." Brick noted as he and Sampson eyed Oliver, who was walking down the courtyard.

"Too bad Turner wasn't so lucky." Sampson said and Oliver realized that he needed to make things right with Turner.

"You know, after today, you're never gonna see my face again." Oliver promised.

"Tossers like you don't stay on the outside for long. Wouldn't be surprised if you was back here pretty soon. This ain't goodbye, Queen." Brick said.

Oliver entered the solitary confinement and opened the window of the door to Turner's cell. "Turner."

Turner looked up at Oliver in confusion. "You have a death wish or something? I'm gonna find my way out of here. And when I do, I'm coming for you."

"I know that you didn't kill Officer Dunbar." Oliver said, knowing he owed Turner an apology. "I made a mistake, and I'm sorry."

"What the hell do I care if you're sorry?" Turner sneered.

"I'm getting released. I'm gonna make this right for you." Oliver promised.

Turner shook his head. "Of course you're getting out today."

"I'm gonna speak with Lyla Michaels at A.R.G.U.S., and I'll just see if we can make some kind of deal, OK?" Oliver offered.

"Yeah, I know how much promises are worth to people like you, especially when you make them to people like me." Turner sneered.

"That's not true." Oliver protested.

"Yeah. You think I'm a criminal. You said it yourself. And criminals belong behind bars, isn't that right?" Turner pointed out.

"I think that years ago, you saved Lyla's life. Now, I don't know if you can be that kind of hero again... but I think you deserve the chance to try." Oliver said and Turner seemed to consider before they heard P.A. announcements. "I have to go. I'm gonna make this right."

Oliver was in his cell, reading before Felton approached. "Get up, 4587. You got a visitor."

Oliver entered the visitor room and approached the booth to see a man in a hoodie wearing a cap but his blood ran cold as he saw the visitor's face.

"Hello, Oliver." Diaz said.

Oliver cautiously sat down as they picked the receivers, while Diaz eyed Oliver's bruised face.

"Huh. I see that prison life hasn't been treating you so well." Diaz noted.

"You listen to me very carefully—" Oliver started.

"I don't think you're in the place to be giving demands right now..." Diaz glanced at a woman and two children next to him, making his threats clear. "Not unless you want a whole bunch of innocent people to die. When I heard that... you were getting released today, it felt as if... my last chance at payback was getting away. And I couldn't have that."

"So that's your play? You're gonna come after me in a federal prison?" Oliver realized.

"Mm-hmm." Diaz nodded. "See, I've been in and out of places like this my whole life. I know how to handle guards like that. Now, you, brother... they don't see you as Green Arrow in here. You're just a number. It's pretty dehumanizing, isn't it? Bet you weren't thinking about that when you were locking these people up in here."

"Well... I'm not gonna do that to you. I'm gonna end you." Oliver promised.

"You're gonna die today." Diaz vowed. "And I'm gonna be the one who's gonna do it. But before that... I'm gonna make you suffer... the way you made me suffer. And when I'm done with you, oh, I'm just gonna, you know, pay a little visit to your family... Sara… little William… and I'm gonna make sure that this time, I finish the job."

Having enough of it, Oliver banged the receiver on the glass as it cracked.

"Hey! Get in there! Get in there now!" Felton ordered as the guards restrained Oliver and pulled him away.

"Hey! Let me go! That's Ricardo Diaz!" Oliver shouted before the guards tazed him and he passed out, while Diaz walked away.

Oliver was dragged back into his cell as Felton approached. "You're lucky we didn't throw you in the hole, inmate. I don't care if this is your last day. As long as you are in here, you will still follow the rules."

"You don't understand." Oliver groaned as he got up. "That was Ricardo Diaz. He is here inside the prison. You need to let me help you stop him."

"Slabside is a Level 4 supermax facility." Felton said confidently.

"That doesn't matter." Oliver protested.

"We have fifty officers on duty, each one of them a trained professional. Trust me. We have it covered." Felton assured.

"Trust me. That is not gonna be enough against him." Oliver said.

"You only have a few hours left in here, inmate. I suggest you stay quiet until then." Felton warned as he left.

"Diaz is here?" Stanley demanded. "Oliver, please talk to me. What are we gonna do?"

Oliver picked a deodorant and soap and a razor, ignoring Stanley.

"I know you're still mad about the Dunbar thing, but this is Diaz. I mean, everyone deserves a second chance, right?" Stanley begged.

Oliver chewed a gum and taped it onto the deodorant with the soap before he made it leak.

"Oh, my God. You're 'Shawshanking' out of here." Stanley realized.

Oliver threw the deodorant at the cell lock as it exploded and Oliver opened the door and went out.

"Oliver, you gotta take me with you." Stanley begged.

"Stay out of this!" Oliver snarled as he went out before facing Felton.

"4587, stand down." Felton ordered.

"If you are not gonna call for backup, then I will." Oliver said as the guards were surrounding him. "Let me go. You don't want this."

"I said, stand down." Felton said as he pulled out his nightstick.

Oliver punched Felton in the stomach, knocking him down as the inmates started to yell as Oliver threw more guards down on the ground and then ran up, throwing out of his way more guards engaging him before he jumped onto an opposite walkway.

"Kiss your early release goodbye!" Felton yelled as Oliver ran off into the corridor and Felton reached for his radio, ordering lockdown on Level 1 and followed Oliver. "Secure perimeter door now!"

Oliver ran down the corridor and slid down as the door closed.

On the courtyard, the inmates were all on their knees, with the guards surrounding them.

"Hey! Are we gonna be here all day?" Brick demanded.

"You are gonna be here as long as we say. You got that, inmate?" A guard said.

"Inmates!" Diaz yelled as he entered the courtyard. "Look at yourselves. You're on your knees. You're cowering before men who are weak. Men who are beneath you. I've been where you are. I know how it feels to be treated like an animal. You can only take that for so long."

"Hey, why don't you zip it, pal?" The guard said as he neared Diaz but Diaz slit the guard's throat and shot down the guards stationed above and stabbed one of them in the abdomen before he fired into the air.

"Stand up!" Diaz ordered as Brick, Sampson and other inmates got up on their feet. "These guards, they imprisoned you. They disrespected you."

"Yeah!" The inmates cheered.

"They taunted you!" Diaz said.

"Yeah!"

"You all want to make them pay?" Diaz asked.

"Yeah!"

"You all want to make them pay?"

"Yeah!"

"Make them pay!" Diaz ordered as the inmates ran off, wreaking havoc in the entire prison.

Oliver was hidden in the shadows as he knocked out the guards searching for him in the corridor before facing Brick and Sampson.

"You made quite the mess there, Queen. Taking out prison guards doesn't seem a very Green Arrow thing to do. I guess this place really has changed you." Brick said.

"I don't have time for this. Ricardo Diaz is here! And he will not think twice about killing us all." Oliver snapped.

"No, he won't think twice about killing you." Brick corrected. "You see, I just met him. He seems a reasonable chap."

"Of course you're working for Diaz." Oliver grumbled.

"No. I don't work for anybody. You see, me and Sampson, we got our own plans, as per usual, but I could always take a little time out for a bit of fun." Brick said as he and Sampson neared Oliver.

Oliver slammed Sampson to the wall and hit him in the groin and ducked, when Brick threw a punch and they exchanged blows before Sampson threw him to the ground. Sampson pinned Oliver to the wall, while Brick picked pepper spray from one of the knocked out guards and sprayed it on Oliver's eyes, blinding him before they both proceeded to beat Oliver up as he fell down.

Suddenly, Turner showed up and stabbed Brick in the shoulder and kicked Sampson back before he pulled the knife out and Brick groaned in pain.

"Been waiting to do that for a long time now." Turner smirked as he dropped his knife.

"Bad move, Turner." Brick growled.

Oliver cut Sampson in the leg as Turner punched Brick, while Oliver got up on his feet.

"Sampson, that was your femoral artery. You've got maybe six minutes before you bleed out." Oliver said as Sampson limped away.

Brick and Turner exchanged blows before Turner slammed Brick to the wall but Brick dodged Turner's kick. Turner managed to land few good hits, staggering Brick back, who walked off, realizing he was in over his head.

"You're not going after them?" Turner asked as Oliver walked down the corridor.

"I've got better things to do." Oliver said as he picked the keys from a guard. "Thanks for your help."

"It doesn't mean I like you." Turner said.

"Turner... how did you get out of your cell?" Oliver asked.

"How did you get out of yours?" Turner countered and Oliver nodded.

Oliver handed Turner his knife and opened the door to the locker room and looked around before picking a radio and looking into the lockers.

"What are you looking for?" Turner asked.

"Ricardo Diaz broke into the prison." Oliver explained.

"People usually break out of prison." Turner said sarcastically.

"He wants to kill me, and he will kill as many people as he has to in order for that to happen." Oliver said.

"I thought I had a lot of enemies." Turner shrugged as Oliver tried to reach out with a phone.

"Don't have a signal. Come on." Oliver grumbled.

"Hello. Are you having technical difficulties?" Diaz called out over the radio. "It's a little, uh, little going away present from the Longbow Hunters. They jammed the signal, so no calls in and out. You are so predictable, you know that? You're trying to make a call for help? You're trying to save the day? I have someone here that wants to say 'hello' to you."

Oliver then heard a dying guard speaking hoarsely. "Don't do anything he tells you to do."

Diaz punched a wall next to the guard and neared the blade to his throat. "Try again."

"You have failed this city, Oliver Queen." The guard whispered.

"Diaz, that's enough. Let him go!" Oliver snapped.

"You speak and people do as you say? That's how it goes? Doesn't matter if you're right or wrong?" Diaz challenged. "Not this time. Not anymore."

Oliver heard gagging sounds, realizing that Diaz killed the guard.

"How's that feel? How's it feel, somebody else playing God?" Diaz gloated.

"This is between you and me, and no one else needs to die, OK?" Oliver pleaded.

"Wrong! Wrong again. I want you to spend the last hours of your pathetic life knowing that these men, they died... they died because of you." Diaz said.

"I'm coming for you." Oliver vowed.

"But will you make it in time to save the guards? It was hard enough getting through a few prisoners. I wonder what it's gonna be like going against the entire prison." Diaz said.

Suddenly, an alarm blared and all the cells in the entire prison and all hell broke loose as the inmates took on the guards.

Oliver and Turner walked down the corridor past the inmates, who were fighting the guards.

"Keep your head down." Oliver cautioned.

"They're not gonna mess with me. They know better." Turner said.

"It's not about them." Oliver said as he glanced up at the cameras. "Diaz knew we were in the locker room, which means he's watching us. There are only two rooms with camera access. There's the main security room—"

"No way he got in there. It's too fortified." Turner shook his head.

"Then he's in the control room in the mess hall. That's where we have to go." Oliver said.

"There's no 'we.' I saved your ass so you could get me a deal with A.R.G.U.S., doesn't mean we're some kind of team." Turner pointed out.

"Did you hear Diaz? He's killing hostages." Oliver reminded and Turner seemed to consider. "You said I was wrong about you? You said you've changed? Prove it."

Turner considered before sighing. "The only way to the mess hall is through the cell block. It'll be ten times worse in there. This place is already a powder keg, and it's about to blow."

"It's the only way to the mess hall." Oliver said.

Oliver and Turner entered the cell block but saw the inmates beating up the guards and hanging them over the railings.

"These inmates are gonna kill them." Oliver noted.

"And if we don't get out of here, they may kill us, and, clearly, we'll never make it to the mess hall." Turner pointed out.

"I'm not gonna let innocent people die." Oliver said firmly.

Oliver and Turner took on the inmates, with Oliver grabbing one and Turner kicking other inmates away as they fought their way up, beating up the inmates getting in their way as they helped the guards.

"Come on." Oliver said, helping Felton on his feet as they went downstairs into the corridor.

"Thanks, Queen." Felton panted out.

"Where are the rest of the guards?" Oliver inquired.

"A few of them made it to the panic room. Some were taken to the mess hall. Diaz set the inmates loose. He convinced them to gather up the guards." Felton explained. "Listen, a few of my buddies have already died. It's like Diaz is killing them for sport."

"How many inmates in the mess hall?" Turner asked.

"Last I heard, around thirty." Felton said.

"You good to walk?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." Felton nodded.

"All right. Take them to the panic room, and I'll meet you at the commissary." Oliver said as he handed Turner his knife.

"Not the time for a snack." Turner drawled.

"If we're gonna fight our way through thirty inmates, we're gonna need weapons." Oliver said and Turner nodded as he accompanied Felton and the other guard.

Oliver entered the commissary but then felt a sting in his neck and his vision blurred as he saw Stanley with a syringe in his hand.

"I really, really need to talk to you." Stanley said before Oliver passed out.

Oliver came to a moment later, bound to a shelf.

"Oh, good. You're awake." Stanley said and Oliver sighed in frustration. "I'm sorry about the sedative. I was just trying to get your attention."

"It's OK. I... I understand, Stanley. I was just… busy trying to stop Diaz from killing everyone in the prison, you know? So, honestly, Stanley, I think I could use your help." Oliver said.

"Really?" Stanley asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Really." Oliver nodded. "Just, why don't you untie me, and we'll make a plan and you can be my sidekick?"

"Actually, I already have a plan. You know how to get out of here through the morgue, right?" Stanley asked as he knelt down. "So why don't we escape this place, you... you and me?"

"Yeah, we could but what about Diaz, right?" Oliver pointed out.

"Who cares about Diaz? These people deserve whatever he's gonna do to them. You know that." Stanley said indifferently as he got up.

"Yeah. I... I can't leave all these people to die." Oliver said.

"You were gonna leave me." Stanley said, looking on verge of a breakdown as he knelt towards Oliver, pointing his knife at him. "You were gonna abandon me to Brick and Sampson, and I shouldn't even be in here. I did nothing wrong."

"Hey, come on." Oliver said softly, trying to calm Stanley down.

"It was just because you were going to attack me. OK?" Stanley muttered as he got up.

"Why would I attack you?" Oliver inquired, wondering what was Stanley talking about.

"Because you're the Green Arrow, and you fight bad guys, and you think I'm a bad guy. And you just think that I'm what everyone says that I am." Stanley said hurtfully.

"How could I? I don't... I don't know what people say." Oliver said, trying to reason with him.

"That I'm a killer, that I'm a monster, that everything I did, everything I did... that whole Dunbar thing. It was just like the Dunbar thing. I... I didn't have a choice! I didn't have a choice! And all those people had it coming." Stanley snapped.

"You killed other people before Dunbar?" Oliver realized.

"Honestly, what you and I do is not so different, right?" Stanley pointed out and Oliver realized how insane Stanley had been the whole time, cursing himself for not seeing it sooner. "So, like, we make such a great team. So why don't we just get out of here, maybe we could work together again?"

Oliver kicked Stanley in the leg as he fell down as Stanley looked at Oliver in confusion. "Why'd you do that?"

Oliver wrapped his legs around Stanley's neck, breaking it before he freed himself from his restraints and entered the commissary, where Turner was sharpening his knife.

"What the hell took you so long?" Turner demanded.

"It's a long story." Oliver sighed as he picked a bag and started to fill it with cans. "How are Felton and Miller?"

"They're safe." Turner assured. "I can't believe I'm working with the Green Arrow."

"You aren't." Oliver said as he stopped and considered. "Hey, maybe... maybe prison has changed me, compromised my judgment of people."

"You sure that's a bad thing?" Turner pointed out as he got up. "Look, no offense."

"OK." Oliver shrugged.

"But the old Green Arrow, he wasn't the best. He saw the world in black and white, but now you... you know there's grey out there, too. Maybe that makes you a better hero." Turner said and Oliver considered that Turner might have a point before he picked a soda can. "And I know it's bad for you, but do you really think you're gonna stop Diaz with a can of soda?"

"We're about to find out." Oliver said.

The guards were hanging on ropes in the mess hall as the inmates were beating them up and then Oliver entered, looking up at the control room. "Diaz!"

"Look who decided to come to my party." Diaz said as he went out with Brick.

"Let those guards go." Oliver ordered.

Diaz went downstairs, nearing Oliver. "I told you... the only thing I wanted was to see you suffer... before you die."

"You're not gonna get what you want." Oliver sneered.

"No?" Diaz taunted before punching Oliver, knocking him down. "Ooh. I've been waiting to do that for a long time."

Oliver got up on his feet, glaring. "Well, get your shots in while you can because I'm gonna see to it that you spend the rest of your life eating your meals in a spot just like this."

"I promised myself I'm never gonna die in prison. And I'm gonna take you with me." Diaz sneered.

"Oh, you sure about that?" Oliver asked rhetorically.

On cue, Turner dropped a bag of soda cans from above and Oliver used it as a weapon, bashing the inmates with it and Turner cut down the guards and then neared Brick. Brick threw a punch but Turner wrapped a rope around him, while Oliver hit Diaz and Sampson in the faces.

"Queen!" Turner yelled.

Oliver looked up as Turner threw down the rope and Oliver grabbed it, while Turner dropped Brick, using him as a counterweight and breaking his neck as he hit the floor and Oliver ascended on the upper walkway. They entered the control room and saw some device attached to the fuse box.

Sampson limped towards them and then exchanged blows with Turner.

"Queen! Calling for help won't save you!" Diaz shouted as Oliver looked outside the window, seeing Diaz rip utility cables out of a pillar. "This place... is gonna be ash long before anyone gets here."

Diaz put the cables together as they sparked and overloaded the fuse box, causing for lights to flicker and Oliver turned to the computers and saw the system overload alert, realizing what was Diaz doing as the lights exploded and the electrical wiring was going up in flames.

Turner scratched Sampson across his shoulder and kicked him towards the burning pillar, engulfing Sampson in flames as he screamed, while falling over the railing to his death.

Oliver and Turner jumped down as the inmates ran off and they went out from the mess hall, helping the guards on their feet. "Come on. Get up! Get up! Come on!"

"Let's go. Go! Go! Go! Go! Get going." Turner said as they went out. "What the hell happened?"

"Diaz has some sort of device. It must have triggered an electrical fire." Oliver said.

"The whole place is gonna go up." Turner realized as he looked at the fire.

"You need to get them to the secure courtyard." Oliver said.

"What about you?" Turner asked.

"I'm going after Diaz." Oliver said.

"You'll need these. No half-measures." Turner said as he handed Oliver a knife and he walked off.

Oliver returned to the cell block and looked around the upper walkway, seeing the place on fire before he heard a blade drawn and ducked and punched Diaz in the groin as they faced each other.

"Just the two of us?" Diaz taunted.

Oliver and Diaz exchanged blows before Diaz scratched Oliver in the wrist with his knife as Oliver groaned. They both attacked with their knives again but Oliver was in a disadvantage due to being exhausted from fighting the other inmates and somehow, Diaz had become faster and stronger than the last time they fought as he scratched Oliver in the other wrist and kicked him in the leg and Oliver fell down. Oliver got up on his feet and they resumed their fight before Oliver grabbed Diaz by his hand, forcing him to drop his knife and cut him in the shoulder as Diaz staggered back. They traded blows briefly as Oliver attempted to stab Diaz but Diaz grabbed Oliver by his wrist and cut him in the leg and kicked him, forcing Oliver to kneel and knocked the knife off his hand before punching him in the face.

Diaz then grabbed Oliver by his throat, forcing him to get up and kicked him in the chest as Oliver fell down. Diaz then grabbed Oliver and tried to throw him down but Oliver held onto the railing before Diaz kicked him off as Oliver fell down and hit the railing below before crashing down on the ground, groaning in pain before Diaz jumped down from above and neared Oliver.

"I'm a lot stronger now." Diaz gloated and Oliver coughed out in pain, trying to reach for his knife but Diaz grabbed it and stabbed Oliver in the shoulder as he screamed in pain and then Diaz got up. "Prison's made you weak."

Diaz kicked Oliver in the face and then in the chest as Oliver grunted. Oliver leaned onto a pillar, staggering on his feet as Diaz smirked. "Come on. Get up. Yeah. Yeah." He kicked Oliver in the face as Oliver weakly grabbed Diaz by his jacket but Diaz pummeled Oliver in the chest and grabbed him by his arm. "You're not surviving this."

Diaz kicked Oliver as he crashed against the wall and Diaz entered the cell. "You just don't know when to quit, do you? I guess what you and Sara have in common, huh?"

"Don't you say her name." Oliver snarled with whatever strength he had left.

Diaz picked Oliver's picture of William as he showed it to Oliver, taunting him. "I'm gonna make sure your family suffers as much as I did. Then… I'm gonna go after Sara, then Laurel and everyone you care about."

Gathering whatever little strength he had left, Oliver got up and grabbed Diaz's knife and plunged it into his heart and twisted it and Diaz gagged, coughing out blood as Oliver seethed as Diaz glared before drawing his last breath as he fell down, staining the mirror with blood and light left his eyes.

Oliver got up and groaned, picking up the photo of William and limping away, leaving Diaz's corpse in his cell.

When it was over, Turner was back in his cell and found the book "The Comte of Monte Cristo" that Oliver had been reading, realizing Oliver had left it as a parting gift.

"Turner..." Turner looked up to see Felton limping to his cell. "Thanks."

"For what?" Turner asked, confused.

"Without you, we would all be dead." Felton said and left as Turner stared with a contemplative look, wondering if there was any redemption for him.

Oliver limped towards the exit, where were Sara, Diggle, Felicity and William waiting and Diggle and Felicity gave Oliver a comforting smile and William rushed to Oliver, hugging him tightly before Sara neared him as they kissed, happy to be reunited.

Chapter Text

Oliver attended the gala as the reporters started to shoot questions.

"Oliver, what's it like to be out of prison?"

"How does it feel to be back home with everyone knowing you're the Green Arrow?"

"Are you gonna put on the hood now that you're back?"

"I have not decided yet whether I will put on the hood and all I can say is that I'm happy to be back with my friends and family. If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer them after the event but I'd like to enjoy some time with people I care about if you won't mind." Oliver said and walked past the reporters, ignoring further questions.

They entered the main hall, when a familiar face approached. "Excuse me. Queen!"

"Max Fuller." Oliver said with a sour taste on his tongue.

"Hey, man, I know we've had some bad history." Max smiled.

"You, uh, had your bodyguards kick the crap out of me and Tommy at your club." Oliver reminded.

"Right. Well, you slept with my wife. Well, now my ex-wife." Max said and Oliver winced before Max smiled. "Dude, all that is in the past, OK? You're the freaking Green Arrow."

"Yeah." Oliver smiled. "Look, Max, if you won't mind, I'd like to catch up with my friends and—"

"Yeah, sure." Max nodded as Oliver walked past them and approached Felicity, who hugged him.

"Hey." Felicity said.

"Hi." Oliver smiled as they both felt the atmosphere become awkward. "So… it's been a while since…"

"Since we broke up because you turned yourself in." Felicity took a breath. "Look, when I found out, I didn't react well but now I understand why you sacrificed your freedom to stop Diaz. But… I think we've both been through too much crap for us to handle it. I mean, Diaz almost killed me and William, if not for Sara and I mean… you both can look out for yourselves and I guess she understands you better than I do. I'm sorry about how I freaked out, when I found out about the deal you had made but I get it now."

"We were great friends, Felicity, but we both know it never would have worked out between us." Oliver said and Felicity nodded after a moment.

"I guess it wouldn't have. And I know how much Sara meant to you and if she makes you happy, then I'm happy for you too, really." Felicity said before they approached the table, where were Diggle, Lyla, Dinah and Curtis.

"I never got to ask you. What was your first meal when you got back?" Curtis asked.

"Well, I missed Big Belly Burger." Oliver smiled.

"Taking a while to get those sea legs back, huh?" Diggle asked.

"Speaking of, you thinking about getting back out there, trying that old suit on for size?" Rene inquired.

"Shh, shh. No, no, no. He's absolutely not, just like we don't do that anymore." Dinah reminded.

"Dinah's right. I'm very much enjoying not being in prison." Oliver said.

"Besides, I think that the New Green Arrow fills the shoes pretty well." Sara added and everyone nodded, though Dinah and Diggle frowned.

"So what now?" Rene asked.

"I don't know. Find a different way to help the city, way you guys did." Oliver said.

"Maybe I could help the SCPD." Sara noted.

"Well, isn't this a lovely reunion?" Laurel said as she approached.

"We're friends with her now?" Lyla asked, confused.

"It's more like frenemies." Dinah corrected.

"It's a long story." Diggle said.

"Relax. I'm just here keeping up appearances. D.A., remember?" Laurel reminded.

"I think we all owe a 'thank you' to Laurel, I mean, if not for her, Ollie would still be in prison." Sara reminded.

"That's true. I'm very grateful." Oliver said as he turned to Laurel. "I know that I haven't always given you the benefit of the doubt, so..."

"Well, you should thank Sara as well." Laurel reminded.

"Welcome. Thank you all for attending this evening." Pollard said as she approached the mics on the stage. "I would like to introduce this evening's honoree, Mr. Oliver Queen."

The crowd applauded as Oliver approached the mics. "Thank you, Mayor Pollard." He cleared his throat. "I used to believe that justice was as simple as putting criminals behind bars but then I spent some time in prison, and I realized that the truth is nowhere near that black and white. The truth is that our institutions have a long way to go before they achieve true justice."

Suddenly, they heard an arrow whoosh and destroying a fuse box as the room went dark before Oliver saw the guards being shot down and caught one of the arrows before it could hit someone else and Oliver took a look at it, recognizing it as the Green Arrow's, making him wonder what was going on.

"The attack perpetrated by the Green Arrow this evening is further proof why we, as a city, cannot trust men that hide behind masks. There is a reason why the anti-vigilante law exists. Thank you." Pollard said.

"That wasn't Roy." Sara whispered as the Team Arrow talked in private.

"No one doubts that, but the real question is, who did it and why?" Oliver said.

"Either way, if someone is setting him up, we need to let him know." Diggle said and Oliver and Sara nodded.

"I'll try to reach out, let him know." Sara said.

"Meanwhile, we should look into the copycat and I can't think of a better way to investigate a copycat Green Arrow than with the original." Dinah said, turning to Oliver.

"I can, with my help, because I'm not sitting this one out." Rene offered.

"I appreciate it, but there's nothing left to be done tonight, so go home. Let my guys work the scene. And if I need help, I'll call you tomorrow." Dinah said as they left.

Rene's apartment

"So, we need to find anything that would exclude Roy as a suspect." Oliver said as they examined the footage, while comparing them with the files Dinah had collected on the New Green Arrow.

"Pollard's on the warpath." Dinah said as she entered.

"That's OK. Forensics pull anything from the scene?" Oliver asked.

"Well, nothing we didn't already suspect. Arrows are consistent with the vigilante's." Dinah said as she pulled out a plastic bag with the arrow. "Here. Take a look."

"Thank you." Oliver said as he took a closer look at the arrow. "Well, they're both handmade. The materials in the arrowhead seem to match. This would be difficult to replicate."

"But not impossible, right?" Rene pointed out.

"The security camera footage?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, but you're not gonna find much. The killer was off-camera." Dinah said as she turned on the laptop and the footage.

"His arrows weren't. If this guy is as precise with a bow and arrow as Rene says, then he would've had a target. Based on the trajectory, that guy." Oliver pointed at the man that would have been shot, if not for Oliver catching the arrow as Dinah zoomed in.

"Oh, wait a minute. That's... that's Clayton Ford. He's a rich dude who actually helped the Glades. He funded a clinic." Rene said.

"It's obvious it wasn't Roy but who would want Ford dead?" Dinah wondered.

"Good question." Oliver said.

Later, the Glades

Oliver entered the clock tower and looked around before he sensed someone jumping down and was behind him and turned around and smiled.

"Hey, Roy." Oliver said.

"Hey." Roy said, as they hugged each other.

"Thank you for trying to continue my mission but I can't ask you to put yourself at risk." Oliver said.

"Are you kidding me? Dinah and the cops certainly didn't help things much and Pollard has framed me for the things that I've been trying to prevent." Roy said.

"Roy, it's not that, I'd never forgive myself if you ended up in prison because of me again." Oliver said as he raised his hands.

"Look, I appreciate your concern but who trained me how to be a vigilante? I got this, don't worry." Roy assured.

Oliver sighed, knowing that all he could do was to trust his protégé. "Someone's posing as the Green Arrow and framing you. The copycat went after Clayton Ford earlier tonight. Do you know something about it?"

"I don't know. Ford's been trying to help the Glades and I don't know why would someone want him dead." Roy wondered.

"Or go to such lengths to frame you for his murder." Oliver added.

Later, SCPD

Oliver and Rene returned to SCPD as the reporters started shooting questions.

"Mr. Queen. Mr. Queen. Mr. Queen. Do you know who the new Green Arrow is?"

"Are you helping with this investigation?"

"I have no comment, guys."

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell is this?" Dinah demanded as she approached the reporters. "You all know the precinct is off-limits."

"Captain Drake, care to comment?" One of the reporters asked.

"The SCPD does not comment on ongoing investigations." Dinah reminded.

"But I do. The vigilante didn't do it." Rene said.

"OK. Can somebody please get these guys out of here?" Dinah ordered, turning to the officers before she dragged Rene away. "Not helping."

"Hey. Why does the mayor have to have all the fun?" Rene shrugged and Dinah sighed in exasperation.

"Maybe meeting at the precinct wasn't the best idea." Oliver said.

"Yeah. Well, I thought the jig was up after you were spotted last night. Oh, and speaking of last night, turns out we were right about your Green Arrow clone. He is innocent." Dinah said.

"How do we know?" Oliver inquired.

"Remember our second suspected target, Clayton Ford?" Dinah asked and Oliver nodded. "My guys found him dead across town."

"We're his alibi." Rene realized.

"OK. What do we know about the Ford murder?" Oliver asked.

"Emerald arrow, center... chest, same as Hutchinson." Dinah explained.

"Someone's going through a lot of trouble to pin this on the new Green Arrow." Rene noted. "We really need to come up with a better name for him."

Oliver took a look at the evidence board. "He's making everyone, including Pollard, look away. The question is from what?"

"Well, Ford may have known. He was trying to skip town when he was killed." Dinah handed Oliver a file. "He found him with bags packed and ready to go, clothes and cash."

"Yeah, he knew he was the target." Rene realized.

"What the hell is going on?" Pollard demanded upon entering. "Last time I checked, Mr. Queen and Mr. Ramirez were not employed by the SCPD."

"Well, they're just here giving statements." Dinah said.

"That the vigilante didn't do it. Yeah, I heard." Pollard nodded before looking at Oliver and Dinah in disgust. "You know, it's no big surprise that the old Green Arrow would be supporting the new one, but I expected more from my police captain."

"You telling me how to conduct my investigation, Ms. Mayor? Because last I checked, I was still in control of this precinct." Dinah reminded.

"I hired you to restore the city's faith in this department. That means bringing that vigilante to justice. And if you can't do that, I will find someone else who can." Pollard sneered as she left.

"She may be the tiniest, most unpleasant person I've ever met." Rene noted.

"You have to listen to her, but I don't." Oliver said.

"What are you thinking?" Dinah asked.

"It says here both victims were members of the same society at Yale." Oliver said as he read the file. "I know a guy. Max Fuller, he was a member, too. I could go see him, gather some intel. I'll be in touch if I learn anything, all right?"

Dinah nodded as Oliver left the precinct.

Later, Star City

"Five fully-stocked bars, three private lounges, and the sound system is the best... outside of Europe." Max said as he and Oliver walked down Max's nightclub. "A.I. adjusts the acoustic environment based on capacity. Right this way here."

They walked up the stairs, entering Max's office.

"That's a ton of security you got down there, Max. It must be costing you a fortune." Oliver noted.

Max chuckled. "Not when you pay for them with crypto you mine yourself. All it costs me is the little USB drive I put it on." He picked two glasses from a table. "Scotch? It's a 25-year."

"Why not?" Oliver said as Max handed him the glass and they raised them. "We can toast your new club."

"Hey. Toast to your new prison and Green Arrow-free life." Max said as they clinked their glasses. "It's really got to piss you off, though, huh? Seeing some lame copycat screw up everything you sacrificed for."

"I wanted to speak with you about that. The last two murders weren't connected to the vigilante." Oliver said.

Max nodded as they sat down. "So the rumors are true. You are helping the cops investigate this. How can I help?"

"You were a member of the Scroll and Key back at Yale." Oliver said.

"Allegedly. It is a secret society." Max noted.

"Fair point." Oliver nodded. "How well did you know Clayton Ford and Sam Hutchinson?"

"Clay and Hutch. Well enough to mourn them." Max said, looking sad. "But we'd sort of fallen out of touch."

"Ford looked like he was trying to skip town before he died, like he knew the hit was coming, but we just... we don't know how." Oliver said.

"You're looking for skeletons." Max realized.

"And are we gonna find any?" Oliver inquired.

"I know you're not supposed to talk ill of the dead or whatever, but, you know, there were always rumors that they had shady business dealings going on with the Triad, I believe." Max said and Oliver nodded. "So who knows? Maybe they got in over their heads."

"Probably." Oliver nodded as he got up. "I won't take up any more of your time. Thank you, Max."

"You mind if I ask you a question?" Max asked as Oliver turned to him. "They sent you to prison for helping this city. Why the hell should you care about any of this?"

"Old habits." Oliver shrugged. "I guess some people don't change that much after all."

Later, Oliver's apartment

"Felicity, can you look into Max Fuller?" Oliver asked over the phone.

"Isn't that the guy who owned Poison six years ago and kicked you, Tommy and Laurel out, when you came back from the island?" Felicity asked.

"He's somehow connected to the murders, I don't know if he's behind them but he's definitely hiding something." Oliver explained.

"I'll see what I can find." Felicity said.

"Thanks." Oliver said as he hung up and was watching TV with William.

"So you're going out as the Green Arrow again?" William asked.

"Not really. I'm just… trying to do the right…" Oliver trailed off, when he sensed something.

"What is it?" William asked.

"Get down!" Oliver tackled William to the ground as the door burst out from the hinges and an archer in a black outfit entered, firing arrows and shattering the bottles and the computer screen. "William, stay down!"

William nodded as Oliver engaged the archer. They exchanged few blows before Oliver kicked him back and they continued fighting until Oliver slammed him against the door as it shattered.

"Who are you?" Oliver demanded but the archer was quiet before Oliver decided to knock him out, knowing that he could not torture him and then picked his phone, calling Dinah.

"All right. As soon as the doc gives the OK, we'll take him into the station for questioning. In the meantime, we'll go through his effects, see what we can find out." Dinah said.

"Thank you." Oliver nodded.

"You're welcome." Dinah said as she left.

Sara then entered. "I got here as soon as I heard, you OK?" Oliver nodded as Sara hugged him tightly. "I should've known something like this was gonna happen."

"We're gonna find who's behind this." Oliver promised.

Later, SCPD

"Hey. How's it going with the hitman?" Oliver asked as he entered Dinah's office.

"Good. He's still recovering, but we got an ID thanks to A.R.G.U.S." Dinah said as they went to the evidence board. "Frank Cassaday, otherwise known as 'the Mirror.' Specializes in kills via mimicked M.O."

"Proof the vigilante didn't do it, but who ordered the hits?" Rene wondered.

"Where'd you find that?" Oliver asked, pointing at a photo of a flash drive, recognizing it.

"I found that on Cassaday. Why? You recognize that?" Dinah asked.

Oliver sighed. "Fuller. He used those to pay his muscle in the club. This was Fuller. He ordered the hit on Hutchinson and then Ford and then me once I got too close."

"Why? I mean, he's a rich douchebag, but I didn't peg him to be a killer." Rene wondered.

"Felicity looked into Fuller, he had secret business dealings with both Hutchinson and Ford. And if they were going to cut ties with him, this is a good motive for murder." Sara said.

"All right. Well, the hit on you failed, so that means Fuller's gonna know something's up soon if he doesn't already, right? I'm gonna send SWAT in while we still have the element of surprise." Dinah said.

"It's not that simple. Fuller's in there right now with at least twelve hired guns, and the club is at capacity." Oliver said.

"Things can get out of hand quickly." Sara explained.

"Guys." Rene gestured for them to talk somewhere in private as they followed him and he lowered his voice. "It won't get messy if the Green Arrow goes in. The O.G. one."

"No. I... I can't risk being separated from my family, Rene. I can't do it." Oliver protested.

"I might know a way you can." Dinah said.

"Even if you did, Pollard would never stand for it." Oliver said.

"Pollard wanted me to restore the city's faith in this department, and that is never gonna happen if we keep treating our heroes like criminals. It's time the mayor realizes that." Dinah argued.

"Dinah, I trust you, but you have to be sure." Oliver noted.

"Half this city believes in the vigilante because they were hoping it was you. Now they don't have to hope anymore." Dinah said.

Oliver sighed and nodded. "OK."

"What about Roy?" Sara asked.

"I think I have an idea, that is, if Roy is up for it." Dinah smirked.

Later, the Arrow lair

Oliver looked around the bunker that had been destroyed by Diaz.

"The bunker has seen better days." Oliver said.

"Yes, it has." Diggle said as he handed Oliver the case with the Green Arrow suit. "It didn't seem right coming back here after the team disbanded."

"Thanks for bringing this. The FBI still has mine." Oliver said.

"It's a good thing you made another one." Diggle said.

"Yeah." Oliver nodded.

"Does that mean you changed your mind about breaking the cycle of violence?" Diggle asked.

"That cycle is always going to be with me, no matter what I do. Not fighting back was never an answer. This is bigger than a cycle of violence." Oliver said as he picked the eye mask. "The Green Arrow always going to be what this city needs and if they'll hate me for it and if the people I care about, suffer for it, all I can do is fight back hard and not give up."

Diggle nodded. "Good luck, Oliver."

Star City

Oliver was at an exit to Max's nightclub. "I'm in."

"Copy that. We're ready." Dinah said.

"Keep your men in position and wait for my word. I don't want to tip our hand or panic the crowd." Oliver said.

"Let's hope you're not rusty." Dinah quipped as she reached for her radio. "All units, stand by."

Oliver entered the nightclub through the fire exit and shot a camera and closed the door as the guards opened fire. The guards entered but Oliver grabbed one of them and fought his way through, shooting down the guards and using them as human shield as they tried to fire back and beating them up.

"Oliver, do you have Fuller?" Dinah asked.

"I'm about to." Oliver said before more guards showed up.

Oliver threw a guard through the window and jumped down into the club area as Max tried to run and held a woman at gunpoint. "Stay back!"

"Drop the gun, Max." Oliver ordered, notching an arrow.

"I'll shoot." Max warned.

"Hiring killers is easy." Oliver said as he shot the gun off Max's hand. "Taking the shot yourself isn't."

"You're a vigilante. You don't have the authority to arrest me." Max said smugly.

"She does." Oliver said.

On cue, Dinah and the SCPD entered, apprehending Max. "Max Fuller, you are under arrest for the murder of Clayton Ford and Sam Hutchinson."

Later, SCPD

"Take Mr. Fuller into booking." Dinah said as she handed Max to one of the officers before they saw a very furious Pollard in Dinah's office.

"Should I give you two a minute?" Oliver asked.

"We do this together." Dinah said as they entered her office. "Ms. Mayor, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You've got some nerve. I want Mr. Queen booked in violation of the anti-vigilante law." Pollard said.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Laurel said upon entering. "You see, I have the original reports and witness statements claiming that the Green Arrow, not Oliver Queen, saved the people in Starling Palladium, and didn't cause the fire, as you claimed, to make SCPD look better and actually, a lot of people in the city council are starting a referendum to repel the anti-vigilante bill, me included."

"You think I'll actually let that happen?" Pollard challenged.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice, not unless you want to face an impeachment." Laurel said and Pollard glowered before turning to Oliver with narrowed eyes.

"This isn't over. Not even close." Pollard promised.

Oliver's apartment

"So, just like old times?" Felicity asked.

"Guess so." Oliver said.

"I'm sorry about how many people we have lost because of it." Felicity said as she turned to Sara, who was with William at the table. "Look, if you make each other happy, don't let her go this time. I want you to be happy."

"I hope you'll find what you're looking for too." Oliver said as she kissed Oliver on his cheek and they hugged before Felicity left.

"Well, just like old times?" Sara said.

"Maybe—" Oliver stopped, when suddenly, a dark-skinned bald man with triangle-shaped haircut wearing an armor with golden decors and a cloak appeared in the room.

"Hello, Oliver Queen." The man said.

"Who are you?" Sara demanded as she picked a knife.

"I am Mar Novu. The Monitor. And I have a task I have burdened Mr. Queen with. A crisis is imminent. And I need his help." Novu said ominously.

"What crisis, what are you talking about?" Oliver demanded.

"I have chosen you and Sara Lance and Barry Allen and Kara Danvers to test you, because a threat is imminent… that shall destroy the entire multiverse." Novu said and the next thing they knew, there was a blinding glow of light.

Chapter Text

On Lian Yu, Oliver, wearing his hood ran down the woods and slid down rocks as he saw a fisherman boat. Oliver lighted an arrow as he ran it across a knife jammed onto a rock and fired it at the pyre at the shore as it exploded. The fishermen noticed the fire as they sailed to the shore and met Oliver, who lowered his hood.

Oliver stared outside the window of the emergency room before he turned around as the door opened.

"Oliver?" Moira asked.

"Hi, mom." Oliver said.

"Oh… my beautiful boy." Moira breathed out as she held Oliver by his cheeks and then hugged him.

"I missed you so much." Oliver said as Moira sobbed and kissed Oliver on his cheek.

Later, Queen Manor

It was a strange Déjà vu for Oliver to get driven back to the family manor by Moira.

"Your room is exactly as you left it. I never had the heart to change anything." Moira said.

Oliver sighed and took a deep breath as he turned to Moira. "I can't tell you how great it feels to be home."

"Oliver, it's really you."

Oliver looked more than a bit surprised but he managed to plaster a polite smile as the man approached. "Hi, Malcolm."

"Welcome home." Malcolm hugged Oliver, patting him on his back and Oliver couldn't help but feel the awkwardness in the air.

"OK, what… where's Walter?" Oliver asked, confused as he turned to Moira.

"Uh, he sold his shares of the company, when the Gambit went down." Moira explained.

Oliver nodded. "OK. OK." He turned to the stairs and saw a face he had not seen in years.

"What'd I tell you? Yachts suck." Oliver chuckled as Tommy approached him, smiling. "I knew it. I knew you were too stubborn to be dead." They were both in a tight embrace as Oliver felt his eyes get wet.

"Tommy…" Oliver smiled as he pulled away, trying to hold back his tears.

"Come on, man, why are you looking at me like I'm the one who's been gone for a decade?" Tommy joked.

"I… I just missed you." Oliver looked around. "Where's Thea?"

The atmosphere turned solemn as Moira approached Oliver. "Sweetheart, uh, why don't you settle in? I mean, you must be exhausted."

"Yeah, but I'd like to see Thea." Oliver insisted.

Moira then looked away briefly as it hit Oliver. "Oliver, when you and your father disappeared…" She took a breath as she met his eyes. "…it wasn't easy on her."

"She took things really hard and there is this new drug called 'Vertigo'." Tommy said as Oliver turned to him and the realization hit him. "I swear to you—"

"Tommy—" Malcolm started.

"I tried my best to look—"

"Tommy, look, it wasn't your fault." Malcolm assured.

Oliver looked completely devastated as he turned to Moira. "What wasn't his fault?"

"Thea, on her 18th birthday…" Moira swallowed, her voice breaking, unable to meet his eyes. "She overdosed."

Oliver breathed out, unable to process.

They were all seated at the table, enjoying the dinner.

"Raisa's famous chicken marsala? I used to make this for William all the time." Oliver said.

"Who's William?" Moira wondered.

"Oh, I know, he was like, your Wilson on the island, right?" Tommy tried.

"Something like that." Oliver nodded.

"How did you manage to survive by yourself all that time?" Malcolm wondered.

"It's a long story." Oliver said and Malcolm nodded.

"OK, things you missed while you were gone? I got married and divorced twice." Tommy said and Malcolm chuckled, while pouring himself a drink. "Let's see, what other gossip did you miss?"

Oliver took a breath. It certainly felt odd for him, what was in front of him right now. "Our parents getting married."

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped and none of them felt more awkwardness than Oliver, considering what he already knew. Moira and Malcolm glanced at each other uncomfortably before turning to Oliver. "It's…"

"…complicated." Malcolm finished.

"Oliver, I know this must all be a lot." Moira said.

"Well, Mom, my apologies, but I actually am a little tired and I think I'm gonna head up to my bedroom." Oliver said and Moira nodded as he got up from his seat. "Thank you for dinner."

Oliver sat down on his bed in his bedroom and pulled out an old photo of himself, Tommy, Laurel and Sara, missing them before Moira entered.

"Your bed has been made and there are fresh towels in the bathroom." Moira said.

"Thank you." Oliver smiled.

"I know the changes must be overwhelming and you must feel like you're on a different planet or something." Moira said.

"You could say that." Oliver said. If only she had any idea.

"It couldn't have been easy all those years on that island." Moira said softly.

"Sounds like it wasn't that easy here." Oliver said.

"Now, you're not the same man as when you left." Moira noted as Oliver looked away from her eyes, while she neared him. "And don't take this the wrong way but I get the sense that it's… it's for the better."

"I'm not so sure." Oliver admitted as he got up, missing Thea and looked at Moira. "Mom, when we were growing up, if you had to leave me and Thea to protect us… would you have done it?"

"Oliver, whether right or wrong, everything I've ever done was to protect my children. It's all a parent can do." Moira explained and Oliver nodded. "And someday, hmm, when you have children, you'll understand."

Oliver could understand now, considering William as he hugged Moira. "Mom, I'm so sorry."

Moira hugged Oliver back, soothing him. "Everything's OK. You're home. You're safe. Close your eyes, sweetheart. Get some rest, OK?"

"All right." Oliver nodded as he sat down on the bed.

Queen-Merlyn Enterprises

As soon as Moira had fallen, Oliver had put on his Green Arrow suit and entered the server room of Queen-Merlyn, using Moira's access card as he approached the computer before he found dead guards and scientists lying on the floor and got a familiar Déjà vu. Oliver started looking around until he sensed a presence of someone else as he dodged as an arrow shot a nearby server behind him as it exploded in sparks and he turned around to face an archer in green hood, who notched another arrow.

"You have failed this city." The archer growled.

Oliver dodged and kicked the table as the archer jumped and kicked Oliver back. Oliver slammed the archer to another server as it sparked but the archer dodged Oliver's kick before Oliver knocked him against another server. The archer dodged before Oliver could land a blow and punched Oliver, sending him crashing against another server as it exploded in sparks. They exchanged few blows as they fell over a table and then another before the archer picked his bow and fired an arrow at Oliver before suddenly, a blonde woman in black leather with yellow lining and wearing a domino mask showed up and knocked the arrow off with her baton.

"Stand down." Laurel ordered, now wearing a Black Canary suit as she turned to Oliver. "Oliver, what the hell are you doing on my Earth?"

Oliver stared at Laurel in surprise before turning to the archer, who had stood up in the meantime and looked into his eyes before realizing there was something familiar about him before the archer lowered his hood to reveal Tommy's face, much to Oliver's shock.

Chapter Text

Later, the Lair

"What brought you here, Oliver?" Laurel demanded, turning to Oliver, while Tommy was exercising on the salmon ladder.

"I could ask you the same thing. Doesn't my Earth's Star City miss it's D.A.?" Oliver asked.

"I took an indefinite leave. And… look, you wouldn't believe me, if I told you." Laurel sighed.

"Try me." Oliver said.

Laurel took a breath. "A couple of months ago, I was in my office, business as usual, but then, this strange guy showed up out of thin air. A bald guy in an armor and wearing a golden cloak."

Oliver widened his eyes. "The Monitor visited you?"

"You know about him?" Laurel asked.

"He's the one, who sent me here. After we arrested Max, Novu showed up in my place and told me about a crisis that was threatening the entire multiverse and…" Oliver took a breath. "Look, it's complicated but he said that if I wanted to prevent the destruction of multiverse and save Barry and Kara, I needed to do as he said and then he brought me here."

"Yeah, he pretty much told me the same thing, when he showed up in my office, except that he didn't mention Barry or Kara. Then I ended up on Earth-2, here. And there was the Black Canary suit there." Laurel glanced to the mannequin. "Then I remembered your Laurel and realize that… maybe it's not too late for me to try to be better. Sara once told me that everyone should stop running and own up to their mistakes at one point."

Oliver nodded, when he saw the genuine remorse in her eyes.

"What about you, Oliver?" Laurel asked.

"It's a long story. What did Novu tell you?" Oliver asked.

"He said that a crisis was imminent and that I needed to face my past, since he reminded me that I had been running from my mistakes for far too long. And when Dad…" She sighed. "Quentin died, Sara told me that I shouldn't run anymore and own up to what I had done. I thought she meant that I should honor your Laurel's and Quentin's legacy but I guess the Monitor thought that I could do more and that I should own up to my past back on Earth-2."

"And you and Tommy?" Oliver asked, glancing to Tommy as Laurel rolled her eyes.

"It's not what you think, Ollie." Laurel said.

"If by that you mean that you're surprised that we're working together…" Tommy jumped down from the salmon ladder. "Imagine my surprise, when Laurel said she was trying to start over, when I was about to take the Black Siren in but she seemed genuine about trying to change, so I thought I should give her the benefit of the doubt." He then narrowed his eyes at Oliver. "And I know for sure that my best friend is dead, which means you're a doppelganger from another universe, if I am correct."

"How did you know?" Oliver asked in surprise.

"I'll explain later. What were you doing in Queen-Merlyn anyway, running around in my hood, Ollie?" Tommy asked.

"Not killing those scientists, if that's what you are implying and I needed an identity to work under and yours seemed convenient." Oliver explained. "How did you become the Green Arrow anyway? Last I checked, my Dad was the Green Arrow and he was outed and is currently locked up in A.R.G.U.S. black site."

It wasn't exactly his father but Oliver did study the history of Earth-2 and the truth was quite disturbing as Tommy and Laurel looked at each other awkwardly.

"You sure you want to know?" Tommy asked.

"I think I deserve to know." Oliver pointed out.

Laurel and Tommy took a breath, wondering how would Oliver take it. "The news said that you had died and Robert had made it to Lian Yu before he was found and then he became the Hood."

"After Thea's death, I looked for the dealers selling her Vertigo and searched for the Hood, hoping he could teach me how to make them pay." Tommy said. "Soon enough, I discovered that the Hood was your Dad and he agreed to teach me everything he knew and we worked together to hunt down the dealers but the Count managed to inject Robert with a concentrated dose. I brought your Dad back and used the herbs he had brought from Lian Yu and mixed a concoction to make sure he wouldn't OD like Thea and that's when I found out what happened, when the Gambit had gone down."

"Which was what?" Oliver asked as he felt the atmosphere turn cold as he saw the grim looks on Tommy's and Laurel's faces.

"He killed you. There was not enough food or water on the life raft for you and Robert, so he pulled a gun and shot you." Laurel said sourly, shivering from the memory.

Oliver was silent as he processed it all. To be honest, he was not surprised by this revelation but still, it was quite disturbing.

"And then?" Oliver asked.

"When he was still recovering from Vertigo, I took a closer look at the Green Arrow and then I found out that your father wasn't exactly the noble hero he was trying to make himself out to be and after I made sure that your Dad couldn't link me back to his crimes, I turned him in to the police and after they arrested him, I became the Green Arrow to honor Thea's memory, not for him." Tommy explained and Oliver nodded. If their places were reversed, Oliver would have done the same thing.

The computer then beeped as they approached it.

"The Dark Archer? Name's a bit on the nose, but it's descriptive." Laurel said.

"Dark costume, jade pendant." Oliver said, realizing who it was. "Your Dad?"

Tommy shook his head in amusement as Laurel actually snickered.

"No, we ruled him out months ago. The most ruthless my Dad gets is firing employees who fail to do what he pays them to." Tommy explained.

"A world where Malcolm Merlyn is a decent person." Oliver muttered under his breath, wondering if it was all just some kind of a bad dream. "Well, whoever it was, he killed those scientists for a reason. It may not be my stepdad but he still has to know something. I'll see if I can get anything useful."

The following day, Queen-Merlyn Enterprises

Oliver entered the conference room and saw Novu observing outside the window.

"It never ceases to impress... humanity's capacity for invention." Novu said as he turned to Oliver. "Hmm. Infinite number of worlds, and not a single one where man fails to emerge from caves and hold dominion over the Earth."

"What are you doing here?" Oliver demanded.

"Reminding you what you are doing here, which does not include interfering in the events of this Earth." Novu pointed out.

"I have no intention of interfering." Oliver said.

"Well, you're not here to confront Malcolm Merlyn with your suspicion that he is the Dark Archer." Novu said.

"Well, I went to Applied Sciences last night to retrieve the dwarf star particles just like you asked me to." Oliver snapped.

"You make it sound like a trifle." Novu noted. "Those specific particles can only be found on this Earth out of a multitude."

"My point is that when I arrived, Malcolm had already stolen them. You know what might help? If I actually knew why I was after them." Oliver said impatiently.

"That I have tasked you should be reason enough. Or have you come to doubt your commitment to this mission?" Novu questioned.

"No, I have not." Oliver said, knowing how serious the mission was.

With Malcolm being the deputy CEO of the company, Oliver had decided to visit him under the ruse of considering a job in the company as Malcolm gave him a tour through the offices. "We recently completed a total IT upgrade. Five-hundred miles worth of high-capacity fiber optics married to an underground server farm."

"Is something like that for Applied Sciences?" Oliver asked.

"We had a small incident there last night, very unfortunate." Malcolm said sadly and Oliver acted confused. "The police are investigating."

"Oh, that's too bad, I hope no one was hurt." Oliver said as they walked down the stairs. "Do you think it had anything to do with the, um, the dwarf… the dwarf star project?"

Malcolm looked at him in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"Oh. The Internet." Oliver chuckled.

"I didn't know you had wi-fi on Lian Yu." Malcolm said.

"No, no, no, I wish. I stayed up late at the house last night, doing my research, catching up." Oliver chuckled and Malcolm chuckled too as he nodded.

"Well, the press coverage hasn't been particularly kind, everyone wants to make the dwarf star project out to be something sinister, but it's just an alternative energy source project, completely benign." Malcolm explained.

Oliver shrugged. "I suppose everything's a matter of interpretation."

Malcolm then accompanied him to an office area. "And here would be your office. Make yourself comfortable, familiarize yourself, if there's anything you need, just let me know." He left as Oliver sat at the computer, logging in and researching everything he could find out about the dwarf star project.

"I'm sorry. Can I help you, Oliver? Mr. Queen?"

Oliver's blood ran cold as he recognized the voice and looked up to see a man wearing glasses, in his mid-30s, with a beard. "I'm sorry. Adrian Chase. Your father's assistant." He offered his hand.

"Adrian." Oliver smiled and shook his hand, trying to put on a smile, reminding himself it wasn't his enemy.

"Mr. Merlyn was wondering where you were and he thought I should look for—"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, I was just looking into some things about the company that I thought I should study but we shouldn't keep Malcolm waiting." Oliver said.

Adrian nodded enthusiastically. "Right, you don't wanna piss off stepfather, or my boss in this case, trust me, when he yells, you don't wanna be the one he does the yelling at. My wife would match him in the screaming contest."

Oliver just stared at Adrian in surprise. A clumsy, decent Adrian Chase. Sounded and looked too good to be true, making him wonder whether this Adrian was just putting on a façade.

"She sounds like a handful." Oliver said.

"She was." Adrian looked saddened.

"What happened?" Oliver asked.

"Dead. Mugged in the Glades few years ago." Adrian said and Oliver looked in sympathy.

"I'm sorry." Oliver said but he had to wonder if Adrian would have gone down the same path as Malcolm did.

Malcolm was in his office, working on a report for the dwarf star project before the Green Arrow burst in through the window and ziplined, landing on Malcolm's desk and notching an arrow at Malcolm's chest. "Malcolm Merlyn, you have failed this city!"

Malcolm raised his hands, seeming genuinely terrified. "I-I-I don't know what you think I did but I—"

Suddenly, Oliver was sent to the ground as another arrow grazed his side and the Dark Archer jumped in through the window and Oliver realized that it definitely wasn't Malcolm as Malcolm yelped, while the Dark Archer kicked Oliver back. Oliver felt a familiar Déjà vu, when he had to block his strikes and the Dark Archer dodged Oliver's kick, while Oliver knocked off a piece of concrete off the pillar and threw a fletchette, distracting the Dark Archer before the Dark Archer blocked Oliver's kick.

They both exchanged blows before the Dark Archer slammed Oliver to the conference table and kneed him in the groin and Oliver felt a familiar Déjà vu again. While the Dark Archer wasn't Malcolm, he certainly was just as skilled as him, if not more as the Dark Archer grabbed Oliver and slammed him to the conference table as it collapsed under their combined weight.

Both archers got up to their feet as Oliver slammed the Dark Archer to a wall and grappled his arm as the Dark Archer threw a punch. Oliver threw the Dark Archer to the floor and started pummeling him, while Malcolm just stared in horror.

"Oh, God…" Malcolm stammered.

"Get out of here!" Oliver ordered as Malcolm ran off before Oliver subdued the Dark Archer and took off his mask and his blood ran cold upon seeing the Dark Archer's face.

Adrian suddenly came to, opening his eyes and kicked Oliver in the face before he fired a grapnel arrow outside, rappelling away through the window as Oliver stared in shock. First Prometheus, now the Dark Archer. Well, it would seem that Adrian Chase was a bastard on every Earth.

Later, morning, Queen Manor

"So that's your story. An archer in black hood flew in and attacked the Green Arrow." Dinah said, interviewing Malcolm. "Well, who is he? Why did he do that?"

"I don't know. Find him and you ask." Malcolm said, still a bit in shock from the ordeal from last night.

"First, there was an attack on Applied Sciences, now there's a war between two masks in your own office." Dinah said.

"And your point, Sergeant?" Malcolm asked.

"My point is that I highly doubt it's a coincidence." Dinah said.

"Well, obviously not. Someone is clearly targeting my father's company." Tommy said, trying to throw off the suspicion.

"Right. Except from his statement, your father claimed the Green Arrow was targeting him." Dinah said as she showed the sketch of the archer. "It's funny. He doesn't usually go after the good guys."

"All right. Interview's over." Rene said upon approaching, serving as Malcolm's head of security. "Anything else you need, Sergeant Drake, you can either go through me or Mr. Merlyn's attorney."

"Perfect. I needed something to look forward to." Dinah smirked as she got up.

"She's got a point." Tommy said as soon as Dinah and Rene left. "It's been a lot of drama for the past 24 hours. Maybe we should reconsider Oliver's 'Welcome Home' party."

Malcolm shook his head. "No, no, no, no. It'll just look like we're trying to cover something up."

"Yeah. And I missed tequila." Oliver cracked, remembering what had happened years ago, when he returned home.

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 meet John Diggle. He'll be accompanying you from now on."

"Er… no." Oliver declined as he turned to Moira. The last thing he needed was Diggle getting in his way this time. "Sorry. No. I don't need a babysitter, Mom."

"No, I understand but this is something that I need." Moira insisted.

Oliver sighed. Might as well go through all of it again. "Yeah."

Later, Starling City

"So, what do I call you?" Oliver asked as Diggle drove him down the city.

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

Oliver tried to leave as he attempted to open the door but noticed that it had been locked, much to his confusion as Diggle smirked. "Sorry, Oliver. Fool me once."

Oliver frowned, realizing it was his Diggle, making him wonder what was he doing here.

"How'd you find me?" Oliver asked as they went out.

"It wasn't easy. We'd been looking for you for months, it was like you disappeared from the face of the Earth, until we figured out that it was only our Earth." Diggle said.

"Still, John, it's not like you can just charter a jet." Oliver noted, wondering how did Diggle get here.

Diggle pulled out an interdimensional extrapolator from his jacket. "Cisco let me borrow it. And now if I'm done answering your questions, I have a few of my own."

"Can't talk about it." Oliver shook his head.

"Can't or won't?" Diggle asked but Oliver was silent. "You know, Oliver, it's interesting that we're revisiting when we first met. You going at it all alone is like déjà vu. I thought you and I were past that."

"This is new. It's bigger." Oliver said. "And I'm not going to ask you to take the risk it involves."

"Oliver, that's the thing about being brothers. You never, ever have to ask." Diggle pleaded.

"Can you just believe me when I tell you this is different?" Oliver said.

"Yeah. Sara told us. Some godlike being talking about the end of the universe?" Diggle asked as he crossed his arms, while noticing the haunted look in Oliver's eyes. "What didn't she tell me, Oliver?"

"A Crisis is coming, John. He's seen what happens. Barry and Kara are going to die and this may be the only way to save them." Oliver said as Diggle shared his haunted look, trying to imagine the scale of what was Oliver implying.

Later, Verdant

Oliver and was attending 'Welcome Home' party, with the music echoing throughout the nightclub and Oliver just stared before he turned around and caught a cork that was about to hit him in the face, when Tommy was opening a champagne bottle.

"Sorry!" Tommy called.

"It's OK!" Oliver assured as he turned and approached, lowering his voice. "I know who's the Dark Archer."

"Who?" Tommy asked.

"Adrian Chase." Oliver revealed.

"My father's assistant?" Tommy widened his eyes and shook his head in denial. "No way. He's harmless, he wouldn't—"

"Tommy, if there's one thing I've learned, is that people can easily fool you and make themselves out to be good people, when they're anything but. Do you trust Chase?" Oliver asked.

"Well, he mostly keeps to himself but he follows Dad's orders to the letter." Tommy said.

"What do you know about him?" Oliver asked.

"Well, he used to be an attorney until his and kids were mugged and murdered a couple of years ago in the Glades, then he ghosted for a few years, no one knows where, assumed he was in mourning, then he returned back and started to work as Dad's assistant. Diligent and bit of a weird weasel but—" Tommy frowned. "Well, now that you mention it, it would explain the Dark Archer getting access to Queen-Merlyn's server room."

"Where is he?" Oliver asked.

"Well, he was right…" Tommy pointed to the nearby dancefloor but noticed that Adrian was gone as their eyes narrowed.

In the garage, Adrian was about to enter his car but stopped upon sensing Oliver's presence. "Well, Lian Yu must have been quite an interesting place… Mr. Queen." He turned around to face Oliver. "You know, I have to wonder, were you ever really gone? Since it seems you've been busy running around in a certain green hood."

"Like you've been around in a black one, Adrian?" Oliver countered. Some things never seem to change as Adrian smirked.

"You really thought I would let this all end in a parking garage?" Adrian said smugly. "I'm ten steps ahead of you and you don't even know what game we're playing yet."

Before Oliver could realize what did Adrian mean, he felt a dart hit his neck and everything cut to the black and he turned around and was shocked to see Rene with a dart gun before he passed out.

Later

When Oliver came to, he felt cold water splashing him, being dumped on him.

"Who would've thought. Oliver Queen." Adrian said smugly as he neared Oliver, while dropping the bucket. "I have to wonder, though, why are you posing as the Green Arrow?"

"I'll tell you as soon as you tell me why are you doing all this, Adrian. Killing the scientists in the Queen-Merlyn, then at Malcolm's office…" Oliver sneered.

Adrian smirked. "You haven't been here. The vigilantes think that they can save this city, but they are just treating the symptoms. I'm healing the disease."

Oliver was suddenly filled with dread and horror as the realization suddenly dawned onto him as he slowly turned to Adrian. "Oh, my God, this is the Undertaking. You… stole the dwarf star particles because you want to destroy the Glades and get vengeance for your wife."

Adrian's eyes narrowed. "How do you know that?" He grabbed Oliver by his chin as they were locked in heated stares. "What happened to you on that island?"

"You can only imagine…" Oliver sneered, now feeling as if he was looking into the eyes of one of his worst enemies. "You think you're honoring your wife by destroying the Glades but she'd be horrified by what you're doing in her name. It's not gonna make you feel better."

"I don't care about feeling better. I just want the Glades to suffer." Adrian said coldly as he turned around and walked off.

Oliver seethed and glared as Adrian left and closed the door. He couldn't kill Adrian the last time but he would this time, if it meant not letting him hurt anyone, ever again.

As soon as Adrian left, Oliver started climbing up the chains, just like the last time until he reached the pipe on which he was hanging and let go as the sudden weight caused for the pipe to break. Remembering what happened next, Oliver waited under the stairwell used the chains on the shackles to knock out a guard coming down the stairs before waiting behind the door as another guard entered until the guard was shot down by Diggle as he entered.

"How'd you find me?" Oliver asked, surprised to see him.

"Tracking your shoe." Diggle drawled.

"Really?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Just kidding. That was the way I found you the last time this happened, remember?" Diggle pointed out and Oliver nodded.

"Yeah, well, it's not the only history that's repeating itself." Oliver said as Diggle looked confused. "Adrian Chase planning his very own Undertaking."

"Don't worry. We'll stop him." Diggle assured.

"And we're not doing it alone." Oliver said.

Later, the Lair

"Oh, look, who it is, and you brought a friend to my secret bunker." Laurel said sarcastically as Oliver and Diggle went out from the elevator.

"I've been here before." Diggle whispered into Laurel's ear.

"Oh, great. You're here too." Laurel muttered, refraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"Uh, Tommy, this is John Diggle. My friend." Oliver explained as he introduced Diggle to Tommy. "John, meet Earth-2 Tommy."

"What brings you here, Ollie?" Tommy asked.

Oliver sighed. "The Dark Archer stole dwarf star particles and is planning to use them to level the Glades tonight."

"How do you know that?" Laurel asked.

"Because I was just with him." Oliver said before he looked at Laurel seriously. "The Dark Archer is Adrian Chase."

Laurel paled and breathed out, groaning, refraining herself from rolling her eyes. "You're kidding me. In hindsight, I shouldn't be surprised, though."

"He wants revenge on the Glades because his wife died there." Oliver explained.

"OK, if you wanted to destroy an entire neighborhood, how would you do it?" Tommy mused.

"I'd use an earthquake machine." Diggle said.

"I think that's too sci-fi, don't you think?" Tommy countered. "And Chase stole the dwarf star particles, and they could be used to make a powerful weapon." He approached the computer. "Maybe if I try to figure out the approximate blast radius and overlay it with the map of the Glades, I can locate where the device might be. Four square blocks."

"So we split up, find it on foot." Laurel said.

"No, we don't. Chase's wife died in the Glades. We find out where, we find him. I know I'd try to get some poetic justice." Oliver said.

"She was mugged and murdered in an alley near Crescent Circle." Laurel said.

"Good. That's where we head." Diggle said.

"Suit up." Oliver and Tommy said in unison before they smiled at each other.

Later, the Glades

"Chase could be anywhere inside. Start with the ground floor. Work our way up." Oliver said.

"Let's do this." Diggle said as he put on his helmet.

Oliver, Diggle, Laurel and Tommy entered the building and immediately engaged the thugs inside and Oliver was impressed, since Tommy's skills would seem to match his own and he could tell that Laurel had improved in the past few months before he saw the Dark Archer entering the building and followed him upstairs until he encountered Rene and Dinah.

"You should've stayed on that island." Dinah smirked.

Oliver rushed upstairs and threw Dinah down the stairwell and kicked Rene as he fell against the wall, both of them knocked out as Oliver smirked. "Back on my Earth, you had a better teacher."

Oliver ran upstairs and entered the rooftop and dodged as Adrian, now in his Dark Archer suit, fired an arrow and Oliver noticed the earthquake device right next to him.

"So tell me, are you ready to die?" Adrian demanded and the parallels between Oliver's showdown with Malcolm were not lost to him.

"Are you?" Oliver countered.

Oliver fired an arrow but Adrian dodged, while notching his own arrow as they rushed at each other, shooting arrows and Oliver felt another Déjà vu, facing off with the Dark Archer, only this time, it was another one of his bitter enemies.

As Oliver and Adrian neared each other, Oliver slid down to avoid as Adrian swung his bow and raised his own to block Adrian's strikes as Oliver got up before he grabbed Adrian and threw him away. Adrian flipped and caught the arrow that Oliver fired, inches away from his face before it exploded in sparks and Adrian yelped as he was sent to the ground.

Adrian got up, pulling out a sword and Oliver dodged, when Adrian attempted to stab him. Adrian ducked to avoid Oliver's blow and kicked him in the leg, staggering Oliver back before Oliver parried Adrian's sword with his bow and disarmed him. Adrian grabbed Oliver's bow, disarming him before kicking him in the back as Oliver rolled away.

Oliver got up and grabbed Adrian's leg as Adrian attempted to kick him and knocked him down. Oliver then dodged as Adrian attacked Oliver with his own bow and knocked it off his hand. They both got up and Adrian blocked Oliver's punches before Oliver landed a powerful kick to Adrian's chest, staggering him back. Oliver rushed at Adrian and did a Hurricanrana, knocking him down and finished him off by repeatedly pummeling him in the face.

Oliver got up as he turned to the device, with Adrian panting out as he took off his mask. "You can't! I've made sure it's encrypted by my personal code. You're not going to break it in time. I told you, Oliver, I'm always ten steps ahead of you."

"No. This time, you're ten steps behind." Oliver said as he examined the device, remembering the blueprints of the earthquake device on Earth-1 and the similarities were not lost to him as he fiddled with the wires and it was seconds to being set off before Oliver managed to disarm it as he turned to Adrian. "It's over and you've lost, Adrian."

Adrian glared up at Oliver, seething.

Later, the Lair

"So, as we agreed. The dwarf star particles that powered the device." Tommy said as he handed Oliver the canister with the dwarf star particles. "What are you gonna do with them?"

"Not destroy a city. Don't worry." Oliver assured as he put the canister into the bag.

"Why do I get the sense that you guys won't be sticking around for a victory drink?" Laurel asked.

"We have to get back home to our Earth." Diggle explained.

"This city's lucky to have a hero like you in it." Oliver said.

Laurel actually looked touched by the sentiment. "Wow. That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Thank you." She smiled gratefully as Oliver nodded. "You take care of yourself. Both of you."

Oliver nodded as she left.

"You OK?" Diggle asked.

"I'm just worried about whether what I'm doing is gonna be enough." Oliver said.

"Enough to save the multiverse, or to save Barry and Kara?" Diggle pointed out. "Look, man, trying your best may not always be enough to save everyone… but it doesn't make it your fault. All you can do is try to make the best out of a bad situation. And you don't need to do this alone."

Queen Manor

Oliver and Diggle returned to the manor as Oliver saw Moira watching the news report about the Dark Archer arrested as he hugged Moira.

"Is everything alright, honey?" Moira asked.

"I just want you to know that no matter what, I'll always love you, Mom." Oliver said, on verge of tears before they saw on the news a red wave of energy.

"What's that?" Moira wondered.

Oliver went outside and wondered what was going on as he met Diggle at the garden. "What the hell is this?"

"Oh, good, you're still here." Laurel said in relief as she entered with Tommy.

"What's going on?" Oliver asked.

"The city is under attack." Tommy explained.

"By who?" Oliver asked in confusion before they saw a red wave of energy consuming everything in its path and disintegrating it as it wiped out the maids in the manor.

"We have to get the hell out of here." Laurel said.

"And go where?" Diggle questioned.

"Home. Cisco's device." Oliver reminded and Diggle nodded.

Diggle pulled out the interdimensional extrapolator as he opened a breach before they saw Moira and Malcolm rush out. "Oliver!"

"Tommy!"

"Mom?" Oliver stared.

"Dad?" Tommy blinked.

They stared in horror to see their parents being obliterated.

"Guys, we have to run! Now, come on!" Laurel ordered as they followed her through the breach, while Earth-2 ended obliterated.

Chapter Text

When Oliver woke up, he felt a familiar déjà vu, as he was lying in bed in an apartment, while next to him on a night desk was lying the interdimensional extrapolator.

"I warned you not to interfere." Novu said as he appeared in front of Oliver.

"You didn't bring us here?" Oliver asked, as he recovered from his shock.

"No. I discovered what had transpired on Earth-2, that you intervened to save Laurel Lance and Thomas Merlyn. I redirected you."

"What… the hell happened back there?" Oliver demanded slowly.

"A herald of what is to come, an entire world erased from existence." Novu explained.

"Where's my mother? Where's Rene? Where's Dinah?" Oliver demanded.

"They are no more." Novu said bluntly.

"Did you hurt John, Tommy and Laurel?" Oliver asked.

"They are alive and nearby, but now you know that if we fail to stop the coming Crisis, what you witnessed will occur on infinite Earths across the expanse of time." Novu explained.

"How did I fail? Your dwarf star particles are right there." Oliver gestured to the duffel bag.

"You disobeyed my instructions to avoid entanglements on a parallel Earth. You confronted Adrian Chase. You altered the fate of Laurel Lance." Novu said.

"You said I wasn't supposed to interfere in the events of Earth-2 and I wasn't trying to but I had no choice, if I wanted to get the dwarf star particles! What was I supposed to do? Let Chase kill thousands of innocents and then take them? Besides, I wouldn't have been able to stop him on my own and I was not going to watch my friends die again, so don't you dare lecture me!" Oliver exploded.

"You are not a man accustomed to following orders, but the survival of the multiverse requires that you obey mine." Novu said.

"I will do whatever it takes to save the multiverse but you should know that sometimes things don't go as planned and you need to improvise." Oliver sneered, having enough of Novu's lecturing as he looked around, realizing there was something familiar about this place. "Where are we?"

"Your home Earth, where you will complete your next task. There's a man named Dr. Robert Wong. Bring him to me." Novu ordered.

"Why?" Oliver demanded.

"Now, that is not your concern." Novu said as they heard pounding on the door. "Do not fail me again."

Novu teleported, just as Diggle entered. "Oliver, we have to get out of here… now."

Oliver followed Diggle into another corridor as they heard sounds of fighting.

"Who are they?" Oliver inquired.

"Local gang. I think we busted up a deal." Diggle said.

From around the corner, several Asian men entered the corridor and attacked Oliver and Diggle but Oliver and Diggle fought back and took them down before they heard a Siren Cry as Laurel and Tommy entered.

"Nice of you to show up." Laurel quipped.

They went out as Tommy frowned as they looked around. "Is it just me or does this place look like…"

"…Hong Kong." Oliver realized.

"What the hell happened back there?" Tommy asked.

"You saw that energy wave on Earth-2 back in our manor, right? Our parents disappearing in the energy wave?" Oliver pointed out.

"And you're saying it happened on the whole Earth?" Tommy demanded.

"The Monitor told me it did." Oliver nodded.

"The Monitor?" Tommy repeated, confused.

Laurel took a breath. "Tommy, it's complicated but there's this… omnipotent entity calling himself 'The Monitor' but his real name is Mar Novu."

Oliver nodded. "Before I arrived on your Earth, he put me and the Flash of my Earth and another hero through this… test for a crisis that he said was coming, threatening the entire multiverse and he told me that if I wanted to prevent the crisis, we needed to do what he asked us to."

"Which is why I came looking for you, when I returned to Earth-2." Laurel said, turning to Tommy.

"This… this is insane." Tommy shook his head. "There… there has to be a way back to our Earth."

"That's assuming there's anything left of our Earth. You still have that breach device?" Laurel asked as Oliver handed it to her and she tried to open a breach. "It's not working."

"Probably damaged on our jump through the portal." Diggle realized.

"We don't have time to go all the way to S.T.A.R. Labs." Laurel said.

"Can't we find someone else who can fix it, someone local? Maybe someone from our Earth survived." Tommy said.

"I'm sorry, but we need to focus on the mission." Oliver said, not ungently.

"There's no one left to save. The only thing that we can do right now is prevent this from happening again by doing what the Monitor tells us—" Oliver started.

"I don't care about the Monitor, there must be a way back!" Tommy exploded.

"Tommy, I get it." Laurel held him by his shoulder. "Look, I get it but there's nothing we can do anymore."

Tommy breathed out in frustration as he walked off.

"Tommy!" Oliver yelled.

"Tommy!" Laurel shouted as she sighed. "I knew that the Crisis was gonna be bad but I didn't think it'd be this bad. Let me talk to him."

Oliver and Diggle entered an internet café as Diggle approached an elderly manager.

"Harbinger sends her regards." Diggle whispered.

The manager nodded as he pressed a hidden button and the door opened, revealing a hidden room and they entered.

"Oh. This would have come in handy ten years ago." Oliver said.

"Well, it helps to be married to Lyla Michaels, who is en route even as we speak." Diggle said.

"John, I didn't even want to get you involved in this." Oliver pleaded.

"I know, but if what you told me is true, which is that we're facing the destruction of… well, hell, man, pretty much everything, then to me that's the very definition of 'all hands on deck.'" Diggle said as he turned to the computer as Oliver sat down. "Check this out. Now this machine is hooked up to A.R.G.U.S.'s intranet, so we can access all the information it has on Dr. Wong." He then noticed Oliver sighing in frustration. "You want to tell me what that face is all about, or are you gonna make me guess?"

Oliver sighed, feeling guilty. "The Monitor warned me not to get involved, and, I don't know, if I'd just found a way to get the dwarf star particles without trying to stop Chase's Undertaking, then—"

"Oliver, what were you supposed to do, just sit back and let it happen?" Diggle pointed out.

"I ignored the orders of a cosmic being, and as a result, I watched an entire world just disappear, so…" Oliver took a breath. "I'm just trying not to make the same mistake twice."

"Well, if this cosmic being wanted someone willing to watch the mass murder of innocent people, then… he picked the wrong hero. You shouldn't blame yourself, man." Diggle assured.

"Well, what about my behavior over the past seven years has given you the impression that I would?" Oliver asked sarcastically as Diggle chuckled before Oliver looked at the computer. "Got him."

"Good." Diggle looked at the screen.

"Dr. Robert Wong, renowned biophysicist. Won the Nobel Prize in the specialty of complex proteins and antibodies." Oliver read.

"First the dwarf star particles, now a mysterious scientist. Can't the Monitor just snap his fingers and get both?" Diggle wondered.

"Well, he's not the biggest fan of sharing information." Oliver pointed out before they looked at one of the reports in dismay. "OK. Looks like Dr. Wong might not be that easy to find. He's been missing a week. This is the last known photo."

"Wan Chai university. He's a professor." Diggle noted.

"That's where we start." Oliver ordered.

"We need to do this quietly, stay under the radar." Diggle said as they went out, just as armed thugs entered.

Oliver sighed in frustration. "Too late."

Oliver and Diggle engaged the thugs as Diggle slammed a monitor at one of them and kicked back another. Oliver was exchanging blows with another thug and threw him away before knocking him down on the ground. Diggle took down one of the thugs before two more entered with SMGs.

Suddenly, an Asian dark-haired woman in black hooded cloak and wearing a white mask with red sun on her forehead, wielding two katanas, jumped in through the window and cut the thugs before stabbing them in their chests and she lowered her hood as Oliver and Diggle recognized her.

"Tatsu?" Oliver asked in surprise.

"You will be safe here." Tatsu said as they entered her safehouse.

"So who were those men, Triad?" Diggle inquired.

"Shu Gang, their rivals." Tatsu said.

"Why are you in Hong Kong? I thought you were with the Crescent Order." Oliver said, looking at her in confusion.

"I was until I gave Nyssa the Lotus cure to save your sister, and they called for my head." Tatsu explained.

"So you decided to become a vigilante?" Diggle asked.

"My son died in this city." Tatsu reminded with a firm look in her eyes. "No more Akios will die here as long as I'm here to protect them."

Oliver glanced down in sympathy and shame, knowing that Akio's death was in part his fault.

"That explains what I'm doing here." Tatsu said, narrowing her eyes at Oliver.

"It's all you, man." Diggle shrugged.

"Right. We're looking for a scientist named Dr. Robert Wong." Oliver explained.

"Why?" Tatsu inquired.

"There's a crisis coming that quite literally threatens the entire universe." Oliver said, piquing her interest. "A man… something like a man has asked me to help him stop it."

"You mean Mar Novu?" Tatsu demanded.

"You've heard of him?" Diggle inquired, both him and Oliver looking at Tatsu surprised.

"When I was with the Crescent Order. A being who transcends universes, a crisis brewing." Tatsu said.

"He believes Dr. Wong can help him stop it." Oliver explained.

"And you believe him?" Tatsu asked warily.

"I have to." Oliver nodded.

"Then how can I help?" Tatsu offered.

Oliver shook his head. "Tatsu, what we're doing is very dangerous. I… I can't ask you to be involved."

"You're not asking. I'm offering." Tatsu insisted.

Oliver pulled out a file and handed it to Tatsu. "Dr. Wong was seen last leaving his classroom at Wan Chai university. That was a week ago."

"We're trying to figure out why he would have left town." Diggle said.

"I don't think he has." Tatsu said as she picked a magnifying glass, examining a picture in the file, taking a look at the pins on the jackets of the suits of the men in the photo. "Those pins, they're only worn by the Security Wing, Hong Kong version of the secret police."

"With a very healthy reputation for silencing political enemies of the state." Oliver added glumly.

"Yeah, but why would they be going after Dr. Wong?" Diggle wondered.

"We need to find out." Oliver said.

Tommy was sitting in an alley with his hands crossed and head placed on it, contemplating.

"I just can't believe it. Our entire world gone because of some Crisis?" Tommy demanded.

"I know how it all sounds but we need to work together, or what you saw back there, that's going to happen here too and on every other Earth." Laurel said.

"Look, how do you even know you can trust this Monitor guy?" Tommy demanded. "I mean, my parents gone, your sister—"

"I know what I have lost, but that's nothing in comparison with what billions of people are going to lose, if we don't help Ollie too. Imagine billions of Theas, Malcolms, Moiras dead, if we do nothing." Laurel pleaded as she held Tommy by his shoulder. "You once told me that when we are down, we need to get up on our feet and remember why we're fighting and what we're fighting for, otherwise, our mission will have been for nothing. And you need to believe it too."

"She's right."

They turned to see Lyla approach.

"Johnny called me, thought you guys might need some help." Lyla explained. "Look, I know what it's like to lose people."

"Do you know what is it like to lose an entire universe, a whole world, where you had people you cared about?" Tommy pointed out.

"No." Lyla admitted.

"Then how can you understand what we're going through right now?" Tommy snapped.

"Because I know survivor's guilt." Lyla said as they looked up at her. "When I was in Afghanistan, my unit got sent out on patrol on a day I drew base duty. It was a routine op. We'd done it a hundred times before. Only this time, there was an IED in the road. None of them made it back. I used to lie in bed at night asking myself, 'Why them? Why not me?' And I made every deal I could think of with any god I thought might listen."

"Did it work?" Tommy asked.

"Not exactly." Lyla admitted as she gave Tommy and Laurel an understanding look. "So you're right. I don't know what you're going through, but I do know something about survivor's guilt."

"Does it get any easier?" Laurel wondered.

"No. All we can do is try and move forward." Lyla said.

Tommy and Laurel looked on verge of tears.

"How do you expect us to move forward, when everyone we have ever cared about, is dead?" Tommy demanded brokenly.

"By not giving up. By doing the right thing. We honor the dead by fighting for the living." Lyla said as they considered. "This world needs you, too."

"I spoke to contact on Hong Kong police force." Tatsu said as she returned. "As soon as I mentioned Dr. Wong's name, he stopped talking. He seemed afraid."

Oliver sighed. "I think we know why. It seems that Dr. Wong has been working on a top-secret project for the Chinese government."

"Exactly, which means the Security Wing wasn't kidnapping him. It was trying to help him." Diggle said.

"He must be in protective custody." Tatsu realized.

"Safehouse in the Wan Chai district but they're planning on moving him out tonight." Oliver nodded.

"Then we better get moving." Tatsu said.

Later, Wan Chai district, Hong Kong

Dr. Wong and his guards went out, when the protection detail was hit by darts as they passed out before Green Arrow, Spartan and Katana showed up.

"Don't hurt me." Wong said, terrified before bikers in black appeared.

Oliver, Diggle and Tatsu took cover behind cars as the thugs pulled out Uzis and fired.

"Triad!" Tatsu realized.

"We can't let them get away with Dr. Wong!" Oliver ordered as Wong was running away.

"We won't! Go, go, go!" Diggle ordered as Oliver ran off after Wong and Diggle fired at the thugs, who took cover behind their bikes.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Oliver yelled, running through the crowd of panicked people and chasing Wong before an Asian woman with stark white hair leapt down from above, getting in his way as Oliver's ran cold.

"Welcome back to Hong Kong." China White smirked.

Oliver and White exchanged blows before Oliver slammed her to a table, while the bikers managed to kidnap Wong. White recovered, while Oliver blocked her kick but the following one sent him crashing against the glass before she threw a smoke grenade, concealing her escape as Tatsu and Diggle approached.

"It's gas." Tatsu noted.

"We need to get these people out of here." Diggle said.

"John, Tatsu, evacuate the street, I'm going after Wong!" Oliver ordered as he jumped up on the poles above, pursuing White and Wong before he jumped down on the line on which were lanterns hanging but noticed that Triad had managed to get away with Wong.

Later

Oliver, Diggle and Tatsu returned to the safe house.

"No sign of Dr. Wong. Triad must have taken him deep underground." Diggle said as he was examining the CCTV footage.

"I thought China White was in Iron Heights." Oliver said.

"Yeah. Well, so did I, and as far as I know, Lyla did, too." Diggle nodded.

"Well, our situation just got a whole lot more complicated." Oliver grumbled.

"You seemed ready to let those people die back there." Tatsu said, crossing her arms.

"I knew you had it handled, and you knew that Dr. Wong was the priority." Oliver reminded.

"You sound like someone I used to know. You. Nine years ago, single-minded about your mission." Tatsu reminded.

"Tatsu, with due respect, if you had seen what I have seen, you would understand. The Monitor is our best chance at preventing it from happening again." Oliver pointed out.

"I've seen that blind faith in you before, as well, with Amanda Waller." Tatsu reminded.

"That wasn't blind faith. She threatened my family, Tatsu. Right now, the stakes are every family in existence." Oliver said.

"Guys, I really hate to interrupt this, but none of this matters if we don't find this missing scientist, right?" Diggle reminded.

"Why does the Triad want him? His work does not seem harmful." Tatsu wondered.

"Yeah? Well, innocent men don't work on secret government projects." Diggle pointed out.

"We need to know what this project is. Then we'll know why the Triad is after him." Oliver said.

"There's nothing in any governmental databases about the project Dr. Wong was working on." Diggle said as they accessed the computer.

"So we're back to square one?" Oliver grumbled.

"No, not exactly. An A.R.G.U.S. mole led me to a paper trail, some equipment that Dr. Wong purchased. He shipped it to this address." Diggle said as they looked at some invoices.

"Well, it's his lab. It has to be. We need to get in there." Oliver ordered.

"That may not be so easy. I know this place. It's a PLA garrison." Tatsu said.

Oliver sighed in frustration. "Those garrisons have a reputation for being almost impenetrable."

"Almost. But not quite." Tatsu typed on the laptop, showing some blueprints on the screen. "There are certain vulnerabilities."

"Yeah. Well, even if we could get in that place, it's gonna be heavily fortified." Diggle argued.

"That's never stopped us before." Oliver pointed out.

Later

The PLA guards were in the elevator before Green Arrow entered through the hatch and slammed two guards against the walls. Green Arrow punched one of them and kicked another one back before slamming them both to the ground, knocking them out.

"I'm almost at the sublevel." Green Arrow called out on his comms.

"The elevator will take you straight to the lab." Tatsu said.

"Most likely will be guarded." Diggle said.

As the elevator opened, Green Arrow threw a dart, knocking out a guard as an alarm went off.

"Alright, I've definitely been made." Oliver said.

"You only have few minutes." Tatsu said.

Oliver plugged in a flash drive as the data were bring uploaded. "I'm starting the upload."

Back in their hideout, Tatsu and paled, her blood running cold as she saw the photos and data, containing information on BTHK Biotech.

"What? What is it?" Diggle asked, noticing the terrified look in Tatsu's eyes.

"I know what the Triad is after." Tatsu said. "Dr. Wong has been trying to recreate the Alpha/Omega virus."

Oliver looked at the glass case and paled. "He's not trying. He's already done it."

Later

Oliver returned to the hideout as everyone looked worried.

"After what happened last time, you'd think the Chinese government would have learned its lesson." Diggle muttered.

"The Alpha/Omega is a powerful weapon." Tatsu pointed out.

"Yeah, and the Triad could already have it." Diggle grumbled.

"If they had it, they wouldn't have any need for Dr. Wong. It's just a matter of time before they make him recreate it." Oliver pointed out.

"Which means, Oliver, that we have a ticking clock and absolutely no plan." Diggle said.

"We have this." Oliver pulled out from the bag a glass tube as Tatsu and Diggle stared, widening their eyes in disbelief.

"You stole the virus?" Tatsu demanded incredulously.

"This is what China White wants, this is what I'm gonna give her." Oliver said.

"Oliver, you more than anyone else knows how dangerous this is." Diggle reminded.

"Which is why I'm not actually going to give it to her, we're using it as bait to draw her out." Oliver said.

"My husband tried this gambit once already and you're the one who told him he made a mistake." Tatsu reminded.

"This is different. Maseo had every intention of actually giving the virus to China White. I don't." Oliver said.

"It's too risky." Tatsu insisted.

"It's riskier to do nothing." Oliver pointed out. "If anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears."

"I'll start making arrangements." Diggle said after a moment, knowing that they had no other choice.

"You're not talking me out of this." Oliver said as he saw Tatsu approach, while he was gearing up.

"I know." Tatsu nodded.

"Trust me, Tatsu. I will not let China White get the virus." Oliver assured.

"And what if you fail?" Tatsu pointed out.

"I'm not gonna fail." Oliver insisted.

"Nine years ago, you failed to stop the virus, and my son died." Tatsu reminded with a haunted look in her eyes.

"And I regret it every day." Oliver nodded.

"You must remember it because of what happened after." Tatsu added.

"I tortured General Shrieve." Oliver admitted painfully.

"Your grief, your anger, your guilt over the failure, it stole your humanity." Tatsu said, not ungently.

"This is different. I'm not angry. I'm simply doing what has to be done." Oliver argued.

"How do you know that?" Tatsu questioned. "It is said that Mar Novu believes order comes through chaos."

"So he's bringing us order?"

"But first maybe chaos. He's asking you to bring him a man who recreated a deadly virus. Why? How do you know he won't use it for something worse than the Triad?"

"I don't know, but I have to believe him. I have no other choice."

"Even if that is true, he does not seem to care who he hurts along the way. Sometimes, the mission is not worth the cost." Tatsu said as Oliver looked away. "You know that, so why are you still doing what he asks?"

"Because if I'm wrong… if I'm wrong, then all of this is for nothing. Do you understand, Tatsu?" Oliver said brokenly. "I'm making a huge gambit to save Barry and Kara, I've left Sara and my friends behind so if… if… if the… if the Monitor can't fix this and if he is not here to help, then all of these things that I've sacrificed and all the things that so many other people have already sacrificed will have been for nothing."

Tatsu looked at Oliver in sympathy as both her and Oliver's eyes were getting wet.

"I need my family and my friends to live, which means that I need this to work." Oliver said firmly.

"You're risking too much." Tatsu pointed out.

"There's no other choice." Oliver said.

"There's always another choice." Tatsu reasoned.

Later

Later, China White and her men waited at the docks as Oliver approached with the briefcase with virus.

"You're late. I thought you changed your mind." White said.

"Deal's a deal. Thank you for meeting me." Oliver said.

"Anything for a friend." White smirked.

"Now I have the virus. Where's Dr. Wong?" Oliver demanded.

"He's nearby. I'm surprised, when I got your call." White noted.

"Well, I'm surprised that you're not in Iron Heights." Oliver said.

"It's not the first time someone has escaped that place, remember?" White smirked as she looked around. "I assume your friend Mr. Diggle is here too."

"Perimeter's clean." Diggle said, as he was at a vantage point, aiming his sniper rifle at White. "Tatsu, any sign of Wong?"

Tatsu climbed up on the rafters as she looked around. "Not yet. I don't think he's here." She noticed a car driving in. "Wait. Someone's coming."

"Oliver, keep her talking." Diggle said.

"You and I… we have been enemies since the very beginning, but there's something coming. It is bigger than us. It's something that threatens our entire Earth." Oliver said, trying to reason with White. "Let me see him."

"Give me the case." White ordered as Oliver handed the case to one of her henchmen, while she picked the glass container with the virus.

"Tatsu, we have to move, now." Diggle said.

"I see him. I'm going in." Tatsu said as White's men pulled Wong out of the car but then she noticed something. "Wait. He's wearing some kind of a vest. It looks like explosives."

"China White must have the detonator." Diggle realized as White's henchman put the vial into an analyzer that bleeped green as the henchman nodded at White.

"It's real." White said in satisfaction as she put the vial with the virus back in the case and turned to her men, speaking in Chinese. "Bring the scientist."

"That vest is not part of the agreement." Oliver growled, pointing at Wong as White's men dragged him in.

"I had to be sure you weren't gonna do anything stupid." White sneered as she pulled out the trigger and shoved Wong towards Oliver. "I'll deactivate it once I'm safe in the car. Until next time, Oliver."

"There's not going to be 'next time'." Oliver said, much to her confusion. "Now."

On cue, Tatsu jumped down from above and cut down two of Triad's thugs, while Diggle provided covering fire from the distance. White and her men were trying to escape with Wong and picked the case as they ran off.

"Damn it! I'm going after the virus!" Diggle said as he got up and followed the thugs and Oliver followed Wong.

Diggle rushed into the warehouse and shot down one of the thugs before engaging the other two. One of them disarmed Diggle but Diggle kicked him in the leg, knocking him down before grabbing the other one by his arm and they exchanged blows before Diggle broke his arm. The other thug had recovered in the meantime but Diggle threw him on the thug he had knocked down, taking them both out.

White jumped from one ship to another as she ran down the docks, while Tatsu was chasing her before they faced each other.

"Chien Na Wei." Tatsu said.

"Tatsu Yamashiro." White smirked. "You really think this will go better than the last time?"

Tatsu glared as White pulled out her karambit knives and Tatsu pulled out a pair of katanas.

White dodged Tatsu's blades before blocking them with her knives.

Oliver ran up the upper walkway and jumped down, shooting one of the thugs dragging Wong away before he kicked the other thug in the face and knocked him down before slamming him on a table and punching him in the face, knocking him out.

"I have Dr. Wong." Oliver said over the comms.

More thugs showed up and Oliver was about to notch an arrow before they were shot down by arrows as Oliver looked up to see another archer in green hood, who smirked.

"What? Did you think I'd let you have all the fun, Ollie?" Tommy quipped as they smiled at each other.

Diggle was still fighting other thugs before Lyla entered, shooting them down.

"Hi, honey." Lyla smiled at Diggle.

"Virus is secure." Diggle said as he tapped his comms.

Oliver examined the suicide vest on Wong. "I can't remove the vest without triggering it. We need that detonator."

White dodged and retreated as Tatsu attacked with her swords and White used her knives to attack, while Tatsu blocked. They exchanged blows with their weapons before Tatsu kicked White in the stomach and dodged as White attacked with both weapons before Tatsu grabbed her by her wrist and knocked the knife away and pinned her to the wall, with the blade to White's neck. Both women struggled before White shook Tatsu off but Tatsu kicked White in the chest as White grunted and fell down, while Tatsu pointed the tip of the sword at her.

"The detonator." Tatsu ordered.

White glared before handing Tatsu the trigger as she smirked. "You better kill me now."

"I have the detonator." Tatsu called out over the comms.

White used the opening to stab her in the abdomen and Tatsu groaned, staggering as she dropped her sword, while gasping in pain, holding her wound.

White got up on her feet and picked Tatsu's sword, about to finish her off but suddenly, a Siren Cry sounded off, sending White flying to the water as they heard 'splash.'

"Looks like I'm not the only one who needed backup." Laurel said as Oliver relaxed.

"Tatsu's resting in the infirmary. She'll be in pain for a few days, but she'll be fine." Lyla explained, once they returned to the safehouse.

"She would have been dead if you hadn't have come back and fought with us." Oliver said, looking at Tommy and Laurel gratefully.

"I don't know if we'll ever get over what happened on Earth-2, but if you're trying to make sure something like that never happens again, we've got your back, Ollie." Tommy assured and Oliver nodded.

"Well, at least we accomplished our objective. How's Dr. Wong?" Diggle asked.

"He's fine. In a secure location. The virus is, too." Lyla assured.

"And so what, we're gonna write a letter to the Monitor or something like that? I mean, how will he know we got our guy?" Tommy asked.

"Don't think he sends letters." Diggle noted.

"I don't want to hand over Dr. Wong just yet. I want answers, and if he is not gonna give them to me, I'm gonna find them somewhere else." Oliver said.

"Oliver, what are you talking about?" Diggle inquired, confused.

"Tatsu... she told me that I had to be absolutely sure that I was making the right choice." Oliver said, worry flooding him. "She almost died, John. A lot of people have died already for the sake of this mission. I owe it to all of them to find out who the Monitor really is."

"And, Oliver, what if we don't like the answers to those questions? What do we do then?" Diggle pointed out.

"We find another way to stop it. There's always another way." Oliver said as he got up.

"Oliver, so what's the plan?" Laurel asked.

"I need to apologize to a friend of mine first." Oliver said.

"Think the doctors would have preferred you stay in the hospital." Oliver said as he approached Tatsu, who was lying on the couch, clutching the wound on her abdomen.

"I have survived worse." Tatsu assured.

"Brought you something." Oliver handed Tatsu a pouch.

"Herbs." Tatsu noted as she looked into the pouch.

"There's a rumor going around they help with healing." Oliver smiled.

"I have seen many battles. For a moment, I believed this was my last." Tatsu said with a haunted look in her eyes. "I saw Akio and Maseo, but... this was not my time."

"Tatsu, you almost died because of me. I'm sorry." Oliver said and Tatsu nodded in acknowledgement. "Well, you were right when you said that some missions aren't worth the cost, so I'm gonna make sure that this one is."

"So where will you go?" Tatsu asked.

"You heard a rumor about the Monitor and a coming crisis?" Oliver inquired.

"I doubt the Crescent Order will have the answers you seek." Tatsu said.

"Thankfully, there are organizations on this Earth far, far older than the Crescent Order." Oliver said and Tatsu's eyes lit up in realization. "I'm going to Nanda Parbat." He got up and pulled out his phone, dialing a number.

"Hello?"

"Sara, it's Oliver."

"Ollie, where have you been? Felicity, William and everyone's been freaking out." Sara said.

"How long will it take you to get to Nanda Parbat?" Oliver asked.

Somewhere in the woods, a breach opened as from it jumped out dark-haired a man in mid-50s with a bag as he tried to open a breach again with the interdimensional extrapolator but couldn't, much to his confusion.

"What the hell happened? Jesse…" Harry Wells said worriedly.

In another part of Hong Kong, Lyla drove the docks, facing a tall figure in the shadows.

"You should have told me what was going to happen on Earth-2." Lyla said as Mar Novu emerged from the shadows. "John was there. He could have been killed."

"The destruction of that Earth was a necessary sacrifice." Novu said.

"And what about Laurel Lance and Tommy Merlyn? Their friends, their families..."

"Countless more like them will perish if we do not ensure that Oliver Queen is prepared for what is coming." Novu said as Lyla stiffened. "Were you successful?"

Lyla nodded. "Yes. I have Dr. Wong."

"Then let us proceed." Novu said.

Chapter Text

Nanda Parbat

Deep in the mountains, Oliver and Sara walked down the forest in the dark and approached a camp, where was a freshly extinguished campfire and Oliver went to examine it before they sensed an arrow behind them and Sara whirled around to catch it. A moment later, a red-hooded woman emerged from the shadows and attacked Oliver with her bow and they exchanged few blows before they stopped as they looked at each other's faces.

"Ollie?" Thea stared in shock as she lowered her hood.

"Hi, Speedy." Oliver smiled as he lowered his hood.

"A crisis?" Thea asked, staring in surprise as Oliver filled her in.

"I had hoped that I could find some answers in Nanda Parbat." Oliver said before he noticed the scar on Thea's cheek. "Where did you get that?"

"Athena." Thea explained.

" You destroyed the pits. You could have returned home, you know?" Nyssa pointed out as she approached with Roy and Sara.

"Pits may be gone, but the Thanatos Guild isn't. It's Malcolm's legacy and I need to make sure they can't hurt anyone, ever again." Thea said.

"That's fair." Oliver nodded in understanding.

"Look, Thea, I hope you understand why I left after Oliver got arrested." Roy said.

"I get it. Really." Thea nodded as she smiled at Oliver, Roy and Sara. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Oliver said.

"But I'm pretty sure I'm not the reason why you came here." Thea noted.

"Few months ago, I made a deal with a cosmic being named Mar Novu. He asked me to help him, but he's not very good at sharing information with the people he's working with." Oliver said.

"Sounds like somebody else I know." Thea drawled with a smile.

"Look, we're not quite sure if we can trust him, that's why we came here." Sara explained.

"I myself have no idea about Mar Novu but we know someone else who might." Nyssa said.

"What are you not telling me?" Thea asked apprehensively, since she could tell they were holding something back.

"I've seen the future. Barry and Kara are going to die, and I need to find a way to prevent that from happening, if I can." Oliver explained.

"OK. Well, let's try to figure out what we're dealing with." Thea said.

"I myself don't know much about Mar Novu, to be honest." Nyssa admitted.

"Me either and I asked Rip and the Legends but Gideon's information about the Monitor is vague at best." Sara said.

"We've kind of killed off every League member, haven't we?" Thea noted.

"I can think of one more." Oliver said.

"I thought you guys were friends now." Thea said as she walked down the forest with Oliver, Sara, Nyssa and Roy.

"Well, not exactly." Oliver said before they neared the ruins.

"OK, well, this place isn't the least bit creepy." Thea deadpanned as they looked around.

Suddenly, they were ambushed by a group of ninjas and Oliver, Sara, Roy, Nyssa and Thea engaged them.

"Hold! Leave us."

They all stopped in their track as a woman in black hood appeared.

"Your students used to ask questions first." Oliver said.

"I have learned that hesitation often proves fatal." The woman said as she put down her hood to reveal Talia's face. "You should not have come to this place."

"You owe me a debt. I'm here to collect." Oliver said.

"The five of you come here at great peril." Talia said, eying Oliver, Sara, Thea, Roy and Nyssa as she shot Thea an amused look. "Especially you. Word of your exploits has traveled far."

"I see you survived prison." Talia noted, turning to Oliver.

"Mm-hmm." Oliver nodded as he looked at Talia curiously. "Dr. Parker didn't. Heard he was killed with a sword."

"He received the justice he deserved." Talia shrugged.

"So now you're back to your old exploits?" Oliver asked.

"With the League gone, the region has become quite unstable." Talia explained.

"And you think training a bunch of assassins in a place like this is gonna stabilize it?" Thea questioned.

"I think it a wiser course of action than declaring a one-woman war on the Thanatos Guild." Talia said, amused.

"Much as I would like to have a debate with you, Talia, I need to know whatever the League might know about Mar Novu." Oliver said.

Talia narrowed her eyes, lost in her thoughts. "That's an unusual name. I'd remember it."

"If it helps, he's a cosmic god or whatever." Sara said.

"Well, such beings often go by many names." Talia considered as she turned to Oliver. "If I help you, I can consider my debt paid?"

"Yes." Oliver nodded.

"If the League has any information concerning this man, it will be found underneath the Karan Shah." Talia said.

"The League's stronghold." Sara said.

"It has since been destroyed but my father kept the League records in the catacombs, so with any luck, they're still there, waiting to be found." Talia said as she walked off. "We leave at nightfall."

"She's still fun." Thea quipped.

Later, Karan Shah

"Did Nanda Parbat look like that?" Roy asked as they went down the abandoned corridors of the ruined stronghold with Talia holding a torch.

"If this place took few renovations, yeah." Thea nodded. "Love what they haven't done with the place."

"I'm surprised you're helping us." Nyssa noted, sneering at Talia.

"As much as you might spite me, I still have some honor. And I'm willing to move past our grudge for now. Are you?" Talia questioned and Nyssa was silent. As much as she wanted to settle a score with her sister, there was more at stake.

"For now." Nyssa nodded.

"Assuming the Karan Shah hasn't been plundered, we're likely to find what we're looking for in 'The Chronicles of Al-Fatih'." Talia said. "He was the first Ra's al Ghul. According to legend, he was bestowed primordial knowledge by one of the sky gods. Now, my father kept a secret room with his most valued possessions, including information on Al-Fatih."

Talia pressed a hidden switch as the rock shifted, revealing hidden door as they entered the corridor and saw that the room had been ransacked.

"Looks like we're too late." Oliver noted.

"Not necessarily." Talia said as she put down her bow and opened a scroll, laughing. "The Chronicles of-Al Fatih."

"Why steal everything valuable and leave behind the one thing that we've been looking for?" Roy wondered.

"They didn't think it was worth anything to them." Nyssa explained.

"Right. What's it say?" Oliver asked.

"The phoenix is reborn in the fire." Thea read. "The path to your destiny follows me."

"Speedy, you just read Arabic." Oliver said.

"You speak Russian." Thea countered.

"The phoenix is reborn in the fire…" Roy repeated. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Every new recruit in the League must let their old selves die, so that their new one may be reborn." Nyssa explained.

Then it hit Oliver as he picked a torch. "We need to burn the scroll."

"The scroll is centuries old." Talia protested.

"Yeah." Oliver said as he burned the scroll and then found out that inside it was wrapped some metallic ball.

"Al-Fatih was a very paranoid man. He wouldn't let any traitor get to his secrets." Nyssa said as Talia was examining the inscriptions on the ball.

"I believe this leads to Al-Fatih's tomb." Talia said. "It stands to reason that he would attempt to take his secrets with him beyond the grave."

"A scavenger hunt then?" Sara asked.

"It would appear so, yes." Talia said.

"Why can't everything just be easy?" Thea groaned.

"Actually, your situation is more difficult than you think."

They all whirled around to see Athena and the Thanatos Guild assassins enter.

"Athena." Talia smirked.

"You have always been treacherous, Talia, but bringing outsiders into our sacred heart is a betrayal of the highest order." Athena said coldly as she turned to the ball in Talia's hand. "I'll take that. Relinquish it or perish."

Talia smirked. "As you wish."

"Sister…" Nyssa cautioned as Talia threw the ball to Athena.

"Attack them!" Athena ordered as the Guild assassins attacked them.

Oliver dodged and blocked with his bow as one of the assassins attacked with his sword and threw him away and knocked another assassin down. They exchanged blows before Oliver knocked them down. Roy dodged and threw another assassin against a shelf as it crashed before jumping over the pedestal and kicking another assassin. Sara kicked back another assassin and blocked their blades with her batons, while Thea blocked another assassin's sword with her bow and Nyssa kicked one of the assassins back before ducking as another one tried to cut her down and stabbed him with her sword, while Talia engaged Athena in swordfight

An assassin pinned Thea to the wall but Oliver and Roy knocked him back. Talia kicked Athena in the midsection as Athena stumbled back and dropped a flashbang on the ground as it exploded, blinding Athena and the Thanatos guild, while Oliver, Sara, Roy, Thea, Talia and Nyssa made their escape.

"Athena showing up right when we did can't be an accident." Oliver noted.

"No, and neither was her giving Athena the sphere." Thea noted as they all shot Talia looks.

"If you're accusing me, I'd like to point out few things. First, Athena and I are blood enemies." Talia said.

"And the second?" Sara questioned.

"She was most likely trailing you." Talia pointed out as she turned to Thea. "The woman, who's declared war on her."

"Why would Athena give a damn about some rusty old scroll buried with Al-Fatih?" Roy questioned.

"She wouldn't. She would give a damn about what else is buried with him, namely his sword as revered as the ring of Ra's." Talia said.

"If Athena gets her hand on Al-Fatih's sword, she will be able to restart the League of Assassins, since whoever wields the sword commands absolute devotion." Nyssa explained.

"And now she's got the marble of destiny or whatever." Thea muttered.

"Actually, it's a map." Talia explained. "The markings on it were constellations indicating the tomb's location but we don't need it. I memorized them."

"What? You memorized them?" Oliver asked as they all stopped, eying Talia with skepticism and suspicion.

"You didn't?" Talia asked as they all shot her glares.

"I see some things don't change, do they, sister?" Nyssa sneered.

Then they heard footsteps.

"We should set up lookouts. Who knows how long before the Thanatos Guild catches up with us." Roy noted.

"Go on ahead. I'll stay with Talia." Oliver ordered.

"You can't be serious." Thea protested.

"Ollie—" Sara started.

"We should give you a moment." Talia noted as she left with Nyssa, leaving Oliver alone with Thea, Roy and Sara.

"Ollie, I thought we were way past this overprotective brother thing." Thea said.

"It's not about that." Oliver said.

"You came to me for help." Thea reminded.

"I came to you for answers. I wasn't counting on getting attacked by Athena." Oliver said.

"Ollie, I think what Thea means is that she's a big girl now and she doesn't need you babysitting her anymore." Sara noted.

"I know that. But if Athena is trying to restart the League of Assassins, that makes you her chief rival." Oliver said as he turned to Thea.

"I don't care." Thea snapped.

"I care, Thea. If you want to help me, just… just let me handle this." Oliver pleaded.

"Look, man, you know you don't have to do this on your own, right? We can look after ourselves and each other, whatever's going on, we're all in this together." Roy reminded.

"I know that, it's just that… I need to be sure we know what we're up against." Oliver said as he left.

Talia and Oliver went down the woods.

"How much further?" Oliver asked.

"Patience. You realize they're all involved in this with you, whether you want it or not? Especially your sister. She's the Daughter of the Demon." Talia pointed out. "She has a claim to the sword."

"She's carried enough of Malcolm's burdens." Oliver protested.

"Fate does not care what we believe we're owed." Talia said. "You're very familiar with that. Isn't that why you're here?"

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked, not understanding.

"You carry yourself with a heaviness I have not seen since Russia. This is the place." Talia said as they stopped at the cliff and Oliver realized where they were but it wasn't covered in snow this time.

"I've been here before." Oliver said, remembering where he dueled Ra's.

"Yes. Where my father vanquished you. Hopefully you have better luck with the mountain this time." Talia teased.

They went forward before hearing 'clang' and creaking as Oliver stepped on a pressure plate.

"Down!" Oliver ordered as he and Talia crouched, while arrows fired from hidden turrets as they saw the pillar at the edge of the cliff.

"The phoenix up there, triggering the spears!" Talia said.

"I have an idea." Oliver said, firing an arrow at the phoenix and the turrets stopped firing before they went towards it and a compartment opened in the pillar, revealing a piece of cloth and a metal key.

"The key to the crypt of Ra's." Talia said as she looked at the cloth, revealing it to be a map.

"Looks like the entrance is right there." Oliver said, pointing at the map.

"Yes." Talia nodded before pocketing the map and then she jammed a dart into Oliver's neck as he was slowly passing out.

"What are you doing?" Oliver whispered.

"I am sorry, Oliver. I can't let Athena get to the sword but I can't let your or my sister get it either." Talia said as darkness claimed Oliver and he fell down the stairs.

When Oliver came to, Sara, Roy, Thea and Nyssa were standing at his side as they helped him get up.

"Looks like you're down one evil companion." Thea joked.

"I thought I told you to stay in the camp." Oliver muttered as he came to.

"Pity we didn't ignore you soon enough." Sara said.

"Hey, I don't have time for an 'I told you so'." Oliver groaned.

"My sister is going to take the trail to the summit." Nyssa said. "She won't be exhausting herself so much. We'll need to go up the face of the mountain to get ahead of her and Athena."

"Thought you said it was harder." Thea said.

"I've done it before." Oliver said.

"OK. If you can do it, we can do it." Thea said.

"Thea…" Oliver shot her a look.

"Ollie, just stop it. Start walking." Thea said.

They climbed up the mountain wall before they sat down, taking rest.

"Thought you said this was the hard part." Thea said.

"Don't get cocky." Oliver warned as they all stared at the sunrise.

Thea sighed as she noticed the worried look in his eyes. "OK, what is going on with you, Ollie? You never were this overprotective, when I left Star City."

"Things have changed." Oliver sighed. "I left William behind, Speedy. John. Felicity. My friends. And I miss them. And every day, I wrestle with whether or not I made the right decision because maybe I didn't, and…" He stared at the horizon in worry. "I saw an entire world wiped out of existence, a world that you weren't in, by the way, because I wasn't around to protect you."

Thea stared down, realizing how hard it must have been for Oliver.

"I'm sorry, Thea, but the only way that I can bear this is if I become 100% certain that what I'm doing will protect the people I love. Barry and Kara are going to die in the Crisis, but maybe I can prevent this and if not, I need to make sure everyone else is going to be safe." Oliver said.

"You know, I've been thinking a lot about Mom and Dad lately." Thea said. "Wondering what they would think about the lives we've chosen. All the mistakes they made, all the… lies they told in their own very, very messed up way. They thought they were protecting us."

"They weren't. They didn't." Oliver said.

"No but… it did help us become the people we are today." Thea noted and Oliver shrugged. "They turned us into heroes. We can't change the future, Ollie. The past teaches us you might as well not bother trying to."

"When you'd stop being my baby sister?" Oliver chuckled as they all smiled proudly at Thea.

"No. I never did. I just grew up a little bit." Thea said, gesturing with her fingers. "Now can we please get off this mountain?"

"Yeah." Oliver said.

They climbed up to the top and approached the entrance, only to notice that it had been opened already.

"We're not alone." Oliver said before they turned around, hearing footsteps as Athena and the Guild assassins appeared with restrained Talia.

"Apparently, this day isn't going the way either of us have planned." Talia said.

"Surrender your weapons." Athena ordered.

"What do you want?" Oliver demanded.

"The route the Al-Fatih's crypt will be dangerous." Athena said as one of her men cut Talia's restraints. "Always good to have a few sacrificial lambs to tell us where not to stray." She shoved Talia, forcing her to enter. "After you."

They entered the tomb, with Oliver holding a torch.

"Underground in Nanda Parbat. What could possibly go wrong?" Thea drawled as Oliver lit up the remaining torches in the tomb. "Well, Indiana Jones made this look way more fun."

Talia read the inscription on the coffin. "To survive death, you must embrace it."

"Well, how do you embrace death?" Oliver questioned. "The coffin. Come on."

They opened the coffin, revealing hidden stairwell going down.

"Go on." Athena ordered.

"OK." Oliver sighed.

They went downstairs and saw a rope with a hole leading them to the lower level.

"Prisoners first." Athena said as they saw the tiles on the floor. "Watch your step."

They descended down as Thea saw the symbol above the door. "Ollie. A Phoenix."

"Alright. Crypt must be through there." Oliver said.

"OK." Thea said, about to approach the door but Oliver pulled her away.

"Thea!" Oliver yelled as flames burst from the wall.

"Thank you." Thea said, panting out.

"Yeah." Oliver nodded.

They noticed another inscription on the floor as Talia read it. "All beings burn, but a Phoenix rises from the ashes."

"You see the phoenix tiles?" Sara asked, examining the floor.

"I think we need to use them to get across." Thea said.

"Just like Indiana Jones, right?" Roy noted.

Talia and Athena's assassins jumped at the tiles with phoenix but one of them slipped, triggering the flamethrowers and burning them to death as Talia got across.

Oliver, Sara, Roy, Thea and Nyssa followed Talia.

"After them!" Athena ordered to her assassins.

"You hold them off, I'll get Talia." Thea ordered.

"Thea—"

"Just trust me!" Thea told Oliver as she entered the tomb.

Oliver, Roy and Nyssa shot down Athena's men as Athena blocked their arrows with their swords, while rushing forward and Sara engaged one of Athena's men.

Talia entered the tomb, picking Al-Fatih's sword, astonished by holding it.

"Talia?" Thea called out as Talia turned around.

"You're too late." Talia said as Thea picked a sword from a stand.

"As Heir to the Demon, I have the right to challenge you to combat." Thea said.

"You wish to fight me?" Talia asked. "Very well, I accept. I hope you prove to be a worthy opponent."

Oliver, Nyssa and Roy shot down two more assassins, while Sara kicked another assassin away and Oliver dodged, when Athena attacked with her sword.

Thea and Talia fenced with their swords, seeming evenly matched before Talia grabbed Thea's hand and cut her across her chest as Thea gasped.

"Your father and brother trained you well. Pity the tools they learned, they learned from my father and me." Talia said.

"Less talking, more fighting." Thea sneered as they resumed their duel.

Roy blocked Athena's sword with his bow as she kicked Sara back. Nyssa grabbed Athena, throwing her back as she fell towards the trigger tiles, triggering more traps as rubble fell down from above and crushed her to death.

Despite Thea's training, Talia was more skilled and experienced as she kicked Thea in the legs, while she fell down and Talia pointed her sword at her.

"You were a fool to think you could defeat me." Talia said.

Thea crawled back and grabbed a chain from the pillar as she got up. "Actually, you're right where I want you."

Thea dodged, when Talia attempted to cut her head off and grabbed the chain, wrapping it around Talia's neck, choking her.

"Do you yield?" Thea sneered as Talia groaned, struggling for breath as Thea pulled the chain, tightening the grip. For a moment, it seemed that Thea would kill her before Talia, much to their surprise, surrendered.

"I yield." Talia choked out. Thea let her go as Talia gasped for air, taking deep breaths.

When it was over, they went out as Thea read Al-Fatih's journal.

"What does it say?" Roy asked.

"It says Al-Fatih was visited by a god, who possessed the power to see all that is and all that will be. He believed that if he failed to keep the balance between good and evil, this god would bring forth the end of times, the annihilation of all things." Thea read, all of them sharing grim looks as they saw a portrait of a man, who resembled Mar Novu.

"If this is true…" Sara trailed off.

"…then it means that Mar Novu is not trying to prevent what's going to happen because he's gonna be what causes it." Oliver finished before they saw Talia packing up.

"You're leaving?" Thea asked.

"I have betrayed my honor and the sacred traditions of the League." Talia said. "The sword was destined to be yours, daughter of Merlyn. I am sorry for the pain that I've caused to you. All of you." She said genuinely to Oliver, Sara, Roy, Thea and Nyssa.

"And your students?" Sara asked.

"I've released them." Talia said. "They will follow you, if that is what you wish."

"It's not." Thea protested. "You're their teacher. They need someone to follow."

"If I was meant to lead them, I would wield Al-Fatih's sword but you do, so the honor and burden are yours." Talia explained.

"Yeah. Hard pass." Thea said, not wanting to have such responsibility.

"It is your destiny." Talia said.

"Sister, I've come to realize recently that destiny may not be carved into stone." Nyssa pointed out. "We can decide our own fates."

"Meaning?" Talia questioned.

"Maybe this world doesn't need another League of Assassins." Thea said. "It could use League of Heroes. It wouldn't be a one-woman job."

"You'd extend me that honor despite my betrayals?" Talia asked.

"We've all made mistakes." Sara said as Oliver nodded.

"Not one but two, three women to wield my father's sword? He would be aghast." Talia considered before smiling, amused at the thought. "I accept."

She shook her hand with Thea.

"I'm sorry you didn't get the answers you were looking for." Thea said as she walked down the ruins with Oliver and Roy.

"Got to see you." Oliver said as he smiled at her.

"Here's what I don't get." Thea said.

"OK." Oliver nodded.

"If Mar Novu causes whatever's gonna happen, why does he bring you in in the first place?" Thea wondered.

"I don't know. Look. I just… I know that if he ends up being on the wrong side of this… I'm gonna stop him." Oliver promised.

"If you're gonna take on a god, Ollie, you're gonna need all the help you can get." Thea said.

"Pretty good on help actually." Oliver smiled. "I have John, I have Sara and Laurel… believe it or not."

"And me. I'm not going to leave him behind." Roy said.

"I get it." Thea nodded.

"Besides, it seems to me you have your hands full rebuilding the League of Assassins into a League of Heroes." Oliver said.

"Yeah." Thea sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying goodbye to you again." Oliver smiled.

"Well, you're not. Think of it as a… 'See you later, and please don't die.'" Thea said as they hugged each other in a tight embrace, with Oliver on verge of tears, which Thea noticed. "One of us is gonna have to let go first."

"Same time?" Oliver said.

"Mm-hmm." Thea nodded as they pulled away. "No hozen this time?"

"Not this time." Oliver said.

"I'm gonna miss you. Every day, I miss you." Thea smiled.

"Goodbye, Speedy." Oliver said.

"Bye, Ollie." Thea said as they parted ways and Oliver followed Roy and Sara.

When Oliver was walking up the hill, suddenly his phone rang as he answered the call. "Yeah? No, I'm actually on my way back to Star City. Why?" He then looked apprehensive, which Roy and Sara noticed. "OK. I'll meet you there."

Oliver hung up as Roy and Sara looked at him worriedly.

"What's going on, Oliver?" Roy asked.

"That was Slade Wilson. His son is on his way to Star City and we need to head back, now." Oliver said.

Chapter Text

"So, what brought you here, Slade?" Oliver asked, when he and Sara met with Slade in the bunker.

"I've been tracking Joe for a year and I'm certain he's coming here, if he hasn't already." Slade explained.

"What makes you think that?" Sara asked as Slade handed them a file.

"After that incident in Kasnia and when we brought the Jackals to the authorities, I've kept trying to reach him, but he knew how to keep staying one step ahead of me and whenever I got too close, he managed to slip away, so I've been trying to track him at the very least. And what I do know for certain that he's coming here with an army." Slade explained.

"An army of mercenaries." Oliver realized as he read the file.

"Worse than the Jackals. Ruthless. And he's been amassing a fortune and heavy weaponry. I'm certain he's coming here to finish what I started six years ago, as a revenge for Kasnia." Slade explained.

"Wait, you're telling us we might have another Siege on our hands?" Felicity demanded, horrified.

"Why is your son doing this?" Sara asked, not ungently as they saw the haunted look in his eyes.

"He saw me kill. Before the Mirakuru and it pushed him down a dark path." Slade said painfully as they felt a lot of sympathy for him.

"Well, I'll see if facial recognition can get anything on Kane Wolfman or the Jackals." Felicity said as she approached the computer.

Starling General

Dr. Schwartz was going out from the exam room, when an elderly man on a wheelchair, accompanied by a middle-aged man and a woman.

"Excuse, my husband needs help." The woman said.

Dr. Schwartz glanced at the man on the wheelchair. "Uh, did you check in at the desk?"

"We're donors here." The woman said.

Dr. Schwartz sighed as she handed her board to the orderly. "Hold this." She opened the shirt of the elderly man. "I'm just gonna have a look." She gasped in shock, when she saw something protruding from his stomach and a blinking red light as she widened her eyes in horror. "Run! Bomb!"

Star City

A man wearing a Deathstroke mask observed to see an explosion coming out from Starling General.

Later, the Lair

"Starling General was attacked last night after a bomb was found inside Archroyal Capital CEO MacMillan Fairfield. Authorities believe the infamous terrorist Deathstroke orchestrated the attack." The news anchor announced on TV.

"This was Joe." Slade said.

"And he's apparently imitating you to the T. Check this out." Felicity said as she pulled out the CCTV footage to see a group of armed men in an alley wearing Deathstroke masks.

"Why would your son kill him?" Sara wondered.

"It's an A.S.I.S. tactic. He's targeting the city's elite in an attempt to destabilize the city's infrastructure and cause chaos and fear. Politicians, one-percenters, anyone who runs the city." Slade said.

"Well, I have to give Deathstroke Jr. one thing, he's really good. Guess it runs in the family." Felicity said, glancing to Slade uncomfortably as the memory of him trying to kill her resurfaced. "He's been staying off-the-grid, I got nothing on CCTV cameras, asides from sighting of a Deathstroke at Starling General, then he vanished like a ghost.

"I'll check in with Dinah, see if the SCPD has something useful. John, see if Lyla and A.R.G.U.S. has something." Oliver ordered.

Diggle nodded as they went out.

"Curtis, I need you to take a look at this fabric." Oliver said as he turned to Curtis and handed him a plastic bag with a piece of fabric. "It was clipped by antimatter wave, when Earth-2 was destroyed. See if there's some technology here that has enough juice to do something like this."

"I can track down some equipment, it might… take a bit. So… you're basically asking me to find a weapon that can stop a god." Curtis said dryly.

"Pretty much." Oliver nodded as he turned to the rest. "The rest of you, hit the streets, you find something, don't engage, we'll do this together."

Later, SCPD

"Anything useful?" Oliver asked.

"Found this on the vic. What was left of him." Dinah said as she handed Oliver a plastic bag with a black piece of paper.

"I've seen this before. Slade told me it's an A.S.I.S. method of communication. Dinah, I need some black light." Oliver said as he approached the water dispenser and wetted the paper.

"We ran the inks on it already. No inks turned up." Dinah said.

"You checked it dry." Oliver explained as he showed Dinah the paper and she shone black light on it.

"WE WILL FINISH WHAT HE STARTED" Dinah read as she looked at Oliver worriedly. "How much do you want to bet that Kane is trying to recreate the Siege?"

"If that is true, we need to stop him before things get out of hand." Oliver said as he picked the paper. "You won't mind if I keep this? Felicity might be able to find something useful on it."

"Sure." Dinah nodded as Oliver left.

Later, Star City

"Felicity, are you sure this is the place?" Green Arrow asked as he and Team Arrow each entered the building from different entrances.

"Satellite imaging shows that the building has the highest concentration of the chemicals from the ink in that message." Felicity said.

Green Arrow, White Canary and Deathstroke entered a room, when suddenly, the doors slammed shut behind them and they noticed laser gunsights aiming at them from above.

"Well, well, well, isn't this a lovely reunion?" Joe taunted as he looked down upon them from the upper walkway, now wearing his own Deathstroke armor, accompanied by a group of men wearing Deathstroke masks and armed to the teeth and it was obvious to Oliver and Slade that it was another group of Jackals, considering their tactics.

"Kid, it ends here." Slade said.

"You're right. I will finish what you started. Oliver Queen turned his back on you and made you turn your back on me." Joe said with feigned hurt. "But it's not too late, father. The promise you made, I will fulfill. It's up to you, whether you're with me or against me."

"I've told you once, kid, I am not Deathstroke anymore and I'll be damned to hell before I let you go down the same path I did!" Slade snarled.

"So be it." Joe said as the Jackals opened fire and Oliver, Sara and Slade took cover. "I'll be more than happy to bury you here!"

Joe pulled out a detonator and pressed the trigger as they noticed a bomb beeping and Joe and the Jackals retreated.

"We have to get out of here!" Sara ordered.

"This'll buy us few seconds! On my mark!" Oliver said as he fired an arrow at the bomb and some freezing substance then slowed down the countdown and he picked a hard drive from a nearby desk. "Go!"

Oliver, Slade and Sara ran off and a moment after they went out, the room exploded.

"Like old times, right, kid?" Slade drawled.

"Maybe too much." Oliver grumbled.

Later, the Lair

"Six years ago, my father rained down terror on this city. He was shortsighted, foolish. Unlike him, I am focusing on the bigger picture and tear this city down, piece by piece, top to bottom and make no mistake, none of you will have anywhere to hide or anyone to hide behind." Joe said on the TV before the live feed ended.

"This is another A.S.I.S. tactic, instigating fear, hoping that his target will cower into a hiding spot and force it to waste its resources to reinforce its safety as they scatter around and then, he'll go after his target, while the rest is distracted." Slade said.

"The questions is, what is the target?" Oliver wondered as he handed Felicity the hard drive they had recovered. "Felicity, see if this hard drive might give us a clue about what is Kane planning."

Felicity nodded as she took the hard drive.

Slade was just staring at a wall as he sat down, considering as Oliver approached him. "It's not your fault, Slade."

"I pushed him down this path, kid. Every choice he has made since Milford Sound and Amazo is on me." Slade murmured. "I tried to reach him. I tried to help him. But—"

"Look, it may have been your fault but at this point, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm not saying you should kill your son but… deep down, that boy that you knew, might still be in there. All you can do is hope that one day he's going to wake up and come back to himself but whatever he's doing now, that's on him. It's not on you." Oliver took a breath. "There was a time I would have thought it was my fault that I brought this darkness upon my family and my friends. And after I lost Laurel, I realized that it wasn't my fault… but my responsibility."

"Responsibility to do what?" Slade wondered.

"To end it. And I'm trying my best to save my friends, who could die and if I can't do that, then I can make their deaths worth something. If we can't reach Kane, we can make sure he can't hurt anyone again and then, you can hope that one day, you can reach him." Oliver said. "But remember you don't have to do this alone. You remember what you used to tell me?"

"There is no giving up to these guys." Slade remembered.

"And you can't give up to your boy. Joe is still in there somewhere. And maybe you'll be able to get to him. But right now, this is bigger than you and your son." Oliver said and Slade nodded with a reassuring smile as he picked his helmet.

"Let's end this, kid." Slade said.

"Felicity, you got something?" Oliver asked.

"Well, it looks like Kane is trying to make Slade's siege look like a child's play. No Mirakuru but well-placed coordinated bombs." Felicity said.

"How many are we talking about?" Sara asked.

"A lot and it looks like Kane has them all linked to a remote detonator." Tommy said.

"Could be a cellphone, like Diaz or maybe a trigger." Diggle realized.

"But, I have one piece of good news. There's a relay somewhere underneath downtown." Felicity said as she showed the schematics on the screen.

"So we disable the relay device, we turn off the bomb." Dinah realized and Felicity nodded.

"And I think I know where is my son holed up, if he's following my footsteps." Slade realized.

"So we're going to make the same play we did six years ago?" Diggle asked and Oliver nodded.

"Suit up." Oliver ordered.

Later, Star City

Team Arrow walked down the service tunnels underneath the city.

"Guys, status report." Felicity said.

"We're at the east end." Spartan said, followed by Laurel, Tommy and Roy.

"And looks like someone beat us here." Tommy said.

"Does any of this look familiar?" Felicity asked as she observed through the camera on Oliver's suit.

"Yeah, all too well." Oliver grumbled as he sensed someone sneaking up on him and he, Sara and Slade whirled around to engage a group of Deathstrokes, with Oliver shooting down one of them, while Slade fencing with them.

SCPD

Rene and Dinah were in the SCPD, talking, when Dinah noticed a man placing a bomb underneath his chair and putting on a Deathstroke mask as he got up and started to fight the officers and Dinah pushed the chair with the bomb away. "Bomb! Everyone out! Now!"

Star City

"The relay is somewhere right in front of you." Felicity said.

Oliver, Slade and Sara engaged the Deathstrokes, Oliver knocking one of them down, while Slade blocked with his sword as others attacked him and Sara, who used her batons and hit one of them in the leg and knocked another one down.

"Felicity, we got one of the bombs." Roy said as they saw a bomb on a table.

"Oh, let's see, maybe there's a way to disarm it." Felicity said as she took a look through Roy's camera.

Sara exchanged blows with one of the Deathstrokes before she hit him in the head and knocked him down. Oliver slammed another one to the wall and fired an explosive arrow as it hit the nearby wall and sent some Deathstrokes flying back. Slade fenced with two Deathstrokes but they were no match for him as he cut them both across their chests.

Slade then saw Joe wearing his own Deathstroke suit and engaged him.

Slade dodged as Joe tried to strike him. "This anger needs to end, Joe!"

"Yes, it will end, with your death!" Joe snarled.

Slade blocked as Joe tried to stab him in the eyehole and pushed him back before they exchanged sword strikes, equally matched but Slade didn't seem to relent as he fought furiously, which seemed to satisfy Joe, who had a sadistic smirk on his face.

"That's it! Don't hold back!" Joe goaded as their swords crossed.

"I don't want to kill you, kid, but I can't let you kill more innocents." Slade sneered and dodged, when Joe attempted to cut his head off. Slade kneed Joe in the gut as Joe grunted and then swung his sword as Joe stumbled back, almost losing his balance as the tip of Slade's sword made a cut on his chest plate.

Joe roared as he charged at Slade with his sword held high but as the blades clashed, they knocked their swords off their hands as they engaged in hand-to-hand combat but Joe expected Slade to hold back, which made him lower his guard due to his arrogance. They exchanged blows briefly but Slade then slammed his fist onto Joe's jaw as he spat out blood. Joe threw a right hook but Slade caught him by his arm and flipped him over his back and slammed him to the ground before punching him in the face thrice, knocking him out.

"It's over, kid!" Slade roared, panting out before he found a trigger on Joe's belt and pressed a disarm button.

"Felicity, the bombs have been disarmed." Oliver said over the comms.

Later, the Lair

"So, your son is now safe and sound locked up in A.R.G.U.S. black site." Oliver said and Slade nodded gratefully.

"Maybe you have now all the time you need with your son." Sara said.

"I'm grateful, kid, but if this crisis is as terrible as you say it is, I think you need all the help you can get." Slade said and Oliver and Sara nodded, with the rest of the Team Arrow being somewhat wary, save for Roy.

"I appreciate it." Oliver said as they shook hands.

"Look, I don't wanna be the party pooper and as much as I like happy moments, there's one other thing we need to discuss." Felicity said.

"The energy that wiped out Earth-2 can be replicated but we can't replicate it because it requires plutonium, you know, the bomb-making kind. Luckily, there's a guy, a military general." Curtis explained.

"And where is he?" Sara asked.

"In Russia." Felicity explained as Oliver and Sara looked at each other.

"Looks like we're gonna visit an old friend." Oliver noted.

Star City

Laurel and Tommy were walking down the street before facing Mar Novu.

"What do you want?" Laurel demanded.

"You're the Monitor?" Tommy demanded.

Novu nodded. "You ache for the world you lost, and I possess the power to restore it."

"You can bring our Earth back?" Tommy asked, skeptical.

"The recovery of your universe will require a single task." Novu said.

"What task?" Laurel asked.

"You must betray Oliver Queen." Novu revealed.

Chapter Text

"Any news on the general?" Oliver asked.

"It took a while, since Russia is a big country but yeah." Felicity said as she showed the Team Arrow the file on the screen. "Meet General Alexi Burov. Last known location was Moscow. Before he went off-the-grid, he was working on a pulse wave generator."

"Which, theoretically, could replicate the energy wave that destroyed Earth-2." Curtis added.

"OK, we need those plans." Oliver said.

"And plutonium, I mean, without it, Burov's device is useless." Felicity said.

"Where are we supposed to get that?" Sara questioned.

"Bialya." Diggle said as he entered the bunker. "There's a facility near the border, where all kinds of radioactive material is stored. I'm thinking a two-man fire team can get the job done."

"OK. Roy, you're up for it?" Oliver asked as he turned to Roy.

"Are you kidding me? Russia? Come on, I've been wanting to go there with you forever!" Roy said, excited.

"I think it wouldn't be a good idea if your Russian friend met me again." Slade said and Oliver and Sara nodded in understanding.

Star City

"This sounds too good to be true. I mean, can we trust the Monitor?" Tommy said as he was with Laurel in an alley before they saw Lyla appear.

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

"Our mutual friend sent me." Lyla explained.

It took a second for Laurel and Tommy to follow. "You're working with the Monitor. Why?"

"It's complicated." Lyla said cryptically.

"Is that so? How complicated is the fact that he pretty much obliterated our Earth, our families, all of it!" Tommy snapped.

"He didn't. Mar Novu is trying to save worlds, not destroy them." Lyla pleaded.

Laurel shook her head and crossed her arms. "All that stuff about grief, you pretending like you were trying to help us. I should've known better."

"You were playing us." Tommy realized.

"I wasn't pretending." Lyla said.

"It's a little hard to believe, Lyla, after all the lying." Laurel sneered.

"It doesn't matter what you believe. You're here just the same as I am. Now, do you want to get your Earth back or not?" Lyla asked.

"What do you want from us?" Tommy asked.

"Oliver's going to Russia, to retrieve plans to build a weapon. You need to get them first." Lyla said.

"I thought Oliver was your friend." Laurel noted.

"He is, but this is bigger than him, bigger than any of us." Lyla pleaded.

"Well, whatever the Monitor offered you must be really something for you to be able to betray everyone that you care about." Laurel sneered.

"I am doing this for them, to protect them. Are you going to help me?" Lyla asked.

"Why would we ever trust you?" Tommy demanded.

"It's the only way for you to get your Earth back." Lyla said as Laurel and Tommy considered.

Later, Moscow

"So, we're in Russia now." Sara quipped as she looked around the bar. "I thought Anatoly would have a little… different taste."

"If you don't like it, then you can try the clubs back in Star City." Anatoly quipped as he entered, smiling.

"Hello, Anatoly." Oliver smiled.

Anatoly hugged Oliver and Sara. "I missed you both." He pulled away as he noticed Oliver frown. "What? Did you think I'd punch you again?"

"It never even crossed my mind." Oliver chuckled.

"Welcome to Russia, my favorite American." Anatoly smiled.

"Anatoly, we're looking for a man named General Alexi Burov." Sara said.

"Oh." Anatoly gapped. "May I ask why?"

"It's a long story, but we just want to talk to him and make a trade for something he may have in his possession, can you get us to him?" Sara asked.

Anatoly looked hesitant. "I… can ask around, but I cannot make any guarantees."

Bialya

Roy, wearing his Arsenal suit now and Diggle, in his Spartan gear, walked down a military warehouse, looking around.

"You really think an energy weapon is gonna stop this Monitor guy?" Roy questioned.

"Well, that's the hope." Diggle said.

"Why this place?" Roy wondered as he looked around.

"The military stores all of its excess plutonium here. The problem is it's impenetrable." Diggle explained.

"Which is why you asked me to come. You need a B&E expert to get inside?" Roy quipped.

"Yeah. Well, actually, it's more of a smash and grab. There's a shipment coming in tonight. We are gonna steal the plutonium before it gets inside. Go. Go. Go." Diggle gestured as they walked past the shelves.

"Why not bring Dinah or Rene?" Roy asked.

"They have their hands full in Star City." Diggle explained.

They were on a stakeout, hiding behind some crates.

"You ready?" Diggle asked.

"As I'll ever be." Roy said as he notched two arrows and shot down the guards.

"Let's go!" Diggle ordered as he opened the back of a truck but then an alarm blared.

"Must be some kind of tamper alarm." Roy realized.

"I'll get the payload." Diggle said.

"I'll keep watch." Roy said as he shot another guard and rushed at another, throwing him over his shoulder and knocking him out before he turned to Diggle. "You got it?"

"Yeah. Let's get the hell out of here." Diggle said.

Moscow

"I have classic bad news/good news." Anatoly said as he returned to the bar. "I find General Burov."

"And that's the good news or bad?" Sara asked.

"The good news. The bad news is, he is man who likes betting and blood, which means only place to find him, Krovavaya Banya." Anatoly said.

"Which means 'The Bloodbath' in Russian." Oliver translated.

"Well, sounds like fun." Tommy noted.

"Alright, Sara, me, and Laurel will go with Anatoly to the club to find Burov. Tommy, be on the lookout, if something happens." Oliver said.

Anatoly accompanied Oliver, Sara and Laurel into the fight club as they walked down the corridor.

"So this is what the Russians do for fun. I assume that we want to have our chat with the general without crossing the Bratva." Laurel noted.

"We want to move quickly and keep our heads low." Oliver whispered.

"There is general." Anatoly said as he pointed up to Burov, who was observing the fight from above and they went upstairs. "General Burov…" Burov turned to Anatoly, who was accompanied by Oliver. "I am Anatoly Knyazev, Danik's friend."

"Danik has big mouth. What do you want?" Burov demanded.

"Your expertise with something sensitive." Oliver explained.

"Lucky for you, this fight is boring. Let us go talk." Burov said, gesturing to nearby door.

Oliver, Sara, Laurel and Anatoly were with Burov in his office.

"I abandoned this pulse wave generator project. Too unpredictable, bad business. So why should I give to you, Kapiushon?" Burov asked as he turned to Oliver.

"Maybe you should've kept your secret identity secret?" Anatoly joked.

"I assume this means you're not gonna give us the plans just because we say 'Please'." Tommy quipped.

"No need for unpleasantness. I am willing to make deal." Burov assured, smiling.

"Good. What do you want?" Oliver asked.

"A fighter, someone to upset the favorite so I can not be bored. Should be easy for you, Kapiushon, no?" Burov smirked.

"So I win, and then you give us the plans." Oliver realized and Burov nodded. "Done deal."

"Excellent. I will go make it so." Burov clapped his hands happily as he left.

"Ollie, that guy down there is twice as big as you." Sara noted as he looked at Oliver worriedly.

"So I give him half a chance." Oliver said.

Oliver entered the cage, where he faced a muscular man with a thick moustache and long hair and the fight announcer said something in Russian, while Anatoly, Sara and Laurel observed.

The bell rang and on cue, the man tackled Oliver, slamming him to the bars as Oliver blocked his punches before he got hit in the face and knocked down on the floor and kicked in the face. Oliver recovered and dodged the following punch and hit the man in the abdomen and blocked his blows before slamming his elbow onto the man's arm and hitting him in the throat as the man choked.

Oliver then rushed the man, slamming him to the bars and punched him in the face. The man attempted to throw a punch but Oliver blocked and hit him in the leg, forcing him on his knees before punching and kicking him in the face, knocking him out as the spectators booed and Burov clapped his hands, laughing in satisfaction.

"We should head out. Get the car ready." Sara said as she left with Anatoly and Laurel.

Oliver later met Burov in his office.

"Very good! I don't think you have many friends here, though." Burov said, impressed as he reached for his pocket and handed Oliver a hard drive. "But I am man of my word."

"Not so fast."

Oliver and Burov turned to see someone else enter Burov's office as two men aimed their guns at Oliver.

"Oleg, wha... what a pleasure." Burov said nervously.

"Did you really think you could conduct business on Bratva territory without me knowing?" Oleg asked.

"Of course not. This simply fighter collecting his winnings." Burov lied.

"He's no mere fighter." Oleg smirked at Oliver. "Are you, Oliver Queen?"

"I have no fight with you or the Bratva. That is what I came for." Oliver explained, pointing to Burov's hard drive. "When I have it, I'm gone."

"The general only operates here because we say he can. And we did not say." Oleg said as he clicked the safety of his gun.

"No!" Oliver cried out as Oleg shot Burov but was then tased in his side as he passed out.

When Oliver came to, he was bound to a chair and suddenly, he felt a familiar Déjà vu. Just like, when he visited Russia the first time. Oliver tried to free himself from the restraints, using the trick Anatoly had taught him but couldn't dislocate his thumbs, much to his frustration. "Ugh. Damn it."

"We tied your thumbs, Kapiushon." Oleg said as he entered with Burov's hard drive in his hand. "You went to a lot of trouble to get this. Even we couldn't crack its security encryptions. It must be worth a great deal. Tell me what it is."

"No. You should know, if you had heard at least half the rumors about the Kapiushion, you would have known that I've gotten out of worse than this." Oliver declined and he groaned as they heard bones crack.

Oleg reached for his gun but Oliver slammed the chair at Oleg as it broke, dazing Oleg before Oliver grabbed him in chokehold. Oleg's men then entered but Oliver grabbed Oleg's gun and shot them before aiming the gun at Oleg's head. "Where's Burov's hard drive?"

"Here! Here!" Oleg panted out fearfully as he pulled out the hard drive. "I gave you what you wanted. You don't have to do this, please!"

"Yes, I do. No one can know my secret." Oliver whispered before he snapped Oleg's neck.

A moment later, he heard a Siren Cry as a thug was sent crashing against the door as Laurel, Tommy, Sara and Anatoly, with a gun ready entered and they smiled at each other.

Later

Oliver, Sara, Laurel, Tommy and Anatoly drank back in the bar.

"Prochnost." Oliver said.

"Prochnost. I missed this." Anatoly smiled.

"Thank you, Anatoly. I always seem to end up on your debt." Oliver said.

"We are beyond keeping score. We have been friends. We have been enemies. From now on, let us just be brothers." Anatoly assured.

"Not the Bratva kind." Oliver shook his head.

"No. Real family." Anatoly said as he smiled at Sara. "We've been through a lot, my friend. I hope that you can look out for each other. All of you."

Oliver, Sara and Anatoly embraced each other in a companionship-like hug.

Later, Star City

Lyla was on a rooftop, staring at the city as she sensed someone approaching her. "Did you bring the plans?"

"About that… we have decided not to join you and your cosmic fashion tragedy that you're in cahoots with." Laurel said as she appeared with Tommy.

"Then you won't get your Earth back." Lyla noted.

"If saving it means going back to the person that I used to be, then what the hell is the point?" Laurel snorted.

"You're saying you're trying to make things better, but from where I'm standing, they're worse." Tommy noted. "And if there's one thing I know… family secrets can destroy you, like when I found out the truth about Thea." Lyla stiffened as she met Tommy's eyes. "How will John and Oliver react, when they find out about your secrets, Lyla? You owe them the truth."

"Not yet." Lyla shook her head.

"Then this is gonna be a little awkward." Laurel noted and Lyla paled as she saw Oliver, Sara and Diggle approach, all three of them eying Lyla with looks full of shock, disbelief and betrayal.

"I didn't want to believe it." Diggle whispered, shaking his head in denial.

"I'm sorry." Lyla said.

Suddenly, Oliver, Sara, Diggle, Laurel and Tommy were hit in the necks by darts.

"Lyla… what… what have you done?" Diggle demanded before they all passed out and Lyla looked at their unconscious forms sadly.

Chapter Text

When Oliver came to, he was back in his apartment, with a basketball match on TV, lying on a couch, wearing a formal wear, much to his confusion as he groaned as he sat down, trying to recover his thoughts and remember what happened before his phone rang and he saw Felicity's name flashing and he answered the call.

"Oliver, where the hell are you? Did you forget about the fundraiser?" Felicity demanded.

"What fundraiser?" Oliver asked, confused. "The last thing I remember is that I was on the roof with Tommy, Sara, John and Laurel and we were tranqed…"

"…by Lyla, John told me it was just a misunderstanding." Felicity said.

Oliver tapped his head, wondering if he was dreaming. "What did we do with Burov's plan for the weapon?"

"You said we didn't need it anymore." Felicity explained.

"Why? The Monitor's still out there. He's still a threat." Oliver said, confused.

"Oliver, what's going on? Is everything OK? Did you hit your head or something?" Felicity asked.

Oliver rubbed his head, trying to think. "I… I need to talk with John and Sara."

"Yeah, John's at the fundraiser and Sara should be on her way. Don't remember to suit up. And by that I don't mean the hood." Felicity said and Oliver then noticed the invite at the fundraiser on his desk.

Later, Palmer Tech

Oliver went out from the elevator, now in his suit as he saw people in formal wear, mingling.

"Hey, Queen, what's the difference between a cop and the Green Arrow? A cop doesn't need to play dress-up to do his job." One of the guests joked as the rest laughed.

"Ha. Yeah, sure." Oliver nodded, confused before a waitress bumped into him, spilling some champagne. "Whoa!"

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Queen." The waitress said.

"It's fine, it's fine." Oliver assured.

"There you are, man. The party started an hour ago, Oliver." Diggle said upon noticing him.

Oliver approached Diggle. "Do you remember getting tranqed last night?"

"Yeah. Uh, Lyla feels awful about that. By the way, that wasn't last night. That was two days ago." Diggle explained.

"What? No. No, no." Oliver shook his head. "That… John, that is the last thing that I remember before waking up in my apartment earlier tonight."

"You OK, man?" Diggle asked, worried.

"No. This is… this… Is this the… This is the Monitor." Oliver realized.

"Oliver—" Diggle started.

"Your wife is working with the Monitor, John. What—"

"I thought we already settled this." Lyla said as she approached them. "I have been working with the Monitor but as a double agent, which I told you on the roof."

"I don't… I don't remember that. I'm not remembering anything." Oliver said, confused.

"Oliver, look. Just maybe you should go home, man, get a little sleep, OK?" Diggle said as he held Oliver by his shoulder.

"Oliver, there you are." Rene said as he approached them. "Mayor's looking for you. Come on."

"What?" Oliver asked, confused as he followed Rene.

"What happened there?" Rene asked as he noticed the champagne stain on Oliver's shirt. "Can't give a speech with a stained shirt."

"Give a s… what speech? I'm giving a speech?" Oliver demanded.

Felicity giggled as she approached. "You know, you're funny. Did you forget about the joint remarks with the mayor?"

Oliver rubbed his forehead, trying to understand what was going on. "Guys, um, serious question. When did Palmer Tech get rebuilt?"

Rene shook his head. "You really need to drop this amnesia routine quick. This fundraiser is our only chance to take the SCPD vigilante pilot program global."

"Oliver, you need to get your head straight, if you want to give the speech with the mayor. He's waiting for you." Felicity said.

"'He' who? Isn't… isn't Pollard the mayor?" Oliver demanded.

"In her dreams maybe."

Oliver recognized the voice slowly turned his head, wondering if he was seeing a ghost.

"What's the matter, Oliver? You look like you've seen a ghost." Quentin said. "So listen. I was thinking about making a few changes to the speech, so I figured I should run it by you first."

Oliver shook his head in denial. "This is not possible. This is—"

"What? Don't tell me you're scared of a little last-minute memorization, Oliver." Quentin chuckled.

"It's been a while since I've seen you." Oliver noted.

"Couple of days maybe. You're looking at me like it's been years." Quentin said.

"No. You're right. A couple days." Oliver nodded.

"Right. So listen. I was thinking about adding a line about, you know, me telling you it was a bad idea to unmask, but, you know, maybe a joke about how you'd rather take it to Supermax than take my advice. Heh. You know? What do you think?" Quentin asked.

"You know that I went to Slabside?" Oliver demanded, realizing something was off.

"Uh… yeah. What's that, your way of saying I should have come visit more often?" Quentin asked, confused.

"Quentin, right before I turned myself in, Diaz shot you, right?" Oliver asked, trying to understand.

"Oh. Yeah. That son of a bitch almost killed me. Almost died in the O.R. you don't remember?" Quentin asked.

"I remember it differently." Oliver said.

"Well, the doctors called it a miracle. I was without oxygen for so long, I should have been six feet under. Felt like I escaped my fate or something." Quentin said.

"Hey, guys, you need to see this." Felicity said as she gestured and they turned to a nearby TV, where was a news report about a hostage situation at the SCPD. "A hostage situation at the SCPD. The leader wants to see the mayor."

"No. No. You can't go down there." Oliver protested as he turned to Quentin.

"We'll call in a special ops team." Rene said.

"I'm the mayor. Nobody does my dirty work for me. Give my apologies to the guests." Quentin said.

"I'm… I'm gonna come with you." Oliver volunteered.

"OK, but you might want to bring a change of clothes because something tells me we're gonna need the green guy." Quentin said.

Later, SCPD

"What's the situation, Captain?" Quentin asked as Dinah approached her and Oliver, who was in his Green Arrow suit.

"Armed mercs stormed my precinct, took a dozen of my guys hostage." Dinah said.

"How'd they get by your men?" Oliver asked.

"It's a long story that I don't have time to tell. The only demand was to speak to the mayor." Dinah said.

"All right. Well, I'll go talk to them." Quentin said.

"I appreciate that, but there is no way I'm sending you in there." Dinah protested.

"Listen. I wore the blues a long time before I wore this monkey suit, OK? I can hold my own." Quentin assured.

"I know, sir. It's not the point." Dinah said.

"She's right. It's too risky." Oliver pointed out.

"Says the man who risks his life every day for this city?" Quentin countered as he turned to Oliver, who resigned, knowing there was no talking Quentin out of it as Quentin turned to Dinah. "Give me a vest. I'll go in there, I'll distract the son of a bitch…" He turned to Oliver. "…and in the meantime, you sneak around the back and do your thing, OK?" He turned to Dinah. "The longer this drags on, the worse it gets. Let me do this."

"I'll have his back." Oliver assured.

Dinah nodded after a moment. "I want you on comms the whole time."

"Sure." Quentin nodded.

Quentin entered the precinct, with his hands raised, wearing a bulletproof vest, with the officers bound and sitting on the floor and armed men placed around the office area. "This is Mayor Quentin Lance. I'm unarmed. I'm coming in."

"That's far enough." The leader said, aiming his gun at Quentin.

"All right. Just… just take it easy, OK? Take it easy." Quentin said.

"I'm in position. Keep him talking." Oliver said on comms as he shot down two thugs outside the precinct.

"You asked for me. Here I am. What do you want to talk about with me?" Quentin asked.

"You're the mayor. You're a guy who can make things happen." The leader said.

"Why don't you let a few of these guys go while we talk?" Quentin tried to reason.

"So I can get stormed by the cops? No, thanks. I'm not stupid." The leader sneered.

"But it would show that you don't want anybody to get hurt because if anybody gets hurt, you're in real trouble." Quentin said before he noticed Oliver entering. "Actually, I think you're already in trouble."

"I'm the one holding the gun." The man growled.

"Not for long. Put it down." Oliver ordered as he notched an arrow and fired, disarming the man and then notched another arrow. "This… is… over."

"This isn't over until you stop it, Oliver. That's the only way out." The man said.

"What are you talking about?" Oliver asked, confused before the man pulled out what seemed to be a detonator.

"No!" Quentin cried out as he rushed at the man.

"Quentin!" Oliver exclaimed before an explosion followed.

Oliver's apartment

When Oliver came to, he was back in his apartment, lying on the couch and on the TV was the same basketball match he had seen the previous day, making him wonder what was going on and the next thing he knew, his phone rang, with Felicity calling again as Oliver answered the call.

"Oliver, where the hell are you? Did you forget about the fundraiser?" Felicity demanded.

"I'm late…" Oliver remembered.

"Yeah, really late." Felicity said.

Oliver rubbed his head, trying to remember. "Felicity, did something happen at the SCPD headquarters?"

"What do you mean?" Felicity asked.

Oliver sighed. "Never mind."

Later, Palmer Tech

Oliver entered Palmer Tech and seemed to relive the same day again as he bumped again into a waitress but this time, he caught the glass with the champagne before it would spill on him.

"Nice reflexes, Mr. Queen." The waitress said.

"Thank you." Oliver nodded.

"There you are. You know the party started an hour ago, right?" Diggle said as Oliver approached him.

"I need to speak with you. Uh, this is gonna sound crazy." Oliver took a breath. "I have been here before. So have you."

"What are you talking about?" Diggle asked, confused.

"About the Monitor dropping me into some sort of alternate reality time loop or something, where everything is different, where Lance is still alive." Oliver said.

"Oliver, Lance has always been alive—" Diggle started.

"No, he hasn't. You just don't remember because the Monitor has done something to people's memories, but I… I think I know the way out of this, but I… I need to stop a bomb at the SCPD." Oliver said.

"Oliver, will you just calm down, man? If there was a bomb, we would know about it. Lyla would know about it." Diggle said.

"Lyla's a part of this." Oliver explained.

"Part of what?" Lyla asked, confused as she approached them.

"Oliver seems to think that he's caught in some sort of time loop." Diggle said.

"If we're traveling back in time, I'd like to revisit my 20s." Lyla joked.

"I… I need to speak with Quentin." Oliver said before Rene and Felicity approached and Oliver realized what was going on. "The mayor's waiting for me."

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Rene asked but Oliver ignored him and Felicity.

"You know, it's Oliver, he's a know-it-all." Felicity shrugged.

"Mr. Mayor." Oliver said as he approached Quentin.

"Oh. Hey, Oliver." Quentin greeted. "Listen. I, uh… I made a few last-minute changes to the speech, so—"

"We need to talk." Oliver said.

"Sure. Let's." Quentin nodded as they entered an empty office. "Uh, yeah. I wanted to run these changes by you anyway."

"You want to add a joke about Slabside, about how I would rather spend time in a Supermax than take your advice." Oliver said.

"You steal a copy of my speech or something?" Quentin asked, confused.

"We've had this exact conversation already." Oliver explained.

"What are you talking about?" Quentin demanded.

Oliver rubbed his face and took a breath. "Fully aware of how this is going to sound. Quentin, I'm trapped in some sort of… time loop, where the same events just keep repeating themselves."

"Like 'Groundhog Day.'" Quentin realized.

"Sure, except this one ends in a lot of people dead, including the two of us." Oliver said.

Quentin nodded. "OK. How can I help?"

"Do you actually believe me?" Oliver demanded, surprised.

"Oliver, I've seen one daughter die and come back to life twice. I've seen another come from some other Earth. I've seen a guy in red run so fast he can reverse time. This is not exactly outside the norm, is it?" Quentin pointed out. "Also, I'm done learning my lesson about doubting you because that always bites me in the ass." He sighed. "What happens now?"

"Very shortly, we are gonna learn that there is a hostage situation at the SCPD. They're going to insist that they talk to you and only you." Oliver explained.

"And how does it go south?" Quentin inquired.

"There's a hidden explosive device that I didn't know about the first time through, and judging from the blast, it's underneath the building." Oliver said.

"OK. So you find it, you keep us from going boom. What then?" Quentin asked.

"I break out of the loop." Oliver said.

"Great." Quentin nodded before Rene entered.

"Here you are. There's something you need to see." Rene said.

Later, SCPD

"What's the situation, Captain?" Quentin asked as he approached Dinah.

"Armed mercs stormed the precinct, took a dozen of my guys hostage." Dinah explained as they approached her.

"They have a bomb." Oliver said.

"We already did a sweep of the entire building." Dinah said, confused.

"It's not in the building. It's underneath it." Oliver said.

"How could you possibly know that?" Dinah demanded.

"I trust him. Instinct thing." Quentin said.

Dinah considered. "So what do you want to do?"

"This is Mayor Quentin Lance. I'm unarmed. I'm coming in." Quentin said over the radio as he entered the precinct.

Oliver was in the underground tunnels before he saw two figures approaching the bomb and notched an arrow. "Stop right there."

"Ollie?" Sara asked as she turned to Oliver in confusion, alongside Laurel.

"Oh. It's you. Would you relax?" Laurel asked as Oliver lowered his bow. "We are here for the same thing."

"Hey. How did you know to come down here?" Oliver demanded.

"I may have learned about the existence of this place as a part of a former career." Laurel said.

"And when I was looking for the bomb, I followed her." Sara said.

"How did you two know about the bomb?" Oliver demanded.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Well, actually, since you're not going to remember anyway, there is a crazy space god who has me trapped in a time loop." Laurel said.

"Wait, you too?" Sara demanded.

"Me too." Oliver nodded. "It's my second time though."

"Yeah. Same here." Sara nodded.

"Same. I wake up in the bunker." Laurel said.

"I wake up at my place." Sara said.

"I wake up in my apartment, so clearly, the Monitor is doing this." Oliver said.

"You mean punishing us?" Laurel drawled.

"Yeah." Oliver nodded.

"That's what we get for defying the space god." Sara said.

"In Russia, I disobeyed him, and you… you tried to destroy him." Laurel said.

"At least we're in it together now." Oliver gestured to the bomb. "I think disarming that is the way out of here."

"How long before it goes off?" Sara asked as they approached the bomb.

"Oh. Your guess is as good as mine. Quentin's upstairs buying us some time." Oliver said and Laurel and Sara stiffened at the mention of Quentin.

"Dad's here?" Sara asked.

"Yeah." Oliver nodded before they heard the bomb beep. "I think we just activated some kind of failsafe. Look. We need more time on the next loop, guys."

"We find each other earlier, we might get more time to stop this." Sara said.

"There's a party at the Palmer Tech building. Meet me there." Oliver said.

"Are we talking formal wear or—"

The bomb them exploded.

Oliver's apartment

Oliver woke up back in his apartment and went out before his phone rang.

"Oliver, where the hell—"

"I know, Felicity, I'm on my way." Oliver said.

Palmer Tech

Oliver went out from the elevator and avoided the waitress before she would bump into him and quickly talked with Felicity and Rene before approaching Quentin.

"Hey, Oliver. Listen. I made a few last-minute changes to the speech…" Quentin started.

"…and you figured you should run them by me first." Oliver finished.

"Yeah, exactly." Quentin nodded and smiled upon seeing Laurel and Sara approach. "Hey, sweeties. I didn't think you were gonna make it."

"Me either." Laurel said.

"Hey, Dad." Sara started, as if both of them were seeing a ghost.

"You OK?" Quentin asked, confused.

"Yeah." Laurel said as she and Sara hugged Quentin. "We're just really happy to see you."

"Oh. I'm happy to see you, too. Though I got to say I'm glad you left the black lipstick at home tonight." Quentin said.

"You know that I'm Earth-2 Laurel." Laurel realized.

"Who else would you be?" Quentin asked.

"Look. I'm really sorry to interrupt, but you and I need to go." Oliver said before turning to Quentin. "You're coming with us. We need your help."

Later, SCPD

"What do you mean there's a bomb?" Dinah demanded, confused.

"I know how to stop it, but you have to trust me." Oliver said.

"I'm gonna need a vest." Quentin ordered.

"Not this time, Quentin." Oliver protested.

While Quentin was distracting the mercenaries, Laurel, Sara and Dinah were underneath the precinct, examining the bomb.

"The detonator operates on an oscillating frequency." Laurel said.

"If we can find the right one, we should be able to disrupt it." Dinah said.

"Vincent, listen to me. I know you don't really want to do this." Quentin said over the radio, while Oliver and Sara snuck into the precinct, taking out the mercenaries.

"And I know that if you don't get in here, these men are gonna die." Vincent said.

"I have an idea." Dinah said as she turned on her Canary Cry device and the timer shattered and stopped.

"We did it." Laurel smirked before she noticed Dinah shooting her a look and sighed, refraining herself from rolling her eyes. "OK. Fine. You did it."

Laurel and Sara went out and met with Oliver.

"We disarmed the bomb, so why are we still here?" Sara wondered.

"I don't… I… we must have missed something." Oliver said and they turned to Quentin and saw a red dot light on his chest as they widened their eyes in horror.

"No!" Oliver exclaimed.

"No!" Laurel and Sara cried out before they heard a gunshot and Quentin fell down as Laurel and Sara rushed to Quentin's lying form.

"No, Dad, no, please…" Sara sobbed.

Oliver's apartment

Oliver came to and was back in his apartment, realizing that Quentin's death was the reset point.

Later, Palmer Tech

Oliver was in the gala as he talked with Laurel and Sara.

"OK, Dad's death is the reset point, so, if we save him, we get out of the time loop." Sara said.

"What kind of sick game is the Monitor playing?" Laurel wondered.

"I don't know. We need to find out who is behind this hostage situation." Oliver said.

"If it's just about killing Quentin, then why plant a bomb? It seems like a lot of extra work." Laurel noted.

"Maybe whoever is behind this wants their involvement kept a secret." Oliver pointed out.

"You think that whoever is behind the hostage situation is also is behind this time loop?" Sara wondered.

"Those were mercenaries, which means that somebody had to hire them." Oliver pointed out.

"Great, and I'm sure they're gonna be really easy to find, too." Laurel drawled. "Any idea where to start?"

"Let's get Quentin out of here. Why don't you take him to the bunker?" Oliver suggested and Laurel nodded. "We're gonna go take a look at that bomb."

Laurel nodded as Oliver and Sara walked off before Lyla approached Laurel. "Laurel, I didn't think you'd make it tonight."

"I am really not in the mood for small talk with the Monitor's bestie." Laurel sneered.

"Excuse me?" Lyla asked, confused.

"It turns out tranq darts, they don't feel so good." Laurel said coldly.

"I told you that was a big misunderstanding." Lyla said.

"Well, understand this." Laurel said as she neared Lyla. "The second I get out of this sadistic 'Edge of Tomorrow' reboot, I am going to make sure to tell everyone exactly what kind of traitor you really are."

"Laurel, I truly have no idea what you're talking about, but whatever it is you're feeling toward me, that's on you." Lyla said.

"Thank you for the advice, Dr. Phil, and now here's some for you. The next time you decide to double-cross someone, don't pick a woman who specializes in revenge." Laurel sneered.

"You're threatening me." Lyla realized.

"Yes. Yes, I am, but don't worry. You won't remember anyway, and by the way, I pull off the short hair way better than you do." Laurel quipped.

SCPD

Oliver and Sara were underneath the SCPD, when they noticed Diggle at the bomb.

"What are you doing here?" Oliver asked.

"Well, word came down that the Green Arrow called in a bomb threat, so I thought to myself, 'How did he know about that, and why didn't he call me?'" Diggle said.

"Because the Monitor has me, Sara and Laurel trapped in a time loop. Already told you that." Oliver said.

"OK. Definitely not the answer I was expecting, but if the Monitor's involved, anything is possible." Diggle said. "Any idea how to break out?"

"Saving Dad." Sara said. "We thought that would stop this but… there's nothing useful we can find."

"Well, has to be something. No case is unsolvable." Diggle assured.

"This might be impossible." Oliver said.

"Well, you'll figure it out." Diggle assured.

"I do wish we were as sure as you are." Oliver said.

"You want to know what makes me so sure? You. You, Oliver. You always figure it out. You never stop fighting. You never give up. You always keep at it. Why should this be any different?" Diggle pointed out.

Sara smiled. "This may not be really you, Dig, but you still know how to give a good advice."

"Yeah. I'm flattered." Diggle smiled as he examined the bomb.

"Well, A.R.G.U.S. has some more sophisticated analytical equipment. Any chance you can get us in there?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah. I bet I can make a few calls." Diggle said.

The Lair

"So you're telling me we're in some kind of an alternate reality based on the plot of a Bill Murray movie?" Quentin asked.

"Well, I was gonna go with a Tom Cruise flick but basically. Also just really glad that you believe me." Laurel said, relieved.

Quentin shrugged. "Well, it's not the craziest thing you ever told me. I mean, I'm just glad this Monitor guy just kept me as mayor, you know?" They stopped, when Quentin noticed the worried look in Laurel's eyes. "What? What's that look?"

"It… it's just that, uh, in my world or in the real world, uh, you're not mayor anymore." Laurel explained.

"Really?" Quentin sighed. "Ohh. Pollard. She always had it in for me. Heh." He noticed how Laurel was on verge of tears. "Is there something else? Laurel. Sweetheart, I always know when you're hiding something from me. Please, tell me. What is it?"

"It… it's a year and a half ago when Diaz… when he shot you in… in the real reality or whatever, you… you didn't exactly, um…" Laurel paused, unable to continue.

"I didn't recover." Quentin realized.

Laurel shook her head. "No. No. You died to save me."

Quentin smiled. "Best way I could have gone."

Laurel looked completely taken aback. "What?! I'm sorry. I basically just told you you're a ghost, and you're completely OK with that? It doesn't… it doesn't faze you? You're completely calm?"

"I always felt like I cheated death with that one. Guess that's because I didn't." Quentin pointed out. "Fate's just tricky like that."

Laurel's phone went off as she looked at the message. "It's Oliver."

"Yeah? Did he figure out who wants me dead?" Quentin asked.

"Not yet, but he and Sara did figure out the location of the mercs' hideout." Laurel said.

"OK. So we better go." Quentin said as they went out.

Star City

Green Arrow, Black Canary, White Canary and Quentin entered the building as they looked around.

"How'd you find this place?" Laurel demanded.

"Uh, we analyzed the bomb and traced the chemical signature back to this building." Oliver explained.

"It still doesn't tell us who hired these bozos." Quentin said.

"This might help." Sara said as they approached a laptop at the desk.

Quentin opened the laptop before they heard beeping and saw wires on the ground, leading to a hidden compartment in the wall. Oliver ripped off the blueprints from the wall to reveal a bomb, counting down just seconds to zero.

"Bomb!" Oliver shouted and they ran off before the explosion knocked them all down on the ground and they groaned.

Lyla then entered as Oliver noticed that she was holding a gun in her hand. "Lyla, what the hell are you doing?"

"Helping you. You're missing the point, Oliver." Lyla said.

"What?" Oliver asked, confused.

"You can't fight this." Lyla said.

Quentin groaned before he noticed Lyla aiming her gun at him.

"Lyla!" Oliver cried out before she pulled the trigger.

Palmer Tech

"No sign of Lyla anywhere. You?" Laurel asked as she approached Oliver and Sara.

"Me neither." Sara shook her head.

"John just told me she got called away on a last-minute A.R.G.U.S. mission, meaning she's never even been here." Oliver said.

"Maybe the Monitor deleted her for going rogue. Heh. Wouldn't that be so, so sad?" Laurel said with a mocking baby tone.

"She must be helping him, why would she betray him?" Sara said.

"So why reveal her hand? It makes no sense." Laurel questioned.

"You spoke with her. Was there anything, anything at all in the conversation that stood out?" Oliver asked.

"She said how I feel towards her was on me like it's my fault that I'm stuck here." Laurel sighed in frustration. "I told you the Monitor's punishing us."

"I'm not so sure." Oliver said.

"Ollie, think about it, we've watched Dad die time and time again and there's nothing we can do to prevent it. Look, it's like living Hell. Do you have any idea what's it like, not able to save the one you love, no matter what you do?" Sara snapped.

"But right before Lyla disappeared, she told me she was trying to help me." Oliver said.

"She also told you you can't fight this. It seems pretty clear to me that we're not supposed to win." Laurel pointed out.

"The first time that I met Mar Novu, it felt… it felt the same. It was like I was put in a situation where there was no way out, but it was a test, Laurel. It was a test, just like I think that this is." Oliver noted.

"What test?" Sara questioned.

"I don't know, but there is a way out of here, and I'm gonna find it." Oliver said.

"You just never give up, do you?" Laurel said.

"No, I don't. Are you with me?" Oliver asked.

"If we're supposed to save Dad, count me in." Sara said.

"Fine. What's our play?" Laurel asked.

"We go back to the mercs' hideout. We know where the danger is this time, so we can do things differently. You grab Quentin, and I'll meet you there." Oliver said and Laurel and Sara nodded as he entered the elevator.

Later, SCPD

"So you're telling me we've been here once and still came back for more?" Quentin said as they were underneath the SCPD.

"At least now we know what not to do." Laurel said.

"OK." Oliver ripped the paper and jammed an electronic arrow into the bomb, disarming it. "That should disable the bomb."

"Let's hope so. Don't wanna get blown up again." Sara quipped.

"All right." Oliver said as the laptop turned on.

"OK. So now what?" Quentin asked.

"We find out who hired those mercs to kill you." Oliver said as they looked at the reports.

"The money belongs to Anderson White." Sara read.

"Never heard of him." Quentin said.

"Looks like he's been accused of not too many nice things. Money laundering, racketeering." Laurel read.

"Doesn't explain why he'd want me dead." Quentin said.

"Well, that's what we're gonna find out. CEO of a company named Global Solutions. They have a warehouse down by the docks. Let's go." Oliver said.

Later, the Docks

"We need to find White." Oliver said as they looked around inside the warehouse before a gunshot rang out and Quentin groaned, slumping against the wall as a red spot appeared on his shirt.

"Dad!" Sara cried out.

"No!" Laurel exclaimed as they held Quentin.

Oliver notched arrows and shot the mercs as he accompanied Laurel, Sara and Quentin to the fire escape. "I'll take care of the rest."

Oliver left as Laurel and Sara took off their masks and sobbed as Quentin groaned in pain.

"I'm sorry, sweeties. Looks like we lost this round." Quentin said.

"Dad, don't give up, come on…" Sara sobbed.

"We are not letting you die again." Laurel said.

"It's too late." Quentin murmured.

"No." Sara protested.

"It… it's… it's time to say goodbye." Quentin whispered.

"We're not giving up on you, Quentin. Quentin, we are not giving up on you. You never gave up on either one of us. You believed in me when nobody else did." Laurel sobbed.

"Well, that's what dads do. They believe." Quentin said.

"I want you to know that you and Sara are the reason that I'm trying to be a hero. It's because of you." Laurel said.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, when you needed me. I should've been here…" Sara said, on verge of tears.

"You'll always be with me. And you'll always be heroes. Both of you." Quentin assured.

"Thank you. I never had the chance to tell you how much you mean to me." Laurel sobbed.

Sara took a breath. "I should've been here more. I should've been here more."

"I love you… both of you." Quentin smiled as he drew his last breath and tilted his head.

"We love you too."

"We love you." Laurel and Sara said before they both broke down in tears.

Oliver entered and noticed what had happened. "Damn it. All right. OK. All right. We fix this next time. We'll fix it." He assured.

"Ollie… there's no fixing it." Sara said, choking her sobs. "I just… I just wanted to have more time with Dad."

"All I have ever wanted was a chance to say goodbye to Quentin. Now I have." Laurel said.

Oliver's apartment

When Oliver came to, he was back in his apartment.

The Lair

"Laurel? Sara?" Oliver called out as he looked around.

"They're not here." Lyla said as Oliver turned around to face her.

"Where are they?" Oliver demanded.

"Gone." Lyla said.

"What did you… what did you do, Lyla?" Oliver snapped.

"I didn't do anything. Laurel and Sara got what they needed from this." Lyla explained.

"I don't have time for these games, Lyla, so whatever this is, get me out of here right now!" Oliver exploded.

"I can't do that, Oliver. Mar Novu needs you to understand no good will come from struggle. The only way to win is to accept the inevitable." Lyla said.

"I have no idea what that means." Oliver shook his head.

"Learn that, and this will end." Lyla said before she vanished in a glow of light.

"Lyla!" Oliver yelled as he looked around.

Later, the Docks

"So, if me dying is the problem, maybe bringing me into the lion's den isn't so smart." Quentin noted as he followed Oliver.

"Couldn't think of a better way to keep you safe." Oliver said.

"Yeah. That makes sense." Quentin nodded.

Oliver noticed the office they had been looking for and kicked the door in as they noticed a man in a suit and a short beard, who tried to run before Quentin aimed his gun, causing for the man to stop. "Ah-ah-ah-ah. Unless you want a hole for a head."

"Are you Anderson White?" Oliver asked.

"You really think Mr. White would be here?" The man pointed out.

"He ordered a hit on my friend. Why?" Oliver asked but the man pressed a hidden button at the bottom of his desk before Oliver punched him, knocking him out.

"I guess the clock's ticking." Quentin said as an alarm rang and they approached the computer and noticed a list of names, on which was Quentin as well. "Looks like a list of hits."

"And clients. Coded and anonymous. White's just the middleman." Oliver realized.

"A CEO with a healthy side business brokering hits for wealthy asshats." Quentin growled.

"All right. We're back to square one. We have no idea how deep this rabbit hole goes." Oliver grumbled.

"We got to get going." Quentin said.

Oliver and Quentin went out but Quentin was then hit in his gut as he groaned, leaning onto the door as Oliver was shooting their way through the mercenaries, trying to accompany Quentin. They entered a storage area, while dodging the gunfire as Oliver threw an explosive, sending the mercenaries flying away as it went off. Oliver kept trying to help them fight their way through, while dodging the gunfire until Oliver managed to finish off the last of the mercenaries before Quentin slumped against the wall and sat down.

"It's the last one." Oliver said.

"How many arrows you got left?" Quentin asked.

"Not enough." Oliver sighed in frustration.

"Oh, boy. Aren't we the couple?" Quentin grumbled.

"We are gonna find a way out of this. There has to be a way to fix it, and we are gonna find it, Quentin. It doesn't matter how many times. We're gonna find it!" Oliver said firmly.

Quentin laughed humorlessly. "Yeah? Sure. What's it gonna be, sixty times, hundred times?"

"It's gonna be however many times it takes!" Oliver exploded.

"You know, getting hunted like this in a space like this is kind of like what I was doing to you all those years ago. Remember?" Quentin asked and Oliver considered, while Quentin got up to his feet, groaning. "Sort of makes sense I'd go out like this now, don't you think?"

"Would you please just save your strength?" Oliver asked, not wanting to let Quentin die again.

"For what?" Quentin asked. "Oliver, you take care of these guys, there'll be more behind them, there will be more behind them. There is no saving me from this! OK? You ever think that's the point? Maybe you're not supposed to."

"I'm not giving up… and you're not giving up either." Oliver said.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not giving up. Maybe I'm giving in. You see, I've been outrunning death for a while now. The Siege, the island, but when Diaz shot me, that felt different like I was finally at the end, and I made my peace with that. And maybe it's time you did, too." Quentin said.

Oliver was on verge of tears, unable to accept that he could do nothing to save Quentin, just as he could do nothing to save Barry or Kara before they noticed laser gunsights.

"It looks like fate's knocking." Quentin noted.

"Just… just…" Oliver took a breath. "You just get ready to move."

Oliver approached the door but then noticed Quentin taking off his bulletproof vest and dropping his gun.

"Goodbye, Oliver." Quentin said as he entered the corridor, where were the mercenaries, while Oliver just stared in despair.

"Quentin." Oliver whispered brokenly before he heard a gunshot.

Oliver's apartment

Oliver woke up on his couch in his apartment again as he turned off the TV and started to realize what was the point of the time loop.

Later, Palmer Tech

Oliver approached Quentin as he entered the gala. "Quentin, excuse me."

"Hey. What's the matter, Oliver? You look like you've seen a ghost." Quentin said.

"Maybe I did. May I speak with you for a second?" Oliver asked.

"Sure." Quentin nodded as they entered an office. "You want to go over the speech? Because I was thinking about adding a few lines."

"I have a question for you." Oliver said.

"Sure." Quentin nodded.

"Back when I was running around as the Hood, you were trying to arrest me. You remember that?" Oliver asked and Quentin laughed.

"Ah. Yeah. The good, old days. How could I ever forget?" Quentin asked.

"The question is… what made you decide that I wasn't your enemy anymore? What changed your mind?" Oliver asked.

"Heh. Oh, you know, my daughters for one. Because I didn't raise dummies, and, uh, you know, if they were OK with you, then I figured I should be, too." Quentin said.

"They trusted me, and you trusted them." Oliver realized.

"Yeah. They got me to listen to what I always knew in my gut, that we were on the same side and fighting for the same goal, and it just took me a while to get there. Sorry." Quentin said.

"It's OK." Oliver assured.

"Oliver, is there any particular reason for this trip down memory lane?" Quentin wondered.

"Yeah." Oliver said, realizing what was the point of it and it felt like a punch to a gut. "God, I've been hanging on to something. Someone told me just recently that, uh… it's about time I made peace with it."

"OK. Sounds like a smart someone." Quentin smiled.

"Yeah." Oliver smiled as he shook his head. "Oh, I shouldn't have to say 'goodbye' to you again."

"Goodbye?" Quentin repeated, confused. "Evening's just getting started."

"Yeah. Thank you, Quentin for everything." Oliver said as he shook his hand with Quentin.

"Mr. Mayor." Rene said as he entered.

"We're gonna see each other again, Oliver." Quentin promised as Oliver was about to leave.

"I hope so." Oliver whispered as he entered an empty room, realizing what was the point of the time loop.

"Congratulations, Oliver. Now you understand." Lyla said.

"I couldn't change Quentin's fate. I can't change Barry's or Kara's either, can I?" Oliver realized.

"No. I'm sorry." Lyla said.

"Why did the Monitor go to all of this trouble just to… just to prove a point?" Oliver wondered as he turned to her.

"You've always been a man who needed to see things for himself. Telling you wouldn't have been enough." Lyla explained.

"How long have you worked for him?" Oliver asked.

"A while." Lyla admitted.

"You lied to us, Lyla. You… you lied to John." Oliver pointed out.

"Keeping this from John has been the hardest thing I've ever had to do." Lyla said.

"Then why do it?" Oliver demanded.

"The same reason you agreed to do what Mar Novu asked you to do in exchange for you saving Barry and Kara in Elseworlds. To protect the people I care about." Lyla said.

"Do you honestly believe that working with the Monitor is the best way to do that?" Oliver demanded.

"It's the only way. The Crisis is coming. There is no stopping it. All we can do is try to survive it." Lyla said ominously.

"OK. Help me out here, Lyla. I don't even know what it is." Oliver snapped.

"I know, but you will… soon." Lyla said. "What I can tell you is there is an evil coming that is greater than anything we've ever had to face."

"Can we stop it?" Oliver asked.

"I don't know… but you are the only chance we have." Lyla said.

"So everything I've done since Elseworlds, this has all been some… bigger part of a test?" Oliver demanded.

"He needed to be sure you were ready." Lyla said.

"He's just been sending me on useless missions." Oliver pointed out.

"They weren't useless. The dwarf star particles, Dr. Wong, even the antimatter weapon, they all have a purpose, just not the one you were expecting." Lyla said.

"What now?" Oliver asked.

"You complete your final mission." Lyla said. "I'll see you there."

Next thing Oliver knew, there was a glow of light…

…and Oliver, Sara and Laurel ended up in a tent.

"Where are we?" Laurel asked.

"Are you OK?" Oliver asked.

"My head hurts." Sara groaned, clutching her head. "The last thing I remember is Dad dying in the warehouse."

Laurel then looked at their clothes. "We were wearing these on the roof when we got tranqed, so does that mean that…"

"We got out." Oliver said.

"How?" Sara asked.

"We learned our lessons." Oliver said.

"Sara and I got out after we said 'goodbye.' Why would the Monitor let us see Quentin one last time?" Laurel questioned.

"It was a reward for not betraying me and to give you some closure." Oliver explained.

"Didn't really think rewards were his brand." Laurel drawled.

"No. We were wrong about him." Oliver said.

"And we should trust Lyla?" Sara questioned. "How did you get out, Ollie? Why did the Monitor want you to let Dad go?"

"Because deep down, I still believed that I could find a way to save Barry and Kara. Now I know that there isn't one." Oliver said as he got up. "Lyla said we had one last thing to do, one final mission.

"I can't wait to find out what that is." Laurel said.

"Where that is." Oliver said as he looked around the tent before they went out from the tent and were on a rocky beach surrounded by woods and they recognized where they were.

"Is that…" Laurel trailed off, recognizing the place.

"Kid, are we where I think we are?" Slade asked as he approached with Diggle.

"Yeah. We're on Lian Yu." Oliver realized.

Chapter Text

"Why would the Monitor bring us here?" Sara wondered.

"I don't know." Oliver said as he turned to Slade, Tommy and Diggle. "How did you guys end up here?"

"Armed men entered the bunker and knocked us out." Slade explained.

"A.R.G.U.S. agents." Diggle realized.

"Sounds just as fun as tranq darts." Laurel quipped.

"I'm sorry about that." Lyla said as she went out from the tent. "I needed you here, and I didn't have time to convince you."

"What the hell's going on, Lyla?" Diggle demanded.

"Mar Novu needs us to build a weapon, and it has to be done on this island." Lyla said.

"I'm not doing anything for that guy." Diggle protested.

"John, we have to." Oliver insisted as they entered the tent.

"Kid, I must say, you must have become even stupider than when I met you here the first time, if you're listening to the guy who's been messing with you this whole time." Slade noted bluntly.

"We were wrong about Novu, Slade. He's not our enemy." Oliver said.

"Since when?" Tommy questioned.

"He dropped me, Laurel and Sara in an alternate reality in order to teach me the lesson that to fix the multiverse, we need to work with him." Oliver explained.

"This is crazy." Diggle muttered.

"I know it's hard to hear, Johnny, but it's the truth." Lyla said.

"John..." Oliver gave Diggle a pleading look before turning to Lyla. "How do we build the weapon?"

"The materials we need are already here in the crates outside. Dr. Wong has been experimenting with the dwarf star particles since leaving Hong Kong. He's designed schematics for the build." Lyla said.

"If he has the schematics, why won't he build it?" Sara questioned.

"We're counting on you for that. The device is powered by plutonium. Dinah, Roy, Felicity, Curtis and Rene are on their way here with samples from Star City." Lyla explained.

"So my mission was part of this?" Diggle realized.

"All of our missions are a part of this." Oliver explained before turning to Lyla. "With all due respect, what are we doing back on Lian Yu?"

"In the past few days, the island has seen a rash of energy spikes." Lyla explained.

"Is that your reason for it being green?" Oliver asked and Lyla nodded. "Because the last time that I was here, Adrian Chase blew it up."

"Yes. Harnessing that energy is the key, and we need to do it right away because we have no idea how long the energy spikes will last." Lyla said.

"Wait, let me get this straight, you want us to build a superweapon for a cosmic god and then we'll stop the Crisis?" Slade asked.

"There is no stopping Crisis." Lyla said.

"Then why does Novu need the weapon in the first place?" Sara questioned.

"I don't know, but Novu said this is how we survive it, and I believe him." Lyla said.

"If we can't stop Crisis, then what about Barry or Kara?" Diggle asked.

Oliver looked saddened as he sighed, realizing that there was nothing he could do for his friends anymore.

A plane was flying towards Lian Yu, with Roy, Rene and Dinah at the cockpit and Felicity at the back of the plane.

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised the Black Canary knows how to fly." Rene said.

"Flying's easy. Landing's the hard part." Dinah said as Rene and Roy looked at her worriedly. "Kidding." Then they saw in the distance the island. "There it is. Purgatory."

"Looks a little less bombed out than I remember." Rene said.

"Wow. After everything I've heard about this place, I didn't imagine it to be so..." Roy trailed off.

"…terrifying?" Rene finished.

"Beautiful." Roy said.

"Yeah, if you don't count the landmines." Curtis said.

"Uh, don't remind me." Felicity grumbled.

"Island team, do you copy? We are five miles south and inbound for landing. Over." Dinah called out.

"We copy. Island team will meet you at the airstrip to unload. Over." Diggle said.

"No wind to speak of. Looks like we're in for a relatively smooth landing." Dinah said before she noticed something. "Hang on. Hang on. What the hell is that?"

"Something's wrong." Oliver realized.

"Hey. Is everything all right up there?" Diggle called out over the radio.

"We're picking up…" Dinah was breaking up. "Something's incoming."

"Did she say 'incoming'?" Oliver demanded as they went out from the tent.

"Dinah, are you there? Can you read me? Can you read me?" Diggle called out.

"Up there." Sara pointed.

"Oh, my God." Laurel said as she saw a missile flying towards the plane.

"Kid, it looks like history repeats itself." Slade said.

"Brace for emergency landing. Hold on!" Dinah exclaimed.

The missile hit the wing of the plane as it broke off, causing for the plane to plummet to the island.

"They're not gonna make it." Diggle said, horrified.

"We need to find the crash site." Oliver said.

"I'm trying." Tommy said as he was typing away on the laptop.

"I can't reach out, something's jamming the signal." Sara said as she tried to call out on the radio.

"Not something. Someone. Most likely the same person, who shot down the plane." Slade said.

"You should have told us we weren't alone." Diggle said as he turned to Lyla.

"I thought we were. I had A.R.G.U.S. sweep the entire island." Lyla said.

"I think I have them, but the plutonium is elsewhere, according to the tracker in the case." Slade said.

"We can't build the weapon without Felicity or Curtis. Let's split up." Oliver ordered.

"I'll run point on the rescue." Diggle said.

"I'm coming, too. I called them here. This is on me." Lyla said.

"Whatever the three of you do, just be careful. We don't know who these people are or what they want." Oliver said.

"Copy that." Diggle said as he went out.

"And I guess that means, what, we are on nuclear weapon duty?" Laurel said.

"I'll stay here with Slade, see what I can do with the weapon." Tommy said as he approached a computer.

"Tommy, are you sure?" Oliver asked.

"Ollie, I've been protecting Starling City on my own for years, even before Laurel joined with me. I got this." Tommy assured.

"Slade and Tommy synched this map to the plutonium's location." Oliver said as he held the tablet with satellite imaging of the island, while he, Sara and Laurel walked down the woods. "It's gonna get us close to the case, but the coordinates won't be exact, so we're gonna have to sweep the area."

Sara looked around uneasily. "Ollie, I don't know about you, but this is starting to remind me too much of…"

"…what happened eleven years ago? Yeah, me too." Oliver nodded as he turned to Laurel. "You know, I, uh... I never expected to be on a mission with you like this, you know. I'm glad you're here."

"Oliver, I know that look." Laurel said as they stopped.

"What look?" Oliver asked.

"The look you had, when we first met." Laurel said. "You saw a part of your Laurel in me."

"Yeah, it's just that…" Oliver took a breath. "I don't know if you know this, but when I first got stranded here, I kept a photo of my Laurel with me."

"What, you got sentimental?" Laurel asked.

"No. It…" Oliver took a breath. "It was one of the few things from before the Gambit that I had been holding onto. I knew things wouldn't be the same after how I cheated on her, but I wanted to go home at least to try and make things right with her. To say that I'm sorry."

"And did she ever forgive you?" Laurel asked.

"It took some time… but eventually, yeah." Oliver said.

"You know, I wish things had been different between us." Laurel said as she smiled at Oliver. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for everything."

"It's OK now." Oliver said.

Diggle and Lyla walked down the woods before they saw Rene and Dinah limping towards them, with Rene leaning onto Dinah's shoulder.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. You guys OK?" Diggle asked.

"I think so." Rene said.

"We have no idea where Roy or Felicity are." Dinah panted out.

"OK. You are definitely not OK." Lyla said as she looked Rene over. "We cannot let this get infected. You guys keep searching. I'll take Rene back and get him fixed up."

"OK. Go, go, go." Diggle said.

"We need to find Roy and Felicity." Dinah said.

"Where? Where?" Diggle demanded.

"This way." Dinah pointed as Diggle followed.

Oliver opened a case, in which was a cylinder of plutonium. "I found it!" He got up and looked around. "Sara! Laurel!"

Oliver noticed something was off before he saw a masked mercenary holding Laurel, with his sword at her throat and Oliver recognized him as Billy Wintergreen, Slade's former friend from A.S.I.S., who had betrayed him and who had tortured Oliver, when he first ended up on the island. "Let her go."

"I'm afraid he can't do that." A familiar male voice said and Oliver's blood ran cold as he turned his head to see a middle-aged blonde man in a mercenary uniform. "Hello, Oliver."

"Fyers." Oliver whispered in disbelief. "You're dead."

"What?" Laurel demanded, shocked.

"Seems I've been given a new lease on life, though this time I'll be sure to finish the job." Fyers said as more of his men showed up, aiming their weapons at Oliver and Laurel and Oliver put down the case. "Drop your weapon."

Oliver turned around and placed his hands behind his head.

"Drop... your weapon!" Fyers repeated.

Oliver whirled around and shot down Fyers's men, while Laurel disarmed Wintergreen of his sword and they exchanged blows before Laurel knocked him down and threw his sword at one of the mercenaries and Sara jumped down from above and knocked down another one nearing Laurel with his gun ready.

"Friends of yours?" Laurel demanded, turning to Oliver.

"Edward Fyers and Billy Wintergreen. They were on the island when I first got here, and they're both dead." Oliver said.

"If they're dead, then they're what, ghosts?" Sara questioned.

"Get this to Tommy." Oliver ordered as he handed the case to Laurel.

"Where are you going?" Laurel demanded.

"I have to go after Fyers." Oliver said.

"Ollie, what about the weapon?" Sara demanded.

"Fyers is my mess. He's a mercenary that I fought and I killed. He clearly wants revenge, and that makes him my responsibility. All right. I'll be back as soon as I can." Oliver said as he walked off.

Oliver was walking down the woods before he sensed something and caught an arrow that was coming his way and faced an Asian bearded man, who had long hair and lowered his hood to reveal a familiar face.

"Fool. This place is too dangerous for any one man to be alone." Yao Fei said in Mandarin.

"Yao Fei?" Oliver stared in disbelief. "Are you real?"

"As real as the men you hunt." Yao Fei said in English.

"Why'd you try to shoot me?" Oliver demanded.

"Like the first time. To keep you from danger." Yao Fei said.

"No one can keep me from danger. OK? Not even you." Oliver said.

"Because of the coming crisis?" Yao Fei asked and Oliver shrugged. "There are forces at play that want you to not succeed."

"Fyers and his men know about the weapon, and they want to use it for themselves." Oliver explained as he looked around. "All right. Well, who else has, um, returned?"

"Only those who were with you from the beginning, but you must not let the evil that tempted you at the start distract you at the end." Yao Fei said.

"He's coming after more than my mission, Yao Fei, you understand? I'm not gonna let that happen." Oliver said firmly.

"Last time you tried to do alone did not end well." Yao Fei reminded.

"I'm not that person anymore." Oliver said.

"I will hope." Yao Fei nodded.

"Roy! Felicity!"

"Roy!" Dinah and Diggle yelled before they looked around.

"Guys! Over here!" Felicity waved as Dinah and Diggle rushed to her and Curtis.

"Felicity, where's Roy?" Diggle asked

"There! We gotta help him!" Felicity pointed as she accompanied them deeper into the woods before they saw Roy lying at a rock, with his arm pinned down by a piece of engine.

"Roy!" Dinah cried out.

"I can't... I can't move!" Roy groaned.

"Roy, we're gonna get you out of here." Diggle said. "His arm is pinned. Can you feel anything?"

Roy shook his head. "No, no."

Dinah turned to see fuel leaking from a broken wing and sparks going off. "We got a problem. Fuel."

"We gotta hurry and Roy off that thing before we're toast." Curtis said as he, Dinah and Diggle tried to lift the engine and free Roy before Laurel showed up and was horrified to see Roy's predicament.

"Oh, God. Guys, we don't have time. I hate to say it but I think the best way to save Roy is if we amputate his arm." Laurel said.

"No! There has to be another way!" Felicity protested.

"Felicity, we don't have time, the engine's about to spark!" Dinah snapped.

"Then I'll make it. Do it. Just… cut me free." Roy said.

"Guys, we're about to have company and not the good kind." Laurel said as she heard footsteps.

"We can hold them off!" Diggle protested.

"John, we don't have a choice!" Dinah said.

"Then I'll make it. Do it. Just... cut me free." Roy said.

"Roy, are you sure about this?" Felicity asked.

"No. No, Roy." Diggle protested.

"John, it's better my arm than our lives." Roy assured.

After a moment, Diggle, Curtis and Felicity gave in. "Felicity, get the kit."

Felicity nodded as she ran off.

"Laurel and I will distract them." Dinah said as she left with Laurel.

A moment later, Felicity returned with the kit as Diggle tied the tourniquet around Roy's arm, while Roy groaned and Felicity handed Diggle the machete and held Roy's hand.

"Hang on, Roy." Curtis said.

"Ready?" Diggle asked.

"Do it." Roy said.

Diggle swung the blade as Felicity and Curtis looked away, while Roy held onto her hand tightly and screamed in pain as blood spattered on his, Curtis's and Felicity's faces.

"Fyers' camp is just ahead." Oliver said as he followed Yao Fei.

"We should not be back here." Yao Fei said.

Oliver sighed. "You don't have to help, Yao Fei."

"I help for Shado." Yao Fei said.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save her. Should be right up here." Oliver said as they approached where used to be Fyers's encampment but they noticed that it had been abandoned for a long time.

"They're gone." Yao Fei said.

"OK. That doesn't make any sense. He should be here." Oliver said but then they heard rustling as the net under them closed, ensnaring them.

"Fyers knew you'd come here." Yao Fei realized.

"Well, now he's free and clear to attack my friends. We need to get out of here." Oliver said as he tried to free himself.

"How?" Yao Fei questioned.

"Use your bow?" Oliver asked.

"It's pinned." Yao Fei said as he tried to reach.

"All right. Well... We will have to cut our way out." Oliver said as he pulled out a knife.

"The net is made of braided steel. That blade won't cut." Yao Fei said.

"It'll cut." Oliver said.

"Oh, my God, what happened?" Sara demanded as she saw Roy with an amputated arm and injured Rene accompanied by Felicity, Curtis, Diggle and Dinah.

"His arm got pinned underneath the landing gear. We had to amputate." Diggle explained.

"I'm sure you did what you needed to do." Lyla assured.

"Is Oliver back yet?" Laurel asked.

"Wasn't he with you?" Tommy demanded.

"No. He went after the enemy on his own." Sara said.

"Of course the kid always has to play the hero." Slade grumbled as he got up and picked his weapons.

"Felicity, Curtis, Tommy, finish the weapon, Slade and I are going for Ollie." Sara ordered as she went out with Slade.

"I was wrong. You haven't changed. Still that impatient boy I found." Yao Fei noted as he observed Oliver frantically trying to cut himself loose.

"You realize that insulting me is not gonna make this go any faster, right?" Oliver grumbled.

"Breathe. Remember in everything, breathe." Yao Fei said.

"I'm trying to cut my way out of a net, Yao Fei, not shoot an arrow." Oliver drawled.

"We wouldn't be in this net if you had breathed." Yao Fei said, lecturing Oliver like a child.

"You know what Fyers is capable of, right?" Oliver reminded. "I need to get back to my friends, and I'm running out of time."

"You could be with your friends, but you chose here instead." Yao Fei pointed out.

"I chose to protect them."

"You think that it's your responsibility to protect everyone you care about, even if there's a chance that there is nothing you can do for them and they will die, no matter what you do." Yao Fei said.

"I've made my peace with that the people I love could die, no matter what I do." Oliver said, looking sad. "That hasn't made things any easier. What am I supposed to say to Barry and Kara, if I might not see them again?"

"What I could not to Shado. You say 'goodbye.'" Yao Fei said.

"I don't think that I can." Oliver admitted. "Barry and Kara are everything I want to be but I know I can't be. They believe in hope and light and they try their best not to let the darkness they had been through change them for what they are. That's not who I am. In a way, I look up to them both… but there's nothing I can do to save them, when I know they're destined to die."

"You think you have failed." Yao Fei realized.

"The first thing that you taught me. 'Shēngcún', survive. How am I supposed to survive, knowing that I'm gonna let my friends die?" Oliver wondered.

"Shēngcún is more than body. It is spirit, what lives on like I did in Shado, like she does in you. That is 'survive.'" Yao Fei said.

"How do I do that?" Oliver wondered.

"You live now, with your friends, with the time they have left." Yao Fei said and Oliver considered.

"I need to get out of this net first." Oliver said as he kept cutting.

"Always have patience." Yao Fei said and a moment later, Slade and Sara appeared and Slade pulled out a sword, cutting them loose.

"You know, this is like the first time I met you, kid, useless and me having to save you again." Slade said and stared in shock to see Yao Fei.

"Like I said, patience." Yao Fei smiled and a moment later, Shado approached as more shock filled Oliver, Slade and Sara.

"Long time no see." Shado smiled warmly.

"Well, kid, it's like old times." Slade noted as soon as soon as he recovered from his shock.

Diggle was back in the camp, treating Roy's amputated arm as Dinah entered. "John, we got a problem."

They followed Dinah into the A.R.G.U.S. prison on the island.

"Fyers and his men have surrounded the camp. They could be here at any moment now." Felicity said.

"How long before the weapon is ready?" Diggle asked.

"We're done building it. Once the plutonium finishes transferring the energy, we can turn it on." Curtis said as he turned to the metallic ball on a pedestal.

"How long do you need?" Laurel asked.

"We don't know." Tommy said.

"Can we take this to a safer part of the island and finish it there?" Dinah asked.

"No, no. It has to be here. We've tapped into the center of the island's energy. We can't move." Curtis said.

"And it has to be tonight. We don't know when the next energy spike will be, and we can't afford to wait." Lyla said.

"We need to buy Tommy, Felicity and Curtis more time." Oliver said as he entered.

"Oliver, are you OK?" Laurel asked.

"Yeah. An old friend steered me back. I'm sorry that I took off." Oliver assured.

"It's OK." Diggle assured.

"How are we supposed to beat an army of ghosts?" Laurel questioned.

"Power up the device." Oliver said.

"The sphere's absorbing the energy of the island." Tommy realized.

"If that brought the dead here in the first place…" Curtis started.

"…activating the device will destroy them." Oliver finished.

"We're talking about plutonium here. That's nasty stuff. It can take out this entire island, us included!" Rene pointed out.

"If this is our best chance of surviving the Crisis, then we need to take the risk." Lyla said.

"Lyla's right. She's right. This is it. This is our best shot." Oliver said firmly. "Suit up."

"I haven't had the chance to say it but I'm sorry I let you die." Oliver said as he turned to Shado, while they walked down the woods.

"It wasn't your fault. Ivo calculated it all down. I never blamed you." Shado assured as she turned to Slade, who looked ashamed. "I never blamed anyone of you."

"I've made my peace with what happened. And like I told the kid, we need to forgive ourselves for our sins… otherwise our pasts will never stop haunting us." Slade said.

Oliver, in the Green Arrow suit, entered Fyers's camp as Fyers smirked. "You are as foolish as ever, Queen."

"Surrender!" Oliver said.

"I suppose that means you're not here to surrender to me." Fyers said.

"I'm the one who killed you, Fyers." Oliver reminded.

"I'm very pleased to return the favor, a task you've made much easier by coming alone." Fyers said.

"I'm not alone." Oliver said and on cue, Diggle in his Spartan gear, Laurel in her Black Canary outfit, Tommy as the Green Arrow, Slade in his Deathstroke suit, Sara in her White Canary suit, Dinah in her Black Canary suit, Yao Fei and Shado appeared.

"It doesn't matter how many people you have. The outcome is the same." Fyers said. "Kill them!"

Fyers's men and Wintergreen charged forward, while Diggle, Slade, Tommy and Shado opened fire as they charged forward too.

"Curtis, we're running out of time." Felicity said.

"That's strange. There was a double helix genetic sequence in Dr. Wong's formula. I assumed it was an error, but now I think the device can only be powered on using a specific DNA code." Curtis said as he looked at the tablet.

"Oliver? Oliver, do you copy?" Lyla tried to reach out with her radio. "Nothing."

"Like old times, kid!" Slade said as he cut down one of Fyers's men, while Oliver shot down another one.

Laurel unleashed her Siren Cry, sending some of them flying away, while Diggle and Rene shot down four of Fyers's mercs.

"Yao Fei, if this works…" Oliver grunted as he threw a mercenary to Yao Fei.

"We will part again but the dead are never really gone." Yao Fei assured.

Slade tackled Wintergreen and slammed him to some barrels.

"This time, I'm putting an arrow in your eye, Slade." Wintergreen sneered.

"Don't count on it." Slade snarled and dodged Wintergreen's sword as their blades clashed.

Sara and Dinah knocked down the mercs with their staffs, while Oliver fired an explosive arrow, sending some of Fyers's men flying away and Shado shot down one of the mercs riding on a bike and Oliver, Diggle, Tommy and Rene were shooting their way through Fyers's men.

"They're not gonna be able to hold them off much longer. We need to hurry." Oliver said as he entered the bunker.

"The sphere should go off the moment you touch it, but we don't know what happens then." Felicity said.

"OK." Oliver picked the sphere as it beeped but then, nothing.

"Wow. That was anticlimactic." Roy said.

"That doesn't make any sense." Felicity said as she looked at her tablet.

"What? What is it?" Oliver asked.

"Oliver's DNA doesn't match the algorithm's specified sequence." Felicity said.

"Does that mean we can't turn it on?" Oliver asked.

"You can't..." Felicity turned to Lyla. "But she can."

"What are you talking about?" Lyla demanded.

"The DNA sequence isn't Oliver's but yours, Lyla." Felicity explained.

"When I said, 'Like old times', when we were here the last time, it's not exactly what I had in mind!" Slade noted as he cut down another one of Fyers's men.

"We need to hold them off for as long as we can!" Sara ordered before an explosion knocked her down.

"God, I hate this island!" Laurel snapped as she knocked down one of the mercenaries.

"I thought this weapon was supposed to help us survive Crisis." Oliver said, turning to Lyla.

"That's what Novu told me." Lyla said.

"Does this mean you're the weapon?" Diggle realized.

"Johnny..." Lyla started.

"I understand why you have to do this." Diggle assured.

Back in the woods, the Team Arrow was getting overpowered.

Lyla picked the sphere as the lights flickered.

Team Arrow and Slade looked confused to see that Yao Fei, Shado, Fyers and his men had vanished.

"Lyla, are you all right?" Diggle asked.

"I have to go." Lyla said as a portal opened and she entered it before it closed, much to their confusion.

Later, they were back in the tent, packing up.

"Hey, guys. I just, uh... I just connected with A.R.G.U.S., and Lyla organized a rescue boat before everything happened. Should be here any minute, so... so, we're all going home." Oliver said.

"Uh, does anyone know what exactly happened to Lyla, when she entered the portal? Because I'm terrified to wonder what was on the other side. I mean, did she know what was going to happen?" Felicity asked.

"No. No. She was just as surprised as the rest of us." Diggle said.

"Novu just loves surprises, doesn't he?" Laurel quipped.

"Whatever Mar Novu has planned for Lyla, she can handle it." Diggle assured.

"How long before the Crisis begins?" Tommy asked.

"Not long." Oliver said.

Oliver, Sara and Slade were at the beach, staring.

"You still thinking about your friends? The Flash and Supergirl?" Slade asked.

"I've accepted that I may not be able to save them. Now I'm wondering what will they leave behind. It'll be up to me to make sure their deaths will have any meaning. Whatever this crisis brings us, it'll be bigger than anything we've ever seen." Oliver said.

"You're not gonna be alone in this, Ollie. You have me, Slade, the Legends, Cisco, Caitlin, everyone's gonna be with you, when it comes down crashing." Sara promised as she held his hand.

Suddenly, the sky turned red as they heard thunder and saw lightning strike in the sky before a glow of light blinded them and suddenly, Lyla appeared, now wearing a blue uniform.

"Lyla?" Oliver asked, confused.

"Not anymore. I'm now a harbinger of things to come."

Sara's eyes widened. "You mean—"

"Yes." Lyla nodded. "The Crisis has begun."