Disclaimer: I Don't own it, or you would have seen this on screen.

With heartfelt thanks to my beta reader arrow-through-my-writers-block

Chapter One.

Oliver panted and ran through the forest, pushing away some branches and running through others, speed was the only concern, the destination; his only focus. With a sure leap, Oliver launched himself from the midpoint of a boulder, barely a hindrance at just slightly taller than himself, to a low hanging tree branch. A swing of his weight drove the castaway through the air, landing him safe beyond the boulder.

Oliver was quickly closing on his destination, the point of his focus, and though the rocky terrain demanded that the pace slow he pushed on fast still. He would not let this chance pass him by. He was going home.

All but running up a sheer rock face, Oliver found the view from the top was unobstructed. A fishing boat just a short way off the islands craggy coastline. Salvation in sight he pushed on, leaping from the boulder that they had just climbed to another, so close now. A short run across a plateau and a jump and he was once more amongst the scrub wood, and the runner moved quickly to the place the bow was carefully covered and protected from the elements. He stabbed his knife into a crack in the stone and uncovered the bow and the purpose built flint arrow that would light his signal fire and get him home.

With quick, decided movements Oliver took up the bow and flint arrow which he struck on the steel blade of his knife and took aim. Oliver loosed the arrow which carried his best hope of returning home.

The arrow's flight was true. It hit its target, igniting the fuel and sending a pillar of orange flame high for the crew of the little fishing boat to see.

After just a moment of observation proved that the fishing boat was turning toward the island.

"The name of the island they found me on is Lian Yu."

Two Asian fishermen landed on the island and made their way across the rocky beach, passing the rather intimidating red and black mask mounted on a wooden stake with an arrow through its eye. The older man led the way.
"It's mandarin for 'Purgatory.' I've been stranded here for I've dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then."

Oliver walked toward the two men . He dropped to his knees in a very controlled movement, relief and gratitude, perhaps even a little nervousness flooding him and pushed back his hood.

"For 5 years, I have had only one thought, one goal survive. Survive and one day return home."

The fishermen were gracious hosts, though their little vessel had little in the way of amenities; they did all that they could to make Oliver comfortable. They seemed like good, hard working men and Oliver decided on the spot to what he could for them when he got home.

"The island held many dangers.
To live, I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon.
I am returning not the boy who was shipwrecked but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city."

"My name is Oliver Queen."

Smoak and Fyre Entertainment Complex

"Oliver Queen is alive. The Starling City resident was found by fishermen in the North China sea and presumed dead following the accident at sea which claimed The Queen's Gambit . Queen was a regular tabloid presence and a fixture at the Starling City club scene. Shortly before his disappearance, he was acquitted of assault charges stemming from a highly publicized drunken altercation with paparazzi. Queen is the son of Starling City billionaire Robert Queen, who was also on board but now officially confirmed as deceased."

Felicity looked up from the desk smiled at the news bulletin; he was back. She would 'meet' him soon.

And this time she wouldn't fail him

She had spent years setting up her own little empire, and carefully hiding it behind the shield of one business venture after another. Smoak and Fyre started as a single piece of freeware that became by subscription, and then expanded to a handful of games. This brought her a tidy sum, which was folded into S&F Investments; with the knowledge that he had brought back with her she had been able to turn her tidy little sum into a near embarrassing fortune. S&F Entertainment was her latest venture; she had built it to hide her lair. The arcade, indoor go-kart track, laser tag and indoor paintball combat arena. Below all this was a purpose built, super-secret hero HQ.

Her beautiful, custom built babies and the server towers their dedicated cooling system. She had backup generators, a security system that she had spent untold hours perfecting. Her lair was perfect right down to its location, backing on to the Queen foundry.

She had been training for this since the day the project worked, since she awoke in the body of her twelve year old self. She had spent twenty years working on the project.

Ever since that night, ever since she failed him, failed their city, she had been trying to find a way to undo her mistake. It is a hard thing to live with the death of the man you love on your hands. Knowing that you allowed half a city to die, is nothing to knowing that in doing so, you failed the man you love, that he could have gladly gone to his death if he had known that their city was safe.

Oliver wouldn't blame her for his death. Sometimes that made it worse.

Hospital

Oliver stood at the ready while staring out the Hospital window at his city. The city he would fight. The City he would save.

Standing outside Oliver's room, Moira and Dr. Lamb looked in at him as the doctor described Oliver's condition to his mother.

"Twenty percent of his body is covered in scar tissue. Second-degree burns on his back and arms X-rays show at least twelve that never properly healed." Lamb had been treating Oliver and the rest of the Queen family for many years and it broke his heart to think of what this young man before him must have gone through in just five short years.

"Has he said anything about what happened?" Moira's voice shook just slightly as she asked, turning to look at her family's trusted doctor, though she was loathed to take her eyes off her son for even that short time.

"No," Dr. Lamb was truly sorry he couldn't give Moira any good news "He's barely said anything." She turned away from him and looked back toward her son. "Moira, I'd like you to prepare yourself. The Oliver you lost might not be the one they found." Her hand was already on the doorknob and Lamb couldn't be sure if the woman had actually heard his warning.

Moira opened the door to Oliver's room and stepped in. She had heard Dr. Lamb's warning and while she knew that Oliver wasn't going to be the same boy, she was sure that after a few days things would go back to how they had been. All that mattered was that she had her son back and everything else, all the uncomfortable and sticky questions, could wait.

"Oliver?" For a moment after Moira had spoken her boy didn't seem to react. Then he turned to face her.

Oliver's eyes glistened brightly, perhaps with restrained happy tears as he fought to stay calm. "Mom." The word was really all that was needed.

He moved to her, without the enthusiasm that Moira had hoped for, but it was enough for now. "Oh, my beautiful boy." She embraced her son and he her. Five years was too long for a mother to be separated from her child. Their embrace lasted a good long time until Oliver broke it to ask about his little sister. Which in turn led to another subject and they talked until Dr. Lamb came in and told Moira it was time to let Oliver rest. She could take him home in the morning after the last of his tests came back.

Oliver didn't really try to sleep, nor did he actively try to stay awake. The Hospital was loud and the scents too strong that here was very little chance that he would be able to get any real sleep there. He was able to get short stretches of sleep but nothing substantive. Mostly he refined his plans.