Warriors

A Story in Three Acts

By Naitch03

ACT I

DEATH

Peace.

For the first time in nearly ten years, Dinah Laurel Lance felt at peace.

She stood on the beach at the edge of a vast ocean, her eyes closed, her held tilted back. She felt the warm sun on her skin. She felt the breeze blow across her skin. She felt the sand beneath her feet, the water of the ocean lapping at her toes.

And then she felt the strong arms wrap gently around her waist.

"Hey there, Pretty Bird." A familiar voice said, causing her to smile.

Laurel opened her eyes as she turned. She stared in wonder at the man before her. For if Oliver was the love of her life, this man was her soul mate; the one she would always find again, in this life or the next.

"Tommy" she breathed.

"You're here way to early." He said.

Laurel frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked warily.

"You're disoriented, I know." Tommy said. "Same thing happened to me. Tell me, what's the last thing you remember?"

Laurel hung there motionless, once more held helpless in Damien Darhk's power as he slowly stalked towards her.

"Ms. Lance," he said with a genial smile, "9 months ago, I made your daddy a promise. I told him what I would do if he betrayed me." With his concentration focused all on her, Oliver managed to break his hold long enough to fire an arrow- but not long enough. Darhk stopped the arrow short of his head. "Impressive." He remarked to Oliver, plucking the arrow out of the air before turning his attention back on Laurel. "Now where was I? Oh, yeah. I want you to give your father a message from me. I want you to tell him—" He shoved the arrow into her chest, just below her right breast.

"Unh!" Laurel gasped in pain as she felt the arrow slice through her body.

Damian leaned in close. "—I'm a man of my word." He finished. His work done, he let the two vigilantes drop to the ground as he, Andy Diggle and Malcolm all calmly walked out of the mess hall and into the chaos beyond.

"Oh." Laurel said, the memories coming back to her. She looked at Tommy sadly. "Then that's it. I'm dead, aren't I?"

Tommy reached up and brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Would it be so bad if you were?" he asked. "No more struggling, no more fighting. You've earned your rest, Laurel."

"Have I?" she asked. "I always knew that if I put on that mask I could die, but I'd like my death to have some meaning!" she exclaimed softly. "Tell me I'm being punished for bringing Sara back to life, or tell me that I died saving a life, but I can't accept dying just to send a message to my father! And why are you smiling?!" she exclaimed loudly, seeing the wide grin on his face.

"Because you never change." He said fondly. He released her and took a step back. "You aren't quite dead yet, Laurel."

"What, I'm only 'mostly dead'?" she asked sarcastically.

"Pretty much." Tommy replied. He gestured around them. "This isn't heaven, Laurel. This is where you go when you're… well, between, I guess."

"Between what?"

"Between life and death." He explained. He pointed behind him to a path that ran up the beach and into a lush, green forest. "That is the path to the afterlife." He explained, and then pointed towards the ocean. "And that's the path back to life. It's rough and it's painful, but if you can withstand the journey through the waters, you could go back."

"Back to life?" Laurel asked.

Tommy nodded. "Yes."

"But why didn't you—"

"Because this is the first time I've been here." Tommy said, anticipating her question. "Laurel, you have been given a gift, one that is rarely given. The gift to go back and finish the things you left unfinished on Earth; a chance to live a full life. I wasn't kidding when I said you were here much too early. You should have lived a long, fulfilling life. But Damian Darhk is an aberration. An abomination, even. And everywhere he goes, everything he touches, well…" he sighed. "He corrupts destiny and destroys fate. And that's why you're here now."

"But I could go back." Laurel says, looking longingly at the ocean. But then her gaze falls back to Tommy. "But then I'd lose you again." She said with tears in her eyes.

Tommy took her in his arms again. "You'll never lose me, Laurel. I'll always be with you." He smirked. "Even if I'm not the love of your life."

Laurel gave a watery chuckle. "He may have been the love of this life, but my heart and soul will always belong to you."

"And mine to you." Tommy said. "And as much as I want to start experiencing eternity with you, I won't be put off if you go back and live your life. It would just be a blink of the eye to me."

Laurel stared at Tommy, memorizing his face one more time. "If I go back, would I be able to help stop Darhk?"

Tommy shook his head. "I don't know, Laurel. I'm not all-knowing, just devastatingly handsome. But it's safe to say that there is a chance you could."

Laurel nodded. "Then that's the chance I have to take."

Tommy nodded as well. "Dinah Laurel Lance," Tommy he said reverently, "Always trying to save the world." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Hey." She said, tears in her eyes. "If I don't try and save it, who will?"

Tommy released her once more, and this time Laurel turned and walked towards the ocean. She didn't look back, not once; if she had, she would have lost the will to leave Tommy. Instead she forged her way into the sea, wading through the waters that began to push forcefully against her. As if on instinct she kept moving forward, going deeper and deeper, until she was completely submerged. And even then she kept moving forward.

'Just like being born.' she thought as the darkness began to envelop her. 'Or being born again…'

ACT II

REBIRTH

Laurel awoke with a gasp.

Her vision was blurry, her senses muted. There was a burning pain in her chest where the arrow had been. She started to flail about, but her movements were jerky; uncoordinated. She heard voices, but couldn't understand them. She saw faces, but they were all blurry and unrecognizable. She felt strong hands holding her down, then something pressed against the side of her neck. She heard a hiss of air and then felt the drugs enter her system, causing her to further panic. But as the medication took hold, her panic lessened as she fell back into the darkness of unconsciousness. But before the darkness took her, she heard a familiar voice.

"Rest, Laurel." Nyssa pleased as she fell into a blissful sleep.

The next time Laurel awoke, everything seemed to be working again.

She could feel the light breeze on her skin from the open window, she could smell the scent of flowers and the salt of the ocean, she could hear the sounds of women training outdoors—

And she could see Nyssa al Ghul- no, Nyssa Raatko- siting by her bed, reading what looked to be an ancient manuscript. The assassin seemed to sense that she was awake and looked up.

"Welcome back, Laurel." She said in her cultured voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better." Laurel rasped, wincing at the pain in her dry throat. Sensing the problem, Nyssa poured her a glass of water from an ancient pitcher before helping her to sit up and take a sip. Laurel drank the cool liquid greedily, coughing slightly as she took too much.

"Careful." Nyssa warned with a smile. "Wouldn't want you to drown."

She forged her way into the sea, wading through the waters that began to push forcefully against her. As if on instinct she kept moving forward, going deeper and deeper, until she was completely submerged. And even then she kept moving forward.

Laurel shook her head, confused by the- what? Memory? Dream? Putting it aside she looked around in confusion. Instead of the hospital she had been expecting, she found she was in a room of ancient Greek architecture. The furniture all looked hand made of oak; the open window wasn't actually a window, but merely a portal covered by gossamer drapes. She looked at Nyssa in confusion. "Where am I?"

"Men have called it Paradise Island." A new voice said. Laurel looked over at the door and saw the most strikingly beautiful woman she had ever met. She was tall (at least 6 feet), adorned in a simple shorts and tunic that showed off her rather impressive physique. She wore metal gauntlets on her forearms, and her flowing black hair was held back by a tiara. "My people call it Themyscira. I am Diana, daughter of Hippolyta, Princess of the Amazons. I bid you welcome."

Laurel stared blankly at the Amazon, then looked back to Nyssa. "Do you all have some kind of competition to see how long you can make your names or something?" she asked, drawing a smile from the assassin.

"You would think so. Excuse me, Princess." Another voice said. Another woman edged past Diana into the room, coming to a stop next to Laurel's bed. "My name is Epione." The brown haired woman said. "I am the chief Healer for the Amazons, and I have been taking care of you for the past few days."

"Days!" Laurel exclaimed, shooting upright. She immediately regretted it as the dull ache in her chest flared up.

"Careful!" Epione admonished. With one hand she gently prodded the area of the wound, while the other held a strange device which hummed and beeped as she waved it over the area. "You're healing up nicely, but sudden movements like that could cause tearing in the muscles. You need to be careful until you fully finished healing. I'd say another three sessions under the healing ray will do it." She looked up and smiled at Laurel, but the smile faded as she saw the agitated look on her face.

"Perhaps we should leave them so that Nyssa can explain." Diana suggested.

"Very well." Epione said. "We'll be back in an hour." The healer told Nyssa. The two Amazons turned and left the room, leaving the assassin and the vigilante alone.

"Nyssa." Laurel said, trying her best to remain calm. "Would you please tell me what the heck is going on?

And so Nyssa did.

"How is your patient?" Diana and Epione turned, and the Healer bowed low as Hippolyta approached.

"Well, my queen." She replied. "I think only two or three more sessions under the healing ray will put her to rights."

"Nyssa is explaining what has been going on to Laurel as we speak." Diana added. Hippolyta considered her daughter, and Epione took the unspoken que to leave.

"I'll go prep the ray." She said as she headed towards the House of Healing.

After she was gone, the Queen spoke. "I have reservations about letting the League of Assassins onto our island, let alone into our house."

"The League no longer exists, Mother." Diana replied.

"So says the Daughter of the Demon."

"She willingly allowed herself to be bound in my lasso. There was no lie in her words. The League has ceased to exist as a coherent entity. What remains are a loose coalition of assassins who have agreed to come to Nyssa's aid should she call for it, and a band or traitors that follow the pretender Al Sa-her. And the only reason why she even contacted me was because her friend was in danger."

"And you can honestly tell me she bears no desire to obtain anything here for her personal gain?" Hippolyta asked.

"Only the recovery of her friend." Diana countered smoothly.

"And what of her friend?" the Queen asked. "What do we know of her?"

"She was not a member of the League, if that's what you are asking." Diana said. "From what Nyssa told me, she was the sister of her beloved. A woman who spent years trying to obtain justice for those who had little hope of finding it themselves through man's courts, before donning a mask and fighting for justice with her city's vigilantes." She smiled. "She could have been born an Amazon."

"Perhaps she was, in another life." Hippolyta remarked, staring shrewdly at her daughter. "You wish to train her."

"From what Nyssa tells me, she needs it." Diana said. "Her training has been sporadic, with different tutors teaching her an amalgamation of different styles. The results have been effective, but I believe she could do much better. If I am allowed to show her how." She pressed.

"Why does this one mean so much to you?" Hippolyta asked.

"She is a woman who came to us in need. Is it not our duty to help her?" Diana replied.

"It is." Her mother agreed. "If she wishes it, you may train her."

It was long past nightfall when Diana made her way back to Laurel's room. But as she expected, the injured woman was still awake, staring out the window at the full moon in the sky. "How are you feeling?" she asked, startling the other woman. "Apologies…"

"No, no it's…" Laurel sighed. "Is overwhelmed an adequate answer? Because I don't even think that covers the half of it."

"Nyssa explained, then?"

"Yeah." Laurel blew out a breath. "So now I'm dead to the world and stuck on an island that time literally forgot." She winced. "Sorry." She said apologetically to Diana. "I didn't mean to insult you… your people have already done so much for me…"

"It's quite alright." Diana assured her. "I can understand how overwhelming all of this is to you. It can't be easy to be pulled out of a fight, knowing your loved ones are continuing to battle without you."

"No. It's not." Laurel chuckled ruefully. "Makes me want to scream, actually."

"Well then, I have a proposition for you." Diana said, capturing her interest. "As Nyssa explained, time moves differently on this island. You could spend a hundred years here, and only weeks would have passed in man's world. So how about you make the best of that time?"

"What do you mean?" Laurel asked.

"My mother has agreed to allow me to train you as an Amazon would train." Diana began. "From what I've been told, you have the heart of a warrior. But your skills, however good they may be, are still woefully lacking."

"Yup. You've been talking to Nyssa, alright." Laurel joked lamely. "It wasn't my skills- or lack thereof- that nearly got me killed, it was our lack of defense against his magic." She sighed. "But I won't argue with the fact that my training is… incomplete, at best. And I would be a fool to decline any chance to improve my skills." She shook her head. "I was a fool to think I could leave that life behind."

Diana regarded her curiously. "How do you mean?" she asked.

"That last mission- trying to stop Darhk from escaping prison- that was going to be the last time I put on a mask. I was going to become the District Attorney for Star City, to try and bring justice in the light of day. To try and expose our new Mayor as corrupt and being in league with- and married to- Damian Darhk." She shrugged. "Maybe this is God's way of telling me that my fight wasn't over yet. That the streets needed me more than the courts."

"Or maybe your God is showing you a way to do both." Diana countered. "I can teach you the skills to fight such men as Damian Darhk. And I can give you the tools you need to defend against his magic. But the choice to take advantage of my knowledge; well, that is up to you."

Laurel smiled at the Princess. "There is no choice to make." She held out her hand; Diana grasped her forearm in response. "When do we start?"

"We just did." Diana replied.

The first few months of Laurel's training were notable for three things.

The first was what helped her become embraced by the Amazons as a whole. While Diana and Epione were generally welcoming and friendly to her, as a friend of Nyssa al Ghul she was treated with suspicion by the other Amazons who remembered the League of Assassins past attempts to invade the island. And while they weren't openly hostile towards her out of deference to Diana, they did keep a wary eye on her.

On Friday evening, Diana and Laurel took their meal in the Great Hall with the other Amazons for the first time (Laurel rarely ate dinner, being too tired from training). While Diana was making the rounds, Artemis decided to take the opportunity to sound out the new woman on the island.

Laurel was sitting alone at the table, quietly massaging the knot in her thigh when a goblet was slammed down on the table in front of her, causing her to jump slightly. She looked up at the fierce looking redhead with some trepidation.

"It occurs to me that we haven't properly welcomed you to our island yet." Artemis said with a slight sneer. "Come, have a drink with me. Let us toast to your continued good health."

Internally, Laurel sighed. 'Great.' She thought. 'I just landed in the Ancient Greek version of Mean Girls.' Out loud, she merely smiled and pushed the goblet away from her. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't drink."

Now the sneer became more pronounced. "What, is our wine not good enough for the League of Assassins?"

"Wrong sister." Laurel corrected automatically. At Artemis' confused look, she continued on. "My sister was the League assassin, not… you know what, never mind. Look, I'm not trying to insult you. I just don't drink. At all."

Artemis scoffed. "Why not?"

"Because I'm an alcoholic." At her blank look, Laurel repeated, "Ah alco- wait, you have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"

"Should I?"

"Uh… hmmm." Laurel paused for a moment. She supposed that, in a community this small and isolated, they may not have even known that alcoholism was a problem. "Okay, let me explain." She said finally. "In simplest terms, I have a disease. Not contagious," she added quickly, seeing Epione and Diana hurrying over. The last thing she wanted was to go back into the House of Healing. "It's a disease of the mind." At Artemis's increasingly confused look, Laurel shook her head. "Look, my problem isn't that I don't want to have a drink with you. My problem is that one drink would turn into two; two into three, and so on. I would have a few drinks with dinner. Then I would have a few drinks with breakfast. Then it would get to the point where I could barely function without alcohol, and I'd be hardly functioning with it. I would drink to forget my problems, drink to numb the pain of constant training, drink because I was angry with the world."

Artemis shook her head. "I don't understand…"

"Look, Artemis… a week ago I was stabbed and nearly killed by a madman who wants to destroy my home for some unknown plan. This man hurt my father. Hurt my friends. He is a threat that I don't know if my friends can even beat. And now I have to live with causing them all pain by pretending to be dead when I'm not, just to protect them all." She gestured at the goblet. "There is nothing I want more right now than to slam that down, and keep drinking all night just to try and forget about all of that. I've done it before, when the man I loved died saving me. But I stopped drinking, and promised myself 'Never Again'. I've been sober for over two years now, and that is not something that I am willing to throw away for a moment of respite. So, while I would be happy to have a drink with you, I can't. Because I won't touch wine, or beer, or anything that could give me a buzz ever again." She said all of this in a calm, reasoned tone of voice. After a moment, Artemis nodded in understanding.

"Then I commend you on your diligence." She said.

Another Amazon placed a goblet in front of her. "How about plain juice?" she asked.

Laurel smiled and took a sip. "Now that would work." She said. She raised her goblet to Artemis, who mirrored her gesture, and they both drank.

The second thing happened three weeks in.

Outside of the usual weapons training (Laurel was pleased with her progress on the quarter staff and sword) and hand to hand combat (here she was pleased to be able to teach the Amazons a few more modern techniques, but even their antiquated fighting styles were vastly superior to her own technique), there were many times where Diana would encourage (force) Laurel into long runs on the beach, followed by a rapid climb up a rocky cliff to work on her strength and endurance.

"Why *huff*huff*are you climbing *huff*huff*again?" Laurel gasped as she slowly made her way up the cliff face. "You can *huff*huff* fly!"

"Just because I can fly now doesn't mean that I won't be incapacitated in some fashion later." Diana reasoned. "Powers can be a crutch, if you let them. I'd prefer to be fit and rely on my body's strength, rather than powers that come and go at the whim of the gods." She smiled down at the vigilante. "Now come on! Faster!"

"You could remember some of us don't have enhanced strength, speed, or—" Laurel started to grumble, but cut off suddenly when the rock she was gripping ripped free of the earth, sending her plummeting down over 80 feet to the rocky shores below. Even as Diana dove down to catch her, Laurel screamed—

And Screamed.

AND SCREAMED.

Much like her Canary Cry choker had done, a wall of sound emitted from her mouth. But this wall was so much more powerful than the device Cisco had built for her had ever been, and she found herself first slowing, then hovering a foot off the ground. Stunned she instinctually closed her mouth, cutting off the sound and allowing her to drop face-first to the ground.

"Laurel!" Diana called out, landing next to the stunned woman. She helped her to her feet. "Are you alright?"

Laurel was too terrified to speak.

"I see no signs of anything abnormal." Epione said later as she examined Laurel in the House of Healing. She, Diana, and Alexa- a fellow Amazon with home Laurel had developed a friendship with- were all gathered around Laurel, who still hadn't opened her mouth. "Your body has healed completely from your injury, and there are no unusual readings." Laurel rolled her eyes and pointed to her throat. "Also, you've been speaking for the past month, Laurel. I highly doubt that you are going to blow me away by asking a question."

"How did I do that, then?" Laurel whispered. "I mean, I used to wear a device that would take my scream and convert it into a high-pitched sonic wave to disable opponents, but I've never been able to do THAT!"

"You underwent a traumatic event, Laurel." Epione said. "Sometimes when a body is put through tremendous stresses, something in a person's body can change."

"Like a mother being able to lift a car if her child is pinned beneath it." Laurel said, carefully raising her voice back to a normal volume. "But that's adrenalin. Adrenalin wouldn't cause me to hover after softening an 80 foot fall!"

"I've spent time in Man's World." Diana said. "There have been numerous times that I've come across people with abilities that some would consider 'abnormal'."

"Yeah, Metahumans." Laurel said. "But I wasn't in Central City when the particle accelerator blew two years ago."

Diana shook her head. "I know nothing of any 'particle accelerator'." She said. "I saw these people during your Great War."

"Great—" it took a moment for her to realize what she meant. "World War One?!" she exclaimed.

"There's been more than one?" Alexa said. "Gods above, now I know why the Queen wishes for us to remain on the island."

"It's not something we're proud of." Laurel replied, still staring at Diana in wonder. "But that would mean that Metahumans pre-dated the particle accelerator. Which would mean—"

"That apparently you are one, as well." Diana reasoned. "Perhaps you subconsciously knew it, and tailored your offensive weapons to match your powers."

"Which lay dormant, until you were nearly killed." Epione finished.

Laurel let out a dejected sigh. "Great. Now how do I control it?" she wondered. "I can't risk accidently hurting someone while I train."

"Control itself will come with training." Diana said. "Your scream came from your throat. The throat is just another muscle. Well concentrate on that for now so that you can develop and control your new abilities.

Laurel gave a resigned sigh. "Fine." She said. "But if you say I have to climb a cliff with my throat, I may actually have to hit you.

The third thing happened when Nyssa returned to Themyscira with another woman- one dressed as the Black Canary. [1]

"I'm trying real hard not to attack you right now, Nyssa." Laurel said through grinding teeth. "What. The. Hell."

"Calm yourself, Laurel, and I will explain." Nyssa said as the other woman removed her mask and blond wig.

"My name is Anissa." She said. "I served in the League with Nyssa, and your sister."

"That's swell." Laurel said sarcastically. "Doesn't tell me why the hell you're wearing my suit!"

"Your death raised several questions." Nyssa explained. "While the prison hid your uniform and denied that you were the Black Canary, saying instead that you were there on behalf of the DA's office and were caught up in the riot, there were several witnesses who saw you in the medical wing in costume who reported it to the police. That alone would raise several concerns—"

Laurel sighed. "It would bring into question all of the criminals that I've prosecuted." She said. "I always knew that was a risk, but I felt it was worth it."

"Not only that, but it brings into question everything your father has done since he became Captain." Nyssa added. "Add that to the assault on his Lieutenant and the investigation of his conduct regarding Darhk, and he would have more certainly been put in jail. But with the Black Canary still active on the streets, it put to doubt the words of those who claimed it was you."

"I'm only meant to be a place holder." Anissa said. "I make no claim on your identity, and will gladly return it to you once you return."

Laurel nodded. "Thank you." She said. "And I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologize." Anissa assured her.

"How has the team taken it?" she asked.

"Once I explained the reasoning, they accepted it." Nyssa said. "Though not particularly warmly. Thea especially."

Laurel groaned. "That girl has lost everyone she has ever cared about." Laurel said. "She lost her family, she lost her boyfriend, and though she doesn't like to admit it, her relationship with Oliver hasn't been the same since he and Felicity left last year. Add that to learning her father valued the League over her life…"

"I can empathize." Nyssa remarked dryly.

"Anything else happen?" Laurel asked, hungry for news. She was disappointed when Nyssa shook her head.

"Your funeral was yesterday." She said. "Both of your parents were there. They grieve, but are otherwise alive. Darhk is in the wind at the moment, but his Ghosts are mobilizing. Whatever he is planning, it will happen within the next few months. And when he makes his move, you will be ready to make yours."

"Yes, I will." Laurel agreed with a wicked grin. "And I'll have a surprise or two instore for Mr. Damien Darhk."

Interlude

One hundred and fifty-two years.

There were days when Laurel didn't want to get out of bed. Days where she seriously contemplated breaking into the wine cellars and drinking as much as she could. Days when she wanted to throw the plan out the window and go home, just to spare her father any more pain.

But she persevered. She trained harder; longer. She honed herself into a weapon, a weapon with only one purpose-

The total destruction of Damien Darhk.

And finally, three months in to her one hundred and fifty-second year, Nyssa returned. "It's time." She said.

And Dinah Laurel Lance smiled.

ACT III

RESSURECTION

Oliver Queen sighed as he tossed his phone onto the table in the Bunker. It had been 48 hours since they had discovered the scope of Darhk's plan; 48 hours since they discovered how he had managed to create a techno-organic virus, disseminated through fresh produce, of all things, sold in the local super markets. A virus that would turn an everyday person into yet another drone loyal to HIVE- yet another Ghost. A virus made possible via Ray Palmer's shrinking technology, which had been stolen by Noah Cuttler when he planted the data-mining device in Palmer Tech all those months ago.

"No luck?" Oliver looked over at Diggle, who was seated at the table cleaning his gun. Thea was over at the workbench, sharpening arrow heads, and Felicity was back at the computers, determined to shut down HIVE once and for all. Joining her was Quentin Lance, who was determined to see Darhk in the ground no matter what.

"No." he said. "Mari has some kind of crisis in Detroit; she can't get free."

"Constantine?" Dig asked.

"Still in hell." Oliver turned to Felicity. "Any luck reaching Barry?"

She shook her head. "No. According to Cisco, he's not even in this dimension right now."

Quentin looked at Felicity in shock. "Say what now?"

"Something about his fight with Zoom."

Lance shook his head. "This is my life now." He looked at Felicity. "Any luck calling Sara?"

She shook her head. "No, sorry. I've taken to leaving voicemails and messages online. But I have no way of reaching her."

"Nyssa and Anissa should be here soon." Thea remarked, placing the last arrow into her quiver.

"So, five of us against an army." Diggle said in resignation.

"Six." Lance corrected.

"Absolutely not!" Oliver shot back.

"You're not the boss of me, Queen." Lance snarled.

"I've already let two of your daughters die on my watch, I damn well not going to let you go get yourself killed!"

"Look, as much as I want to blame you for every single bad thing that has ever happened to my family, I can't. Because it wouldn't be true! They both made their own decisions, both took their own risks. So what happened to them is ultimately on them." He took a steadying breath. "Darhk killed Laurel because I turned against him, but he also killed her because she was determined to do the right thing. And lord knows I've wanted to send a message right back to him and blow his wife's brains out all over city hall. But I won't do that, because Laurel would be so disappointed in me if I did. So I am going to do the next best thing- I am going to go with you tonight, find Darhk, and put a bullet in his head. And there is nothing you, or your bodyguard, or your sister can do to stop me!"

Before Oliver could argue anymore, the elevator opened and even more loud voices could be heard.

"Move it!"

"I'm moving! I'm moving!"

"Oh god! Sara, don't!"

Oliver moved past Lance to see Felicity rushing to Sara, who held Curtis Holt in a half nelson. Behind her were the rest of the team she had left with, minus one member that he could see.

"I found him skulking around upstairs." Sara said with barely contained fury.

"I wasn't skulking; I was coming here!"

"Sara!" Felicity shouted. "It's okay. He's with us."

"Sara." Oliver said softly, drawing her attention. "It's okay, you can let him go."

Sara did so, then stalk towards Oliver. "What happened?" she demanded. "I find out that my sister died in 2016, and then I find out I can't even go back and save her! Ollie—"

"She died trying to stop Damien Darhk from escaping prison." He began. "Malcolm stole back his idol, giving him his powers back. She didn't have a chance. I'm sorry."

"So who's this Darhk?" Leonard Snart, AKA Captain Cold asked.

Quentin eyed the man and his hulking partner warily. "Aren't you two criminals?"

"Aren't you a disgraced cop?" Snart shot back sarcastically.

"SNART!" Sara said, a dangerous glint in her eye.

"He runs a criminal organization known as HIVE." Diggle said. "He plans on turning the people of Star City into mindless zombies that do his bidding. And he killed Sara's sister Laurel."

"You're going after him tonight?" Sara asked Oliver. He nodded. "Then I'm coming with you. And when we find him, he's mine."

"You'll have to fight your dad for him, first." Oliver replied. "And we can use all the help we can get."

"Sara has been a great help to me." Rip Hunter remarked. "If we can't go back and save her sister, then I at least owe it to her to help you stop her killer."

"Why can't you go back and save her?" Felicity asked. "I mean, you're time travelers. Can't you just jump in the TARDIS and go stop it?"

Rip gave her a rueful smile. "That was the first thing that Sara tried. Unfortunately, those events seemed to be time locked. It's impossible to go back. All we can do now is bring her killer to justice."

"Ray, when this is over, I'm going to need your help designing a cure for the virus HIVE created." Felicity told her ex-boss. "But in the meantime, I have a special job for you."

"Anything I can do to help." He replied.

"So now it's 13 against an army." Diggle noted. "Still not the best odds, but we've had worse."

"Then again it's fortunate for you an army is what I've brought." The group turned to see Nyssa, Anissa, and 13 others dressed in League of Assassins armor walking in from the garage.

For Sara, the joy of seeing Nyssa again was offset by the sheer rage she felt at seeing some other woman dressed in her sister's uniform. "What the hell, Nyssa!" Sara snarled, moving towards Anissa. Kendra darted forward quickly to hold her back. "Laurel's not even dead six months, and you have someone else in her gear?!"

"It was necessary, Habibi." Nyssa replied, using the honorific she had bestowed on Sara years earlier. "In order to preserve Laurels accomplishments, the Black Canary had to appear to still live."

"Sara," Quentin said, stepping in front of his youngest daughter, "Nyssa's right. If it had been proven that Laurel was a vigilante, all the good she had done as an ADA would have been thrown out the window. All the criminals would have been released, everything she had worked for would have been destroyed."

"And not just Laurel," Nyssa added. "There would have been questions about how long your father knew, and everything he had done since he made Captain would have been destroyed as well. Including everything he did before Darhk came into his life."

"None of us are okay with it." Oliver said, "But we recognize that it's important. And Anissa has been a tremendous help."

Anissa had removed the mask and wig, leaving her dark hair free. "I'm not doing this to take your sister's place, Sara. I'm just doing it to help. If the Black Canary dies tonight, no one would suspect Laurel anymore. But you need all the help you can get." She reminded her. Sara took a deep breath, then nodded in reluctance.

"You're right." She said.

"Then lucky for you I was in town." They all turned to see Roy, in full gear, walk in from the garage. He looked at the assassins in interest. "I thought the League disbanded?"

"Roy!" Thea exclaimed, rushing to her ex-boyfriend and enveloping him in a crushing hug.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here." He told her quietly.

"The League has disbanded, Mr. Harper." Nyssa said. "These men and women have pledged themselves to me to continue carrying out the tradition of bringing criminals such as Darhk to absolute justice." She looked to Oliver. "We will assist you. For Laurel."

Oliver nodded in gratitude. "You know my stance on killing." At her cross look, he pressed on. "Tonight, I don't care. HIVE needs to be stopped, at all costs. But if you find Mayor Adams, I want her taken alive. She will face trial for what she's helped to set in motion. But as for his foot soldiers, or Darhk himself- alive if possible. If dead- just… dead."

"Does that mean I get to burn things?" Mick asked.

"They call themselves Ghosts." Diggle said. "Feel free to send them back to hell. But," he held up a picture of his brother, "you see him, you leave him to me."

"And Malcolm Merlyn is mine." Thea added.

"Speedy—"

"I can't kill him, Oliver." She cut him off. "But I don't have to kill him to beat him. I've got this." She assured him.

"Here," Felicity said, passing out small USB drives to as many people as she could. "These drives contain a virus that should destroy HIVE's ability to initiate the virus. All I need is for one of you to plug one of these into any computer on their network. That should be all of the computers in the facility, but the closer you get to the command center, the better. All you have to do is plug it into a USB port, and the upload is automatic. Once it does that, Curtis and I will work on dismantling HIVE on the net while my virus takes out theirs."

"How will you do that?" Professor Stein asked.

"By uploading everything they have done onto the internet." She replied. "HIVE has grown in the shadows. It's time to bring them into the light of day. And its time Darhk learned that he should never have hurt my friends."

"You're kind of a bad ass." Curtis remarked to his boss.

"Damn straight."

"So we're all doing this?" Oliver said, looking straight at Quentin who stared right back. "Then let's go to work."

"Well, THAT escalated quickly!" Roy called out before leaning around the corner he was taking cover behind and firing an arrow. One Ghost down, how many more hundred to go?

"How are we doing?" Oliver called out.

"Same as always." Dig called back.

"That bad, huh?" Roy quipped, taking out another Ghost.

Nyssa and her group are making progress from the southwest.Felicity said over the coms. Sara's team is making good progress from the west. I think Heatwave is especially happy, because the thermals are off the roof.

HIVE has a whole cornfield under here. Sara chimed in. I'm looking for the bees right now.

"Any sign of Darhk?" Oliver demanded.

No sightings. I think he's holed up in the command center with the rest of the leadership.Curtis chimed in. GA, your team is closest.

"I got eyes on Merlyn!" Thea snarled, breaking cover and rushing to meet her father in battle.

"Speedy, wait!" Oliver called out. He watched helplessly as Ghosts started shooting at her. One managed to hit her, but the bullet impacted on her body armor. She rolled with the hit, coming up and sending an arrow into the arm of the offending Ghost- who turned out to be Andy Diggle.

Dig saw red and charged as well. Even as Thea- barely slowed down by the bullet- drew her sword and engaged Malcolm, Dig plowed into his brother, sending the pair crashing through the glass wall behind him. The two tumbled to the ground, with Andy getting in a good kick to separate the two. He scrambled to his feet.

"How could you!" Dig thundered, launching heavy shots at the smaller man. "You put my wife at risk? My daughter? You get my friend KILLED!"

Andy ducked and dodged, absorbing some of the hits, but not all. "You always were an idealist, John." Andy landed a few hits of his own, knocking Dig down to one knee before drawing his pistol and pointing it at his head. "It wasn't about family, John. It was about picking a side. I chose the side that's gonna win. And," he smirked, "the side that gave me the bigger cut."

"You know, there is one good thing about this," Dig said.

"Yeah? What's that?" Andy asked.

Dig's hand shot up, grasping Andy's wrist and forcing the gun up and away. He then used the momentum to spin his brother around, catching him in a dragon choke. And with a vicious jerk, he broke his brother's neck.

"At least I won't have to lie to Carly anymore." Dig said in disgust, dropping his brother's body to the ground.

"Why can't you accept the fact that I'm doing this for you!" Malcolm thundered as he pressed his attack on his daughter. Thea gritted her teeth and held her ground. Malcolm may have her beat in experience and power, but she knew she could beat him. She just needed an opening…

And then he knocked her sword from her hands.

A punch to the jaw and a shove pressed her back up against the wall of the command center, Malcolm's sword at her throat. He smirked in triumph. "Now, I'm going to have to knock you out, Thea." He said condescendingly. "And then I'm going to go enjoy watching Damien kill your idiot brother. And when you wake up, this will all be over, and I can again try to teach you how the world is going to work."

Thea smirked. "Actually—" Thea seized the moment. If Malcolm had still had both hands, this never would have worked. But now he only had one, his balance was slightly off, and he had less leverage than he realized. Her hands darted up and grabbed the hilt of the sword, forcing it away and down in a motion so sudden that Malcolm couldn't compensate. She ignored the thin line of blood that started to leak from the shallow cut as she twisted the sword over a hundred and eighty degrees, forcing it out of his hand and into hers.

And then she cut off his other hand.

Malcolm's mouth opened in shock at the loss of his other appendage, even as Thea stepped past him and sliced through both of his Achilles tendons. As he sank to his knees, Thea stepped back in front of him. "I have to knock you out now, DAD." She said mockingly. "And when you wake up, if you don't bleed out first, you'll be in jail. Where you belong!" With that, she brought the butt of the hilt down hard on his temple, knocking him out cold.

Damien Darhk was not having a good day.

It had started off promising, what with Genesis being launched that afternoon. The senior members of HIVE were all gathered in the control center of their base, ready to witness the dawning of a new age.

Only to instead see practically a sea of vigilantes swarming through the complex like cockroaches.

And now he had to listen to the senior member's prattle on and on while his plan- centuries in the making- went up in flames. "Literally." He muttered to himself as he watched the corn burn. He watched as the firebug's friend turned his heavily trained minions into ice sculptures. "Where do they get such wonderful toys?" he mused.

"I'm sorry Damien. Do you find this amusing?" one of the suits said snidely. Darhk turned and glared at the man.

"No." he said. "I don't find seeing a plan that I've been working on for longer than you've been alive go up in smoke amusing. What I do find amusing, though, is that I killed one vigilante, and now there are- what, thirteen more?" he said with a chuckle. Then he held up his hand, and the senior directors started gasping as he lifted them all with his magic. "I also find it amusing that you stand there and make demands of me when you left me to ROT IN PRISON." He snarled, but a moment later the smile was back in place. "But don't worry, I do intend to take care of this little problem once and for all. But I'm afraid to do that, I need to top off, if you will. So I'm afraid I need to ask one last little favor from you all." He twisted his hand, and each one of their necks snapped in unison. He let their bodies drop as he felt their life forces flowing into him, making him more powerful than he had ever been.

"All better?" Ruvè asked.

"Much." Damien said, giving her a peck on the cheek just as the glass walls around them shattered. Ruvè covered her ears, but Damien merely winced. That left him prepared for the arrow that flew in a moment later, which he deftly caught with his magic. A moment later he also caught Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Nyssa as they tried to rush him. "Fellas!" Darhk said jovially. "And ladies! Gee, I haven't seen you since I gutted your friend a few months ago. Speaking of which," he moved in front of Anissa, staring at her curiously. "You can't be the Black Canary; she died. So who are you supposed to be?"

"Before this night is done, I promise that the Black Canary will be standing over your headless corpse!" Anissa snarled.

Darhk chuckled and looked at Nyssa. "Ah, one of yours, I'd imagine. Just couldn't bear loosing another Lance sister, could you? Kind of like you, Mr. Queen." Darhk turned and grinned evilly at Oliver. With a gesture, he brought the frozen arrow over to him and grasped it. "So nice of you to provide me with yet another weapon to kill a Canary. What do you think, would this count as 'two birds with one stone'?"

"The only other person dying here tonight is you." Oliver growled. Suddenly shots rang out, causing Darhk to stumble back. For an instant the vigilantes were free, but the moment passed too quickly and they were all caught again, this time with Diggle and Quentin as well. Darhk sneered at Lance as the bullet wounds healed in an instant, and with a flick of his wrist his and Diggle's guns were thrown clear.

"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!" Lance said, struggling futily.

"You being able to kill me is as likely as you keeping your daughters safe." Darhk said snidely. "No you don't!" a flick of his wrist caught Speedy as she darted towards the mainframe. Darhk slammed her into the wall next to it, then flung her back to the line of hanging heroes. "Miss Merlyn, I must say I am impressed by your resilience. I honestly didn't think you had it in you to defeat your own father." He looked past them into the next room, where Malcolm lay motionless on the ground and winced. "Ooh, and you took his other hand! If I wasn't going to enjoy killing you so much, I'd offer you his job." He wiggled his fingers, and suddenly Thea was suspended with the rest.

"The only work I'd do for you is throwing your ass into an oven to burn!" she snarled.

Darhk merely grinned, then spied something on the ground next to the mainframe. He motioned to his wife, who went over and retrieved the device.

"Some kind of USB drive." Ruvè surmised.

"Miss Smoak, I presume." Darhk said. He looked back to Oliver. "I take it she wanted to give me a little surprise? I suppose she wanted you to do it because she thought that if she strolled into here, she'd be rolling back out." Oliver just glared.

Another explosion on the other side of the room caused Darhk to roll his eyes. "Seriously, enough with the property damage!" he called out, freezing the Legends as they stormed in. He threw Firestorm back at the remainder of the wall hard enough to cause him to separate, hauling up Jax and leaving Stein on the ground, unconscious. "Was this your plan again, Oliver? Have everyone rush me at once and hope that this time one of you could actually reach me? Do you know the definition of insanity…" he trailed off as he finally recognized Sara. "Well, if it isn't the other Miss Lance." He said gleefully, looking back at a furious Quentin before turning back to Sara while his remaining HIVE troops poured into the room. "You're looking decidedly not demonic."

"I have enough of the demon in me to take you out." Sara snarled.

Darhk laughed. "I'm sure you don't." He stepped forward and reached out to take her life force from her when Oliver's voice stopped him.

"I know the definition of insanity, Damien." Oliver said confidently. "So what make you think I'm doing the same thing again?"

Darhk looked back at the smirking Oliver and frowned. Before he could ask the obvious question, the computer screens around the room started flickering. Darhk and his wife stared in alarm as the countdown to Genesis was replaced by streaming code, which reformed into the symbol of Brother Eye.

DAMIEN DARHK A mechanical voice sounded from the speakers. EYE SEE YOU

"What are you doing, Miss Smoak?" Darhk growled.

EYE AM DESTROYING GENESIS. The computer voice replied. EYE AM ALSO RELEASING ALL OF YOUR FILES ONTO THE INTERNET. There was a pause. BOW TO YOUR NEW OVERLOARD.

"Oh, you think you're so clever." Darhk snarled.

EYE AM CLEVER. MIT CLASS OF 2009, BITCH. That actually got a snort of amusement from Nyssa.

"Well, think about how clever you are while you listen as I'm killing your friends one by one." Darhk said as he moved to stand in front of Oliver. "I think I'll start with your ex-fiancé."

AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT UP WITH MY EX-BOYFRIEND.

There was a tremendous explosion as The Atom leapt out of the mainframe and shifted back to normal size. Taking Darhk by complete surprise he landed a superman punch onto the villain, sending him crashing to the ground. As his control slipped the other vigilantes were freed and immediately set upon the rest of the HIVE soldiers. Ray landed another kick to Damien's' midsection, then turned his attention to the soldiers taking on the other Legends, taking them out one by one with hard-light blasts.

Seeing an opening, Sara rushed forward, her staff held high to jam it into Darhk's heart. But as she brought the staff down, Darhk held up a hand, freezing her in place. With an enraged roar, he threw her and the rest of the heroes back, sending them crashing into walls and pillars. Next he reached out to Ray, grasping his suit and holding him in place despite the suits thrusters. Ray yelled out in pain when his suit suddenly crumpled, squeezing the life out of him, before Darhk ripped the chest piece off the suit and sent it flying back into his head, shattering the face protector and sending him flying back into a wall. He was unconscious before he even hit it.

"No more games!" Darhk yelled, once more reaching out for Oliver. "I'm going to crush every bone in your body, Mr. Queen. Then your friends, and then I'll head over to your bunker to do the same to your lov—"

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

The scream filled the room, shattering every pane of glass and every computer monitor that had not already been shattered. And this scream was magnitudes more powerful than the device the new Black Canary wore- everyone, including Damien Darhk, was dropped to their knees in agony. It was so painful that no one noticed with the noise seemed to shift and focus on a single target, destroying it utterly before mercifully ending.

Oliver had no idea how the Black Canary had triggered the choker, and had no idea how it had gotten so much louder than before. But even as he tried to take advantage of the opportunity it had given him, he found he could barely move. His equilibrium was off, his ears were still ringing, and now his mind must be affected, because he saw a familiar pair of boots walking past him and the others to stand in front of the downed villain.

Across the room, Thea was blinking her eyes rapidly, trying to clear them from the obvious mirage that was standing not five feet from her. 'It can't be!' she thought.

Sara struggled to get back up, groping for her staff to launch one last attack. But seeing the impossible figure walking towards Darhk, she too froze.

Quentin Lance's ears were ringing, but his anger fueled him more than the pain slowed him down. Spying his gun a few feet away he scrambled for it, grasping the handle and forcing himself to one knee. As he took a bead on his target, though, he froze.

Damien Darhk struggled back to his knees. Looking up, he laughed mirthlessly at the familiar figure standing in front of him.

She walked forward with a confidence she had never had before. She wore a leather armored bodice that flared into a long skirt at the bottom that flowed around her thigh-high black boots and armored leather parts and the short sword held in its scabbard at her waist. Her arms were mostly covered by long leather gloves under a pair of metal bracers, and she wore some sort of mesh shirt under the bodice that also covered her shoulders and arms. She wore a choker around her neck, though this was no piece of technology, but rather a simple silken ribbon around her throat. Her hair had darkened back to its original chestnut brown color, and she wore no mask. There was no more need to conceal her identity, not here. Not now.

"I'm sorry Damien." Dinah Laurel Lance, the Black Canary, said, cocking her head to the side and giving him a small, vicious smile. "What was that message you wanted me to give to my dad?" [2]

Darhk chuckled. "Say, didn't I kill you?" he asked.

Laurel shook her head. "Well, like seemingly everything else in your life, you failed miserably at that, too." She said.

"Well, allow me to rectify that mistake." He thrust out his hand-

But nothing happened.

Laurel's smile widened. "You know, for a guy who has been around as long as you have, I would have thought you knew the dangers of worshiping false idols." She looked behind him, and Darhk turned to see his idol reduced to little more than small chunks of stone.

Darhk looked back at Laurel, his eyes burning with hatred. "You bitch." He snarled.

"Bitch with a sonic scream." Laurel quipped. She stepped back and gestured for him to attack. "Let's see how good you are without the voodoo, old man." Hearing the others climbing to their feet, she turned her head slightly. "He's mine." She said coldly.

Darhk lunged to his feet and attacked. It may have been some time since he had to fight without his magic- his little scuffle in prison not withstanding- but he was still a highly trained man with years in the League of Assassins behind him. He rushed at Laurel with a flurry of punches and kicks, each blow perfectly aimed to cause maximum damage and maximum pain.

At least, they would have if he had landed any of them. To everyone's astonishment, Laurel ducked, bobbed and weaved, and neatly sidestepped every punch, every kick. She didn't even fight back, instead showing her contempt for him by holding her hands behind her back the entire time. Her smile grew as she sensed his frustration building, until he finally yelled in frustration and threw a wild haymaker right at her face. At that point she brought her hands up, crossing her wrists in front of her face and his fist smashed into the metal bracers that Diana had gifted to her before her return to Man's world.

Darhk cried out in pain as he felt his knuckles crack. Then he felt his stomach drop as he recognized the bracers for what they were. "Amazon." He breathed.

"You're damn right." Laurel growled, taking a fighting stance. "And I've waited for over a century for this moment." With that, she attacked.

She paid no mind to the others behind her. She ignored the her sister, her father (though she planned to have words with both him and Oliver for letting him be here in the first place later), her friends, her family... she focused only on her target. Her blows were sharp and powerful, breaking or bypassing his defenses with contemptuous ease. A hard kick sent the man sprawling back a good six feet, where he landed- right next to Malcolm's discarded sword. He grabbed it, shot back to his feet and rusehed the original Black Canary.

Seeing this Oliver made to draw an arrow, but he was stopped by Nyssa. "Fear not, husband." She said with a small smile. "Laurel has this well in hand." Indeed, while Laurel gave up ground to Darhk, he still was unable to break through her defenses. The blows she didn't outright dodge she managed to block with the bracers. Darhk lunged, and Laurel spun around him, kicking him in the kidney and sending him stumbling forward while she drew her own sword and engaged. Over one hundred years of sword training under both Diana and Artemis made her more than an equal against Darhk and his rather rusty skills.

Ruvè, seeing her husband in trouble, lunged for the nearest gun. Speedy saw and drew an arrow to fire, but before she even knocked it a golden lasso wrapped around the Mayor's body, pinning her arms to her side, and then drew her back with a hard tug. The woman slammed into the ruined mainframe and slid to the ground in a daze, and Thea looked at amazement as one of the tallest, most well-built women she had ever seen stepped up to Ruvè. In one hand she held the end of the lasso, and in the other she held her sword. She lay the edge of the blade against the Mayor's throat; a clear warning not to move, then looked back at Thea and winked.

"About time you got here, Diana!" Laurel called as she forced Darhk back. "What kept you?"

"My apologies, a few of these soldiers delayed me." She replied. "The authorities will be here shortly." She added.

Laurel nodded. She spied Thea's sword on the ground and maneuvered them towards it. As Darhk moved steadily back and she approached it, she switched her own sword into her non-dominate hand, then hooked the toe of her boot under the other sword and kicked, popping the blade into the air. As she forced Darhk's sword up and away she deftly caught the other sword by the hilt and, in one fluid motion, thrust it forward into Darhk's chest.

Damien gave a gasp of surprise, and didn't resist as Laurel knocked his sword from his hand. She stepped in close and placed the flat of her Amazonian sword against the back of his neck. "Damien, when you get to hell, I want you to give the devil a message. Tell him—" She thrust Thea's sword in even deeper; the blade erupting from his back even as she pulled him forward with the other sword. "— that the Black Canary sent you." With a triumphant yell she withdrew Thea's sword even as she brought her own sword around and, in one fluid motion, cut off his head. She watched in satisfaction as his lifeless body collapsed to the ground, then sheathed her sword and made her way over to Ruvè. "Laurel—" Oliver began, but she ignored him, instead crouching down to look the glaring woman in the face. "Well, after much consideration, I've decided not to accept the job of District Attorney." She smirked. "Hope you don't mind."

"You actually think you've won, don't you?" she spat. "Do you honestly think that you can come in here, destroy all of our work, kill my husband, and just walk away?"

"Yes." Laurel replied at once.

"I'll expose you. All of you! If I have to go to jail, you will all be my cellmates!" Laurel laughed outright. "Do you think I'm joking?"

Still smiling, Laurel looked up at Diana. From a pouch on her belt, Diana removed a smartphone and handed it to Laurel, who turned it on. After a moment, she turned the phone so that Ruvè could see the news clip that was playing.

Namely, a clip that showed Oliver, Diggle, Thea, Quentin, as well as Felicity and Curtis, downtown at an impromptu rally where Oliver was giving an impassioned speech to a large crowd of Star City residents. Only she saw that it wasn't a clip, but a live feed. She looked up at Laurel, dumbfounded.

"How…"

Laurel shrugged. "Some wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. I stopped trying to figure it out decades ago." With that she slugged the woman with the hilt of Thea's sword, knocking her out. She nodded in thanks to Diana, who quickly wound her lasso back and placed it on her hip. Laurel rose and headed over to Thea. She handed her the sword, which the younger girl automatically placed back in its scabbard. She stared at her friend in wonderment. "H-how…"

"You have questions. All of you," she looked around. Mick and Firestorm were helping the injured Ray to his feet, and her father was leaning on Diggle. "And I owe you answers. But the cops are coming, so let's all regroup at the bunker. There, I swear I'll tell you everything." She smiled at her father, then turned and walked out with Diana.

Oliver watched helplessly as the two women walked out, then sighed in frustration. He turned to demand answers from Nyssa, but she, Anissa, and the rest of the assassins had already melted back into the shadows. He knew that Nyssa had known about Laurel, and had kept it a secret from him. 'So that's what that feels like.' He thought wearily. Out loud, he merely growled "Let's get out of here." A moment later, Team Arrow and the Legends faded into the shadows as well, mere moments before the police arrived.

By the time Team Arrow made it back to the bunker, Felicity and Curtis were watching the replay of Oliver's speech in dumbfounded amazement. Felicity looked up at Oliver hopefully as he placed his bow on the nearest table. "Is it true?" she asked. "Was it really—"

"It looked and sounded like her." Oliver replied. "But Barry has been dealing with doppelgangers from another reality for months. We need to anticipate that this… 'Laurel'…. May be nothing more than a copy from another universe."

"This is our lives now." Thea said in wonderment. "Double or not, that was Laurel."

"Well, believe it or not, that's just the second weirdest thing that's happened tonight." Felicity said, pointing to the screen. Even Oliver was taken aback to see himself speaking.

"How the hell?" Roy asked. "More doubles, like Laurel?"

"Laurel was no double." Nyssa said as she and Anissa entered the Bunker. "Nor was she a doppelganger from another dimension."

"As strange as it is to say THAT." Anissa added under her breath.

Oliver stalked towards his 'wife'. "You knew." He seethed. "You knew Laurel was alive!"

"Of course I did." She replied smoothly. "I was the one to fake her death."

There was silence as Team Arrow took that in.

"Where is she?!" Everyone turned to see Sara leading the Legends into the Bunker from the garage. Snart and Mick helped the limping Ray Palmer onto a Med table on the way. Sara meanwhile stalked towards Oliver. "Ollie, I swear to god—"

"I didn't know either." He said quickly.

Sara rounded on her father, but he merely shrugged. "Ask your girlfriend."

She turned to Nyssa. They hadn't seen each other since before she had gotten her soul back, but the delight in seeing her again was tempered by the lies she apparently told. "Nyssa—"

"I will explain everything, once Laurel joins us." She promised. Before Sara could press her even further, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal Laurel and Diana.

"Laurel?" Quentin said shakily, slowly approaching.

"Hey, Dad." Laurel said with a small sob, before closing the distance and wrapping him up in a tight hug. "Gods, I've missed you." She said softly.

"This is… I can't…" Lance pulled away to stare in wonder at his oldest daugher0 now the second to come back from the dead. "How?"

"I owe you an explanation. All of you." She corrected. Laurel turned to Nyssa. "Why don't you begin?"

Nyssa nodded. "After I had disbanded the League, I decided to make camp just outside of the city limits. I was worried about Damien Darhk, and wanted to be close in case you needed aid." She said to Oliver. "Several assassins loyal to me stayed as well. But when you managed to negate Darhk's powers and put him in prison, I foolishly believed that would be the end of it. And so I sent my loyalists away, but remained close by, just in case. That proved to be both a blessing and a curse when I learned of Malcolm Merlyn's plans to restore Darhk's powers and break him out of prison. I sent out a call for my people to return and set off at once to Iron Heights, but by the time I got there, it was over. I learned of Laurel's injury, and so I put into motion a plan that would both save her life, and protect the lives of those closest to her."

"By faking her death." Oliver said with a glare. "How?"

"There are many poisons the League had used over the years that could closely mimic death. I was able to procure one and administer it to her while she was being transferred to her room at Starling General."

"You do like poisoning me." Laurel said fondly.

"We were with her the entire time she was in the hospital." Oliver argued. "I never saw you there!"

"It's not surprising, husband. You all were a bit preoccupied at the time." Nyssa remarked casually. "In any event, the poison took effect and Laurel was pronounced dead. It was then I was able to move onto the second phase of my plan."

"Let's stick with the first phase for a minute." Quentin said coldly. "Why the hell did you fake her death? What purpose did that serve to put us all through that grief?"

"I am sorry for the pain I caused you, Captain Lance." Nyssa said sincerely. "But it was a necessary deception to save your life, and the lives of everyone that was close to Laurel. You betrayed Damien Darhk." She continued. "He was now in the position to punish you. And he did, by seemingly killing your daughter. With her 'dead', and you grieving, he could move on to concentrate on Genesis."

"He would feel that you were suffering more grieving for your daughter than you would be if he went and killed you." Anissa added.

"Okay, I get that." Lance conceded. "But that doesn't mean you couldn't just tell us—"

"Damien Darhk was an expert at deceiving, and at discovering if he was being deceived." Nyssa interrupted. "If he sensed even the slightest hint that Laurel was still alive, he would have killed you. And your ex-wife, and Miss Queen," she nodded at Thea, "And anyone else that was close to her. He would have held up his plans and launched a full-out assault on you and your team, my husband," she said, looking at Oliver, "before carrying out his plans with minimal resistance. I needed him to basically ignore you all for a time while the second phase of my plan took shape.

"And that is where I came in." Diana said, stepping forward. "I owed Nyssa a debt, and was in a unique position to help both her and Laurel in this matter."

"And who are you?" Felicity asked curiously.

"I am Diana, daughter of Hippolyta of Themyscira, Princess of the Amazons."

There was a beat, and then Thea spoke. "Do you two have a running bet on how long you can make your names or something?" she asked, looking between the Amazon and Nyssa. The question drew a snort of laughter from Laurel and a sarcastic "You'd think so." from Anissa.

Diana herself laughed as well. "Well, us warrior princesses do love our titles." She mused.

"Wait, the Amazons?!" Sara interrupted, looking to Nyssa. "How do you even know any of them, let alone their princess? I thought it was forbidden to even speak of them in Nanda Parbat!"

"About a year before you joined us, I was on a mission when we ran across one another." Nyssa said, nodding towards Diana. "I was able to aid her in her time of need, and as a result, she owed me a debt. With your sister's life at stake, I decided to call it in."

"We have methods of healing on my island that are far more advanced than man's medicine here." Diana remarked. "We were able to heal her and, with my mother's blessing, to train her to fight as an Amazon."

"That would explain how you came back as a super-bad-ass." Thea mused.

"And that also explains the time lock." Rip said, turning to Sara. "Paradise Island- or Themyscira, as they call it- exists outside normal space and time. Once your sister was brought to the island, she did as well. And so any attempt to remove Laurel from an earlier time would cause a rupture in the fabric of space-time that would make the singularity over Central City look like the opening act of a David Copperfield act."

"You waited for over a century…" Oliver mused to himself then paled. He looked at Laurel. "How long were you on that island?"

Laurel stared back at him with a steady gaze. "One hundred and fifty-two years." Threw re audible gaps of shock.

"You look great." Ray noted, wincing as he held an ice pack to his head.

Laurel laughed. "While I was on the island, I didn't age. And it was hard," her breath hitched here. "So incredibly hard some days, not to try and reach out to you, Dad." She took his hand, then looked over at Thea. "Or you, Speedy. But I had to keep silent in order to keep you all safe. I guess I learned the hard way that sometimes, you have to keep a thing a secret to protect the ones you love." She said it to Oliver, but she was looking at Felicity. "No matter how much you don't like it."

"So the Amazons had a way to destroy Darhk's statue-thingie?" Roy asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

Laurel laughed. "While I'm sure they did, and I know that's what Nyssa was counting on, but in the end I found a way myself."

"How?" Oliver wondered. "Marie was able to bust it up, but it took a lot of power. I didn't even see what you did."

"No, but you heard it." Laurel said. "Turns out that everything we know about Metahumans is wrong; at least the part where they were all created by the particle accelerator explosion." She added.

"There have been men with abilities beyond what man would consider normal for centuries." Diana remarked. "And it would appear that Laurel is one of those people."

"That souped-up canary cry?" Sara mused. "You can do that without any tech?"

"Yup." Laurel said, popping the 'P'. And while the idol may have been magical, it was still stone- and damaged stone, at that. And learning to disintegrate stone with my cry was one of the first things I learned."

"Bet that's gonna be fun next time you have sex." Thea said unthinkingly. She blinked as everyone snickered. "I totally pulled a Felicity, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." Felicity said, walking up to Laurel and giving her a hug. "Which is a good thing because I was totally thinking the same thing." She whispered, causing the older woman to chuckle. "I am so glad you're alive, Laurel. I truly am." She told her friend.

"It's good to be back." Laurel replied.

"So, what happens now?" Roy asked.

"Now, Mr. Hunter has to take Ollie, Dig, Dad and Thea back in time about an hour so they can make a speech." Replied, looking at Rip. "The Oracle told me before I left the island."

"And as it has already happened, the Time Masters should actually leave us alone while I do this." Rip opined. "I'll go prep the Waverider."

"Oh, and Mr. Hunter…" he turned- just in time to get punched in the face from Diana. "That was for making empty promises to one of my sisters." She said with a glare.

"Jeeze, Rip. Is there anybody in time you haven't pissed off?" Snart asked sarcastically.

Rip winced as he touched his now bloody lip. "My apologies, Princess. I would have followed through, but your mother is even more scary than you are."

"You merely think that because you don't know me well enough." She turned to Laurel. "I must return to Themyscira now. Know that you, and your family, shall always be welcome on our shores."

The two clasped forearms. "Diana, it's been an honor."

"The honor was mine." Diana replied with a warm smile. "Until we meet again, Sister." With that, the Amazon got back in the elevator and departed.

"Well, why don't we help Palmer here back to the ship." Snart said, helping the still-loopy inventor back to his feet. "We'll see you back at the Waverider, Sara."

"I'll be along shortly." She promised.

Anissa walked up to Laurel and held out the mask and choker. "I believe these belong to you." She noted.

Laurel shook her head. "Keep them. You earned it." She told the younger girl. "Thank you for doing this."

"It's been a privilege, Miss Lance. Perhaps if the Black Canary is seen out of town on occasion, the suspicion will more easily fall off of you."

"You'll have to do that. As soon as you drop me off at the police precinct. After all, how could I be the Black Canary if it was the Black Canary who returned me to the city?"

"I like it." Anissa said with a smile. She turned to Nyssa, who shook her head.

"Go ahead to the Waverider. I need to have words with some people first." The younger girl nodded and left. Nyssa walked up to Laurel and hugged her.

"I have taken so much from your family; I am glad I could give something back." She told Quentin as she pulled away. "And I'm glad I could repay you for the friendship you have given me."

"And I am glad to call you my friend." Laurel replied.

Nyssa stepped back and turned to Sara. "So, was that your boyfriend now?" she wondered idly.

"He's a good friend." Sara countered. "We should totally catch up, if that's okay with your HUSBAND."

"I'm not really her husband." Oliver said tiredly as Sara glared at him.

"According to League law, you are." Nyssa countered with a small smile.

"There's no…." he sighed. "Blame it on her father." He pleaded.

Laurel laughed out loud. "Time travel, magic, Amazons- and the one thing she's stuck on is that her girlfriend was forced to marry her ex-boyfriend." She smiled fondly at her sister. "God, I've missed you, Sara."

The two embraced. "I missed you, too. And when I heard that you died—"

"I know, and I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad that you're okay."

"This proves it, you know." Laurel said with a teasing smile on her lips.

"Proves what?"

"That anything you can do; I can do better."

"Don't joke about that!" Quentin protested as the two sisters burst into giggles. Laurel hugged him in apology.

"I really did miss you." She told him. "And I'm proud that you held it together. But don't think were not going to talk about you going out in the field tonight."

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered. "I'm going to head upstairs and call your mother. And you are going to call her later, no arguments!"

"No arguments." She promised. He followed the Legends out of the main area of the bunker.

Laurel turned to Oliver. "Give me a hug?" she asked.

Oliver smiled and hugged her. "Always." He said. "I am glad you are alive. The world was a darker place without you in it."

"Thanks." She glanced over at Thea and Roy. "Did you…"

"Felicity has been working on clearing Roy's name. And yes, I've been trying more at being her brother." He shook his head. "I'm ashamed at how badly I've done over the past year. Four years, really."

"It takes time." She said simply. "Just don't take too much."

Oliver nodded. "I better go get changed." With that, he headed for the locker room to get back into his civvies.

Thea came up and hugged her, hard. "Promise me you'll never do that again." She said, sniffling as the tears started to flow.

Laurel sighed. "I wish I could, Speedy. But we both know that would be a lie. But I do promise I will fight my hardest to get back to you, no matter what." She pulled back and smiled. "Okay?"

Thea sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Yeah, okay."

Roy stepped up next to Thea. "It's good to have you back, Counselor." He said with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, Roy." Laurel replied warmly. Roy had been the first of Team Arrow to welcome her, and he would always have a special place in her heart for him. She smiled as Roy took Thea's hand and led her back to the locker room, then she turned to face Diggle. The grief and guilt was all over his face.

"Laurel—"

"Don't." she said simply. "You don't have to apologize to me, John."

"It was my fault—" he started, but she cut him off again.

"For what, believing in your brother?" she countered. "For hoping he was a better man; the better man you remembered? I can't ask you to apologize for that! Hell, I brought my own sister back into our lives when she was little more than a soulless killing machine!"

"Yeah, but she was able to get her soul back." Dig said.

"And your brother sold his soul to the devil." Laurel replied. "But he was still your brother, and you still loved him. He made his own choices, so let him carry his own guilt. Don't carry it for him." She gave him a hug. "And if you need to hear it, then fine. I forgive you." She said, pulling back and giving him a smile. "Now go get dressed. We can't be late for Oliver's speech."

"Can you be late if you're using time travel to get there?" he asked wryly as he too headed for the lockers.

Laurel laughed, then turned to Curtis. He shrugged and gave her a hug. "I don't really know you," he began, "But Miss Smoak was devastated when you died. So was everyone else here. So I'm happy you're alive as well."

"Thank you, Curtis." Laurel said with a warm smile.

"How does it feel to be back?" he asked.

"Pretty terrific." She replied. "It's good to be back."

"Well," he laughed awkwardly. "I heard the phrase 'time travel', so I'm going to go geek out over this time ship of theirs." He gave her another awkward smile and then walked out, leaving her alone in the middle of the bunker. Laurel took a minute to look around, seeing the case with her original uniform hanging in it, the screens with endless amounts of information streaming across it, the weapons racks, the conference table. She looked around and smiled.

"It's good to be back." She repeated. "Home."

-FINI-

[1] There is a new cast member joining in the next episode. From what I've gathered she is brought to Star City by Nyssa, and takes up the mantle of Black Canary. I have no further information- everything I used I made up.

[2] I'm trying to describe Katie's Black Siren costume from her appearance on The Flash. A set video was mysteriously released shortly before they killed her off of Arrow…..

Author's Note:

Wow.

First, let me give my thoughts on 4x18, as if they need to be any clearer. I thought it was complete and utter bullshit and a tremendous disservice to both the character of Laurel Lance and the actress Katie Cassidy. And let me tell you why.

I could accept (though I would hate it) Laurel being killed off if the story had been:

She became so confident in her abilities that she became OVERconfident, thus leading to her death in the field.

She brought her sister back from the dead. Magic ALWAYS has a price. Therefore, if Sara were to live, then Laurel would have to die.

She died heroically saving her friends in the field from Darhk and/or his Ghosts.

And they could have done that. The thing is, they could have done any of those three suggestions above or a combination of two of them, and I would have accepted it. Hated it, but accepted it.

EXCEPT

The producers have been BRAGGING all season about not knowing who is in the grave. They said it immediately after the first episode aired. They've repeated it several times since then. Hell, I went to Heroes and Villains: Chicago, and got to ask Katie Cassidy herself if she was the one in the grave, and her response was "Not even we know who is in the grave." (Side note- she told me this after that episode had been filmed, I think. At least after she had been told. So at that point she was just preserving the mystery for the fans. Also I think she had gotten MAYBE 3 hours of sleep in a 3-day period, and she was EXHAUSTED, so maybe she was just on autopilot at that point.) But the fact is they sprung this on her when they filmed 4x17, the episode before. And then during 4x18, they made it blatantly clear they were killing her off with the whole 'One last time' bit. Then she gets killed because Diggle wouldn't believe that Andy may have been working for Darhk all along, and because Oliver didn't just GROUND THE PIECES OF THE IDOL INTO DUST or have the pieces shipped off to various parts of the world, and instead reassembled it like the world's most evil jigsaw puzzle. And kept it in a place that he KNEW Malcolm knew the location of, instead of moving it to another, more secure and unknown location.

Also, the producers further telegraphed her death because, due to the fact that a paparazzi shot from the set of Legends revealed Laurel's tombstone, they announced that Katie would both be voicing Laurel on Season 2 of Vixen, and appear as Black Siren, the Earth 2 version of Black Canary, on The Flash.

As a fan, I have enjoyed this season more than Season 3. Even though, as I look back, they made the same mistakes, and had even more horrible writing. I think I enjoyed it because Neal McDonough is such a good actor, I love seeing him on screen- even though I still have no idea WHAT THE FUCKING PLAN IS. Last season I blamed my dislike on the fact that the showrunners were stretched too thin with launching The Flash. But this season is even more clear- the blame is on the fact that the producers can' even make a fucking outline for the season, instead deciding to write it week to week. It shows in the poor logic, it shows in the pointless flashbacks (still more enjoyable than last years, because at least these don't feel too much like it's being dragged out), it shows in the lack of care shown to characters that we love and admire. It shows in the horrible pacing that doesn't make clear how much time has passed, so that it feels like Felicity is walking three weeks after being told the paralysis was permanent. It shows in the fact that Thea is apparently still dating Alex, for… reasons. It shows in that Andy was apparently tailing Team Arrow, when we haven't seen him in months. It shows in the fact that Laurel called Oliver the love of her life, and Tommy wasn't even mentioned. It shows in the fact that for some reason they had to shoehorn in Laurel telling Oliver to find his way back to Felicity (even though that little nugget didn't bother me as much as most).

It shows in the fact that they are on YET ANOTHER HIATUS!

They have one chance. One chance to make it right. If they bring over Black Siren to Earth 1 and have her as either the Big Bad for Season 5, or as a hero forced off of her Earth and forced to adapt to living on this one, I can still go with this show. If they set that up in the final moments of Season 4, so much the better- they got their hook for Season 5. But if it's more of the same; if Laurel stays dead, if they continue to sacrifice characters for no other reason than Guggenheim and Berlanti thinks they have to, then I am done.

Now you might be thinking: "Well, we still have The Flash. Or Legends of Tomorrow. Or Supergirl. But how long until these same problems infect those shows? How long until they start killing off characters because they think they have to? I figured Winn or Alex would die at the end of Season 1 of Supergirl, but now it's just as likely that they'll kill of Jimmy Olsen or Kat Grant, because that'll SHOCK THE HELL OUT OF YOU!

Mr. Guggenheim, Mr. Berlanti, Mr. Kriesberg, Miss Mericle, a piece of advice. I know you are trying your best to be Joss Whedon. Well, you are not Joss Whedon. You have never BEEN Joss Whedon. You will NEVER BE Joss Whedon. So stop trying so fucking hard, or all you will kill is the show when the audience leaves in droves. You know, the audience? Those people on the internet you profess to not caring what they think?

Laurel Lance deserved better.

Katie Cassidy deserved better.

We, the fans of Arrow, deserved better.

-Andrew Niehaus

Naitch03

AnakinFlair