Chapter Text
Starling City
May 13, 2015
Oliver and Nyssa climbed out of the wreckage of the C-130 after gathering what weapons they could. They were lucky enough to find their bows and quivers, along with a pair of swords. Nyssa also had a handful of knives on her as well. The pair saw the scattered fires and could smell the jet fuel in the air, giving added incentive to get away from there as quickly as they could. It took them a brief moment to pick their direction and then they were running into the trees, on a course for the city.
“What is your plan now, Mister Queen?” Nyssa asked as they settled into a pace she could effortlessly maintain.
“We need to get to my team. Laurel needs to let her father know what is happening. We’ll need Ray and Felicity to work on a way to counter the Alpha/Omega. John, Thea and Malcolm will need to help us figure out how your father plans to disperse it,” Oliver told her.
“I know why your team will assist you, but what did you have to promise Al Sa-Her to gain his aid. What does he hope to gain out of this?”
Oliver was silent for several minutes, debating how much he was willing to trust Nyssa. Especially with the knowledge of the Faustian bargain he’d been forced to make with Malcolm, remembering that the man was responsible for the death of Sara Lance. He knew Nyssa wanted Malcolm to face death for that crime. He also knew that their alliance was based less on mutual trust and more on a desire to be free of Ra’s al Ghul. He had a good idea of how she would react if she knew the promise Oliver had been forced to make to get Malcolm’s aid. He also knew, however, how much worse that reaction would be if she found out at the wrong time. So, he braced himself and then answered.
“Malcolm’s price is that once I defeat your father, I make him Ra’s,” Oliver told her.
It took every ounce of control Nyssa possessed not to strike Oliver. How could he have agreed to that, to just hand the League over to the man who had murdered her Beloved. Were all the declarations of his feelings about Sara nothing but lies?
Oliver had stopped when she did and turned to face her. He could clearly see the anger and hurt in her eyes. He too had felt that anger when he’d made the deal with Malcolm and he still felt it at this very moment. The only thing that had kept that anger from taking over was the fear he had for his sister. Thea was the only reason he had allied himself with Malcolm. He certainly didn’t trust the other man, which, if he thought about it more, made their deal all the more unbelievable.
“You agreed to hand over the League to the man who murdered Sara, who was responsible for you both being on that island. Who forced you into a duel against my father which almost resulted in your death. Whose scheming forced you to become a member of the League. May I ask what you get out of this arrangement, Mister Queen?”
“My sister’s safety, for one. I also get to walk away from the League.”
Nyssa frowned slightly at that. The words just sounded off to her somehow. Not that she doubted Oliver, but it just sounded wrong. Because surely the man knew there were only two ways to leave the League: either you were dead or you were released by Ra’s. Somehow, she just couldn’t see Al Sa-Her giving up the advantage of having the Arrow neutralized, especially if he decided to cleanse Starling once more. Without him, the city would be virtually defenseless against a force like the League, something that Al Sa-Her certainly knew.
“Did Al Sa-Her explicitly tell you that he would release you from the League when this was done?” Nyssa asked.
“No, he didn’t,” Oliver told her, watching her face carefully. “Is that important?”
“Very, Mister Queen. Do you remember the first time you saw me? And the reason why I was there?”
“Yes. You came to force Sara back to the League. You poisoned Laurel and kidnapped their mother, because Sara refused to return with you.”
“You still have not answered the important question. Why was I there?” Nyssa asked again, wanting Oliver to reach the conclusion and realize what that meant for him. For both of them.
“Sara ran from the League and you were here to force her back,” Oliver said, thinking back to those weeks where Sara was under threat from the League. First from al-Owal and the members that had come with him, then from Nyssa. Then he remembered what Sara had told him and it clicked. “You’re saying that the League would view me the same way if I just leave after I hand the title of Ra’s over to Malcolm?”
“Indeed it would. Walking away from the League is not an option, especially for one with such a public profile as you. The only way that you and your sister, your friends, your city would be safe from retribution would be if Al Sa-Her released you.”
Realizing that they were wasting precious time, especially since they hadn’t defeated Ra’s yet, Oliver started moving again. Nyssa was quick to join him as well, the pair quickly falling back into that easy pace. Yet, Oliver couldn’t stop his mind from thinking about everything. Not just his plans and their backups, but also about what Nyssa had said and what it meant. Was what Nyssa had said really Malcolm’s intention? Was handing over the League only going to make things worse, with the League being lead by a man even worse than the current Ra’s al Ghul. A man who drugged his own daughter, had her murder a friend in order to force her brother on a collision course with the most dangerous man on Earth. Oliver was now forced to wonder if he had somehow been manipulated into believing that Malcolm was their only option for an ally against the League.
He also thought about the scorched earth he’d left behind in his quest to infiltrate the League, the looks he’d seen on Dig, Laurel and Felicity’s faces when the dungeon had been sealed and he’d left them to what they’d believed was their deaths. Was there a way to come back from that? If his initial plan had succeeded, he wouldn’t have had to worry about that, because he, Ra’s and everyone else on that plane would now be dead. He doubted anyone would have mourned his passing except perhaps Thea and Felicity. Pushing those thoughts and all others aside, he choose to concentrate of finding where his team was, so that they could help him defeat Ra’s.
Palmer Technologies
May 15, 2015
The last two days had been stressful to say the least. The tension coming off Dig and to lesser degrees Felicity, Laurel and Thea had only added to that stress. This was why, while they were trying to figure out where Ra’s was, Oliver would slip into an empty office and sit in the quiet. He’d known going after Ra’s while his emotions were running high was virtual suicide. He’d needed to find that point where the emotions aided him, rather than hindered. After his talk with Felicity, he had found it. They had managed to win, but the victory had come with a cost. Scores of people had been infected and a number had died. Now he faced his team, Nyssa and Malcolm. Nyssa finished bandaging his injured hand.
“You killed my father.”
“I had to,” Oliver told her.
“I wanted to be the one,” Nyssa said, fixing him with a look. “You’re lucky you’re still alive. You wouldn’t be had you not being wearing League armor.”
The tone of her voice could almost be called flirty, drawing a smile from Oliver that matched hers.
“I like to think I had a little something to do with that,” Felicity told him.
Oliver stood and walked to the center of the room.
“When I started this, I wanted to keep you as far away from it as possible, because that has always been my instinct. To go it alone. But the truth is that we won tonight because I wasn’t alone. I thought that this crusade would only end with my death. But even if I had died tonight, it would live on because of you, and you, oh, and you,” Oliver said, ending looking at Thea.
“It’s true,” Laurel said. “This city isn’t lacking masks.”
“Heroes. Which is why I no longer need to be one.”
“What are you saying?” Felicity asked.
“Ra’s took the Arrow identity from me. I couldn’t be that person even if I wanted to be. And I don’t want to be,” Oliver said, walking forward so that he was face to face with Felicity. “You told me I have become someone else. And I need to discover a little more about that person, so I’m leaving Starling for a while.”
The others turned to look at Oliver. He could see the confusion and hurt in Felicity’s eyes, the dashed hope that this would be the time he told her that they could be together. Nyssa and Thea were both surprised by the announcement. Laurel and Dig's faces were more expressionless, the only sign of some reaction was the slight clenching of Dig's fist before it relaxed again.
“Where?” Thea asked.
“Um, someplace far away from here. Even without me, Starling still has heroes to watch over it.”
Dig's face was still expressionless as he grabbed his jacket and walked out.
“John,” Felicity called after him.
“I’ll talk to him,” Oliver told her, before following the man who had been his rock.
“John?” Oliver said as he found him by the elevators.
“I’m happy for you Oliver. Despite our issues, you deserve to be happy. And you’re right, the city’s in good hands,” Dig told him.
“Including yours.”
“I’m no superhero.”
“You’re a hero. For three years, you’ve been a rock. The city’s rock, my rock. For three years, you’re been the person I can count on. I’m still counting on you,” Oliver stated.
“Oliver, I don’t know if I can get past what happened between the two of us.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“I’ll think on it,” Dig said.
“OK,” Oliver told him as they shook hands. As Dig went to step into the elevator that had just arrived, Oliver continued, “John. If you’re going to keep going, you may want to find a way to conceal your identity when you’re out there.”
“I’ll think on that, too. You be well, Oliver.”
“You, too.”
Thea’s Loft
May 16, 2015
Oliver was closing his bag. All of the clothes he was planning on taking with him were in that bag, the rest could be thrown out or given away. He heard Malcolm Merlyn downstairs talking to Thea and knew it was time. Walking down the stairs, he dropped the bag and walked over to his sister.
“Are you sure you really want to do this?” Thea asked.
“As sure as I was the last five times you asked me,” Oliver replied. “Be safe out there, OK?”
“As safe as anyone with a mask on can be. But actually, I was thinking, um, maybe I’ll call myself the Red Arrow?”
“I think I already told everyone to call you Speedy.”
With that, the two siblings shared a hug before Oliver walked over to Malcolm. The warmth that Oliver had previously exhibited seemed to evaporate with each step, something that the older man noticed. However, he was still confident that Oliver’s naivety would see him achieve what he had long desired. Oliver would hand over the League never guessing that everything that had happened had all been part of his master plan, nor that Oliver was now bound to the League for the rest of his days and that Malcolm would make use of that when the time was right.
“We’ve come a long way, you and I. I’ve always looked at you as a son, Oliver. And I’m glad we got to work together, to trust as we did,” Malcolm stated.
“I will never forgive you for what you did to Sara. And my sister. Ever,” Oliver told him, his voice taking on a harsher tone with each word.
“Does that mean we’re enemies once more?”
Oliver looked into the face of a man who had had many roles in his life. His best friend’s father, a surrogate uncle and his most bitter enemy. He thought of all the suffering he’d personally endured because of this one man, the sinking of the Gambit, which had led to the death of his father and trapped he and Sara in hell for five years. The time on Lian Yu leading to his meeting Slade and Sara meeting Ivo, Ivo then coming to Lian Yu searching for the Mirakuru. Slade being injured in the fight against Ivo, which led to them using the Mirakuru on him. Ivo murdering Shado, causing Slade to snap and his rage leading him to blame Oliver for Shado’s death, for choosing Sara over the other woman. Slade not seeing or not caring that if Ivo had pointed the gun first at Shado, Oliver would have jumped in front of her and it would have been Sara who died. Slade’s thirst for vengeance against Oliver leading the man to Starling City, where he’d infected Roy with the Mirakuru, terrorized Thea and ultimately killed Oliver’s mother in from of him and Thea. Then there was the Undertaking and Tommy’s death.
Thinking about all of that, Oliver let the knife slip down the sleeve of his jacket and into his hand. He hoped that Thea would forgive him for what he was about to do was his last thought before he stabbed Malcolm in the stomach with all of his strength, twisting the blade once it was in. A shocked gasp was all he heard, which turned to a scream as Oliver ripped the knife upward and opened the older man from virtually navel to sternum before he pulled the knife out. He then stabbed again, this time aiming for Malcolm’s heart. Malcolm collapsed to his knees, the light starting to fade from his eyes.
“Forgive and have mercy on him. Protect him from the punishment of the grave and the torment of the Fire,” Oliver said in Arabic.
“Ollie,” Thea said softly from behind him. As he turned, he heard a trio of assassins land on the balcony and enter the room.
“What are your orders, my lord?”
“Remove the body and any evidence that anything happened here. Bury him next to his wife and son.”
The figure bowed, even though Oliver had not turned. The trio worked quickly and were gone only moments later. During that time, Oliver led Thea to the couch and sat down next to her. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts.
“Malcolm was behind this whole thing, Thea. He used you to pit me against the League,” Oliver said.
“I know, Ollie. My killing Sara gave him the leverage to force you to fight Ra’s the first time,” Thea said.
“There was more to it than that. I think Malcolm knew I would fail and that I would die. When I didn’t, it gave him an even better opportunity. If I had defeated Ra’s in that first fight, it would have left the League with a power vacuum. Because while Nyssa was Heir in name, the League is old school enough that a woman, even once as skilled and smart as Nyssa, would not have been viewed favorably as leader. I believe Malcolm intended to try to use this to create a power struggle in the League and hopefully take over.”
“But, then I survived and fulfilled a League prophesy. ‘The man who survives the sword of Ra’s al Ghul shall become Ra’s al Ghul.’ Malcolm knew that Ra’s would come for me, to force me to become his successor, and Malcolm knew that I wouldn’t want that. So, he offered his help in training you and I so that we could defeat Ra’s. His price was that when I won and was about to become Ra’s, I hand the title over to Malcolm,” Oliver told her.
“And Ra’s stabbing me to force you to choose between saving my life and staying free of the League? Roy being forced to confess to being the Arrow and being murdered in prison? You’re saying this was all part of Malcolm’s plot?”
“You getting stabbed probably wasn’t. I think Malcolm was expecting Ra’s to go after Felicity, not you. As for Roy, I think Malcolm viewed him as a pawn, one he was happy to sacrifice to further his own agenda. I also think that there was more.”
“More what?” Thea asked.
“I think Malcolm didn’t just want the League, he wanted me out of the way. He knew that for me to become Ra’s successor, I would have to join the League. And once you join the League, there are only two ways to leave it: either you die or Ra’s releases you. So, if I killed Ra’s and then handed the title and the ring over to Malcolm so that he could become Ra’s, I think Malcolm would have forced me to honor my pledge of loyalty to the League,” Oliver said. “And if I tried to run, he would use you, Felicity, Dig, Laurel and this city to force me to return or watch them suffer. He may even have forced me to watch by his side as he cleansed Starling City, just as he intended to do with the Undertaking. Except now, he would have the resources of the League to aid in his quest.”
Thea just looked at her brother for a long moment, processing everything that he had just told her. She knew Malcolm was evil just from what he had forced her to do, but this, this was a whole new level. She didn’t doubt what Oliver was telling her at all, though she was having a little trouble wrapping her head around it all. She also sensed that there was more going on here that he wasn’t telling her yet, she just didn’t know what it might be.
Oliver gave her time and when she didn’t say anything, he leaned over and gave her a hug, kissed her cheek and walked away. Picking up his bag, he left the loft and went down to the parking garage. After strapping the soft-sided bag to the back of his Ducati, Oliver climbed on and drove away. He didn’t have a destination in mind as he pointed the bike out of town, not even caring about the direction. The gas tank was full and the night was clear, as Oliver settled in to enjoy the ride. That all changed as he reached the city limits. A line of four assassins appeared on the road in front of him. Bringing the Ducati to a stop, Oliver stepped off the bike and approached them.
“Al Sah-him, Nyssa al Ghul requests that you meet with her,” one of the assassins told him.
Oliver almost smiled to himself, before remembering that he needed to maintain the stoic mask of al Sah-him. He’d known that this couldn’t be avoided, but had hoped to at least delay things until he could figure out the path he wanted. As he’d told his former team, he couldn’t be the Arrow anymore. He no longer had that, nor did he have anything as Oliver Queen, not here in Starling City anyways. There were things inside of him, fighting for control. The part that wanted peace and the part that knew there was evil in the world and that he was uniquely suited to fight it. The one thing both of those parts had completely agreed on had been killing Malcolm. The part that wanted peace knew it could never be found as long as the other man still breathed, while the other side of him knew just how much of a threat Malcolm could be and knew it needed to be eliminated.
“Take me to her,” Oliver finally said.
A moment later, a black SUV appeared and Oliver got into the back. One of the assassins rode his Ducati, following along behind the SUV as it went back into the city and to the League’s headquarters in Starling. The other assassins waited outside in the shadows as Oliver went into the building alone. He walked the brazer lit hall until he came to the same large area where he had meet Ra’s all of those months before. Nyssa stood in the middle, surrounded by a semi-circle of assassins. As one, they all knelt before Oliver as a murmured “Ra’s” filled the room.
“Rise,” Oliver said, all the coldness that had been evident in al Sah-him there in his voice. “Leave us. I wish to speak with my wife.”
“Husband,” Nyssa said, that same little smile on her face and almost flirty tone of voice she had used last night as she led the way from the chamber and outside. “The League awaits your ascension to Ra’s. We will need to return to Nanda Parbat for the ceremonies. I am glad my men stopped you before you left the city.”
“I won’t be ascending to Ra’s, Nyssa.”
“You have little choice. Remember what I told you, the only way to leave the League other than death is for Ra’s to release you. And no, to answer the question I’m sure that you have, you can not release yourself. To do so would leave the League leaderless and ripe to be taken over by any number of our enemies.”
Oliver almost brought up the fact that he didn’t kill anymore, until he remembered that he had just killed Malcolm. Yes, it was justified, but a part of him regretted having to do it. He remembered Nyssa’s disdain with regards to his unwillingness to do all that was necessary to save his city.
“What if I handed the League over to you?” Oliver asked, knowing that Nyssa had been Heir before Ra’s had turned his sights onto him.
“While I would certainly welcome it, I fear that my time has passed. The last few weeks have undermined a good deal of the standing I have in the League. My seeming desertion to go to Starling City, my father having you drag me back as a virtual prisoner and then forcing me to marry you. These are all things that count against me. With time, I could repair the damage done, but time is something neither of us has,” Nyssa told him, as she looked out at the city from the rooftop.
“And what if I can’t order killings, the way your father was able to?”
“The League exists to serve the will of Ra’s al Ghul. If you choose not to order evil to be replaced with death, your will be done. Still, I think with time, you will come to see that sometimes, taking a life or several helps save many fold more lives.”
Oliver almost smiled at that, thinking of a different time. He, Felicity and Dig were in the lair and Oliver had made the mistake of admitting he’d never really watched either Star Wars or Star Trek. This brought forth a rather lengthy, even by Felicity standards, exposition on why Star Trek was better than Star Wars, though she did like the Ewoks. But the thing that had stuck with him was about the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few or the one. Perhaps that is what he could do here, be willing to sacrifice himself, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. And by doing so, gift a better future for those he cared about.
“And what about us?” Oliver asked the one last thing on his mind. He had a certain respect for Nyssa and hatted the fact that she had been forced into a loveless marriage to him.
“What about us? I am now Bride of the Demon, you are my husband. You heard the Priestess during the ceremony. ‘There is no vow more sacred, nor covenant more holy than the one between man and woman. With this ceremony, your souls are bound, forever joined.’ There is no divorce or annulment of this marriage. As far as the League is concerned, it is until death,” Nyssa said.
“I am sorry, Nyssa. This is my fault.”
“No, it is not. My father looked on my desires, my love of Sara, as a perversion. He had long desired an Heir of his blood. If it had not been you, it would have been another, someone who doesn’t share your sense of honor nor your memories of Sara. At least we will have that in common.”
Oliver turned from Nyssa and looked out at Starling City. The city he had spent the better part of 3 years protecting. He hoped that Dig would come around, because Thea, Laurel and Felicity were going to need help if they did continue being heroes. He also took a moment to remember those he had lost along the way. Of them, he believed that Sara would have been the only one to understand his choice.
“Gather our men. We return to Nanda Parbat,” Oliver said.