Arrowheart 2

Chapter 2

Eventually, we get off the island and make it back to Starling City. We get in the car, Felicity, Oliver, and I are in the back while Diggle drives us through the Glades, which is still a complete mess.

Oliver: “Who’s Blood?”

Diggle: “An alderman from the Glades trying to save the city. Fill your shoes.”

Felicity: “Here’s everything on Stellmoor International.[She hands a file to Oliver.] The vice president of acquisitions is a woman named Isabel Rochev. She looks angry in every photo.”

Diggle: “So where to? Office?”

Oliver: “Home. I want to check in on Thea and Hannah.”

Felicity: “Uh, Thea is not at your house, Oliver.”

Oliver: “Where is she?”

Elizabeth: “Club Verdant. Once you left, she took up running it.”

Oliver: “Then that’s where we’ll go first. After Thea, we’ll see Hannah.”

Diggle drives us to the club where Oliver goes in on his own while we wait for him in the car. He returns and we go home to see Hannah.

After spending time with our daughter, I have to get ready for a benefit for the mayor. I am a symbol for them, apparently. A symbol that represents benefiting the community more than anything. Despite my surname being Merlyn, the community appreciates the opening of the free clinic where I even donate my time, and my take-over of Merlyn Global while managing my fashion company, so roughly 50,000 employees wouldn’t lose their jobs and become homeless during these tragic times. Of course, there was negative feedback at first, but it has flipped around quite a bit.

Tonight’s benefit is for the Starling Earthquake Relief Fund. I had Oliver remain home with our daughter while I attend the benefit. Laurel and I have been spending a lot of time together and are pretty much stuck together during events like this. I know her distaste for The Hood stems from Tommy’s death, but she won’t listen to me that it isn’t his fault. All I can do is be there for her, and she is trying her best to be there for me and Hannah like Tommy would’ve wanted us to be.

We walk down the staircase together, seeing the district attorney and the mayor, who are locked in a conversation, until the mayor spots us.

Mayor: “Ms. Lance. Ms. Merlyn. What do you think about vigilantes?”

Elizabeth: “There are times when they might be helpful, but it is really a job for the police.”

Mayor: “Well spoken, Ms. Merlyn.”

Laurel: “I’d be foolish to disagree with my new boss.”

Donner: “I knew I was smart to hire you.”

Mayor: “I’d heard you joined the District Attorney’s office.”

Laurel: “It was time for a change.”

Mayor: “Still, I’m sorry that you and your colleagues at CNRI won’t be opening your doors again.”

Laurel: “There were no doors left to be reopened.”

A chime rings out throughout the hall.

Announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen…”

Mayor: “They’re playing my song. Excuse me.[He leaves the three of us here as he walks up to the podium while everyone applauds him.] Good evening, it has been a very difficult year for Starling City. Our losses have been incalculable. Our grief, unimaginable. But with the generous donations you people are making tonight, we will come back from this tragedy--”

?: “You have failed this city, Mr. Mayor! The Glades descended into hell on your watch! You swore to protect all the citizens of Starling! Not just the wealthy!”

As the mayor tries to keep everyone calm, I slip away to the bathroom while everyone is distracted. Once there, I change into my vigilante costume, which is pretty much just a midnight blue version of what Oliver used to wear. I hear gunshots and screaming as I run out of the bathroom. I take out one of the copycat hoods before spotting Laurel kneeling before another with a pistol in her face. I try to move closer, but he aims another pistol at me, making me pause in my tracks.

Hooded man: “We are the hoods. And what was taken from us, we will take back.”

He pulls the trigger on the one pointing at Laurel, but the pistol is empty, much to our relief. He and his two friends flee from the building and I run after them. I make it outside to see them driving off into the distance. I use my earpiece connected to Diggle’s.

Elizabeth: “Diggle, they got away.”

Diggle: “Damnit. Is everyone okay?”

Elizabeth: “A few officers and the mayor were gunned down. Everyone else is alright.”

Diggle: “We are on our way.”

Elizabeth: “Okay, I have to get back in there.”

I go back to the bathroom, changing back into my dress before rejoining Laurel and Donner, acting as if I was absolutely terrified of what just happened and hiding behind the wall over there. They believed it and we had to wait for the police to question us. Laurel’s father finds us.

Lance: “Laurel!”

Laurel: “Dad, I’m fine.”

He hugs her, so relieved she’s alive. In his position, I would too.

Donner: “You’ve got one very brave daughter there, sir.”

Lance: “Yeah. One daughter’s right, and I can’t stand to lose another.”

Donner: “I still can’t believe this happened. The Hoods attacks have strictly been limited to people in the financial sector trying to redistribute wealth in the Glades at gunpoint.”

Lance: “Yeah, well, clearly that’s not getting the result they’re looking for, is it?”

He guides Laurel away. Donner turns to talk to someone else and I spot Oliver on the balcony, hurrying down to me. I meet him at the bottom of the stairs where we hug.

Oliver: “Liz, thank god you’re alright.”

Elizabeth: “I’m fine, Ollie. A little pissed they got away.”

We separate from our embrace, and he is looking at me, very confused.

Oliver: “Wait, you went after them on your own?”

Elizabeth: “Yeah. Who else was gonna do it?”

Oliver: “Liz, you could’ve died. You should’ve waited for me.”

Elizabeth: “I can’t exactly wait around for you, Oliver. I’ve been doing this since you left.”

Oliver: “Do Diggle and Felicity know about this?”

Elizabeth: “Yeah, we’ve been doing it together.”

He’s about to say something else, but Laurel interrupts us.

Laurel: “Ollie, I didn’t know you were back in town.”

Oliver: “I just got back a little while ago.”

Elizabeth: “Sorry, Laurel. With everything going on, I forgot to tell you.”

Laurel: “It’s alright. I’m glad you’re back.”

Oliver: “So am I. I just came to make sure you two were safe when I saw the news.”

Elizabeth: “It was quite the event.”

We all chuckle together, trying to feel a bit normal even though it isn’t helping us feel any more normal.

Oliver: “Liz, can I give you a ride home?”

Elizabeth: “That would be great, Ollie, but I have to stay here for questioning.”

Oliver: “Alright. I’ll wait outside for you. I need to speak with my bodyguard.”

We hug, and he kisses my cheek before leaving to talk to Diggle. I can tell he is angry, and can pretty much guess what the conversation is going to be about.

After being questioned, I go outside to find Oliver and Diggle just finishing their heated conversation. I join them, and he puts a hand on my back, guiding me into the car while some reporters are obviously recording us. I can’t wait to just go home and be with him and our daughter. Oliver is determined not to get involved with these copycats and just get our family situation sorted out.

The following morning, Oliver goes to Queen Consolidated with Felicity and Diggle while I drop off Hannah at school and go to Merlyn Global. Not long into my day, I get a 911 alert from Felicity. I drop everything, leaving it to Stephanie.

By the time I get to Queen Consolidated, the copycats are fleeing the building, and I am chasing after them on my motorcycle. I fire my crossbow, but missed while dodging an oncoming semi-truck. When I get by it, the hoods are gone, and I’m livid with myself. I call Diggle while driving to the hideout.

D - Diggle.

E - They got away. I wasn’t fast enough. Is everyone there okay?

D - Yeah, everyone’s fine. The police are here.

E - I’ll see you at the club.

D - Liz, you should know, they were after Oliver this time.

E - I’m going to get them, Dig.

I end the call. When I reach the hideout, I start training for a while before going on Felicity’s computers to try to narrow down where these guys could possibly be hiding, but of course, this is not my expertise. Eventually, Felicity lets me know Oliver went to see his mom, and they are sticking with him, trying to get him to put the hood on again.

Grabbing my bow, trying to steady myself, but I can’t bring myself to stop shaking. I aim for the head on the target but when I release my arrow, it lands in the white zone beside the head. I slam my bow and hands on the table, furious with myself for all the stupid mistakes I’m making.

I’m broken out of my thoughts by the sound of gunshots above me. Running over to Felicity’s monitors, I turn on the feed for the security cameras upstairs and see the hoods are here. I grab my crossbow, lift my mask over my nose and mouth and put my hood on before going upstairs where I find Roy trying to be a hero.

One of them grabs Thea and has a gun pointed at her head. I aim at the man, waiting for the perfect moment to strike while his focus is on Roy, but I can’t risk Thea’s safety. If I shoot the second guy, who has a gun pointed at Roy, the first guy might kill Thea. On the other hand, no one knows I’m here. I can’t pick an option. No matter what I do at this moment, someone is going to get hurt.

Hooded man: “Back off hero. I’m just as happy to kill this Queen as her brother. Let’s go!”

Thea: “Roy! Help! Help!”

I start crying silent tears, knowing if I step in, I’ll get her killed, so I let them escape with Thea.