Arrow--Vengeance

by Oscar Balderrama

  The anger dissipated as he watched, attempting to breathe her in, and remembering what it was like to have her alive and close. He imagined a life with Shado, back in Australia, coming home every day to her loving arms. He went to the wall, touched her face, wishing that he could feel her soft skin.

  After a moment he stepped back, regained his focus.

  Shado was gone.

  Shado was dead because of Oliver.

  Snapped back into reality, Slade reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He composed a text to Isabel and Sebastian, instructing them to meet him at a storage depot outside Starling City.

  Then he placed his phone back in his pocket and grabbed his suit coat off of his desk, leaving Alexi’s body for Oliver to find, hoping that the Arrow would understand the message. He gazed one last time at the footage of Shado, then he turned and left the office—knowing that the yearning in his heart would remain forever.

  14

  Slade pulled up at Tosca Cartage, a storage depot outside of Starling City. He got out of the car, buttoned up his suit jacket, and entered the warehouse. Blood and Isabel were waiting patiently for him in an office.

  “Tomorrow marks the beginning of the final phase,” he began, “for tomorrow the Queens will start to unravel.”

  Isabel smiled smugly. This was the moment for which she had been waiting. To her, it felt like an eternity since she had met Slade, that night in the parking garage. She had done her best to be patient, but every day that passed since becoming part of the team had made stronger her hate for the Queen family.

  “Here’s how it will go down,” Slade said. “First we will take the adorable Thea, tomorrow night. She’ll be working at her club in the Glades, and snatching her should be simple. Unlike her brother, she has no bodyguard—very sloppy.

  “Mr. Blood—I will handle that, then meet you at the location we discussed. Once I’ve delivered her I trust you to keep an eye on her, and keep her safe until I return.” Blood nodded. “Another kidnapping, and the possibility that she might be killed, will destroy Moira’s confidence. She will drop out of the race, leaving you to reign in this city.”

  He turned to Isabel.

  “As for her loving brother Oliver, well, it’s time for you to do what is necessary to take control of Queen Consolidated, Miss Rochev.”

  “How can you be sure this will all work? How can we be certain Moira will just crumble?” Blood asked.

  “You will be mayor, Mr. Blood, with or without Moira Queen in the picture,” Slade replied, then he returned his attention to Isabel. “Miss Rochev, please rent a car in my name, to leave some bread crumbs for the vigilante. Make it a Porsche.” She nodded, remembering that Sebastian was still in the dark as to who was behind the green hood.

  “Isn’t that giving the vigilante the whole loaf?” Blood asked.

  “Exactly my point,” Slade said as he turned on his heels. Finally he was ready—to destroy the Queens, and put an arrow into Oliver’s eye.

  * * *

  “Your mascara is running,” Slade said, handing Thea a tissue with which to dry her eyes in the back of his black sedan.

  “Thank you for the ride, Mr. Wilson,” she said, heaving a deep sigh. “It’s just my boyfriend… ex-boyfriend now. He just ended things—out of nowhere.” She stifled a sob.

  “Heartbreak is something I know all too well,” he responded, sounding entirely sympathetic. “It’s not an easy thing to recover from, and sometimes you never do.” The car came to a stop.

  Thea looked out the window.

  “This isn’t my home.”

  “You’re not going home, Thea,” Slade said, and he turned. “GET OUT!” he bellowed.

  Terrified, Thea bolted from the car. She looked around, frantically trying to get a sense of where she was. She ran, anxious to get away from Slade and the car, her heart pounding with fear. Stumbling through the shadows, she ran right into someone, bounding off of them and struggling for balance. Looking up, she saw a skull mask, and gasped.

  “Hello, Thea,” the man said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He grabbed her arm firmly.

  She tried to scream, but no sound came out.

  * * *

  Hours later the manhunt for Thea’s abductor was well underway. The lobby at Queen Consolidated buzzed with reporters and paparazzi trying to get a statement from any member of the family or staff.

  Floors above, Moira met with Detective Lance and members of the Starling City Police Department. She broached the idea that somehow Malcolm Merlyn was behind her daughter’s capture. Oliver watched his mother, his own mind a chaotic jumble, knowing that somewhere, somehow, Slade had Thea.

  This is my responsibility, he thought. I should have had her followed.

  Suddenly Isabel Rochev knocked on the door, motioning to him. Before his mother could spot her, he excused himself and joined her in an empty conference room.

  “I’m sorry to remind you of this now, but at today’s meeting the board nominated new officers,” she started. “Unfortunately, voting has to take place within twenty-four hours, and can’t be suspended. It’s a Securities and Exchange Commission mandate.”

  “I don’t give a damn about the rules, Isabel,” Oliver told her. “There are more important things I need to address right now.”

  “I’m sorry, but you have to give a damn,” she answered back, an edge appearing in her voice. “You have responsibilities, to your company and your employees.”

  Oliver began to pace back and forth. “You have to cover for me,” he said. “It’s my sister’s life we’re talking about here.”

  “There’s nothing I can do—I don’t have the authority,” she responded. “Unless…”

  “Unless what?”

  “No, it’s not a good idea,” she said. She paused, then continued, “You could appoint someone CEO pro tempore, but you would need to choose carefully—find someone who’s qualified.”

  Oliver grabbed a notepad, and started scribbling.

  “I appoint you,” Oliver declared. He picked up the pad and showed Isabel.

  I hereby transfer my authority

  as CEO of Queen Consolidated

  to Isabel Rochev.

  Then he signed it.

  “Congratulations,” he said. “You are the new temporary CEO.” There was gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you.”

  “You can have Thea thank me when she’s back, safe at home,” Isabel said. Before she could say anything more, Felicity Smoak appeared at the door to take Oliver out of the conference room.

  As soon as Oliver left the room, all pretenses vanished. Isabel looked down at the notepad, hardly daring to breathe, astonished that she held exactly what she needed to destroy Oliver and his family. Her shock quickly diminished as her assistant approached her.

  “Call together the board of directors,” she told Theodore. “There will be an emergency meeting.” He nodded and rushed away to comply. She looked down at the piece of paper again, fire burning in her heart. The Queens would finally get what they deserved.

  * * *

  The hostage video of Thea elicited exactly the effect he wanted.

  Across town, Slade got into his rental car, knowing that the Queens were spiraling out of control trying to find her. Everything was going exactly according to plan. He drove to a nearby factory, knowing that Team Arrow would have identified his rental car from surveillance video. They would put together the pieces, use GPS to trace the vehicle, and come to find him.

  Entering the factory, Slade took a seat in a leather club chair as he waited for Oliver to arrive. While he sat, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a picture of Shado. It was torn and cracked from the years of wear, but her beauty still shone. He stroked the photo with his index finger, wishing that she were still alive. Though he knew better, he could almost feel her presence.

  He closed his eyes and tried to forget the eternal regret.

  Then the sound of a motorcycle appeared in the distance, and
he sat bolt upright.

  Oliver. It has to be him.

  He put the photo back in his coat pocket.

  * * *

  “Where is she, Slade?” Oliver demanded as he stormed in with Roy and Sara. Slade stood, taking pleasure in seeing his hated enemy squirm.

  Roy leapt forward and punched Slade in the face.

  “Tell us now, or—”

  “Or what?” Slade responded. “What are you going to do, kid? Kill me? Then you’ll never know where your beloved Thea is.”

  Harper stepped back, and Oliver grabbed an arrow filled with some sort of liquid, shooting Slade in the chest. He fell back in the club chair, passing out almost instantly.

  * * *

  The cold marble glistened in the semidarkness of the conference room at Queen Consolidated. Isabel sat at the head of the table going over files. A single LED light shone overhead. She eagerly anticipated the events that were about to unfold.

  Theodore pushed open the door and looked in.

  “Board members are starting to arrive, Miss Rochev.”

  Isabel looked up from her work, rose to her feet, and straightened her coat.

  “Please send them in,” she said with a confident smile. She moved closer to the door. Theodore stood to the side, holding the door as each of the ten members filed into the room.

  “It’s good to see you, and thank you for coming at such short notice,” Isabel said as she shook hands with each person as they entered, one by one. She remained polite and courteous, offering everyone water, taking their jackets and hanging them on hooks. As everyone settled in their seats, she moved back to the front of the table to gather her material.

  “Again, thank you—I want to apologize for interrupting your evening,” she began, “but I wanted to act accordingly, given the dramatic new events that have transpired.” She paused and looked from face to face. “I think we can all agree that, over the past year, Oliver Queen’s involvement with the company has been… well, sub par.”

  Murmurs rose, and some heads nodded in agreement.

  “As acting CEO, Mr. Queen frequently has been unavailable for meetings or important decisions that have needed to be made. Under Mr. Queen’s leadership, QC has suffered two major break-ins. As you recall, when I first arrived in Starling City, street thugs held us at gunpoint during our first meeting.” She gave a shudder. “I have never feared for my life more.

  “As well, a few weeks ago our Applied Sciences department suffered a break-in, also happening under his watch.” More nods. “Now, it could be argued that he and I are partners, but as half of the partnership, I say that this ends now.”

  Isabel reached into her file folder, producing the notepad with Oliver’s scrawled message and signature, giving Isabel authority as temporary CEO of Queen Consolidated.

  “As many of you are no doubt aware, Mr. Queen has other matters with which he is dealing, so he has appointed me as CEO for the duration. This is why I called everyone here tonight.” She leaned forward, looking again from face to face. “I believe it would be in all of our best interests to take a vote, to see if this appointment should be made permanent.”

  She stood back, allowing the murmur of conversations to ripple through the room. Finally one of the board members spoke up.

  “Let’s take a vote to it,” he said. “There’s no sense in delaying any further. All in favor of electing Miss Rochev as a permanent CEO of Queen Consolidated—raise your hand.”

  As ten hands rose into the air, Isabel took a seat and unbuttoned her black blazer jacket. She sat back and ran her hands through her long brunette locks. Leaning back in her chair, she felt a flood of emotions—finally getting the resolution that had been years in the coming.

  I finally did it, she thought to herself.

  “Well, Miss Rochev,” the board director said, smiling, “it looks like congratulations are in order.” The men and women of the board rose from their chairs, clapping their hands together, saluting her.

  “Thank you very much, that’s too kind,” Isabel said, struggling for breath. “But now we have a lot of work to do. Shall we get started?” She opened up her portfolio and pulled out her agenda. For a moment, however, she thought of the naive young woman who had looked at Robert Queen as if he could move mountains. Now, his company was hers.

  * * *

  In a dusty interrogation room at the Starling City Police Department, Slade sat handcuffed to the table. The room had just one other occupant, and the surveillance camera had been disabled.

  “Why are you doing this?” Oliver asked.

  “You know why,” Slade said calmly, content that his plans had played out perfectly. “I tried to let go of the island, but it still has a hold on me. And if that hood you wear every night is any indication, it still has a hold on you, as well.”

  “She never did anything to you,” Oliver protested. “Blame me—Thea is innocent. Do you want me to beg? I am begging you. You win!” he cried. “Please tell me where she is.”

  Slade just sat back silently, reveling in Oliver’s pain. Without proof of his involvement, they would need to release him, and his alibi was perfect. All he had to do was wait.

  * * *

  The black car purred through the late-night city streets. It had been child’s play to find the tracking device, and he had thrown them off by cloning the tracking symbol. He looked over his shoulder to make certain he wasn’t still being followed, then made his winding way back to the warehouse.

  “She’s still inside,” Blood told him.

  “Very good, Alderman—that will be all,” Slade said as he entered. He took a seat across from Thea, and told her that she was no longer a prisoner.

  “I only needed you to make a point, and the point has been made.”

  “Those guys will shoot me the second I walk out,” Thea said.

  “My men’s instructions were to keep you here until I returned. Now that I have, you are free to go.”

  Thea stood cautiously, and moved toward the door.

  “However,” he continued, “if you leave, you will never know your brother’s secret.” He looked her in the eye, enjoying the puzzled look on her face. “Would you like to know what it is?”

  She turned around, and took a few steps toward him.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Your brother has known for some time now that Robert Queen is not your father,” he said, suppressing the pleasure he was feeling. “Your father is Malcolm Merlyn.” Her face filled with confusion, even horror. He began to walk away from her.

  “No hard feelings, Thea,” Slade said as he exited, slamming the warehouse door behind him.

  * * *

  Isabel sat at the head of the conference room table, finally feeling at home. For the first time in a long time she was happy—excited and eager to start her new job. The job she was once promised—the one she should always have had. The job she was born to do.

  Suddenly, the door swung open and Oliver interrupted her reverie. As he stormed into the room and demanded to know what was happening, she was momentarily thrown off balance. Then she stood up from the chair—her chair—composing herself.

  “You are the one that made this possible when you made me CEO,” she said scornfully. “As of thirty minutes ago, your company belongs to me. The directors unanimously voted to make my appointment permanent. I’d say they had lost faith in your leadership, but that would imply that there was some in the first place.” There was an icy calmness in her voice.

  * * *

  Oliver’s head spun as he walked closer to her. His heart began to pound, and he felt as if the rug had been pulled from underneath his feet.

  “Maybe you should have focused a little less on your… evening activities,” Isabel said spitefully.

  “Slade,” he growled. “You’re working for him.” His eyes grew wide as he came to the horrible realization.

  “I’m working with him,” she replied. “He knew planting me in your family’s business woul
d draw you back to Starling City. Truth be told, I was skeptical.”

  Oliver rushed her and grabbed her by the throat. After a moment of knee-jerk panic, Isabel became calm and collected. She had won, and she wasn’t going to let Oliver shake her in any way.

  “Where is Thea?” he gritted furiously.

  This is what you have trained for, Isabel thought to herself. She smiled, knowing that she wouldn’t be giving up any information. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of besting her—never again.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “I think it’s sad that you don’t know,” Isabel said, remembering the path that had brought her to this moment. “The sins of the father are the sins of the son,” she continued, thinking of her former lover.

  Suddenly, Isabel remembered herself, all those years ago with Robert. She remembered the happiness she had once felt, that was built on a foundation of lies and broken promises. Suddenly filled with volcanic rage, she kicked her leg up, hitting Oliver in the side of the head.

  He deflected the next strike, but she used the opportunity to spring on top of him, sending them crashing to the floor. She rose first and jump-kicked, but he caught her leg, grabbing her arm, as well, slamming Isabel’s body onto the conference table. Again he gripped Isabel’s neck, the pressure cutting off her breathing.

  “Where is she?” Oliver demanded like a man possessed.

  He might do it, she realized, and panic welled up in her.

  “He’s holding her at a storage depot, just outside the city limits,” she said, barely able to talk. “Tosca Cartage.”

  “How do I know you’re not lying?”

  That amused her. “It’s cute how you think this isn’t playing out exactly as he wants it to.” She giggled as Oliver released his grip. “And he wants you to come alone. If he even smells your partners, he’ll gut sweet little Thea like a trout.”