Starling City Museum of Antiquities
1 Week Later
A guard walked nervously into one of the numerous viewing galleries, his tie pulled down slightly and uniform shirt's collar unbuttoned. He moved towards the display in the center that held the massive Sherwood Ruby. In behind him walked his fellow guard Max, who looked at his colleague in concern.
"Jerry." He said, trying to get the man's attention. "Jerry, you ok?"
"Yeah." He replied distractedly.
"You look a little peaked, man." Max noted.
"I'm fine. It's, uh… Mrs. Hill wants us to move the Sherwood into the vault." Jerry stammered out.
"Now? It's mid-day." Max argued.
"I know. She says it's a security threat. It's, uh, all the robberies lately." Jerry replied nervously.
"Right, right." Max replied with a chuckle. Both men reached under the base and placed their index fingers on two hidden fingerprint scanners. Registering that both men were authorized, the base began to lower, exposing the massive gem. Max leaned in for a closer look-
And Jerry wacked him on the back of the head with his baton.
Hesitantly, he reached in and grabbed the ruby, which immediately set off alarms. A few moments later, he was walking as fast as he could down the hall, directing other guards and responding police back towards the room as he fiddled with his collar. He moved off into a side hall where a well-dressed man was leaning against a column. "Take this thing off me, all right?" he demanded, moving his collar aside to reveal the explosive device attached to his neck.
The man smirked in response, so Jerry reached into his coat and withdrew the ruby. "I got it like you asked. Here!" he handed it over to the man. "Take it off me!"
The man calmly reached into his own pocket and withdrew a small remote. A couple of clicks later the bomb collar disarmed and unlocked. Jerry quickly removed the device. "Were… were you… were you bluffing? I mean, would the thing have detonated?" he asked in disbelief.
"Violently." Dodger replied blandly. "Don't worry, though. You did exactly as I asked, so it's just unconsciousness for you."
"Unconscious?" Jerry said in confusion. An instant later, Dodger tapped the end of his stun wand to Jerry's chest, and the guard collapsed, unconscious.
Foundry
Nathan and Talia, in a sports bra and yoga pants, were sparring fiercely with each other, expertly blocking and dodging each other's attacks, while Lyla was researching information about possible targets on the computer, and Helena watched them. Chien was busy with the Triad. Talia had decided to stick around for a bit, which he really needed, plus she would help him finish the Helena's and Lyla's basic League of Assassin's training. Their spar continued for 5 minutes before Talia managed to pin him to the ground.
"You're technique has improved tremendously in the last year, beloved. But you still have some room for improvement." Talia whispered sultrily in his ear.
"Maybe you can show me later," He whispered huskily in her ear before giving her a quick kiss, "Unfortunately, I have a little business to take care off tonight."
"So, which one are you going after this time?" Lyla asked.
"Ken Williams." Nathan replied "His pyramid scheme stole millions. People didn't just lose their homes. Their lives are ruined." Nathan walked to his work table and picked up his bow. "You guys can sit tight this time. I'm not expecting any trouble." He said, walking away to quickly get changed.
"Hey wait up. I'll come with you." Helena said.
"No, it's okay. Besides, you and Lyla have training with Talia." Nathan said, leaving to take care of Ken Williams. Helena shrugged and got on the mat. Over the past week, the three women had hit it off with Talia. She was pleasant enough to get along with, once you accepted the fact that Talia was basically Head Female of Nathan's harem. While Talia didn't go out of her way to monopolize her time with Nathan or boss her and Chien around, she made it in no way uncertain that she was Head Female. Then again, it was a position she had earned, as Talia had not only been with him first, she had been with him and helped through what was arguably his lowest points during his 5 years away.
Also, Helena, Talia, and Chien had a foursome with Nathan 2 days ago, that lasted nearly 10 hours. It was incredibly hot, and loosened Helena up about the whole idea. She saw the women in Nate's harem more as sisters than she did as rival's for his heart being forced to share. It certainly made things so much easier to live with.
Lyla, on the other hand, was thinking to herself. She wasn't jealous of the members of Nathan's harem, but it was odd and kind of a downer to feel left out, being the only member of his team that wasn't in a relationship with him or anybody for that matter. She hadn't been in a relationship with anyone since she and Johnny divorced, due to their marriage not surviving the transition to civilian life. She was lonely and it did not help that she had already had sex with him before so she knew how good he was. She put these thought out of her head and got back to work.
Flashback
Slade way laying in the fuselage, wracked with a fever and coughing up a storm. Nathan walked up to him and knelt down, handing him a cup of water.
"Hey, hey." He called to the man to get his attention. "Drink."
Slade did so, then immediately spat it out. "That tastes like dirt." He complained between coughs.
"What did you expect, Red Wine? You've got to stay hydrated, ok?" Nathan said.
"Hydration is not my problem." Slade argued. "My problem is getting a bullet dug out of my arm with a dull blade."
"Let me take a look." Nathan said. Gingerly, he pulled back the bandage on his arm and grimaced.
Slade groaned. "It's infected. Go figure."
"Yeah, uh I got to stop that before it spreads." Nathan declared. He stood up and started gathering some equipment.
"When you swing past the drugstore for those antibiotics, you want to get me a copy of 'Maxim', or maybe a 'Sports Illustrated'?" Slade gasped sarcastically.
"Yao Fei had these super herbs back in the cave that'd heal anything." Nathan told the man. "I'm going to go get them."
"You're not going to last an hour out there." Slade said bluntly.
"Well, I guess you better hope I get back in 45 minutes, then." Nathan replied glibly as he walked out of the fuselage.
Flashback End
Queen Manor
The doorbell rang and Moira herself opened the door. On the other side stood Frank Chen, a businessman and old friend of hers and Roberts. "Thank you for coming." Moira said, hugging the man. "Ahh. It is so good to see you, Frank. It's been far too long."
"Yes." Frank said as Moira took his arm and began leading him to the sitting room. "My interests in China have kept me away more than I'd like. But with The Undertaking approaching, I thought a return to Starling City was in order."
"Hmm." Moira said thoughtfully. "Actually Frank, it's The Undertaking that I wanted to talk to you about. I want to get out." She declared. Frank looked at her in surprise.
"Is this because of what happened to Walter?" he asked.
Moira sighed. "With Walter, with Robert. Last week the Vigilante nearly made my children orphans. I've reached my limit, Frank."
"That's, uh, a lot to confide in me, Moira." Frank said cautiously, making his way to the sofa.
"Robert did." Moira replied. "I know he reached out to you; whether I was supposed to know it or not. He had misgivings. He sought you out because he knew you did, too."
"But then he was murdered." Frank said bluntly. "And that should be a cautionary tale for both of us."
"Yes, I know." Moira said. "And I've gone along with this for as long as I can stomach it. We started this to fix the Glades, Frank." She argued. "To cure the city, not lay it to waste. You got into this because of what happened to your daughter. Frank… what would Amanda want you to do?" she asked. Frank looked indecisive for a few moments, and then looked back at Moira, giving her a subtle nod.
Foundry
Later
Nathaniel, Talia, Chien, Helena, and Lyla were standing around his computer system after a long sparring session. Their attention was taken a moment later by the news playing on said computer. McKenna Hall was talking at a press conference about the Dodger case. 'At this time, we'd like to remind the public that we are coordinating our efforts with Interpol as the Dodger operates primarily in Europe, and they have advised us to warn the public that he is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous.'
"You know, I heard about this guy." Lyla said. "He's called the Dodger because he never gets his hands dirty. He prefers to coerce hostages into doing his stealing for him."
"How?" Nathan asked, curious.
"Puts a bomb collar around their necks." Helena replied. "Last year, my father hired him to steal some important artifact in Madrid. The man he used didn't steal what the Dodger told him to, and it took his head off. Literally."
"And now he's in Starling City." Chien said. "It's too bad his name's not in your notebook, babe." She teased.
"Not all the people that I target are on the list." Nathan said, sensing an opportunity. "Every once in a while, I make an exception. Like deviant hacktivist's or a hostage-taking jewel thief, for example. I'm gonna take him down."
He pulled up his chair, and started researching, "Let's get to work."
Small art gallery
Downtown
A short, portly man with a gray beard paced around while his security guards looked on, impassively.
"He's late." The man growled. From behind him, footsteps could be heard and a moment later Dodger walked into the room.
"Never." He told the man in his cultured voice. Dodger walked up to a table and laid his briefcase down upon it. He opened it to reveal the Sherwood Ruby.
"I maintain a Swiss account for financial transactions." Dodger said calmly, handing him a card. "Here's the number."
"Thanks. I'll wire you the money. Assuming I don't misplace the numbers." The dealer said sarcastically, tossing the card over his shoulder. "My bookkeeping method is a little sloppy."
"Really?" Dodger said in dark amusement. The dealer's three bodyguards moved in, all pointing their guns at his head. "Clearly you're under the impression that you can have the Sherwood Ruby for a steal."
"Well, you're new here in town." The dealer said cockily. "We're not as refined in Starling City."
"I am getting that impression." Dodger replied with a smile. Then his left hand snapped out, grasping the first man's gun and forcing it up. At the same time he pulled out his stun wand with his right hand and shocked the two men on either side of him, then shocked the man in front of him. The confrontation lasted less than three seconds. Dodger cleared his throat. "Don't worry. Your men are merely unconscious." He told the dealer, pointing the gun at his head. "In about 17 minutes, they'll wake up with the ability to tell every other fence in this town that I'm not a man not to be trifled with."
"What about me?" the dealer stammered.
Dodger gave him a look. "Umm…" he pulled the trigger, putting a bullet into the other man's head. The dealer collapsed to the ground, dead. "What about you, indeed." Dodger finished sarcastically.
Later
Big Belly Burger
Nathan, Talia, Lyla, Chien, and Helena were seated in a booth, going over the plan.
"So to catch this guy, we need to either figure out where he is, or where he's going to be." Nathan declared.
"Is this really how you guys figure out how to get your target?" Talia asked in bemusement. "Over processed meat in buns, overly greased fries and shakes that may not actually contain milk?"
"Only some of the time." Nathan said. He pulled up a paper. "So, we know the guys real name is Winnick Norton, and we know his calling card is a bomb collar hostage. His taste in targets is odd, to say the least."
"I take it you already know his taste for stealing", Lyla asked.
"We know the Dodger has a taste for a very specific type of antiquity." Nathan said. "Everything he steals, including the Sherwood Ruby, they're all from the Ominous decade. The last ten years of King Ferdinand's reign."
Helena scoffed. "And here I thought we had no lives." Lyla gave her an exasperated look.
"Are there any other places that sell or display items from the Ominous Decade?" Nathan asked.
"Not really. The entitled rich of Starling City prefer the Elizabethan era." Chien mentioned said.
Nathan was looking at the newspaper and saw something. "The Starling City Cancer Society. It says right there they're holding a fundraising auction in two nights. We could lure him out into the open." He continued, thinking as he spoke.
"With what? A fake? Someone with his refined taste would never fall for that," Talia asked.
Nathan shook his head. "No. The Dodger clearly has a trained eye for this sort of thing. He's not going to fall for anything less than the genuine article."
Chien chuckled. "Where are you going to get your hands on a rare Spanish artifact?" she asked.
Lyla looked at her. "You really have no idea how rich he is, do you?" he asked. She looked at Nathan, who just shrugged.
"Still, this is just a backup plan. The Dodger will most likely be looking to unload the Sherwood Ruby." Talia mentioned.
"Which means he'll be in the market for a fence." Helena noted.
"So we find the fence and we find the Dodger." Nathan declared before adding, "Which will save me the trouble of having to waste 15 million dollars." The women chuckled at that.
The Glades
Thea and Laurel were at a street vendor getting some lunch.
"Mmm." Thea said after taking a bight of her hot dog. "Who knew street meat could taste so good?"
"I had a feeling you needed a break from the office." Laurel replied after she paid. The two started walking back towards the office. "Hank was my first client. I kept his son from being sent away for a mugging that he didn't commit." She confided.
"And how did that not score you free hot dogs for life?" Thea asked.
"CNRI gives low income people access to the legal system. Without them, his son could have gone to prison forever."
"I could have gone to prison, too." Thea argued weakly.
Laurel chuckled. "He couldn't afford a dream team of super lawyers."
"So I'm supposed to feel guilty because I'm lucky enough to have a rich family?" Thea asked defensively.
"No. You are lucky." Laurel said. "And hopefully CNRI will show you that."
Thea opened her mouth to respond when suddenly her purse was snatched from her hand. "Hey!" she yelled as the young man in a red hoodie took off at a full sprint.
Laurel took off right behind him, with Thea following close behind. The thug barely missed a car, and then turned down an alley that was blocked by a high fence. He stopped in annoyance, and then turned to see Laurel and Thea standing not four feet away.
"Give us the purse, and we won't press any charges." Laurel offered. The thug smirked, then ran up the wall, grasped the top of the fence and jumped over it. He landed on his feet facing the two stupefied women, and then bolted.
Thea scoffed. "Yeah, you're right." She said, trying to catch her breath. "I really do feel lucky."
Laurel walked up to the fence and pulled a long chain loose. "This got snagged as he bolted over the fence." She noted, tossing it to Thea. "Looks like a chain from his wallet."
SCPD
McKenna Hall was going through some files on her desk when she looked up at a knock on her cubicle. She smiled to see Nathan Queen standing there. "I thought you gave up crime fighting." She said with a chuckle.
That startled Nathan. "What?"
"Well, the business with your sister." Hall explained, and Nathan instantly relaxed. "I figured you'd stay out of police precincts."
This time Nathan chuckled. "Yeah, I saw you on the news and I realized that I never thanked you for everything that you did, so..." He smiled. "Thank you." He looked around her cube. "So you got promoted." He noted.
Hall nodded with a smile. "Major Crimes." She told him.
"Wow."
"And they assigned me to the Dodger case. He extorts people into stealing for him." She explained.
Nathan nodded. "How's that going?" he asked casually.
"Slow." Hall admitted. She gestured for him to stay put for a minute, and walked away to quickly file some papers in the file cabinet.
Nathan watched her walk off, and then looked down on her desk. He already had every phone infected with his algorithm, so no need to bug her phone. A moment later Hall walked back over.
"Well… it was nice seeing you the last time that I saw you." He started.
Hall smiled. "Yeah. It's good seeing you, too. It was like old times. Except the PG version." She added.
Nathan smiled. "How do you mean?" he asked.
"Well, you and I always knew how to have a fun time in our junior year of highschool. Something that's been missing from my life lately." She noted sourly.
Nathan smiled. "Well, hey, I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm meeting another friend in an hour and kinda need to get going. But uh, lets grab a drink sometime. You know, catch up."
"I'd like that." McKenna said.
"Awesome. I'm looking forward to it." Nathan said as he left.
Flashback
Nathan walked into the cave, pausing a moment to look at his former 'home'. Then he moved over to Yao Fei's supplies, rummaging around for a moment before finding the small leather pouch that contained the herbs. He put them in his vest and was about to leave when the sounds of someone coughing caught his attention. "Who's there?! " he called out, whirling around to face the cave's opening and turned on his flashlight to see a young man, his bearded face swollen and bloodied, his hands bound behind him staggering in.
"Help me." The man said weakly as he leaned against the cave wall.
Flashback End
Queen Manor
Thea was on the phone with a shop she had been looking into on line, trying to find a lead on the guy who stole her purse.
"Anyway, I saw online that you sell a chain wallet with an eight ball on the chain." She was saying. "I was wondering if you could give me a name of one of your customers if I gave you a description? Yeah, sure, you can call be back." She sighed, annoyed. She looked up and gave Nathan a tired smile as he walked into the office. "Like every other used clothing and leather goods store I've called today." She finished, hanging up.
Nathan looked at her curiously. "What was that about?"
"What's up with the fancy-fancy?" Thea asked, ignoring his question.
"What?" Nathan looked down at his suit. "Oh, um, I'm meeting up with an old girlfriend. Contrary to popular opinion, I do have a life."
"Then why do you seem so nervous?" she asked.
"Is it obvious?"
"Just be your charming and brooding self." She said with a wry smile. "I mean, the girls seem to dig that."
Nathan sighed. "This girl is different. She knew me before the island, before I was-" he was cut off by Thea's phone ringing. She looked down and saw it was one of the stores she had called earlier and snatched it up.
"That's CNRI." She lied. "I've got to take this. I'm working on a very important purse snatching case."
"You have fun with that." Nathan said. Taking the hint though, he turned and walked out of the office as she took the call.
"Hello?" Thea said, ignoring her brother's exit completely. "Yes, I called you this morning. Yeah, he might have been wearing a red hoodie. Kind of Abercrombie-looking. His face, not the hoodie." She clarified. "Really? You wouldn't happen to have his name?" she asked excitedly. She wrote down the name. "Thank you so much." She gushed, and then hung up. Quickly scrolling through her phone, she found Laurel's number and dialed. "Hey, Laurel. Does your dad still like arrest people?" she listened for a moment, and then smiled. "I found the dirt bag. His name is Roy Harper."
Table Salt
Nathan's dinner with Kara was going well as the two were sharing a chocolate soufflé at Table Salt. She was back in town for Cat Grant, who wanted another interview from him. Apparently, Kara was becoming the go-to reporter for Cat Grant when it concerned him.
"Mmm." She moaned in pleasure. "No, no, no, no, it is not possible for something to taste this good!"
Nathan smiled. "Right?" he agreed.
"Ohh! So you must have missed soufflés." Kara said absently.
Nathan frowned slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Five years on an island, away from civilization." She said, and his smile slipped further. "Ah, what did you do? What did you eat? Where'd you-"she rambled before she caught herself, "And I am so sorry, I am being totally insensitive here."
"It's ok." Nathan lied.
"No it isn't, Nate. I should know better than to ask you about what you went through on that island. It had to have been difficult for you." Kara said apologetically.
Nathan thought back to being shot with an arrow right after burying his father and the beating given to him by Wintergreen.
"Yeah." Nathan thought back to the bound man staggering into Yao Fei's cave. "Difficult is an understatement." Nate said and his smile was replaced with melancholy look, "It was hell on earth. Every day was a struggle to survive."
Kara reached out to him and held his hand in hers, "Nathan, we're friends. When you're to talk about what happened, I'll be here."
Nathan squeezed her hand, his melancholy expression changing to a happier one, along with a small smile adorning his face. "Thanks, Kara. I promise, that when I'm ready to tell the world what I went through, you'll be the first to know." They both smiled before he pulled his out of hers.
"Although, we weren't that close when we weren't dating. I was kind of a dick back then." Nathan joked.
"You weren't to me," Kara said before she thought about something for second and said, "And I was kinda the cause of that. After all, I did break your nose on our first kiss."
"Yeah I remember. We were inching closer and just about to kiss, when you pushed too hard and hit my nose. It was bent, broken, and bleeding, but I just laughed it off, and gave you a big ol' smooch." Nathan raised his glass of wine and said, "Best first kiss ever."
Flashback
Nate stood in front of the beaten man, who had fallen to his knees.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"My name is Alan Durand. I'm an exchange student. I was on a fishing excursion with my class. We got lost and our boat caught fire. It was some mechanic malfunction. We had to jump ship." He stammered out.
"When?"
"Two days ago." Adam replied, crying. "It was awful. I thought I was going to die."
"Where are the other students? Where's the boats crew, huh?" Nathan demanded, not sure if he believed him or not.
"I think I'm the only one who made it." Adam said. "I managed to get to shore. I thought I was lucky, but…"
"What? Somebody found you?" Nathan said. "Soldiers, or-"
"Yes! Yes." Adam sobbed. They had these masks on and they attacked me and beat me. They left me here! Who are they?!" he sobbed harder. He looked up at Nathan with his one good eye. "You can untie me at any point, by the way." Nathan just stared at the man, unsure.
Flashback End
Fence Meeting
The Dodger walked in with his newest fence, Tori.
"Nice place you have here." He remarked glibly.
"Oh, thank you." Tori replied dryly.
The Dodger noted the six security guards and sighed. "Tell me. Does every fence in this town hire muscle?"
Tori chuckled. "I did as soon as I heard about what you did to Cass Derenick."
"Oh, yes, Cass. God rest his soul." Dodger said sarcastically. "He wasn't a very nice man. He tried to steal from me."
"Oh." Tori said, the story now making more sense.
"I've heard that you have a better sense of judgment." He set his case down on a table and opened it to reveal the Sherwood Ruby. "And that you have no trouble in moving this."
"Well, it's only a recession for some people." She said with a smile. She pulled the jewel out and examined it with a jeweler's eye. "I take a 15% commission off the top." She noted.
"Let's call it at 12, shall we?" Dodger said disdainfully. "Obviously I don't have to remind you about what happened to the last person who tried to screw me over."
The sounds of running feet grabbed their attention, and both looked up to see a swarm of cops moving through the warehouse, their guns drawn.
"SCPD!" McKenna Hall shouted. "Grab the floor!"
Bedlam broke out as the guards opened fire on the cops, who quickly returned fire. Tori threw the Ruby back in the case, but the bullets whizzing around her head made her leave it and bolt for the exit. The Dodger likewise chose discretion of valor, jumping over the hood of a car and managing to avoid a stream of bullets. He spied an exit door and made a break for it. Tori was not so lucky, as she got broadsided by McKenna and thrown to the floor. Hall was quickly on her back, wrenching her arms behind her.
The Dodger slammed through the exit door and ran as fast as he could down the alley, only to come to a sudden stop as an arrow whizzed by his head and planted itself into the dumpster in front of him. Slowly he turned around and looked up to see The Arrow standing on the roof behind him.
"Come quietly!" The Arrow growled.
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline." The Dodger shouted back.
"Then you won't be going to jail." The Arrow snarled, letting loose another arrow, The Dodger dodged it and ducked behind the dumpster. As The Arrow made his way down to the street, Dodger pulled out his collar bomb and activated it. The Arrow jumped down to the street and readied his bow, and the Dodger threw the bomb towards the vigilante. It landed and latched itself on his arm. Nathan used his super strength to rip the bomb collar off and throw it above his head. The explosion blew The Arrow off of his feet, giving the Dodger an opening. And by the time Nathan looked up- he was gone.
SCPD
Later
Quentin Lance entered the interrogation room and flipped open the folder he was holding.
"Roy William Harper Jr." he began reading as he walked around the young man in the red hoodie. "Where's senior?"
"Norris cemetery." Roy said coldly.
Lance sat down across from him. "Sorry to hear that." He said. Behind him was a two way mirror, and on the other side stood Thea and Laurel, who wanted to observe the man who stole her purse.
"You and an army of bookies." Roy replied. "Can I go?"
"No. You've been ID'ed as a suspect in a purse snatching." He looked though the file- Roy's rap sheet. "It's quite a résumé you've compiled here. Petty theft, B&E, robbery, petty theft. Stolen car." He looked up. "Well, it's nice to change things up once in a while." He glanced back down. "And petty theft. You got something against banks?" he asked Roy sarcastically.
"Well, it is hard to run with one under your arm." Roy replied, equally sarcastic.
"Well, maybe you'll learn a few new skills in prison." Lance said blithely.
"Look, I don't want to steal, ok?" Roy started, emotion barely contained in his voice. "I don't have any other choice."
"Sure." Roy said sarcastically.
Lance scoffed.
"My mother, she… she has a problem." He continued.
"Yeah, her son's a moron." Lance said dryly.
"No." Roy argued harshly. "Vertigo. She got hooked on Vertigo last year. She kicked it, but I guess she'd done enough that it messed her up."
"Hmm." Lance hummed noncommittally.
"She hasn't been the same, and her medical bills… look, I'm…I'm just trying to help her get out from under." He said emotionally. "Look, we're not privileged enough to have as much as other people. Ok?" he pleaded.
One the other side of the glass, Thea was trying to reign in her own emotions. Roy's story had hit her especially close to home. "Fine." She said finally. "Let him go. It's just a damn purse, right?" with that, she turned and walked past Laurel out of the viewing room.
Queen Manor
Frank Chen was meeting with Moira. He handed her a note.
"They'll meet with you." Frank told her. "It has been arranged."
"Thank you for this." Moira told her friend. "There's one more thing I need you to do for me. Malcolm's the only one who knows where Walter's being kept. I just…I just need a clue." She pleaded. "Some lead to follow. If our plan works, I can't let it damn Walter to hell."
Frank looked to her sadly. "No." he said. "That's the fate that's in store for us, I'm afraid."
Downtown Hilton
Later
Nathan had come through and donated a rare jewel encrusted brooch from the Ominous Decade. Nathan, in a suit, walked through the crowd, looking around. As he paused, Lyla walked up next to him.
"The police are here, too." she told Nathan. "Your bait's attracted them, at least."
"That's not exactly who I'm looking to catch." He looked around, and stopped suddenly as he saw a new person enter the room. She was tall, glass-wearing blonde, and showing a lot of leg in a very short form-fitting gold lace dress- and it took Nathan a moment to realize that it was Kara. He realized she was really beautiful when she wasn't trying to hide or downplay said beauty.
She smiled at the pair as they walked up to her. "Hey, Nate." He smiled and gave her a hug, "Kara, what a surprise! I mean, I'm happy to see you here, but what are you doing here?"
"This is actually part of my interview. Plus, showing up gives me an excuse to spend a little more time with you." Kara said happily.
"Oh, where are my manners, I haven't you two. Kara, this Lyla Michaels, my bodyguard. Lyla, this is Kara Danver's, reporter extraordinaire for CatCo, as well my first girlfriend."
They greeted each other, before Lyla motioned for her boss to follow her while Kara moved off.
"So what is your first girlfriend from highschool doing here?' Lyla asked offhandedly.
"I'm not surprised ARGUS know that. Anyway, she is here because Cat Grant needs somebody to interview me, and she apparently wants Kara to do it, since we have good history together."
Over at the case containing the Queen brooch, the Dodger calmly walked up, slid open the glass top, and grabbed it. He took a moment to slide the glass closed, then walked briskly towards the exit.
Kara had noticed the brooch was gone and spent several seconds looking around until she spotted it in the hands of the thief. Heedless of the danger, she walked up behind him. "Hey!" she said, gaining his attention. "That broach was donated by the Queen family. If you want it so badly, you're going to have to bid." She said boldly.
He looked at her disdainfully. "Actually, love, I thought I'd just take it."
Lyla and Nathan were both still circulating, looking for the thief. They came together briefly.
"Maybe I should check out front, see if the security guards had any problems." Dig suggested.
"That's a good idea." Nathan said. "I'm going to go check on the bait." They both turned to leave- then froze in horror as Kara walked up to them with a bomb collar on her neck.
"I think I have a problem."
He took her to a small, empty room off on the second floor above the main gallery. Kara backed away from the two, running into a table as she did so. "Get away from me!" she exclaimed. "If this thing blows…"
"Not going to happen." Nathan told her with a confidence.
"The Dodger said if I called the police, he'd-" she couldn't finish, playing along because she really did not want to reveal her powers. Nate looked around for some kind of tool to use, but all he saw was a glass full of pens. He knocked it over and grabbed a pen, giving it to Lyla. She then pulled the small metal clip off of it. She used that to open a small access panel on the front of the bomb, exposing the circuitry.
"Can you disarm it?" Nate asked cause disarming bomb this complex wasn't up his alley. Lyla shook her head. Nathan then pulled away and made a show of calling the police, but really he made a clone to go after the Dodger, which unbeknownst to him, Kara saw through the walls with her X-Ray vision, shocking her.
With the Dodger
The dodger was getting away going under an overpass, when out of nowhere as he exited the overpass, Nate's clone dropped down and crushed the front of the car, causing the Dodger to fly out the window and roll to the ground.
Nathan's Clone hopped off the wrecked car and approach the dodger, who slowly got to his feet.
"Hey! Don't do anything stupid." The Dodger warned, pulling out the remote control for the bomb. "I had the foresight to collar up a particularly inquisitive blonde. I assume she's a friend of yours." He smiled cruelly at Nathan's Clone , who stared back through the heavily tinted visor on the goggles. "Touch one hair on my head and she loses hers. You've got quite the choice to make, don't you?"
Nathan's Clone shook his head. "Not really." Quickly, he withdrew two kunai and flicked them hard. They buried into both of the thief's arms, just below the elbow.
The Dodger stared down in shock, and not a little bit of pain. "Both of your median nerve's have been severed." Nathan's Clone said as he calmly walked up and pulled the remote from his frozen hand. "You couldn't push that button if you tried."
Back in the room
A few minutes earlier
Kara thought long and hard before she came to a decision. She didn't initially want to reveal her powers to her ex, like she had when they were teenagers, but the revelation that he had powers of his own, sent that restraint out the window. "Nate," Kara said, getting his attention as he was immediately by her side, "There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time. Something that I've been wanting to tell you since our first kiss."
Kara grabbed the collar and looked like she was going to rip it off. "Kara, don't! It'll-" He tried to say, but he was interrupted when she ripped it off her neck and froze the circuitry with her icy breath, rending the bomb collar useless.
"Kara?" Nate asked in astonishment as he always known something different about her. Lyla was stunned in silence as well.
"I'm a kryptonian." She said as she floated a few feet off the ground, literally dropping a bombshell on both of the two occupants of the room.
Overpass
Back on the street, the Dodger stared at the vigilante in disbelief. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "I'm exactly like you. I only steal from the rich."
Nathan's Clone plunged his hand into the Dodger's chest, breaking through the sternum effortlessly. Grasping the man heart, he ripped it out. The thief dropped the ground, dead. Nathan's Clone let the heart fall out of his hand, splattering on the ground.
"I'm not fucking Robin Hood." He said, then moved off.
Flashback
Nathan was still staring at the bound man uncertainly.
"I don't know when these men are coming back!" Adam sobbed. "You have to believe me. Untie me, please!" Nathan said nothing and did nothing, just stood there staring stoically. "What, do you think these men; they planted me here, some kind of trap or something?"
"I…" Nathan started hesitantly. "Well, why'd they tie you up like that and then just leave you? Huh? Why not just kill you?"
"They were going to!" Adam cried. "They got called away at some-some altercation somewhere else on the island. If they come back, they will kill both of us. Please! You have to believe me. Please." Adam pleaded tearfully.
Nathan was torn. He wanted to believe… "All right, turn- all right, turn around." He said finally, gesturing with his knife.
"Thank you." Adam sobbed as he turned around slowly. "Thank you."
Slowly, Nathan approached. He bent over and placed the edge of the blade on the leather wrappings that bound Adam's hands…
But then he stopped. What if this guy was a spy? If he freed him, he'd be leading Fryers right back to Slade, and Slade needed these herbs to cure his infection. And his story was a bit too familiar. Ordinary guy? Lone survivor? Scared? Tortured by the people already here? That was almost exactly like his own story. Plus, Fryers men wouldn't have just left him here to rot. They would have put a bullet in his head. For both Slade's sake and his own, he couldn't afford to take the slim chance that this guy was who he said he was.
Resting the knife on the guys binds, Nathan hardened himself. He leaned over and whispered in Alan's ear. "Well Mr. Alan," Nate whispered before he covered Alan's mouth with one hand and slit his throat with the other, "You must think I'm a fucking idiot."
Nate tossed the body far away from where the super herbs were growing and exited the cave, sneaking back to the plane.
The Glades
Roy's House
Thea walked up to an old, run down house deep in The Glades. She knocked on the door, glancing around nervously as a dog barked in the background. After a moment, Roy Harper opened the door, saw who it was, and immediately closed the door. Thea rolled her eyes.
"How did you know where I live?" Roy asked through the door.
"A little thing called the Internet." Thea replied dryly. "Look, could we not do this with a door between us?"
Reluctantly, Roy opened the door. He stared at her, and then he leaned out the door, looking for cops- or anyone else with her. "So I guess you're not pressing charges 'cause you feel like… you feel like you can change my life?" he asked sarcastically. "And so you can run and tell your rich prep school friends what a Saint you are and how you're helping the disadvantaged?
Thea scoffed. "You don't know a thing about me."
Roy stared at her confidently. "Thea Queen." He began. "Trust fund brat. Totaled her car, which she got as a birthday present. Loves designer labels and is usually in the tabloids for partying too much." He smirked. "Did I…did I leave anything out?"
Thea crossed her arms. "Yeah. Dead father, missing step dad, damaged brother, and almost served jail time for that car accident. Plus, she really wants her purse back." She finished, silently daring him to say something else.
"You know, you showed some real sack coming down here, the Glades in the middle of the night." Roy noted.
"You must not know the value of a vintage purse." Thea said with a smirk.
This time Roy scoffed. He closed the door and moved back inside the house, then returned a moment later with the purse, which he handed over to her. Thea gratefully grabbed it and rooted through it, checking its contents.
"Don't worry, it's all there." Roy told her, and then pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket. "Except for these."
"Ahh." Thea nodded.
"You know, it's a really filthy habit you got there." Roy noted.
"Yeah, tell me about it." She replied dryly.
"Hey, can I give you some advice?" he asked. Thea nodded. "First, stay out of the Glades."
"And second?"
"Don't fall for every sob story a guy like me tells the police." Thea's eyes widened fractionally as she realized that she had been played. Roy smirked. "You have a great evening now." He told her, stepping back inside and closing the door. Thea just shook her head, swung the purse onto her shoulder and left.
Starling City Park
Nate and Kara were walking side by side, talking about what had happened earlier. "So let me make sure I got this straight. You areSupermans older cousin by 13 years, who was a baby when your homeworld exploded. On the way to Earth, your pod got knocked off course, and through some Phantom Zone mishap, you landed on earth 20 years later. You then proceeded to hide your powers for the last 12 years. Did I miss anything?" Nate asked.
"No, that more or less sums it up." Kara said as she sighed, "Nathan, I never wanted to hide this from you. Out of everyone that I have ever met, you were the one person I wanted to tell outside of my family."
"So what stopped you?" He asked, his tone displaying a sense of understanding and acceptance.
"Because I had spent two years before we dated as a relatively normal girl. I had come to like being normal and I didn't want to ruin that by telling you about my powers." Kara said.
"The thing is Kara, I kind of already knew." He said, shocking Kara.
"How?" She asked.
"Seventh Grade, I watched you leap over 100 feet to a burning car and then saw you, a 13 year old girl, rip a car door off it's hinges. The other time was when you broke my nose during our first kiss. My nose was literally broken into ten pieces. I was amazed I still had a nose." He joked.
Kara giggled a little as well before saying "I am sorry about that."
"Don't be. Like I said before, it was worth it." He said, before he added, "You don't need to worry about me telling anybody. I've kept your secret all this time, and I will keep it still."
They continued to walk in silence for a moment before Nathan said, "Since we're letting secrets out. I think I should tell you mine, but not here. It's too open."
20 minutes later
Verdant Construction site
Nate and Kara walked into the construction, which was stopped at the moment since it was still nighttime. "This is Verdant, or at least it will be when it's finished. It will also serve as my alibi." Nathan said as he walked over to a door and punched in the code.
"What do you need an alibi for?" Kara asked as the door opened and Nathan motioned for her to enter first like a gentleman, "You'll see in a minute." She walked down the stairs only to see a bunch of alcohol and chairs down on this level. "Now this level serves as the storage for our merchandise and club stuff."
Nate walked over to the end of the room, opposite of where the stairs were, and placed his hand on the wall. The wall parted ways to show another set of stairs(Think the same way the Time Vault does in Flash).
The level was dark as no-one was home and Nathan went to flip the lights on. "I only ask, that you don't judge me too harshly." He flipped the lights on and the whole room shined with bright light. (Lair is now like Season 2 version of Lair). Kara looked around at the computer, advanced workout equipment, and her eyes stopped on the mannequin that held his suit.
She looked at him in horror. "You're the one killing all those people."
"No," Nathan said, "I'm not killing innocent people. I'm protecting them from monsters in human flesh."
"You made someone overdose on Vertigo!" She accused.
"That bastard created a drug that nearly landed my sister in jail! He was going to infect the entire city with it!"
"You skinned an old man alive!"
"That old man infected the people of Lamb Valley with tuberculosis and jacked up the price of the drug meant to fight it, all so he could make a profit."
"You murdered an IT worker!" She yelled speeding him over to the wall and holding him there.
"That IT worker you mentioned created a virus that threatened national security and the stability to the civilized world!" He yelled as he threw Kara off of him and to the ground, his strength surprising her.
"Kara, you live in National City, where the sun shines all the time, there is no organized crime, and the only thing you have to worry about is a plane crash. I live in a city infested with the disease of greed and corruption on all levels. I hate to say it, but you don't live in the REAL WORLD!"
"Do you think that I wanted this for myself!? Believe me, I wish that I didn't have to protect this city, but I have to because no one else will!"
"You don't have to kill people to protect them!" Kara tried to deny.
"People like Batman and Superman will always fail because they are not willing to go all the way! They think that killing makes them as bad as the people they kill. News flash, that's not how it works! Do you think the Joker and Scarecrow could destroy more peoples lives if they were dead!? Do you think Lex Luthor could have continued to trample upon the weak for years if Superman had killed him the first time!?" Nathan shouted before he calmed down and sat in his chair.
"Look, I learned something very important in my time on the island. There are those who only deal in extremes. It is naïve-Nay, the pinnacle of insanity, to believe anything less than extreme measures will deal with them. People like Joker and Scarecrow can't be reasoned with, they can't be changed. I mean, Joker's former psychiatrist is now his evil sidekick, and he's escaped from Arkham, what? 10 times so far?" He asked rhetorically.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Kara finally spoke up with teary eyes, "What happened to you on that island?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" Nathan asked to which Kara nodded her head.
Nathan slowly took his shirt off and showed her his scars, which caused her to cover her mouth and gasp in horror. "My first year, I had three mentors. Yao Fei, Shado, and Slade Wilson. One died saving my life, another I fell in love with, and the other become my friend. I had to accept reality for what it was, and to survive, I had to change from the naïve, selfish, playboy, into a killer. It was the only way to survive." He said as remembered all the people he killed his first year.
"My second year on the island," Nathan said as Kara approached him to really get a look at the scars, " I found and lost my best friend, I lost the woman I loved to a sociopathic madman, I was injected with an experimental WW2 super soldier serum that still courses through my veins, my other best friend/brother/ mentor Slade betrayed me, and I was forced to kill him."
"My third year, I wasn't on the island. I had to work for a secret government organization to stop a biological weapon from being unleashed. I worked alongside this couple and came to befriend them as well as their little boy, Akio. But then he got infected and died. I tortured the bastard who did it, and for the first time, I really saw what a monster I had become. And it terrified me."
"The first half of my fourth year, I was back on Lian Yu for Argus, taking down a Slam operation by a rogue Army unit, which was a cover for finding magical artifacts. I fell in love with a fellow captive and together, we took down Baron Reiter, but she became corrupted by the dark magic of the totem he had acquired, and I killed her after she begged me to. The second half of my 4th year, I was in Russia. I was lost and I found a purpose in helping Anatoli, an old friend from the island, by protecting his life and helping him become leader of the Bratva. I took down this bastard named Konstantin Kovar and slaughtered his entire organization, but I had been injected with copious amounts of Red Death, that even though my healing factor healed the physical damage, it left me mentally broken. So broken that I hate myself and I couldn't even look at myself in the mirror anymore."
"And then?" Kara asked, as she placed her hand on his chest.
"Talia, a woman I met in Russia, brought me to a man in the mountains of Tibet, named Henri Ducard. Together, they trained me, and helped me regain my sense of identity. They helped me make peace what I had become. I found my path to justice and how to replace evil with death. And that is what I exist to do. I spent a couple months in the Triad before returning to lian yu, and made my way back here."
Kara was silent before she said to him with tears running down her eyes, "If only I had found you first." She muttered.
"What?" Nathan asked.
"When I heard about the boat, I searched for you in the North China Sea. For three weeks. My cousin had pull me away. If only I had found you then, none of this would have happened to you."
Nathan hugged her and held her close as she sobbed into his shoulder.
Flashback
Slade was drinking a tea with the herbs Nathan had gotten.
"Ahh. It tastes like an ashtray." He complained, though his voice was stronger. He put the cup down. "But it does the job. I owe you one." He told Nathan. He noticed how the younger man's far off look. "You didn't get into any trouble out there, did you?" he asked worriedly.
Nathan looked at Slade and said "No," He said pulled out his bloodstained K-Bar Knife, with Slade nodding in understanding, "No problem at all."
Flashback end
Starling City
A deserted road under the train tracks was where the meeting Frank Chen had set up as taking place. Moira Queen stood confidently, taking in the sight of the person in front of her.
"Frank Chan recommended you." She began. "He said you could help us with our problem. He appreciates you agreeing to meet with me."
Chien Na Wei smiled. "Anything for a friend. So how can we be of assistance, Mrs. Queen?"
"Malcolm Merlyn." Moira began. "I want you to kill him for me."
Starling City Airport
Nathan was seeing Kara off.
"Hey, are you okay?" Nate asked as she prepared to leave Starling City.
She sighed and said, "No, I'm not. Nate, I don't really agree with how you kill people," then her tone changed to a more understanding one, "But I do understand you are not a hero. You're a protector. And you have to do whatever you need to in order to protect your home."
"Don't lose your light Kara. It sucks being consumed with darkness. It's not something I would wish for anyone." He said and they shared one final hug.
"Look though, if you ever did decide to the normal life doesn't suit you, you don't have to be like me. You be a hero like your cousin, a symbol of hope. You could inspire people in a way I never will, Supergirl."
"Thanks," she said as she made to board her plane, "but you probably should pick a better name than Arrow. Why not something more like Black Arrow?"
Nathan shrugged and said, "Maybe one day." She boarded her plane and Nathan couldn't keep the genuinely happy grin off his face.