Adam Hunt's Apartment
Adam Hunt was on the phone, pacing in the bedroom.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." He was saying, taking a sip of the cheap scotch he had bought. "Look, all I'm doing is looking to get something going again. Yeah, I know. I know, but this time—" A loud creak caught his attention, and he turned, looking down the hallway into the living room where a hooded figure stood.
"I have to call you back." He said into the phone, hanging up. He tossed it on his bed. "What?" he asked the silent figure in the shadows, thinking it was The Arrow. "Did you come back for another pound of flesh? You're gonna be disappointed, pal. Thanks to you, I'm—"
He never finished as one, and then three all black arrows pierced his heart. He fell back onto the bed, dead, as the figure in the shadows turned and left.
Arrow Lair
Nathan was training was training Lyla and Helena in Kali knife fighting with combat knives. They moved in a steady rhythm, with Nathan blocking and returning both of the women's shots.
"Nice. Picking up the pace." Nathan complimented.
"I could say the same thing about you." Lyla replied. "You and Helena have crossed 3 names off your father's list this week alone."
"Yeah, well, some of these wimps are just giving it up without a fight now. All I gotta do is pay 'em a visit."
"It seems the vigilante's reputation is beginning to precede him." Helena noted. Nathan changed his pace and caught both of them off guard, tripping Lyla up with a leg sweep and catching Helena's arm and give it a small scratch across the forearm, leaving a scratch. "Ah!" Helena said, more in surprise than in pain.
"Whoo." Nathan let out a breath. "Another round?" he offered.
"No." Helena and Lyla immediately declined. Nathan chuckled and moved out of the training area and sat at the desk. He took notice of his calendar and sat there in silence.
"Oh." Nathan said in surprise, suddenly realizing something. "I didn't even realize until I looked at my calendar. Christmas is coming up."
"That's because you've been logging in so many vigilante hours ever since Helena joined." Lyla said slyly with Helena smirking.
Nathan shot her a look "I meant… there were no holidays on the island." He explained. "Every day was 'How do I stay alive'? To do that, you had to forget things, like Christmas. My dad," he smiled, remembering, "threw a party every year, and he would put a Christmas tree in every room. The whole mansion smelled like…" he trailed off, sighing. "It smelled like Christmas."
"Maybe you can give the list a rest and just enjoy the holidays with the family." Lyla suggested. "Besides, I hear St. Nick has a list of his own. I wager you're in the 'nice' column." She got up and patted Nate on the shoulder. "Go home, and spend the holiday with your family, Nate." She said, walking out. Nathan sat back in the chair, thinking about something.
He turned to Helena and asked, "Hey, if I can convince my mom to have our usual Christmas party, do you want to come?"
Helena looked surprised but still happy that he asked, "Yeah, I'd love that. I haven't really been able to enjoy Christmas since Michael died." She walked up to him and sat in his lap, " And if there is no party, just the two of us. Deal?"
Nathan smiled, "Deal". He said and the two shared a passionate kiss.
Queen Manor
Nathan walked in to Queen Manor.
"Hey." He told Thea, who was walking out of the dining room. He kissed her on the cheek. "You look very pretty. What's the occasion?"
"Mom and Walter are having a dinner party with some big muckety-mucks." She let out a bored groan. "Best night of my life."
"Thea, why aren't there any decorations up in the house?" Nathan asked suddenly, noticing how they were lacking. Thea was taken aback.
"What do you mean?" Thea asked nervously.
"No wreaths, no trees, no Christmas lights." He noted. Thea gave a nervous laugh.
"Everyone has just been really busy lately. I'm sure they haven't got around to it yet." She dodged.
"Does mom at least have some of those boxes of candy canes? Remember we used to race to see who'd finish first?" he asked grinning at the memory.
Thea smiled as well. "Yeah. I always won."
"No. You cheated." He argued with a smile.
Thea sighed. "Well, she went sugar-free last year, so I doubt you'll be seeing any of those around." She said, moving off.
Nathan looked after her, sighing as he knew she was dodging the question, and then moved into the dining room. Walter and Moira were at the heads of the table, surrounded by several prominent people; chief among them Police Commissioner Brian Nudocerdo and Malcolm Merlyn.
"The thing that people forget is that Robin Hood was a criminal." Commissioner Brian Nudocerdo was saying as Nathan took his seat.
"And stealing from the rich to give to the poor is really the job of the Democrats." One of the business men joked snidely, to the chuckles of all.
"All joking aside, Commissioner, crime is down for the first time in 5 years." Malcolm noted.
"That's because of the changes my department has implemented." Nudocerdo argued. Nathan internally scoff at this idiot.
"Or perhaps," Walter chimed in, "it's because the vigilante's activities have had a chilling effect on the city's criminals." Nathan internally chuckled at this.
There were murmurs of agreement around the table. Malcolm glanced at Moira, before turning his attention on Nathan. "What are your thoughts, Nathan?" he asked with a smile.
Nathan considered for a moment. "I think," he began, "the vigilante needs a better code name than 'The Hood' or 'Hood Guy'. I mean, they're already calling his partner 'The Huntress', which is infinitely better than 'The Hood'." He joked to everyone's laughter.
"I agree." Malcolm said, considering for a moment himself. "How about 'Black Arrow'?"
"I think 'The Arrow' works better. More simplistic, ya know." Nathan replied.
Before the conversation could progress, Walter's phone rang. "Forgive me." He said, rising. "It's the office. Excuse me." He left the room to Malcolm's cold gaze.
Walter walked out into the foyer as he answered the call. "I'm in the middle of a dinner party, Ms. Smoak," he said quietly, "So I hope this is of some importance."
At Queen Consolidated, Felicity was still researching the notebook. "I guess that depends on how you define important." She said absently. "See, most people would consider finding a list of names written in subsonic ultraviolet invisible ink important."
"But then I already know that, now, don't I?"
"Did you know 9 of the names on the list are guys the vigilante's had in his crosshairs?" Felicity noted, then mumble, "That is, if bows had crosshairs. Which they don't."
The doorbell rang, and Raisa moved to answer as Walter continued with the call. "Well, it is a rather long list, Felicity, so I would expect there to be some overlap." He said. Behind him, a police officer was let in to the house, and Raisa showed him the way to the dining room.
"Like Doug Miller." Felicity continued over the phone. "Head of Applied Sciences at Queen Consolidated."
"What of him?" Walter asked.
"Mr. Miller may end up getting an arrow in his stocking, because he's on the list." She paused to let that sink in. "So, important or not?"
In the dining room, the patrol man walked over to Nudocerdo and leaned down to whisper in his ear. Nudocerdo listened, and then sighed. He wiped his mouth with his napkin as he rose. "I'm sorry." He began. "Something's come up."
"Is everything okay?" Nathan asked. Nudocerdo looked around the table.
"The vigilante has struck again." He announced. "He just put an arrow in Adam Hunt." He walked out with the patrol man to hushed whispers. Malcolm let a very small, satisfied smile out before carefully schooling his emotions once more.
Nathan reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone. "Oh dear." He said, feigning a call. "I really do need to take this call. It's my lead contractor." He explained to his mother.
Moira nodded. "Of course."
"Excuse me." He said as he left the room. He quickly made a clone and left while the clone handled everything at home.
Adam Hunt's apartment
Nudocerdo walked in and found Lance in the bedroom, looking at the body. Lance noted the Commissioner and began briefing him.
"Well, the daughter came over, used her key, found dad." Lance said. "Hat trick to the chest."
"The Hood guy." Nudocerdo said, but Lance shook his head.
"That's what I thought at first." He began. "But The Hoods arrows are black and red, these all black arrows aren't consistent with his M.O. And neither is the fact that the Hood already took Hunt for $40 million a few months ago. It makes no sense to kill him now." He sighed. "Something doesn't add up. I think we might dealing with a copycat." He stated bluntly. Outside the apartment, The Arrow listened on in silence.
Arrow Lair
Next Morning
Nathan was leaning over a workbench, deep in thought, while Lyla sat at the desk and Helena was practicing a few techniques.
"Who would kill Adam Hunt with an arrow?" Lyla asked, then noted, "I mean, other than you?"
Nathan shot him a look, but quickly frowned. "A setup, maybe." He wasn't sure, but from a distance, they looked like League of Assassin arrows.
"You mean someone looking to cover up killing Hunt by making it look like it was you?" Helena reasoned. Nathan shook his head, confused by the evening's turn of events.
"Whoever he was, he's good." He stated. "The grouping on Hunt's chest was very tight. It's a compound bow, most likely. The guy is a…" he paused, trying to put his thought into words. "The guy's a legitimate archer."
Lyla leaned forward. "So someone who would be particular about his choice of arrows." She began. Nathan jumped on to his line of thought.
"We get an arrow, we get a lead on where he purchased them."
"So what are you gonna do?" She asked.
He considered his options for a few moments. "What anyone does when they need help." Nathan decided, looking over at the man. "Call a cop."
Queen Consolidated
Doug Miller walked into Walter's office; Walter rose and shook his hand.
"Doug. Thanks for coming."
"Of course." Doug replied.
"How is the construction coming along on the Applied Sciences Center?"
"Over budget and behind schedule." Doug laughed lightly. "Exactly as expected." Walter gestured at the chair behind him, and both men sat down. "Is that what you wanted to see me about?"
"No. Adam Hunt." Walter began. "He was murdered last night by the vigilante."
"I read about that." Doug replied somberly.
"I've been concerned by the idea that the vigilante might target an employee or officer of this company." He looked at the younger man. "Security red-flagged you."
"Me?" Dough asked, bewildered. "Why would this guy go after me?"
"Well, that's a point I was hoping you could shed some light on." Walter said.
Doug shook his head. "You got me. From what I've read, this vigilante only goes after white-collar criminals."
"Well, let's just hope he doesn't decide to branch out." Walter said. Looking at the man. Wondering why his name was on that list.
Big Belly Burger
The restaurant was fully decked out for Christmas. Nathan and Thea were sitting in his customary booth, having lunch.
"I think there should be a national holiday for the guy that invented French fries." Thea declared. "Or at least a statue or something."
"There is no longer a Christmas party, is there?" Nathan asked suddenly. At her lack of response, he pushed on. "Thea, dad threw one of these every year. Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice?"
Before she could answer, a young man walked up to the table. "Hi, Thea." He said, eyes only on the girl.
"Hi! Shane." She smiled. Then remembering who she was with, gestured at her brother. "This is my brother Nathan."
"Nice to meet you, Thea's brother." Shane said disingenuously. "I bet the food on that island is better than this stuff they're serving here, huh?"
"You'd lose that bet." Nathan said with a fake smile. This was very annoying. Nathan had only just met him and he was already working his last nerve.
Obligatory introductions done, he turned back to Thea, ignoring Nathan completely. "We're heading down to the bay to hang out if you want to come."
Thea smiled at him, smitten. "Thanks, but I'm spending the afternoon with my brother." She said regretfully, though she cast a warm look at Nathan to let him know she didn't regret it too much.
"Another time." He said. "See ya."
She watched him walk off with a smile. Nathan looked at his sister. "How do you know that Shane guy?" he asked lightly.
"We rob banks and smoke crack together." Thea joked.
"That's funny, yeah." Nathan smirked. "I have a feeling I'm not gonna be a fan."
She looked at her brother, annoyed. "You don't even know him." She scoffed. "Let's change the subject."
"Fine." Nathan said, leaning in. "You were gonna tell me why we're not having the annual Christmas party."
Thea looked at him for a few moments, and then sighed. "When you and dad disappeared," she began, "by the time Christmas rolled around, none of us felt much like celebrating, so we kind of skipped Christmas that year." She paused. "Every year." She sighed shakily. "And it's really fine, so…"
"No. No, it's really not." Nathan said. He sat back and started thinking.
Queen Manor
Nathan was standing in front of Thea, Moira and Walter. "We're celebrating Christmas." He declared. "I was forced to go 5 years without it, and then Thea tells me that you guys didn't have it either and I'm the reason. So maybe now I can be the reason we have Christmas again." He smiled at them "I thought I would throw the Queen Christmas party."
Moira and Walter looked skeptical, Thea looked annoyed. "You?" Thea asked.
"I know that I haven't always been the son or the stepson or the brother that all of you deserve." Nathan stated, looking at each one in turn. "But I am trying here. And this feels like the right moment to start making up for lost time." He said with a note of excitement in his voice. "What do you say?" he asked, looking at his mother.
Moira looked back at him, happiness shining in her eyes. "I say yes."
"Yes!" he exclaimed. "Okay. I will take care of everything. You don't have to do anything. Just show up, look fantastic, and bring some Christmas cheer, okay?"
"Okay." His mother said. Nathan looked expectantly at Thea, who finally rolled her eyes.
"Fine." She groused.
Walter smiled at him. "You're a good man, Nathaniel." He said. Nathan looked back, but his mind thought back to another time someone had said that to him.
Flashback
Yao Fei was leading the way through the jungle, while Nathan walked slightly behind, leading Fyers with him.
"You're a good man." Fyers was saying to Nathan. "I can see it. Well, beneath the privileged upbringing and the wealthy veneer. I saw it when my man tortured you and you wouldn't give up your friend." He glanced at Nathan. "Not even a friend, really. Someone you just met."
"Shut up." Nathan whispered.
"What do you know him?" Fyers continued pleasantly. "Nothing, I suspect. Do you even know what this island really is?" he asked. "It's a prison. I mean this literally. Until 8 years ago, the Chinese military operated this island as a penitentiary for criminals deemed so dangerous, they couldn't be safely incarcerated on the mainland. When the military shut the program down, my unit came in and disposed of all the inmates. With the exception of two. Your friend was one of them."
That brought Nathan up short, and he stopped Fyers in turn. "Who was the other?" he asked, curious despite himself.
"You met him." Fyers replied. "He presided over your interrogation."
Nathan looked at the man, pain at the memory etched on his face. "He tortured me."
"You had information I needed." Fyers defended. "What would you do in my position? What would you do to capture the man who slaughtered dozens of people?" Nathan glanced over at Yao Fei, who was looking back at them. Shaking it off, Nathan shoved Fyers onwards.
Flashback End
Malcolm and Moira were meeting on an empty street in the Glades.
"Douglas Miller came to see me today, quite concerned." Malcolm was telling the woman. "He said your husband interrogated him, and his questions suggested a knowledge he shouldn't have of the list."
"Let me talk to him." Moira tried, but Malcolm cut her off.
"I think we're past the point of conversation, Moira." He said harshly. "A month ago you came to me and you told me to stay away from your family, and I did. But your family isn't staying away from me. Which means something must be done about it. Don't you agree?" he asked coldly.
"Yes, I do." Moira replied, managing to hide the tremor in her voice. "And I'll handle it."
"I guess what I'm wondering is, whether it's time for our associate to handle it." Malcolm said, the threat clear.
Across Town
Several Hours Later
A man was walking down a dark alley towards his car, talking on his phone.
"Hell, yeah, I returned the money." He said into the phone. "$70 million isn't worth getting an arrow through the chest. And you can tell him, if he's got a problem with that, he can-" suddenly an arrow pierced his heart from behind, poking through the front of his chest. He had just enough time to look down in shock before he fell over, dead.
Sometime later, Quentin Lance was showing Nudocerdo the crime scene.
"Commissioner, this is Nelson Ravich." He explained as they walked up to the body. "The Hood hit him earlier this week. Ravich wired back the money he embezzled less than 5 minutes later."
Nudocerdo, then gestured for Lance to come with him. They walked back down the alley a bit before the Commissioner turned to the Detective. "All right. We tell the press The Hood did this." He said. At Lance's look, he pressed on. "Hunt's murder is a page 10 story, at best. But Ravich makes this a serial murder case. We can't let the public get wind of the idea that there are two of these nut jobs running around!"
"You want me to blame these murders on a guy that didn't do it and ignore the fact that the real serial killer is still on the loose?" Lance asked to clarify.
Nudocerdo glared at the detective. "Just catch one of these psychos." He ordered. "I don't care which one. That is a direct order from your commanding officer." He turned and walked away.
"Well, you can forget it, then." Lance called after him.
Nudocerdo turned around and gave him a look. "Fine. It's forgotten." He said pleasantly, and then his voice hardened. "And you're off this case, Sergeant, effective immediately." Nudocerdo turned and headed back to his car, leaving Lance to stare after the man in disgust.
SCPD Later
Lance sat at his desk, dejected. Then he glanced down at the phone. He stared at it for several moments before coming to a decision. He picked it up and dialed the saved number, walking out into the hallway.
At Queen Manor, Nathan noted the ringing phone and answered, the voice distorter working automatically. "Don't bother trying to trace this back to me. You'll never make it through my encryption."
"There's a heating vent on the corner of O'Neil and Adams. You'll find what you're after there." Lance told the vigilante.
"It'd be a mistake to set a trap for me, Detective." Nathan warned.
"I'm trading away just about everything I believe in here 'cause it's the only way I've got to get this bastard." He snarled into the phone. "You got till Christmas. And then, copycat or not I'm coming after you."
Arrow Lair
Later
Nathan was studying the arrow Lance had left him. Lyla and Helena came into the lair and walked over to him.
"So your 'friend' Lance gave you a Christmas present after all." Helena said as Nathan stared at the arrowhead under his magnifier.
"-Hmm." He said absently, holding up the arrow for him to see. "Teflon-coated titanium blade, serrated to split the bone and rip through flesh. Shaft is some type of specialized carbon polymer, which is stronger than a typical carbon fiber. The design of the arrow head is definitely League standard but the material…this is a custom job." He finished in admiration.
"Wait a minute, you're positive this is League of Assassin's design?" Lyla asked in alarm. Helena was just confused.
"Definitely. I know this particular design anywhere." He said as a smiling Talia flashed in his mind and then flashed to the mountains of Tibet with an old man.
"League of Assassin's? What, like an actual organization of assassin's?" Helena asked in confusion.
"They are. I'll tell you about them later." Nathan said dismissively.
"Could he be here on Ra's orders?" Lyla asked.
"If he were here on Ra's al Ghul's orders, it would be to observe and report, and he would have kept his distance. No, this guy is either rogue, or even more unlikely, he was released." Nathan said.
"So Lance gave in after the Leaguer dropped another body." Lyla pointed out.
"Nelson Ravich." Nathan confirmed, "We hit him 3 days ago."
"Which is another name you crossed off your dad's list." Lyla noted. "So is this guy trying to frame you or call you out?"
Nathan looked back at the man. "Either way, we need to find him."
Queen Consolidated
IT Department
Felicity was down in the IT Department looking over a digitized version of the List she had copied onto her laptop when Nathan walked in, holding a long closed tube. He made his way quietly to her desk, and then stood in silence as he worked on her tablet, oblivious to his presence.
"Hey." He said finally, causing her to jump in her seat.
"Don't you knock?" she asked, recovering her composure.
Nathan smiled at the woman. "Felicity, this is the I.T. Department of a company with my name on it. It's not the ladies room." He noted.
"Right." She laughed nervously, shutting down her tablet. "What can I do for you?"
"I have this friend, Steve, who is really into hunting with a bow and arrow." Nathan began. "Apparently it's all the rage now, thanks to the vigilante."
"I don't know why. It's looks utterly ridiculous to me." Felicity mumbled. Nathan smiled thinly.
"Mm-hmm." He said non-committal. "Anyway, it's Steve's birthday next weekend, and I wanted to buy him some more of his favorite arrows." He opened the tube and withdrew the arrow. "The thing is, he gets these custom-made arrows, and I have no idea where he gets them." He held up the arrow; Felicity looked at it; fear, trepidation, curiosity and excitement playing over her face. "I was hoping you could find out where this came from." As he held out the arrow for her to take she had a feeling, deep down, that once she took the arrow, there was no going back.
Nathan seemed to know it, too. "Careful, that arrow head is sharp." He cautioned as she reached out for it. Felicity smiled in excitement.
"Yeah." She agreed, delicately taking it. She looked it over; down near the end of the arrow she found a stamp, almost invisible. "The shaft's composite is patented." She noted, turning to her computer. She searched briefly before looking up at him triumphantly. "And that patent is registered to a company called Sagittarius." She said, handing him back the arrow. "That's Latin for the archer." She added needlessly.
"Really? Could you find out where and when this was purchased?" Nathan asked casually, slipping the arrow back into the tube.
"According to Sagittarius company records, that particular arrow was part of a bundle shipment." She wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Sent to this address." She tore the piece of paper from the pad and handed it to Nathan.
He took it with a smile. "Felicity," he said, smiling at her warmly. "You're remarkable." He said sincerely.
Felicity returned the smile. "Thank you for remarking on it."
Nathan rose. "And Merry Christmas." He added, walking out the door.
"I'm Jewish."
Nathan paused and turned back. "Happy Hanukkah, then." He amended, and then left. Felicity closed her eyes, slightly embarrassed, and even more curious.
Laurel's Apartment
Quentin was glowering at the TV as Nudocerdo gave a press conference.
'-the significant resources of the Starling City police department. It is clear that this vigilante's cycle of violence has escalated.' The commissioner was saying. 'I'm asking our citizens to keep a close eye out and to report anything suspicious. A tip line has been set up, and a reward will be offered to anyone who aids the authorities in the capture of this madman.'
"It isn't him, is it?" Laurel said, walking up behind her dad. "The man in Hood didn't kill those people."
"You're the one who said he was a monster." Quentin remarked crossly, though his heart wasn't into the argument.
"He was protecting me." She argued softly. "It's different."
They resumed watching the TV for a few moments before there was a knock on door. "It's probably Joanna." Laurel said, heading to the door. "She said she was going to come by with some files."
Laurel opened the door to see a slightly anxious Tommy standing there. They looked at one another for a moment, the Tommy spotted Quentin. He walked in and extended his hand, slightly nervous.
"Merry Christmas, sir." He said politely. "How are you?"
"Proficient with firearms." Quentin replied.
Laurel gave him a look.
"Dad."
"Yeah." Quentin turned and headed into the kitchen. Laurel turned back to Tommy.
"I told you I wanted to spend the holidays with my dad." She began.
"Right. Because of Sara. Because it makes the holidays a tough time." Tommy replied. He looked into her eyes. "But when you are with someone, as I want to be with you, then there aren't tough times. There's just times." He sighed. "Something is holding you back." He stated. Laurel said nothing. "The Queens are having a last-minute Christmas party, and I would like for you to be my plus one." He said simply, then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small white box with a red bow. "I, um, was looking through some old photographs and I found this." He said, handing the box to her. "Merry Christmas." He kissed her on the cheek, then turned and left. Laurel stared after him, and then looked down at the box.
Quentin walked back into the room. "Bad enough you're friends with this guy, and now he's your…what?" he asked, agitated.
"I don't know what he is. But he's not wrong." Laurel admitted. "Something is holding me back."
"Right. Keep listening to that something." Quentin advised, walking back into the living room as Laurel opened the box.
She stared at the gift in wonder and sadness as her dad continued. "I try to stay out of your personal life, Laurel, I really do, but these guys- Merlyn, Queen- I mean, they're selfish. They think they can treat people any way they damn please-"
"It's you, me, and Sara." She said suddenly, cutting him off.
"What?" he asked. Laurel removed the small, round picture frame from the box and showed it to her father. In the frame was a picture of her, Quentin, and Sara, taken shortly before Sara, Oliver, and Nathan left on 'The Queen's Gambit'. Quentin looked at the picture, a range of emotions playing over his face.
Ware House District
Nathan and Huntress walked silently down an alley, approaching the address Felicity had given them. Reaching the door, Helena opened it and cautiously made their way in. Nate walked slowly, taking in the workbenches around him. At the end of the room he saw a single black arrow, sticking up out of the floor. He and Helena both stared at it, considering…
Suddenly the door slammed shut. Nathan spun around, reaching for an arrow and Helena grabbed her crossbow pistol- but there was no one there. A sudden noise from behind them, like a shorting out circuit combined with water filling a tub, caught their attention, and they turned back around. On the table behind the arrow was a large device. There was a large central tube; hanging above were six smaller tubes, three on either side- three were filled with a green liquid, three were filled with a red liquid. All six were rapidly draining into the central tube, the mixing liquids rising rapidly to the top where a small flame was being triggered on and off via an electric current.
"Huntress, we need to go!". Gritting his teeth at his stupidity, Nathan spun back around and fired an explosive arrow at the door. They charged the door and reached it just as the charge went off- and just as the large bomb behind them exploded, sending a gout of flame at them as Nate rolled out the now-open doorway with Helena and into the alley.
"Hey, you're not hurt, are you?" He asked Helena
"I'm okay." Helena said.
He looked back into the flaming room in frustration.
Queen Mansion
Later
Nathan and Helena, cleaned up and in civilian clothes, walked into Queen Manor as the party was in full swing. Nathan walked up to Lyla. "I see the halls are decked." He noted.
"Is everyone having a good time?" he asked
"You sure you want to do this, Nate? Maybe now is not the best time for you to be Martha Stewart's elf." Helena said.
"My family needs this party, babe." Nathan said. "And I need it too." Lyla noted the front door opening, and glanced at Nathan. He turned around to see Thea's friend Shane.
"Hey, dude." He said casually. "Thea invited me. I hope that's cool." Nathan glanced at the flowers in his hand. "These are for your mom." He explained.
Nathan stared at the kid for a few moments then turned to Helena. "Smooth." He whispered, moving off into the house.
Lyla gave Shane a sardonic grin. "Good luck, kid." He said, turning to follow Nathan into the sitting room.
Nathan walked in and found his family standing off to the side, talking to guests as families and couples had their photographs taken.
"Thank you for coming." Moira said to one guest as her son came up. "Nathan." She said happily.
"You guys look great." Nathan complimented. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas." The three Queen's responded; Thea a little less enthusiastic than the others. Moira then took note of Helena.
"Nathan, you haven't introduced us to your friend yet." Moira commented.
"Oh sorry." Nathan put his arm around Helena's waist. "Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Helena Bertinelli. Helena, this is my mother Moira, my stepfather Walter, and my sister Thea.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all" Helena greeted politely. She turned to Nate and whispered, "I'm going to go mingle with some of the guests that I know. I'll see you in a bit."
As she walked away, Moira had a disapproving look in her eyes, "Really, Nathaniel. The daughter of Frank Bertinelli?"
"Yeah, she and I met a few days before her father was killed by the vigilantes, and we hit it off pretty well." Nathan explained.
"She's the daughter of a mobster" Moira explained.
"Her father killed her old fiancé," Nathan said, silencing any further arguments, "She's nothing like her father."
Deciding to clear the awkward tension, "Let's get a holiday photo." Nathan suggested, gesturing at the photographer.
"I already sent out our Christmas cards, Nathan." Moira said.
"Mom, let's get a picture just for the 4 of us." Nathan said, giving her a puppy dog look. Moira sighed pleasantly.
"Of course." She agreed.
Thea rolled her eyes, and did her best not to look too unhappy as the photographer took their picture. After that was done, Shane walked up.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Queen?" he said, handing her the flowers. "These are for you."
"Well, thank you." She said pleasantly. "I'll-I'll go put this in water." Thea smiled at Shane and led him away.
As Moira went to find a vase, Walter stopped her.
"Is everything all right?" he asked.
"You and I should talk alone." She replied quietly. As she left, Nathan moved closer to Walter.
"Everything okay between the two of you?" he asked.
Walter gave him a tight smile. "Yeah. I'm sure it'll work itself out." He assured the younger man, moving off to talk with the guests. Nathan looked around and saw Thea leading Shane off deeper into the house.
Nathan walked back over to Helena. "What, estranged family giving you a hard time already?" Helena jokingly asked.
"Well, it could have gone better if mom wasn't fighting with Walter, and Thea wasn't being so selfish." Nathan sighed before he kissed her, "But it's all better now."
"You didn't have to stand up for me, you know. I can take the criticism. I'm used to it," Helena said, her tough girl attitude showing.
"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't defend you from time to time?" Nate asked rhetorically, causing her to smile, as she appreciated it, and they shared another kiss.
Then he saw Tommy and Laurel walk in. "Hey, I'll be back.", he told Helena. Letting her mingle with more of the guests, he walked up to them.
"So glad that both of you could make it." He said.
"Merry Christmas, man." Tommy replied, giving Nathan a hug, which he returned.
"Merry Christmas." Nathan agreed, and then turned to Laurel.
"Merry Christmas." She told him as the two embraced briefly.
"What's up?" He replied, moving back. The three friends shared an awkward silence.
"So how long do you guys think it'll be till this isn't so weird?" Tommy asked. "You know, the three of us."
"It's not weird at all." Nathan said with a straight face. After a moment he laughed, the other two joining him, the tension broken momentarily.
In the upstairs hallway
Moira walked over to a small table and shakily put down the flowers and flute of champagne she had been carrying. Walter came up behind her then, setting down his own drink.
"You lied to me." Moira said bluntly, not looking back.
"An odd accusation coming from you." Walter noted wryly. She turned to look at him then.
"When you came home, you said you were through investigating Robert's death." She stated.
"Robert was my oldest friend." Walter said, walking past her. He stopped and turned around. "Do you take me for a man who wouldn't avenge his best friend's murder?" Moira stared up at him for several moments. Walter sighed and sat on the arm of a love seat next to the wall. "I thought I could forget about it, go back to the way things were." He admitted. "But you told me too many lies, Moira. You embezzled money from the company. Salvaged 'The Queen's Gambit'. Why, Moira? What was it all for?" he asked, pleading.
Moira stared in silence for a few moments, and then sighed in defeat. "For leverage." She confessed.
"Against whom?" Walter asked. At her silence, he repeated the question. "Against whom?"
"People who you made very angry."
"Well, then let me help you fight them."
"I can't fight them. I am them." She declared. Moira sighed. "I have tried so hard to convince myself that I'm not. And loving you… you were my salvation."
Walter rose and took his wife's hands in his own. "Moira." He began. "Moira. Whatever you've done, and whoever these people are, the time for lies is over. You need to tell me exactly what's going on."
Moira sagged in defeat. "Let's just get through the party. And I promise I will tell you everything." She promised him. The two embraced, kissing.
Back in the Sitting Room
"Tommy, do you mind if I talk to Nathan for a minute?" she asked. Tommy gave a pained smile.
"Yeah, I'll go grab us a couple drinks." He said, moving off. "And drink them both."
Nathan and Laurel chuckled, and Nathan gestured towards the corner. The two moved there to talk.
"I know it's probably not easy for you to see Tommy and I together." Laurel said.
"Ah, the invitation said "plus one", not minus Laurel. Besides, I have a girlfriend of my own right now. I'll introduce you sometime." Nathan assured her.
Laurel chuckled. "I've been wanting to move forward with him, but something's been holding me back. I keep making these excuses; that it's my dad, it's my work, when really it's you." She acknowledged. "But for five years, I was emotionally off, because you had died. And the truth is, the last person that I expected to make me feel again has."
Nathan stared at her for a moment, then leaned in and he hugged her. "I'm happy." He said sincerely. "For both of you."
Laurel smiled. "Thank you." She said sincerely. She left Nathan and headed over to Tommy, taking her drink from his hand. Nathan watched them, smiling as he really was okay with it. Getting back into the spirit of things, he looked around. Not noticing any of his family in the last 20 minutes, he moved off in search of them.
Nathan made his way to the second floor. Hearing music playing from Thea's room, he walked over and knocked sharply on the door. "Thea, its Nate. I've got something to tell you…" he trailed off as he opened the door, just in time to see Thea scramble to pull her dress back up over her bra and Shane slip his shirt back on.
"Nate!" Thea gasped in surprise, alarm, and more than a little indignation. Nathan gave her a look, then looked over at Shane. If looks could kill, Shane would have been dead instantly. Nathan glared at the teen as he walked to the boy.
"Here is how this is going to work," He growled before he grasped Shane by the neck and held him up in the air against the wall.
"Nathan!" Thea shouted, but he ignored her.
"After I let you down, you have exactly 10 seconds to get out of my house. If you ever come around here again, or you even so much as look at my sister again, you will do so without the benefit of spine! Is that in any way unclear!?" At the boys nod, he said, "Good." Nathan threw him down to the ground as he gagged, "Now get out!"
"What are you doing?" Thea demanded as Shane grabbed his jacket and slipped out past Nathan.
"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing, because there's a party going on downstairs that I threw for this family." He said angrily, stalking into her room.
"I told you, I didn't want a party." Thea spat back. "But you didn't care. Because you came down with the holiday blues." She scoffed. "I've been trying to get you to open up for months. All this party is doing is-"
"Be silent, you ungrateful brat!" he interrupted her, "You don't get to take the moral high ground with me, considering you do drugs and drink illegally! I threw this party for our family because this family is broken and needs to heal! I have opened up to this family several times already and it's not my fault you can't see that."
"But you don't care!" Thea shouted. "All this party is doing is bring up bad memories of what I lost and you don't care that it hurts me!"
"You're right, I don't care that it brings up bad memories for you! I lost dad and Oliver too! I watched them both die before my very eyes, but you don't see me whining about it! I will not allow you to act as Oliver and I used to, because it was that attitude that got him and dad killed, and it was that attitude that cost me my best friend and 5 years of MY LIFE! SO GET OVER YOURSELF!"
He glared at his sister, who backed away in fear. Suddenly a voice from the door got his attention.
"Nathan?" Lyla said. Thea turned and quickly moved away into her bathroom.
"What is it, Lyla?" he asked, calming himself. Lyla motioned for Nate to follow her. A moment later the two were in Nathan's room.
"The other archer just moved to the next level." Lyla said, picking up a remote control. "This just hit the news. He's taken hostages." She turned on the TV to show a newscast in progress.
'Happy holidays, Starling City.' Read a fearful woman, her makeup ruined from her tears. Behind her were several other hostages, all bound to chairs. She was reading off a sheet of paper, looking into a camera obviously held by her captor. 'For the past three months, this city has been laid siege by a vigilante. But the police have been unable to bring him to justice because they lack the will to do what justice demands.' She sobbed. 'I will kill one hostage every hour in the name of this vigilante until he surrenders himself to my authority.'
Lyla turned off the TV. "Police are on the scene, Nathan. I think you should let them handle this."
"Those people are there because of me." Nathan argued. "I have to end this."
"Nathan, this guy… this guy, he's very dangerous." Lyla warned. Nathan shot him an angry look.
"Lyla, there wasn't anything on the island that wasn't twice as dangerous as this pretender, and I survived there for five years." He snarled.
The Hostage Site
News and police choppers orbited the abandoned factory where the hostages were being kept.
'Starling City holds its breath as the hostage crisis unfolds.' A newscaster was saying. 'Police have attempted to enter the abandoned structure in the Glades, but found rigged explosives preventing them from doing so. At the moment, there's been no sign of the vigilante as his one hour deadline nears.'
On the ground, Commissioner Nudocerdo was looking at a monitor at the command center while the Bomb Squad directed a robot towards the entrances to look over the explosives.
"I count three thresholds, each wired by Mercury switches to Semtex charges." The Bomb Tech said over the radio as Quentin Lance walked up.
"Can you diffuse one for HRC to use as a breach point?" Nudocerdo asked.
"Well, that's going to take a while and then he's going to know which way we're coming in." Lance stated.
The Commissioner shot him a glare. "You got a better idea, Sergeant, now would be a lovely time." Lance scoffed, and then looked back at the monitor. His couldn't exactly voice his better idea- and didn't need to, because a moment later a line was shot to the roof of the factory and Nathan and The Huntress rode it down like a zip line above all of the cops heads.
They landed on the roof, and then jumped down through a skylight, landing on the floor next to the hostages in a crouch. They looked around, looking for signs of the copycat. Seeing none, Helena walked up to the hostages and pulled one of her Gerber Mark II Combat Knives she keep holstered horizontally on her lower back, then used it to cut them free.
"Where is he?" Nate asked the woman who had been reading the statement.
"I don't know." She replied, fearful.
"It's going to be okay." He told them all. As the last one was cut free, Helena moved to a hallway. "Follow me." She said after checking to see that it was clear. She led them down the hall to a stairway. "Get up on the roof." Nate told them. The hostages ran up the stairs, but the lady stopped, and turned back to Nate.
"What about—"
"I'll handle him." He cut her off. "Move!" he urged.
Helena made to follow him, but he turned to her and said, "Helena, go back to base."
"What!? No! I'm gonna help you take him down." Helena argued.
"If this guy weren't League of Assassin's, I would have no problem with you staying." Before she made to argue, Nathan clarified, "This guy is not your typical fighter, Helena. I can't fight him effectively if I'm worried about your safety. Please, babe." Reluctantly, Helena agreed.
On the ground, Lance noticed activity on one of the monitor. "Hostages." He called out to his fellow officer. Into his radio, he said, "We've got five hostages on the roof. Repeat, five hostages on the roof."
Back in the factory, Nathan walked back down the hall. He reached the end when he suddenly stopped. Turning around, he saw the other archer at the far end of the hall.
"Thank you for coming." The Dark Archer said. His voice was modulated like Nathan's so he couldn't recognize who was under the hood. When he saw the Dark Archer garbed in League of Assassin's gear, he knew he made the right choice to send Helena out. She wasn't ready for fighting a member of the League yet. "After the warehouse, I knew I'd have to do something dramatic to get your attention."
"What do you want with me?" Nate called out.
"What any archer wants- to see who's better!" The Dark Archer moved to draw, but Nathan beat him to it. Nathan fired first, and the Dark Archer dodged and immediately returned fire. Nathan ducked, the black arrow shattering a window behind him. Nathan moved around the corner, firing one last shot as he went. The Dark Archer fired two more arrows in quick succession, sprinting down the hall. He entered the main room where the hostages had been, arrow knocked and ready to fire. All around him were wooden, skeletal remains of offices that had begun to rot away. He moved cautiously around the corner, searching for his target. He glanced down at the broken glass on the floor, and saw a reflection of Nathan in the rafters, who he fired his arrow. He swiftly turned, dodging the arrow that whizzed by his head, and fired upwards at Nathan.
Nathan moved his head to avoid the shot to his head as he knocked a flashbang arrow and fired, purposely making the arrow land in front of the Dark Archer.
"You missed." The archer commented as he knocked another arrow and fired, which Nate caught a few inches from his face.
"Adam Hunt said the same thing." Nate said as the flashbang went off, temporarily blinding the Dark Archer as Nate landed on the ground and fired an arrow, disarming the Dark Archer. Nate pulled out on his twin tactical ninja swords and stalked toward the Dark Archer, who had recovered, pulled out his scimitar.
They both swung at each other's head, the sound of two steel swords clashing reverberated through the air. The Dark Archer(DA) sliced at Nate and Nate parried his blow and stabbed at the Da's stomach. The DA parried that away and followed with a neck slice which was parried away. The DA sliced again but then this time, Nathan blocked the strike and then forced the sword to the floor and delivered a powerful elbow followed by a backhand, both to the DA's face, a crunching sound could be heard as the DA stumbled away.
Nate pressed his attack with an overhead slash, which the DA turned around and brought his sword to block. The DA stabbed at Nate which was parried away and the Dark Archer followed up with another slash to the midsection that was parried. Nathan tried an upwards slash that the Dark Archer leaned back to avoid, which Nate then followed up by pivoting and using a spin slash which the Dark archer was forced to backstep further to avoid it. Nathan then followed up with a crescent kick to the Dark Archer's face, and then a blade kick with his other leg to the Dark Archer's chest that sent the Dark Archer to the ground.
Nate jumped in the air and stabbed downward, intending to tend the fight. However, the Dark Archer rolled away to avoid it. Landing in the kneeling position, Nathan blocked the Dark Archers decapitation strike and sliced at his stomach but Nate was parried away and couldn't pull his sword back in time to avoid a brutal Spartan kick to the face that broke his nose and put him on his back.
He raised his hand, as he tried to get up, to ward off another kick, but the Dark Archer grabbed his hand, twisting and dislocating his wrist, and punching Nate in the face. He began kicking him in the side with his heavy, steel-toed boots.
"First Hunt, then Ravich," The Dark Archer snarled, punctuating each name with a kick. "And now you!" He sent several more heavy kicks into Nathan side and chest. "I know about the list, and the man who authored it wants you dead!"
"They call you The Hood." The Dark Archer snarled, reaching down. "Let's see what you look like without it." He made to grab Nate, but when he reached out, Nate grasped his hand and sliced him along his arm kunai before stabbing him in the leg, causing the Dark Archer to drop to one leg. Making use of this momentary distraction, Nate grabbed the Dark Archers injured arm and spun around in a show of acrobatics, until the Dark Archer was on his back and his arm was in Nate's leg lock. With a violent snap, Nathan broke the Dark Archers arm, causing him to roar in pain.
The two of them rolled back to their feet and Nate reset his wrist while the Dark Archer made to cut off his head. Nathan maneuvered around the blow, catching the Dark Archers hand and jabbing him in the side. The Dark Archer made to stab Nate in the heart, but Nate caught his other wrist and pulled the Dark Archer's arm back until cracking could be heard, forcing the Dark Archer to drop his scimitar as Nate spun him around and slugged him hard in the jaw three wild haymakers, before spinning in the air and performing a viscous drop kick, causing to Dark Archer to hit the ground hard.
Nate flipped back to where his sword was and resheathed it before taking his bow back out and nocking an arrow only to find the Dark Archer gone. Growling as he had failed to kill his assailant, he exited the building through a back door alley, and made his way back to base while avoiding the police.
Unknown Location
The Dark Archer limped in, holding his broken arm. He made his way to a workbench that held a row of arrows and leaned heavily against it. He reached up, ripping off the mask and hood to reveal the panting and sweaty face of Malcolm Merlyn.
Queen Consolidated
Walter had returned to the office to finish off some work and was leaving again, talking on his phone to Felicity.
"Thank you, Felicity." Walter said. He pushed the call button for the elevator, and moments later the door opened. There was a man already inside and Walter smiled at him pleasantly. "I'm stepping into an elevator, so I'll probably lose you. I'll call you straight back. Bye." He hung up the phone and pushed the button for the lobby, when suddenly the other man pulled out a syringe and stuck it in Walter's neck. He quickly fell unconscious as the doors closed.
Deserted Road
Moira stood across from Malcolm, who had cleaned up and looked perfectly normal. He kept his broken arm hanging at his side, giving no indication it was broken.
"It's done." He told Moira flatly.
"And he won't be harmed?" she demanded.
"Nor will he ever discover your involvement. You have my word." Malcolm assured the distraught woman.
"Forgive me if I don't find that comforting." She replied scathingly.
"You were warned, Moira." He replied coldly. "I told you to get Walter under control, and you couldn't. Steps had to be taken."
"That's what you said to justify Robert's murder." Moira shot back. "And you wonder why I don't trust you."
"Quite a bid of judgment coming from the woman who had her son kidnapped and tortured." Malcolm replied mockingly.
"To prove to you that Nathan didn't know anything." She spat. "And what does it matter now? What's done is done."
"No, Moira. It's just beginning." He smiled coldly "In six months, the organization's vision of what this city should be will be complete."
"And you won't feel a thing then, will you?" she realized, a feeling of dread settling in her stomach. "Thousands of innocent people will be dead, and you'll feel nothing."
"That's not true." He denied. "I'll feel a sense of accomplishment." He looked at her, threat clear in his eyes. "And you'll have Walter back." He smirked as he climbed into his limo. The limo moved off, leaving a shaken, tearful Moira behind.
The Arrow Lair
Nathan walked in to the lair and making up with his family and Thea apologized for being so selfish and sat on his chair while he addressed Helena and Lyla.
"You know, Lyla, when I confront somebody on the list, I tell them that they failed the city." He said, staring the screen. "But tonight, tonight was different."
"Nathan, five hostages are home tonight with their families enjoying the holidays." Lyla pointed out. "Because of you. This guy, the other archer, He'll get his. And you'll give it to him."
"We might have a bigger problem." Nathan said. "The rogue Leaguer told me that somebody compiled the list. I always assumed it was my father. But what if it wasn't?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" Helena said.
"I think there's someone else out there. Someone who's more of a danger to the city than a rogue member of the League of Assassins." Nathan seethed. "And I am gonna kill him." He vowed.
"Nathan," Helena said as he turned to her, " You said you would tell me about the League."
Nathan leaned forward in his chair, contemplating his next action before saying, "I first heard about the League of Assassins in my second year on the Lian Yu, from Shado.."