Getting this up before I get my wisdom teeth out. :) Wish me luck!
Also, the poll is still going for the next SuperArrow book, which will include the Flash and Legends as well - whose ass gets kicked first? Daxamites or Cadmus? Currently, the Daxamites are leading. For those of you who are caught up on Supergirl . . . well, the Daxamites story might include what you all want to do to a certain Daxamite. Just saying.
Enjoy the final part of "Fallout!"
***
"OK, please just tell me your psychopath of a student didn't get off that island, too," Malcolm griped.
"What's wrong?" Talia tilted her head. "Was the great Al Saher actually scared of him?"
"No, he just pissed me off," Malcolm grumbled.
"You're not alone," Laurel agreed as Dig reached for a device near Winn.
"Says the one who turned her back on the man who saved her," Talia raised an eyebrow. "Pity."
"Eyes!" Dig warned, sliding the device under the platform.
Whatever it was, it exploded, making Talia cover her eyes. Dig grabbed Winn and ran, Malcolm and Laurel taking off after them. "You want me to kill them?" one of the mercenaries asked Talia.
"You're not being paid to keep them alive," Talia growled. The mercenaries took off after them, and Talia nodded at Faust. "Let's get to work."
***
Winn crouched behind a pile of crates, watching three mercs approach. When they were past the door, he tapped a button on his tablet.
The lights went out, and all three looked up and around. Malcolm dropped from the ceiling, tackling one. Laurel charged into the second, punching him and knocking his gun away from him. Dig grabbed the gun and exchanged shots with the third merc, both dodging shots.
In the middle of the shootout, though, Dig suddenly stopped firing, and Winn's eyes widened when the merc punched him down. "Dig!" he shouted.
"You're not gonna feel a thing," the merc sneered, raising his gun. "Promise."
A green arrow caught him in the shoulder, followed by heat vision in his back. Malcolm slammed his merc into a steel wall nearby as Oliver and Kara ran in, charging the three mercs that arrived as backup. Kara kicked one in the stomach, and Laurel and Malcolm hastily dove out of the way as the merc went flying into a pile of crates nearby. Oliver took on another, easily punching him out. "You guys OK?" he called.
"Peachy!" came Winn's answer.
Dig punched the last merc out and growled, turning around. "I'm pissed!"
"Yeah, he speaks for the rest of us," Malcolm winced.
***
"Just about finished," Faust told Talia.
"Good," she smirked.
Banging from the floor above them made her look up, then one of the mercs shouted, "Incoming!"
Talia turned to see four figures drop down the elevator shaft and take cover as the mercs opened fire. Dinah stuck her head out when they paused, screaming at them and flinging them into the table. Talia scowled and walked up onto the platform. "So you're the new Black Canary that Evelyn called a bitch."
Alex snorted as she walked out, a combat knife in her hand. "She's the bitch."
"Takes one to know one," Dinah agreed.
Talia narrowed her eyes as Alex walked up onto the platform while Dinah, Curtis, and J'onn ran around. Finally, Alex charged, Talia ducking her attack and using her bow like a staff, the two of them moving like blurs.
J'onn grabbed one mercenary and flung him into the wall, the merc crying out in pain when he hit. Curtis hit another in the head with one of his T-spheres, then looked down at the device in his hand. "Good news," he said. "The bomb sniffer works!"
"Bad news, it's working in the bunker," Felicity said.
"The whole place is wired," J'onn confirmed.
"If you can take the devices, I can jam the detonation signal remotely. Are the others OK?"
"I don't know," Curtis turned to find out, only to look at two mercs in his way. "But I might not be."
Two arrows hit the first merc, one green and the other black. Laurel ran around the corner and tossed a knife into the second one. "They're fine," Oliver ran around the corner, the others following him. "I have eyes on Talia!"
Kara flew past the others into the mer that tried to run, grabbing him by the neck and flinging him up onto the platform, just as Talia kicked Alex down the stairs. Kara ran to help her sister up as J'onn and Dinah came around the corner.
Talia looked around, then curled her lip and turned. "To be continued," she decided, holding up a device and pressing a button on it.
Everyone flinched when the bombs around the lair detonated, and when they looked up, Talia was gone.
***
Talia walked around the corner, heading for the exit, only to stop when Quentin stood in her way. "Don't move!" he ordered, aiming at her. "I said don't move."
"Deputy Mayor Lance," Talia chuckled. "Are you really going to try and kill me?"
"Which of us has a gun?" Quentin growled.
"Mmm," Talia tilted her head. "Two of the three of us."
Quentin blinked, then cried out when the same scream from the bridge sounded. Talia readjusted the earplugs she wore, sauntering past Quentin and giving him a kick in the side for good measure. "He never even noticed me," Evelyn said smugly from where she was hiding behind another pile of crates.
"Good work," Talia nodded at her newest student. "Now, let's go."
***
"Whoa," Quentin winced when he saw the Arrowcave. "Hell of a mess."
"Yeah," Oliver grimaced, standing up from where he was cleaning up. "What's happening with the graduation?"
"Uh, went off without a problem," Quentin nodded. "Unless you count some food poisoning from the city caterer."
"The graduation was a distraction," Dig grumbled. "They left that map for me and Dinah to find."
"So when did they pivot from targeting them to targeting us?" Felicity asked.
"Maybe she didn't," Curtis shrugged. "I mean, maybe the SCPD and the bunker were her targets all along."
"That seems pretty random, considering how much trouble they went through to make sure we wouldn't be here," Dig frowned.
"What if planting the explosives wasn't their objective?" Malcolm suggested.
"It was to cover their objective," Laurel nodded.
"Maybe they were trying to steal something?" Alex suggested.
"Like what?" Felicity frowned.
"Weapons," J'onn guessed. "From what Kara told us, both are skilled archers. They could have taken equipment from here to make arrows. Not to mention, the mercenaries they're working with need weapons as well."
"We should inventory the armory," Oliver nodded. "If they stole something, we need to know what it is, and we need to know, fast."
"One thing I'm worried about," Kara spoke up, making them turn to her. "Evelyn and Talia are free. Please tell me Chase isn't loose, too."
"He's not," Dig shook his head, sighing. "I got the message from Lyla right when Talia raided the bunker. The reason it took so long getting back to us was because footage from the prison was sabotaged. They couldn't see what happened, so they sent a crew out to the island. It looks like someone released them both. When they looked for Chase, they found him – and he was dead."
"Dead?" Winn repeated, eyes wide.
"I thought he was attached to a dead man's switch," Alex added.
"That's the thing, he was," Dig nodded. "They recovered Chase's body. The trigger was forcibly removed from him before he was killed."
"I don't know whether to feel relieved Chase is dead or worried because whoever killed him obviously broke Talia and Evelyn out," Curtis shuddered.
"For now, let's worry about the armory," Oliver ordered. "Alex, J'onn, Winn, thank you for your help."
"No problem," Alex smiled.
"Always a pleasure," Winn beamed.
***
Oliver knocked on Rene's door, watching him pull his shirt on. "How're you feeling?" he asked.
"Oh, like a million bucks," Rene answered.
Oliver scoffed his opinion on that. "Yeah?"
"All right, maybe more like a couple hundred," Rene admitted. "But I'm alive, right?"
"Dr. Schwartz would like you in here for a few more days," Oliver told him.
"I feel good," Rene shook his head. "Besides, when have I ever listened to anybody?"
"Not to get too personal," Oliver walked forward, "but what would happen to Zoe if something happened to you?"
"Not much," Rene scowled. Oliver raised an eyebrow, and Rene narrowed his eyes. "Well, she's got a new family now, Hoss! I mean, she probably doesn't even think about me!"
"She's your daughter, Rene, of course she thinks about you," Oliver reassured him.
"That ship's sailed," Rene sighed. "I blew that chance months ago."
"Chase blew that chance for you," Oliver corrected. "One of the many reasons why I think you deserve another one."
Rene paused, eyeing the vanilla envelope Oliver held out to him. "I tried getting another hearing," he said, reaching for it.
"Yeah, you're not the mayor," Oliver smirked.
Rene opened it up and looked at the document inside, then looked up, eyes wide. "You got me another hearing?!"
"Not just me," Oliver told him. "The new DA had something to do with it – " He was interrupted by Rene hugging him tightly. "OK, all right," he laughed, hugging Rene back. "OK."
Rene coughed, backing up. "Thank you, Oliver," he told him. "I owe you one."
"Pay me back by getting better," Oliver pointed at him.
"Copy that," Rene nodded.
Oliver nodded and walked out of the hospital room, sighing in relief. "I take it he was happy?" Kara smiled as she stood from where she sat.
"Probably one of the only hugs I will ever receive from him," Oliver nodded, laughing slightly.
Kara giggled as well, about to say something when both their phones went off at the same time. "The team?" Oliver frowned, reaching for his.
"No," Kara shook her head as she pulled out hers. "That's the ringtone I've got for three people."
Oliver's eyes widened when he read the text that had come to both his and Kara's phones.
Need to meet near the loft.
They both looked up at the same time and said together, "Slade."
***
Kara cheated by lowering her glasses to look around as they approached the loft. She was the one to see her surrogate brother in the next alley over. She let go of Oliver's hand and ran that way, grinning when she saw him. "Slade!"
He turned and smiled at her, chuckling when she ran to hug him. "Hello, little one." He kissed the top of her head, then nodded when Oliver came around the corner. "Hey, kid."
"Hey," he nodded, walking up. "Did you want to come in for a drink?"
"I wish I could," Slade sighed. "I came to pop by and say . . . the Intel that you gave me on my son, Joe . . . it finally panned out."
"It did?" Kara's eyes lit up in delight.
"It did," Slade nodded. "So I'm heading to Calgary tonight."
"That's great," Oliver smiled.
"That's awesome," Kara gave him another hug.
"And I hope you find what you're looking for," Oliver added.
"You don't think I will?" Slade frowned.
"Ah," Oliver scratched the back of his head. "I think that finding your son doesn't always go as planned . . . especially when it's your future girlfriend who was the first to find him."
"But you were patient, and he found you to be his father," Slade told him. "But . . . be prepared, kid."
"For what?" Oliver frowned.
"Choosing between being the man that people need you to be, or the father that your son needs you to be."
"What do you mean by that?" Kara asked quietly.
"After Lian Yu, he had his mother for a time," Slade answered. "But after her death, all he had was you, kid. You and I walk between two words, but we can only do that for so long."
Oliver nodded thoughtfully, then held out his hand. Slade smiled and shook it. "Good luck . . . Mr. Queen."
"Good luck, Slade," Oliver smirked.
Slade turned to Kara, chuckling when she gave him yet another hug. "Good luck to you as well, little one."
"If you need anything at all, just call," she told him. "I'll be there."
"Thank you," he smiled, kissing her cheek.
Kara reluctantly released him, and she stepped back to Oliver's side, the two of them waving as Slade left.
***
Dig unbuttoned his shirt in the Arrowcave, reaching up towards his right shoulder, wincing when he felt white-hot pain lace down his arm.
+++
When they reached the third floor, J'onn pointed down one end of the hallway. "Check that way," he ordered.
Dig simply nodded, and Thea drew an arrow, the two of them running down the hall. They made it to the end of the corridor and checked both ways. "OK, maybe I'm wrong, but shouldn't there be soldiers swarming us right now?" Thea hissed.
Dig nodded, heading down his end of the corridor. Thea followed behind him, both of them ready to shoot at a moment's notice. They came to a closed door at the end, and they looked at each other in concern. Dig finally reached for the door handle, and Thea backed up, drawing back her bow. Dig opened the door, and Thea sprinted in, raising her bow, Dig right behind her, gun raised. Four things then happened at once.
The lights turned on, practically blinding the two of them.
They saw a lit laboratory, and Thea felt like she could throw up for hours at the sight of dissected aliens lying on tables, Dig's horrified "oh, my God" ringing in her ears.
Then the door slid shut behind them, making them turn around. "Guys!" Thea shouted, only to hear static in her comms.
Then everything around her went up in flames.
+++
He grimaced at the memory, then straightened when he heard Dinah's voice. "You OK?"
"Yeah, I'm good," he nodded, buttoning his shirt up again.
"Anything missing?"
"No, it's all accounted for."
"Including your gun?" Dig turned when Dinah said that. "Not that you seem to be using it that much these days." She took it out from behind her back, holding it up. "I checked it after the fight down here."
"You checked my gun?" Dig repeated.
"You didn't even fire it," Dinah stated. "And none of the guys down here got hit, either."
"Yeah," Dig nodded hesitantly as Dinah approached. "Dinah – "
She just pressed the gun into his chest, then both jumped slightly when Curtis announced, "Found it!" They turned to see him run up. "And by 'found it,' I mean, I found what Talia took, which is actually more like not finding anything at all, but you get my point."
"What point?" Dinah blinked in confusion. "No, we – no, I'm not sure we do."
"She took one of my T-spheres," Curtis explained. "Prototype version."
"A prototype, meaning it's not weaponized?" Dinah clarified, and Curtis nodded. "Well, then they can't use it against us."
"Question is, what can they do?" Dig wondered.
***
"Hey, there's a game on tomorrow night," Kara remarked as she checked the guide on the TV. "Late, though."
"Football or baseball?" William asked.
"Baseball," Kara answered.
Oliver laughed when William perked up. "Yeah, you can stay up late and watch it."
"Thanks, Dad!" William grinned.
Kara blinked when her phone rang, almost at the same time as Oliver's. She looked at the Caller ID and picked up instantly. "Malcolm! Everything OK?"
"Turn on Channel 52 right now," he told her, sounding in a rush.
"OK," Kara frowned, switching the channel.
" – with the discovery of a shocking photograph that seems to finally solve the mystery haunting Star City for the past two years: who is the Green Arrow?" the newscaster was saying, and Kara's eyes jaw dropped as Oliver and William hurried over to see. "This photo, which was obtained exclusively by Channel 52, provides unequivocal proof of the identity of the vigilante known as the Green Arrow."
"Oh, Rao," Kara breathed in shock when the image that came up revealed Oliver without his hood.
"Dad?" William looked up at Oliver. "What're you gonna do?"
Oliver just swallowed. "I don't know."
***
Originally, Dig and Thea weren't going to get caught up in an explosion. But Dig's problem seems to be a huge point of season six, so . . . well, explosion, with the possibility of Thea being in a coma afterwards. I chose not to do the coma part.
Anyway, it's another Arrow episode that will come next! "Tribute" will be next - after I'm off pain meds, of course. XD