Chapter Text
“What does that mean?” Tommy deminded, he felt stupid after what happened there. But it turns out he was right. “You were there. I could have found you. How should I not have tried? Do you know what I would have done to get you back if I’d known?”
“Yes, and that is why you couldn’t,” Oliver replied coldly, clenching his fists, taking a breath. He refused to look at Tommy, instead turning to look at Sara, Jax and Stein. “You said you were going to explain more of why we’re here at the end of that year.”
They looked at each other, as Tommy huffed in annoyance.
“First, you need to understand something.” Sara turned to them, standing next to Jax and Stein. “Slade Wilson is alive.”
Oliver stood, turning to face them, tense. “What?”
Sara sighed almost sadly. “Slade did not die with the Amazo.”
The room fell silent. They had all just watched Slade get an arrow through the eye. How did he survive that? The curiosity was replaced with dread as they remembered Slade's last words.
Sara gave them a moment before talking again. “Slade survived and plans to recreate the Mirakuru and level Staring City.”
“In our time.” Stain continued. “Mr Wilson succeeded in most of his plans. He replicated the drug and mass-produced it to create an army. All powered by the Mirakuru. The city still stood, however, it was not without the loss of quite a few lives, and it irreparably changed others."
The glances given to Roy did not go unnoticed by most of the group.
“That’s one of the horrors you can help stop,” Jax said, nodding to Oliver. “By helping him.”
Oliver froze at the information. Slade can't be alive. He killed him. His mind replayed how it felt to be hit by someone with Mirakuru-induced strength. He tried to imagine the amount of damage an army of people like that could do.
Diggle was watching Oliver closely as he took in the information. Seeing him frozen as the other processed, he silently walked through to the gym. Making sure Oliver saw him leave. Diggle could tell Oliver needed a minute, but with how stubborn he could be, he would never take one unless someone forced him to.
He entered the gym and huffed a small laugh when Oliver entered a few moments later.
“You ok, Dig?” Oliver asked, looking at him with a mix of curiosity and worry.
“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” And just like that, Oliver's look of worry was gone, replaced with a glare of annoyance.
“I’m fine.” Oliver insisted.
“Sure you are.” He replied, crossing his arms. “Still checking in, thought.”
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Oliver practically growled, but he was used to that by now.
“That's what you said when your mom hired me,” Diggle remembered as he looked around the gym again.
“I’m fine.” Oliver tried again, and Diggle found two sets of escrima sticks.
“Ok,” Diggle said, knowing he wouldn’t get anything out of him at the moment. He tossed a set to Oliver, who caught them effortlessly.
That was all Oliver needed to start walking off his anger. They spared silently for a few moments before Dig pried.
“How long have you worked for A.R.G.U.S. ?” Dig asked, falling to the mat but getting back up, continuing the spar.
“Depends on your definition of work.” Oliver huffed, ducking under one of Diggle’s swings.
“You don’t seem surprised that I know about A.R.G.U.S.”, Digg pointed out.
“Diggle, I had you fully vetted the moment my mother hired you as my bodyguard,” Oliver said, the clanking of the sticks filling his ears. “I know your ex-wife, Lyla Michaels, works for A.R.G.U.S. and I doubt she knows what they are really doing.”
Back in the screen room, there were light conversations as they all digested what they had seen.
Laurel kept glancing at Sara. She had seen her die twice now. If she were alive, why didn’t she come home? If whoever picked Oliver out of the water took him, did they take her as well?
Felicity looked over to the door. Diggle and Oliver had been gone for a short while. She wondered if it would be a good idea to check on them. Oliver seemed out of it, and she didn’t want to make it worse, but she wanted to know if he was alright.
“Miss Smoke,” Walter said, coming up to her.
She smiled at him, glad he was ok, despite being held somewhere. “Walter. I didn’t get a chance to say this before, but I’m glad you're ok. You are ok, right?”
“Yes, I am,” Walter said warmly. “And it seems you have quite the friendship with Oliver.”
“It’s a long story.” She admitted.
“Walter,” she asked wearily. “Do you know anything that may help us find you when we get out of here?”
He shook his head. “Unfortunately, not.”
“What about anyone you saw? Like when they give you food? Or water? Oh, please tell me that they have been giving you enough food?” Felicity rambled. “You know, there is still probably some food in the other room.”
“It is quite all right, Miss Smoke,” Walter reassured, smiling at her personality. “And no, when meals are delivered, they are wearing masks.”
Felicity sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s all right, Miss Smoke,” Walter said. “How about you tell me about what has happened on the outside while we wait for the other to return?”
One of the coroners, Malcolm, had pulled Moira aside to talk to her.
“You did this, Malcolm.” Moira hissed. “You put my son through this.”
“Yes, and for that I am truly sorry, Moira,” Malcolm replied, sounding oddly sincere. “But if Oliver continues to interfere with our undertaking, then I will be forced to eliminate the problem.”
Moira trembled for only a moment before looking him in the eyes. “I don’t think my son will be as easy to stop as disobedient businessmen."
“No, that would take more effort.” Malcolm’s voice went cold. “But, Moira, let's not forget you have more than one child. And I doubt Thea would be so hard to take care of.”
Malcolm offered her a kind smile as if discussing the weather. “Find a way to keep Oliver away from our dealings, Moira.”
He left to go back to his seat as she stared at Thea.
In the gym, Diggle and Oliver continued to spar, Oliver always getting the upper hand.
“Offfh.” Diggle hit the mat for the tenth time. “Ok, that one hurt.”
Oliver held out his hand for him to take, and he helped him to his feet. “What's the point of this, Diggle?”
“Which part?” Dig asked. “Me getting my ass kicked or you working off some of that anger.”
“I told you I was fine, Diggle.” Oliver shot back the clashing of the escrima sticks echoed in the room.
“Sure. Two years and how many friends have you lost so far?” Diggle asked, failing to keep up with Oliver's aggressive pace. “Sara, Yao Fei, Shado, Slade, Sara again. You can’t keep holding it in, man.”
Oliver grunted, swiping Dig’s legs out from under him. “Then what am I meant to do, huh?”
“Every time I let someone in, they die!” Oliver shouted, “Or worse.”
“You don’t need to let anyone in, Oliver.” Diggle corrected, getting up. “You need to let them be by your side.”
Oliver didn’t speak for a moment, but he shifted on his feet.
“People can stay by your side, Oliver.” Diggle insisted. “And if they get hurt. Trust that they can handle themselves.”
Eventually, Oliver shook his head and lifted the sticks, “Again.”
They moved with each other for a few minutes. Oliver struck noticeably calmer. Diggle held his own for longer than that time, as Oliver was distracted by the sound of footsteps from the door.
He tried to ignore it, but his instincts were on high alert. He spun around to face whoever was there with one of the sticks at the ready.
“Oliver!” Diggle called as he saw who was in front of him.
Roy stood startled, swallowing, his eyes focused on the stick millimetres from his face. “Er… Hi.”
“Roy?” Oliver lowered his arm. “What do you want?”
He shifted on his feet. “Er... just to talk.”
“What about?” Oliver asked, setting his escrima sticks down on one of the tables. Not partially waiting to have a conversation with anyone at the moment.
“I am not sure if you remember me. But you saved my life, not too long ago.” Roy said semi-unsure but confidently.
Oliver turned to look at him. Why wouldn’t he remember? He nodded. “I remember.”
“I wanted to thank you.” Roy continued. “You didn’t just save my life that day. You saved me. I didn’t think that anyone cared what would happen to me back then. But you. You saved me. You gave me a second chance. I wanted you to know I won't waste it.”
“You don't have to thank me, Roy,” Oliver said, confused. He looked at Diggle, who was watching silently, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.
“Yes, I do.” Roy insisted, “I also wanted to give you this back.”
Roy held out one of his fletchettes, which had been painted red.
“It’s the one you used to free me,” Roy said.
Oliver surprised himself by smiling slightly. “Why is it red?”
Roy shrugged. “I like red.”
Roy began to leave the room, and Oliver looked at the flechette in his hand before calling out. “Roy.”
Roy stopped and looked back. “Yeah.”
Oliver held it back out to him. “Keep it.”
“Really?” Roy asked.
“Yeah.” Oliver waited for him to take it back and walk out before turning to Diggle. “What do you think that was about?”
“You really don't know, do you?” Diggle shook his head, and Oliver just looked at him, waiting for an answer. “You're a hero to him, Oliver, someone he looks up to.”
“Why?” Oliver asked, confused, it didn’t make any sense to him.
“A lot of people in the glades can only live there because you made it safer,” Diggle told him.
Oliver shook his head and looked to the door.
“Are you ready to go back, or do you want to kick my ass some more?” Diggle joked.
“Well, I’m always up for kicking your ass, but,” Oliver sighed. “I think we should head back in.”
“Ok.”
They both re-entered and took their seats, as did everyone else.
“Is everyone ready?” Jax asked, and people nodded mutely, looking at the screen as it started to play.