Flashback
Nathan was walking towards the fuselage, staring at the picture of Laurel. He slipped it into his pocket as he entered the plane.
"Rescuing your father and stopping Fyers is not going to be some walk in the park." Slade was telling Shado. "They're not going to allow us to just stroll on into their camp."
"Which is why we'll need cover." She noted.
Slade gave her a look. "If both of us are infiltrating, who'll provide that?" he asked.
Shado nodded towards Nathan. "He will." She decided. Slade laughed and Nathan was just stunned.
"Me?" he said.
"The assault rifle is flushed. It's useless." Slade said.
"We have a bow, arrows." She replied.
"And no one capable of shooting them." He looked over to Nathan. "No offense, kid."
"Oh none taken. I was actually going to say the same thing." Nathan said.
"I think we should be spending our time trying to devise a plan, not lower our already slim chances of survival."
"He'll hit his mark by sundown." She told the mercenary. "If not, we'll do it your way." She grabbed the bow and some arrows and walked over to Nathan. Wordlessly she held out her hand. After a moment's hesitation, he took it.
Flashback End
CNRI
A day after last chapter
Laurel was hard at work on her computer when Nathan walked up. "Hi." He said, drawing her attention.
She briefly glanced up at him. "Did you get my voicemail?" she asked.
"No."
"I know we were supposed to hang out but things got a little crazy around here- back to back meetings." She told him. "I am so sorry, rain check?" she asked.
"Sure." He said. He paused. Nathan thought about something for moment, "Look, this isn't cause I'm sueing your dad, right?"
"No, it's not," Laurel said, "I admit I'm a bit miffed about it, but after really thinking it through, your right. My dad has been given plenty of chances to clean up his act and he refuses to do so. He's made his bed, and now he gets to lie in it."
They were stopped at the entrance, were a family of three were standing.
"I'm sorry, are we early?" the man said.
"No, not at all." Laurel realized Nathan was still standing next to her. "Uh, Nathan, this is Eric Moore and his wife, Nancy." She introduced. "I'm prepping them for a deposition for tomorrow."
Nathan nodded politely, and then smiled slyly as he pointed to the young child standing behind his parents. "And this must be your bodyguard." He joked.
"This is our son, Taylor." Nancy said.
Nathan smiled at them all. "Well, you are in very capable hands." He told them. "It was nice to meet you." He nodded at Laurel, then left. He turned a corner and made a show of pulling out his phone while listening in on Laurel.
"Eric, Nancy, I want to make sure that you guys are up for this." Laurel began. "Edward Rasmus isn't known for playing with kid gloves, so this could get rough."
"We invested our entire life savings with Rasmus and he stole it." Eric said. "Our retirement. Taylor's college fund. He stole our future, Ms. Lance." He said. "We want it back."
"Well, then let's go get it." Laurel said, leading them to her desk.
'Rasmus? Last time I checked, he was on the List. Oh Laurel, why do you always go after the big fish?' Nathan sighed in annoyance.
Eric Moor's Apartment
Night
Late that night, there was a knock on the door of Eric Moor's apartment. He approached the door cautiously. "Hello?" he called out.
"Mr. Moore?" Eric could see the blurry figure of a man through the frosted glass. "I have some documents for you from Ms. Lance related to tomorrow's deposition." He said. Eric opened the door and let the man in. He was a tall black man, well dressed in a tailored suit, carrying a leather briefcase.
He looked around in approval. "What a nice home you have here." He complimented. He held the case in one hand and opened, then reached inside. "You can really… feel the love." The man picked up his silenced pistol and fired twice through the lid, killing Eric Moore instantly.
Mr. Blank closed the lid on the case, and then dropped it to the floor. He stepped over Eric's cooling body and started neatly tipping things over, then swiped several items off of a side table.
"Sorry about the mess." He said to no one. "This works better if it looks like a break-in." He walked cautiously through the house, looking for the rest of the family. He saw Nancy coming out of her son's room and shot her. She fell to the ground, dead, as Taylor stared in horror.
The kid looked up to see Mr. Blank staring at him, so he did the only thing he could do- he closed his door and locked it. Mr. Blank smirked. He tried the knob and saw that it was locked, but one well-placed kick broke the door open. He calmly walked into the room- but Taylor had climbed out of his window. He walked over quickly and threw back the drapes, looking around- but Taylor was gone.
Mr. Blank's phone rang, and he answered it.
"Is it done?" Edward Rasmus asked over the phone.
"The parents, yes." Blank said. "I'm afraid there's been a variable. The child got away."
Rasmus tensed. "Got away? Did he see you?" he asked.
"No, Mr. Rasmus." Blank said pleasantly. "What he saw was the face of the man who will reunite him with his parents." He then hung up and calmly made his way out of the apartment.
Nathan's Loft
Next Morning
Nathan was just getting out of the shower in his loft when he caught the morning news.
'Starling City is expected to be host of this year's Festival of Lights exhibition. In other news, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Moore were found early this morning. The couple were being represented by attorney Laurel Lance of CNRI in a lawsuit against financier Edward Rasmus." He stared at the screen with narrowed eyes. "Miraculously, their seven-year-old son Taylor survived the horrific attack."
SCPD
Laurel was in the squad room, waiting on her father as Tommy consoled her.
"This isn't your fault, Laurel, you shouldn't feel guilty." He told her.
"I don't feel guilty." She said. "I'm angry. This wasn't some random break-in. Edward Rasmus is involved, I know it."
Lance walked up to them after talking to the people in Robbery/Homicide. "Ok, listen, our guys are looking into this." He told his daughter. "But you need to stay out of it, ok? Because if Rasmus is behind this, he's clearly not messing around."
The social worker walked over with Taylor in tow. "Uh… If you'd like to say good-bye to Taylor, I will be taking him over to child services." She told them.
"Doesn't he have any other family?" Laurel asked.
"Grandparents are in Melbourne." She said. "We're tracking them down, but until then, he's going to be a temporary ward of the state."
Her response was almost instantaneous. "He can stay with me." She declared, to Tommy's surprise and Quentin's dread. "As his attorney, I am assigning myself temporary guardianship."
"You'd still need a judge's order." The social worker said uncertainly.
"I'll have it to you in an hour." She replied at once.
The worker shrugged. "Well, have it your way." She said, handing Taylor off to Laurel and walking off.
Quentin sighed. "Ok, look, I'm going to park a patrol car outside your place." He told his daughter.
"Fine." She agreed at once.
"And you," he turned to Tommy. "You look after them, all right?"
"I spend most nights at your daughter's anyways." Tommy said without thinking.
Lance gave him a look. "There was probably a better time to tell you that." He amended.
Quentin shook his head. "Probably not." He said as he walked off.
Laurel knelt down in front of Taylor. "Hey, you're gonna come stay in my house, ok?" she told him.
Tommy had looked up and saw Nathan entering the station. Leaving Laurel to talk to the boy, he walked over to his best friend, "Hey Nate."
"Hey Tommy," Nathan greeted his friend, "I heard what happened on the news. How's the kid?"
"Traumatized? Won't talk? I mean, how do you deal with seeing your parents murdered at such a young age? Anyway, he's gonna stay with us until Laurel's done suing Rasmus."
"Edward Rasmus? You know I love Laurel, but why does she always go after the big fish?" Nathan sighed in exasperation.
"I feel the same way but you know how stubborn she can be." Tommy agreed just as Laurel walked up.
"It's settled." She said. "Taylor's coming home with us tonight."
"Well look, if you guys need anything—" Nathan started, but Tommy cut him off.
"We'll let you know." He said in appreciation.
"Ok." Nathan agreed.
"We should really get going." Tommy said. Laurel took Taylor's hand, and the three walked off. Nathan watched them leave with narrowed eyes. He was definitely going to have to watch them tonight.
Flashback
Shado was now teaching Nathan how to shoot the bow.
"Set your sight." She instructed. "Hit the tree."
Nathan fired, and the arrow whizzed off into the forest, lost. He sighed in frustration. "Probably hit a tree." He said sarcastically.
Shado handed him another arrow. "Set your sight. Hit the tree." She repeated. Nathan nocked the arrow and drew back the string. Shado placed her palm on his chest. "Steady your anchor point." She instructed. He turned to look at her, and they stared at each other for several seconds. Finally he turned away, and aimed the arrow at the tree.
"I hope you're getting closer," Nathan let the string go slack as the two turned to see Slade standing there. "At teaching him how to be a better marksman." He finished with a glare. "It's not as though our lives depend on it or anything."
Slade stalked off, and the two both took a breath. "Try again." She instructed.
"Ok." He agreed, pulling back the string…
Flashback End
Lair
Talia, Helena, Chien and Lyla were all in the Lair, while Nathan was taking out his frustration on a training dummy, hitting it so fast that his arms appeared to be blurs to the human eye.
"What has you so worked up, Nate?" Chien asked.
"It's Laurel," Nathan said as he punched the dummy so hard it snapped in half, "She just can't resist going after guys that put her in danger."
He walked over to his computer and said, "Two of Laurel's clients were murdered last night. Their seven-year-old son barely escaped with his life."
"That's awful" Helena noted.
"Edward Rasmus, the financial advisor Laurel was taking to court, may not have pulled the trigger, but he most likely called in the hit." Nathan continued. He looked at Lyla. "I want you to get into his corporate accounts, phone records, anything that may link him to the killer, ok?" she nodded in agreement, and he went over and grabbed his Arrow jacket.
"Where are you going?" Lyla asked.
"Laurel's."
"Beloved what are doing?" Talia asked him, causing him to look at her, "Did you forget the fact that Unidac Industries have only a few more days before they are done with seismic generators?"
Nathan sighed and put his stuff down, "No", he said, "I didn't forget, I just—I don't always think straight when it comes to Lance sisters."
Nate created a clone. "Take him with you. Helena, Chien, I'd like you to go as well."
Helena and Chien nodded as they both really wanted to see Talia in action, so they each gave him a quick kiss, "We love you, Nate."
"I love you both too," he whispered in their ears. After they left, he grabbed his Arrow gear and headed out, as his clone was wearing his Prometheus gear.
Laurel's apartment
Taylor was seated on the couch, he head down and his hands pressed between his knees.
"Taylor? Sweetheart?" Laurel walked over to Taylor and laid a soft hand on his shoulder. "Are you hungry?" she asked. "You know, I make the world's best macaroni and cheese. It's the only thing I know how to make." She joked, trying to make him smile.
"I miss my mom and dad." Taylor said softly.
Laurel looked over to Tommy, who looked at the boy sadly, knowing exactly what he was going through. He walked around the couch and knelt in front of him.
"When I was your age, my mom tucked me into bed at night before going out." Tommy began. "Then the next thing I knew, there was a police officer at my door. He said that she was gone and that I would never see her again. But you know what?" he asked rhetorically. "He was wrong."
"You saw her?" Taylor asked hopefully as Laurel watched on in interest.
"Mh-mmm." Tommy said. "Every time I close my eyes, I can see her. Every time I go to bed, I see her in my dreams."
"Really?" he asked. Laurel smiled softly at the sight.
"Yeah. Now try it, close your eyes." Tommy told him.
Taylor closes his eyes and bowed his head. He was silent for several seconds, and then he looked back up at the older man. "I see them." He said.
Tommy smiled warmly at the boy. "Whenever you are sad, or scared, just remember that they will always be there." He told Taylor as a tear ran down the boy's cheek.
Laurel smiled at her boyfriend. "You constantly surprise me, Merlyn." She said. He looked up at her and smiled.
There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it." Laurel said. She and Tommy both rose to answer the door.
"Ms. Lance?" Mr. Blank said from behind the door. "Lieutenant Kessel, SCPD." He held his silenced gun up to the peephole. "Your dad asked me to check in."
Laurel approached the door cautiously. "Lieutenant, can you hold your badge up to the door, please?" she asked. She risked a glance through the peephole, and saw a gold badge being held up. She read the badge number and paled. "Ok, great." She said shakily, backing away from the door. "Just one sec."
Tommy noted her panic. "What?" he asked.
"His badge number begins with a zero, Lieutenant's badge numbers begin with a one—"
Suddenly a hail of bullets burst through the door. Laurel and Tommy split up- she headed for her bedroom closet, Tommy ran over to Taylor and grabbed him, pulling them both down to the floor just as Mr. Blank burst in. He urged Taylor to be silent as Blank looked around cautiously. He walked slowly through the apartment, stopping when he thought he heard a noise. He turned and looked into the living room, then raised his pistol and opened fire, shooting up the couch and table in front of it. Tommy and Taylor remained silent, watching the man's feet as they slowly moved towards them. Tommy put a hand gently over Taylor's mouth.
"It was the badge that gave me away, right?" Blank guessed.
"You know, my father's a cop." Laurel's voice called out. Blank spun and fired in the general direction, only hitting the wall. Then Laurel swung out of her room, the pump action shotgun she had had hidden in her closet out and pointed at Mr. Blank. She fired, just missing the assassin who managed to duck out of the way. "And that's not all he taught me." She said, pumping the shotgun. She pulled the trigger- and got nothing. Empty.
Mr. Blank swung back around; aiming his gun at Laurel's stunned face.
Then suddenly a window exploded as The Arrow dove through it. He landed in a crouch and quickly fired an arrow, disarming the assassin. A shocked Laurel backed off as Mr. Blank ran back into the apartment, ducking around a corner just as The Arrow fired another arrow, which narrowly missed. Mr. Blank drew another pistol and leaned around the edge of the doorway, firing at the vigilante who ducked behind Laurel's desk. Blank kept firing at the desk as he ran past and jumped out of the window, escaping into the night. Nathan stood, looking around just as Tommy looked over the back of the couch. The two stared at each other in silence for several moments before The Arrow turned and ran off.
A short while later
A short while later, Lance stood in his daughter's trashed apartment, staring at the broken window. "I'm feeling like it might be time for you to move." He deadpanned.
"Dad, whoever Rasmus hired is going to keep coming until he finishes the job, otherwise Rasmus will just hire someone else who will." Laurel stated bluntly.
"Ok, listen, I want the three of you in protective custody immediately, and don't even think about it." He pointed to Laurel, who for once wasn't arguing. "He killed two of my men."
"The Arrow just saved our lives." She pointed out. "We can trust him. He won't let anything happen to me." Tommy looked away at that. He didn't like admitting it it, but she was right.
"Even if I was comfortable with the idea of him watching over you 24/7, which I'm not, something tells me he's got better things to do." Lance pointed out.
"What about Nathan?" Tommy said suddenly.
Detective Lance looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, you got another friend named Nathan?" he asked sarcastically.
"The Queens have more security than the President." Tommy pointed out. "They've got cameras everywhere, bodyguards in every wing, and no one goes in or out without being accounted for. We both only want what is best for Laurel." He told the man. "And right now that is to stay close to Nathan. Trust me."
Queen Manor
Next Morning
The next morning Laurel, Tommy and Taylor arrived at Queen Manor, where they were greeted by Nathan, Moira and Lyla, along with another security guard.
"This is Mr. Robbins." Lyla introduced the guard. "Where you go, he goes. You'll be very well protected, Ms. Lance."
"Thank you." She said.
"I hand-selected these men myself." Lyla continued. "The house and the grounds are completely secure."
"Please make yourself at home." Moira said. She leaned down to look at the boy. "You must be Taylor." She said kindly. "How about I show you where I hide the good cookies? Ok?" Taylor nodded and took her hand, and allowed himself to be led off.
"Mr. Queen, whenever you're ready, I can take you to your next appointment, sir." Lyla told Nathan, who looked confused. "That liquor donor meeting?" she reminded him.
"Oh right." Nathan said in realization. "I just need to swing by the club and pick up my good suit." He said. "So, I'll meet you there."
"Of course, sir." Lyla said, heading out the door.
"You're leaving?" Tommy asked.
"There's something else I need to take care of. Club stuff." Nathan said. "It's important."
"More important than what's going on here?"
"No offense to Nathan, but I think we need Mr. Robbins and his men more than him." Laurel said. Nathan nodded in agreement, and Laurel moved off to find Taylor.
The Lair
30 minutes later
Nathan walked in to his lair to find Lyla on his computer as it beeped. "What's that?" Lyla asked, looking at one of Nate's screens as something popped up.
"I had a remote access trojan scouring the Internet for Edward Rasmus." he said, turning his attention to the new info. "His name just popped up on a flight manifest… 8:15 to Shanghai."
"He's running." Lyla stated.
Nathan got his Arrow gear on and headed out, "No, he's not."
Flashback
Shado was still trying to get him to shoot straight.
"Try again." She instructed. He did so, and missed.
"You're thinking too much." She decided.
Nathan smirked at her. "Nobody ever accused me of that before." He said.
She grinned back, taking the bow. She had two arrows stuck in the ground, and she spun around quickly taking one of the arrow, notching it, and firing in, separating a branch from a tree. She grabbed the other arrow and knelt down, firing again, splitting the falling branch. It had taken her less than five second.
"Show-off." Nathan said good-naturedly.
"I see my target in the distance, I feel the variation in the wind, I hear the bowstring tighten… and I let go." She explained softly. "Give in to your senses." She said as they stood closer. "Don't think."
Nathan leaned down and kissed her.
She reciprocated, and they spent a few moments enjoying each other's presence. Suddenly though, Nathan pulled back, instantly ashamed of himself. Shado was ashamed and embarrassed as well.
"You're right, this is definitively not the time or place—" she started.
"No, it's," Nathan sighed. "No, it's not that, not really. You're probably going to want to sit down for this." Nathan said and they both sat on a nearby log.
"What's eating me up is something entirely different," Nathan said, as he leaned forward with his hands folded, "but for you to understand it, I'm gonna have to go back to the beginning."
"So, me and my brother, we were the son's and heirs of this multi-billion dollar company based out of our hometown, Starling City. But being the scions of really rich parents doesn't afford a lot of friends. So, one day, when I was 12 and I was with my dad at the mall, I met this pair of sisters. The eldest was Laurel and the younger one was Sara. After about an hour of playing and talking we became friends. I introduced them to Oliver, my big brother by one year, and Tommy, his friend, and we all became one tight-knit group of friends."
"But I was always a bit closer to the Lance sisters. When me and Oliver were 15, we lost our grandfather Gregory, who we called Gigi. He was a great grandpa, and he saw us, not as the heirs to the Queen Family, but as just Oliver and Nathan. So when he died, we became self-centered jackasses, who drank, partied and fucked away our pain."
"Honestly I was amazed Laurel and Sara stayed friends with me, Oliver, and Tommy. Anyway, I got a little better when I was a junior in highschool. I had several relationships that didn't last, and then went off to MIT for study business administration at 17, and came out with a Masters in 4 years, because I was taking classes full time even in the summer and I had started taking classes when I was still in highschool."
"During the last 2 years, Oliver and Laurel dated. Now, the thing is, I had always been in love with both sisters, but Sara was my closest friend and while I did love her, I was afraid of losing that friendship, so I never pursued her, and when I was ready to confess to Laurel, I found out she was in a relationship with Oliver. Oliver, when he was with Laurel, was the happiest I had seen him since Gigi died, so I let them be, leaving me between a rock and hard place where the sisters were concerned."
"About a year before I shipwrecked here, I noticed that Oliver and Laurel were really getting serious. Laurel was talking about moving in with Oliver somewhere in the city, but Oliver…he didn't do serious. And he started doing everything her could to hurt Laurel or dissuade her. When the drugs, partying and alcohol didn't work, he started cheating on her behind her back. I know he cheated with at least several women, the last one he ended up getting pregnant, but she ended up losing the baby."
"I grew to hate my brother after what he did. So, in some stupid revenge scheme, I slept with Laurel." At Shado's slightly disgusted look, he bowed his head further in shame as he took out the photo of Laurel and showed it to Shado, "I wanted him to pay for what he did, as I felt he didn't deserve her, but I never told him despite how much I wanted to rub it in his face, because Laurel made me promise. She still loved the idiot and wanted to repair her relationship with him."
"If all this is true, then why do you have a photo of this Laurel?" Shado asked.
"Because I took it from my brother after I discovered his latest escapade." Nathan explained.
Flashback within Flashback
Nathan counting the thunder in his room on the yacht when he opened his eyes and walked outside looking at the storm that was raging "I've got a bad felling about this." he said to himself walking inside to see his dad and Oliver talking "You know, son that is not going to end well, for either of them or for you."
"He'll figure it out on his own." Nate said getting their attention.
"What jealous?" Oliver smirked, which made Nathan get in his face.
"Of what!? The fact that you just ruined the relationship between two sisters, who are my oldest friends, or the fact that the only woman who ever loved you is going to tear you a new asshole right before she dumps your worthless ass, which I can't wait to watch!" He said causing Oliver to frown at his slightly more muscular brother.
"Boys, boys, please." Robert said causing them to look at him
"We should head back dad, I got a terrible feeling about this storm and I'm done with his bullshit." Nate said.
"You said that when we came on board." Oliver replied as Nate looked at his dad with a frown.
"Relax, we are heading back now." Robert said causing him to nod his head as Robert walked off.
"You're such a pussy." Oliver said to his little brother, which made Nathan grab Oliver by the scruff of his shirt and pin him against the wall of the boat, before punching Oliver in the face several times.
"The only reason this pussy isn't beating you to a pulp is because dad's on board. All you are is a worthless playboy whose only saving grace is the fact that he was born into money." He searched his brothers pockets until he found the photo of Laurel and took it from him. "She loves your worthless ass, for some ridiculous reason that I can't fathom, and I will never forgive you for what you've done to her. As far as I'm concerned, you're better off dead!" He retorted, walking away from a glaring Oliver who scoffed and walked back to Sara.
Flashback within Flashback End
"And that was the last thing I ever said to him, because the next time I saw him, he had a pipe sticking out of his chest", Nathan said, a tear falling down his cheek. Shado, despite her mild disgust at his past actions, felt for him, as she rubbed his shoulder.
Flashback within Flashback
"Aah!"
Nate sprung up at the feminine scream and ran outside to see everyone running, as a red emergency light flashed repeatedly. Sprinting down the hallway he opened the door to see a pipe had fallen through Oliver's room and ran him through while Sara was on the ground sobbing.
"Sara! Come on, the ship is going down."
'"Ollie, he's dead!" Sara sobbed
"Sara, if we don't move we will be too, now come on!" Nate said just as the ship turned over causing him to fall over onto the wall and Sara fell through a window and water flooded the room, "Sara!"
He swam up to Oliver's body and closed his eyes looking at him sadly before he swam up breaching the surface "Sara! Sara!" he shouted looking around.
"Nathan! Nate!" Robert yelled in a lifeboat causing Nate to turn around and swim over and get in before he saw Sara wasn't inside.
"Sara!" Nathan turned and shouted about to jump back in to save his friend but Robert grabbed him "No! No! No, dad, she's out there!"
"She's not there." Robert yelled crying himself knowing that Oliver was dead.
"Sara!" Nathan yelled looking at the yacht as it went down.
"They're gone." Robert said sadly.
Flashback within Flashback End
Nathan sat back and sighed as he stared at his right palm. "You probably think I'm better off dead too, don't you?" He asked Shado.
"No, I do not," Shado stated firmly as she made him look her in the eye, "While I may express disgust at your former actions, I can see by your genuine shame that you truly regret them. That, despite the loss of your brother, your father, and your friend, that you are becoming a better person."
Nathan looked back at his hand and said to himself, "A better person." He closed his hand into a fist and continued talking, "I wish I could say the same. Since I've gotten here, I have killed no less than 5 people in the name of survival. I don't know what I'm becoming. But I know this," He said as he got up and grabbed the bow, "If I ever get off this Island and make it home, then for my mothers, my sisters, and Laurel's sake, I'm gonna do right by them." He said as he took another shot at the tree.
Flashback End
Queen Manor
Laurel was in the sitting room, looking through old photo albums. Moira walked in and glanced down at the picture with a smile.
"You looked so beautiful that night." She observed. She took a seat next to the lawyer. "I remember Oliver telling me once that he wished your father would let him come over to your house more often." She said to Laurel's surprise. "That being there made him feel less like Robert Queen's son and more like himself. I liked who my eldest son was when he was around you." She admitted.
"Thank you." Laurel said with a smile.
"Hey." Nathan said as he came into the room. "The police just called. Edward Rasmus was arrested."
"Really?" Laurel asked. "What happened?"
"Apparently he confessed to everything." Nathan said. "He's going to go to prison for the rest of his life and won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."
"Why would he confess?" she wondered.
Nathan let out a satisfied sigh. "Apparently the Arrow paid him a visit." He said.
"Good for him." Tommy said as he walked into the room.
"So, I guess it's over." Laurel said.
"Yes." Tommy said quickly. "Great, I'll go wake up Taylor—"
"No, Tommy, please." Moira interrupted. "He's sleeping; he's been through a lot. Now you all are welcome to stay. We certainly have more than enough room." She pointed out lightly.
Tommy looked to Laurel with a smile. "It's your call." He told her.
Laurel considered for a few seconds, and then smiled at the Queen matriarch. "Thank you, Mrs. Queen." She said. "I guess we'll stay, then." She announced.
SCPD
Same Time
Rasmus sat in an interrogation room, listening to the thunder crash outside. Suddenly an officer opened the door.
"Your lawyer's here." He announced. He stepped aside, and Mr. Blank walked in. As the officer closed the door, Blank set his briefcase on the table and opened the lid before sitting down.
"It's you." Rasmus said.
"I'd like to discuss loose ends." Mr. Blank began.
"You didn't get my message?" he said quietly. He leaned in. "Forget about the Moore boy. I've already confessed, that freakshow in a hood was gonna do to me what he did to Justin Claybourne if I didn't." he groused.
"We need to make this meeting appear legitimate." Blank said, seemingly oblivious. He pulled some papers out and slid them across. He then pulled out a pen and held it out for Rasmus. "Lawyer stuff. Sign here, please."
"Am I clear? You leave the boy alone." Rasmus hissed. He reached for the pen, but as he grasped it, Blank grabbed his wrist with his other hand.
"I wish I could, but he's seen my face." Mr. Blank said, applying pressure on Rasmus's wrist. "Just like you." He let go, and started putting things back into his case. "If you put pressure in just the right areas above the forearm, like I did to you, an embolism will form in the medial antebrachial vein." He began explaining. "When the air pocket reaches your heart in, give or take, fifteen seconds, you'll die. It's relatively painless." He said, closing his case. He stood. "Oh… nothing personal." He noted pleasantly, then walked to the door as Rasmus sat back, unsure if the man was telling the truth or not. "We're done here!" Blank called out. He was let out of the room and the door was closed behind him. 10 seconds, later, Rasmus fell over dead.
Mr. Blank was walking out just as Thea was walking in. She stopped a patrolman. "Excuse me," she said, gaining his attention. "Hi, I'm looking for my boyfriend; he's kind of a regular around here." She explained. "Piercing blue eyes, red hoodie, and may or may not have stolen a police radio."
The officer smiled at her, then nodded towards Lance's desk. "Yeah, that's him. Behind you." He pointed out.
Thea thank the man, and then walked over to Roy, who looked up at her with a subdued expression. "Well, that's a nice look." She said dryly. "What were you thinking?"
"Well, if it isn't the wonder twins!" Lance said in amusement, walking up to the two.
Thea turned to him. "He's very sorry for stealing the radio," she began as Roy rolled his eyes, "and he won't ever bug you or steal anything from you guys ever again."
Lance gave her a look. "Both of you." He tossed the keys to the cuffs to Roy. "Come with me."
Lance led the two down into the morgue.
"Well, your boyfriend is so interested in the vigilantes; I thought he might like to meet someone else who already made their acquaintance." Lance said, then he pulled open one of the drawers revealing the frozen corpse within. Thea gasped and turned away, a hand over her mouth.
"Oh, God…" she muttered.
Roy had a hard time looking at the body. He looked at Lance instead. "Who was he?" he asked.
"Well, that's the thing." Lance said. "When you're alive, you get a name. When you wind up down here, you get a number." Roy forced himself to look down at the body. "Meet 253." Lance continued. He pulled an arrow out of an evidence bag and placed it back in the hole it had created, causing Thea to blanch and gasp again. Roy closed his eyes briefly, but forced himself to look despite his discomfort. "See, your pals: The Arrow, The Huntress, and their new sidekick Prometheus, they've already sent 253 bodies down here since they started their little war on crime."
"Maybe this guy deserved it." Roy said defensively.
"Maybe he did." Lance conceded. "But that's not how justice works. You see, the vigilantes, they don't have to answer to anyone but themselves, and that's a very dangerous power to give to any one person, let alone 3 people."
"Prometheus saved my life." Roy stated.
Lance pulled the arrow back out. "And how do you know tomorrow he won't just as easily take it?" Lance asked rhetorically. He nodded at the door. "Get out of here."
"Let's go." Thea said, grabbing his arm and dragging him to the door, away from the corpses and death.
Queen Manor
Same Time
Taylor was asleep as the storm raged on outside. Laurel watched him as he slept for a while, then looked up and saw Nathan standing at the door. Quietly she made her way out of the room, and he shut the door behind them.
"He's safe now, Laurel." Nathan said.
"With a hard road ahead of him." Laurel noted.
He smiled tiredly at her. "Well, he's lucky to have you in his life." He told her. "I know the feeling."
Laurel considered him for a moment. "When you first got home, I didn't think that you changed much." She admitted. "But you have, and… it's nice to see."
Nathan smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." He replied, giving her a hug.
From down the hall around a corner, Tommy watched the exchange with a sinking feeling in his gut.
The doorbell suddenly rang. Down in the foyer, Mr. Robbins was headed towards the door. 'I have a delivery van coming in for Ms. Lance,' a man over the radio said, 'his I.D. checks out."
"Thanks for the heads up." Robbins said dryly. He opened the door a bit, and then seeing it was just a teen delivery man, opened the door wider. He stepped back to allow the boy to come in.
"For Ms. Lance." He said nervously. Robbins looked down at the envelope he was carrying, and saw that the kids' hands were shaking. Knowing something was wrong, he reached for his gun-
But was felled by two bullets that Mr. Blank shot through the back of the kid, killing them both.
Mr. Blank calmly walked in. "What a beautiful home." He said. He stepped over the two bodies, looking around. "Hmm… such pain here." He noted. "A sense of loss and regret, you can feel it, down to the wood paneling." He looked down at his watch, counting down. Seconds later, the charge he placed on the fuse box blew, sending the house into darkness.
Upstairs, the sudden blackout startled Nathan and Laurel, who stepped away from each other in confusion. Tommy also made himself known, coming around the corner and looking to Nathan.
"Tommy." He gestured at his former friend, who came over. "Can you two stay here with Taylor?" he ushered them towards Taylor's room.
"Where are you going?" Laurel asked.
"It's an old house, those fuses blow all the time during a storm like this." Nathan lied smoothly. "It's probably nothing, just please… come on."
"Ok." She said. Laurel and Tommy walked into the room, and Nathan shut the door behind them. He then kicked off the doorknob to lock them in before stalking down the hall.
Mr. Blank walked cautiously up the stairs. He paused as a shadow moved, and he moved quickly up, firing several times. One of the security guard's collapsed, still alive but wounded.
In Taylor's room, Tommy and Laurel both heard the whispers of the silenced shots and the body falling. Laurel held a fearful Taylor close. "He's here." She whispered.
"Where's the child?" Mr. Blank asked the fallen guard, pressing the silencer on his gun into the wound on the man's chest. "This house is quite large and I don't particularly care to check every room." The man said nothing. "Very well." Mr. Blank stood. "Have it your way." He fired once more, killing him.
Nathan moved quickly but quietly through the house, searching for the intruder. He paused at an intersection to listen when suddenly lightning flared. He saw a shadow cast out of the corner of his eye, and ducked just before Mr. Blank fired. The rounds hit the wood, and Mr. Blank quickly made to follow.
In Taylor's room Laurel made to go for the door, but was grabbed by Tommy.
"Laurel… Laurel, l don't—" he started to say as she struggled against him.
"No, Nate is still out there." She argued, even though she knew Tommy was right.
Mr. Blank moved across the top hall, heading towards a pair of closed doors. He opened one-
And Nate leapt out at him, kneeing Blank in the face, disarming him and causing him to fall backwards. Blank regained his footing just as Nathan threw a wild hook. He missed and Blank tried to grab Nathan by the torso, but Nate spun Blank around and threw him off before giving Blank a Spartan Kick to the face, breaking his nose and causing him to fall back again. Nathan leapt off of the railing and knocked Blank further backing with a downward right hook. Blank tried to hit his assailant with a roundhouse kick, but Nathan ducked underneath it and delivered a backwards kick that sent Blank tumbling down the stairs.
Nathan jumped down and aimed to cave in Blanks head with a downward punch, but Blank rolled away, causing Nathan to land in a crouch with a punch that cracked the flooring. Nate jumped up using a rail and delivered a roundhouse kick to Mr. Blanks face, causing him to further stumble around a corner. Nathan jumped over the railing again, narrowly avoiding a strike from Mr. Blank. The two traded blows for several moments before Nathan threw a punch, but Blank caught his wrist.
"What happened to you on that island?" he asked, starting to apply the same pressure hold he had used to kill Rasmus.
Nathan stopped him by grasping his hand and breaking it. "You're about to find out." He growled. He then threw Blank over the railing and near the fire, and Blank landed on his back. Nathan front flipped forward and landed in a crouch by the fire place. He held out his hand and a red hot iron fire poker that had been in the fire flew into it. Mr. Blank pulled out his spare gun and pointed it at Nathan but before he could pull the trigger, Nathan expertly disarmed Mr. Blank in flourish of swordplay before slicing his left Achilles tendon, causing Blank to drop to one knee. He then plunged the poker through Blank's heart, the red hot poker cauterizing the wound, killing him instantly.
A short while later the M.E. was zipping Blank's body up in a bag. Lance looked at it with clinical detachment and no small sense of happiness.
"Death by red hot poker." He quipped, looking at Nathan. "That's a new one."
"He was going to shoot me." Nathan said. "And then, uh, Mister Robbins, he grabbed the poker from the fire and saved my life." He lied smoothly, giving the dead guard a worthy honor, as he had rearranged the bodies to make it look convincing.
"Mr. Robbins was a real hero." Tommy said. He was leaning against a pillar next to the staircase. "If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead."
Lance knew bullshit when he smelled it, but in this case he wasn't going to worry about it, especially since this guy was in the process of suing him. Didn't want to throw any more fuel onto the fire. "I've got enough details for my report." He said. "I'll clear my boys out of here. Let's go." He said to his cops. As they left, Nathan walked past Tommy, but turned and saw Laurel walk up the stairs with Taylor.
Tommy noted this. "You still love her. Don't you?" he asked.
Nathan sighed. "It doesn't matter how or what I feel. Because I can't be with her, and I'm happy with Helena." He told him. "You got nothing worry about."
"If only you knew," Dejected, Tommy walked off, leaving a concerned Nathan behind.
Laurel's Apartment
Next day
The next morning at Laurel's apartment, Taylor's grandparents were picking him up. "Thank you for everything you tried to do for Eric and Nancy." The grandmother told Laurel. "And for keeping Taylor safe."
Laurel nodded, sniffling. She knelt in front of Taylor. "Come here." She said, fighting back tears. She gave him a big hug. "You keep being a good boy, ok?" she said tearfully. He nodded, and then she rose and let his grandparents take him away. She was barely holding it together by this point. "Tommy, I really need to talk to you…" she trailed off as she saw Tommy walking out of their room, his bag in one hand and his coat in the other. "What's that for?" she asked, stunned.
"It's my stuff." He said simply.
"What's going on?" she asked fearfully.
"I'm not sure that I'm ready for the kind of commitment that you're looking for." He lied. His own heart was breaking, but he was better at hiding it. Something, he supposed, he got from his father. "I don't want to hurt you in the long run, so—"
"Wait." She said. "We both almost lost our lives, and I'm emotional, too, but you can't be serious."
"This is me serious, Laurel." Tommy said calmly.
"But… but it doesn't make any sense, I mean, why… why now? Why even at all?" she stammered.
"I thought that I wanted this." Tommy explained. "You. And the other night made me realize I don't."
"You're lying." She denied.
"I am not a liar." He denied, eerily calm.
"If you've changed, and I know that you've changed, then you wouldn't- you would never do this." She protested.
"Then I guess I haven't changed as much as we all thought, then." He said, and then walked past her out the door, leaving her to break down alone. In the hall, Tommy finally let his emotions out, even as he walked briskly away from the only woman he had ever truly loved.
Stuff\Flashback
A dejected Nathan and Shado walked into the fuselage. Slade sat, sharpening his sword. He looked up, but didn't look at the two.
"So how did our Robin Hood do?" he asked. Their silence told him everything he needed to know. "As expected?" he goaded. "So back to the drawing board we go."
Suddenly there was a noise, and the three tensed. Their anxiety turned to surprise as Yao Fei walked stiffly into the plane.
"Yao Fei!" Nathan exclaimed loudly.
"Ba!" Shado ran up to her father and hugged him, but backed away when he didn't return the gesture.
Slade stood slowly. "How did you escape?" he demanded.
"Because he didn't. Fyers let you go on purpose, didn't he?" Nathan asked with a hint of betrayal in his voice, having noted Yao Fei's solemn expression. Suddenly, a dozen men armed with AK-47's rushed into the plane to their collective shock.
"You son of a bitch!" Slade growled. He made to lunge at Yao Fei, but a soldier smashed the butt if his rifle against Slade's head, sending him to the ground.
"Slade!" Nathan protested, kneeling beside the fallen man.
Yao Fei looked down at them both. "Your time on this island is at an end." He declared in resignation.