I apologize for disappearing. I got extremely busy with personal issues. I'm glad to see so many reviews from people that like this story and love Laurel.

Of Monsters and Vigilantes

II. Know Thy Enemy

Days of examining police reports and reading through every last bit of information on Laurel's disappears have all been nothing but dead ends. Oliver shuts his laptop. He sets his elbows on his desk and laces his fingers together. It's as if Dinah Laurel Lance has become nothing but a ghost. Oliver racks his brain for any small detail that might bring him to a lead, but he's at a loss.

Oliver rolls his chair back and turns the chair before rising to his feet. He crosses through his room and turns into the hallway. Oliver retrieves his iPhone from his pocket. The last phone he owned was a flip phone. It would seem that technology has progressed enough that people have small computers in their pockets rather than phones. Oliver dials Tommy's number and places the phone to his ear.

"What's up?" Tommy asks.

"Are we still looking at that old warehouse today?" Oliver asks.

"That was the plan," Tommy says. "I'll be there in about a half an hour."

"I'll see you there," Oliver replies.

"See you there," Tommy says before he ends the call.

Oliver looks down the staircase to see Thea dressed in her school uniform. She rolls her eyes at Oliver and turns her eyes away from him. She's been at odds with him since his return. Oliver puts on his best smile as he walks down the staircase.

"Mom says you're taking me to school today," her tone is filled with mild annoyance.

Oliver forces a smile as he looks to Thea. "Remind me where it is."

"Give me your phone," Thea says with a frustrated sigh.

Oliver unlocked his iPhone and hands it to Thea. Oliver watches as Thea pulls up an application in his phone and types in an address. She hits enter and hands the phone back to Oliver.

Oliver walks to the front door and opens it for Thea. Thea walks passed him with a huff. Oliver draws in a deep breath as he shuts the door behind him. He walks to his car and clicks the button on his keys to unlock his car. He opens the driver's side door and sits in the front seat. Thea sits in the passenger's seat and crosses her arms.

"Put your seatbelt on," Oliver says.

"Why?" Thea's tone is dry. "You never wear yours."

"Just do it, okay," Oliver says with an exasperated sigh.

"Whatever," Thea says as she pulls her seat belt over her chest.

Oliver places his keys in the ignition and turns on the car. He places his left foot on the clutch and lowers the parking brake. Oliver shifts the car into first gear and moves towards the gate. He waits for the gates to open before moving the car out of the Queen Estate.

Thea's arms are crossed as she looks out to the window. "I don't get why you get a car. I passed driver's ed, but mom insisted on giving the new car to you."

"Thea…" Oliver's tone is strained. "Can we not argue while I'm driving?"

"Why not now? You're always hiding in your room!" Thea snaps. "And, when you try to have anything to do with me, you judge me for everything. You don't like me drinking? Fine! But, keep it to yourself! It's not like you were any better when you were my age!"

"Thea, I'm concerned, because I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age," Oliver keeps his tone even and tries to maintain focus on the road. "I have a lot of regrets—"

"Regrets? About what?" Thea argues. "You and Tommy are trying to open a nightclub! You haven't changed Oliver! You just want mom to think you've changed!"

Oliver pulls into the school parking lot. His jaw is tight as he tries to keep his cool. Arguing with her won't make their strained relationship any better. Oliver parks the car and raises the parking brake. He releases a deep breath into the air and selects his next words carefully.

"Tommy and I are opening a nightclub to start a business of our own," Oliver explains. "When I came back, I told myself I wouldn't return to being that trustfund delinquent I was before the Gambit. This is a way for Tommy and I to do something on our own…"

"By opening a bar?" Thea rolls her eyes and opens the car door. "Maybe mom buys your story, but I don't. Look, Ollie, I don't care what you do. Just don't preach as if you know better, because you don't."

Thea slams the car door behind her. Oliver leans back against the seat of his car and lets out a loud groan. His hands tighten around the steering wheel. Dealing with simple family issues has always been a weak point for him, but being away from normal society for five years has made his people skills weaker than they were before.

Oliver lowers the parking brake and reverses the car out of the parking space. He shifts into first gear and drives the car out of the parking lot. He hears his phone ring from his jacket pocket. Oliver reaches for the phone to see Tommy's name on the top center of the screen. Oliver hits answer.

"Are you coming or not?" Tommy asks.

"Sorry, I got tied up taking Thea to school," Oliver replies.

"Well, hurry," Tommy says. "The realtor is waiting on you!"

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," Oliver says before ending the call.

Oliver places his phone back into his pocket and focuses on the open road. He makes a right turn onto the interstate frontage road before merging onto the freeway.

Laurel comes to the forefront of his mind. He remembers their last kiss before boarding the Gambit. He was so young and selfish. If he knew that would be the last time he'd kiss her, he would have held onto that moment like it was some sort of lifeline. She may be lost to him now...forever.

Oliver breathes. He feels as if there is a piece of him missing. He recalls the time he'd returned to the States briefly under the watchful eye of Amanda Waller. He'd seen Laurel at one of Tommy's parties. He'd even dared to call her just to hear the sound of her voice. His chest constricts as he tries to fight back his emotions. No, she can't be gone. There has to be some answer to her disappearance. He'd do anything just to hear the sound of voice, to see her bright smile, to hold her in his arms — but that may never be. It's that very thought that scares him the most.

He moves his car into the exit lane. Oliver descends off the freeway and shifts into the right hand lane. He moves through traffic with ease. His Mercedes Benz sticks out like a sore thumb in the Glades. All the vehicles on the roads have to be at least ten years old. Before the island, Oliver never knew what it was like to go without. He didn't hate the poor. He just didn't care one way or another. The poor were poor and the rich were rich. That's just how life is. Isn't that how Malcolm Merlyn had put it so coldly when Tommy asked?

The island has humbled him. He empathizes with the poor. The people in the Glades suffer, because society has failed them. To clean up the streets isn't just about picking off the men in his father's book. It's about rebuilding communities and helping people that have been kicked down. Society must change if real progress is to be made.

Oliver makes a left hand turn at a traffic light. He slows the car and makes a left hand turn into a street full of warehouses. Oliver sees Tommy's car parked on the side of the street. Oliver slows the car and parks it behind Tommy's car. He takes the keys from the ignition and pulls up the parking brake before exiting the car. Oliver looks over the hood of his car at the abandoned warehouse. It's going to need a lot of work, but it will do nicely.

Oliver closes the car door. He walks in between his and Tommy's car. He walks up a dusty sidewalk. The door to the Warehouse is propped open. Oliver steps inside the dimly lit building. He looks to see Tommy standing with a blonde woman dressed in a deep red pantsuit.

"Mr. Queen," she says. "I'm glad you could make it."

Oliver clears his throat and says, "I...apologize for my tardiness."

"Better late than never," Tommy smiles. "What do you think?"

Oliver does a circle and examines the warehouse. There's an upstairs area that can easily be made into a VIP section. The rest of the warehouse is an open space. Oliver places his hand in his pocket. This place may be just what he is looking for. There's just one last thing he needs to see first.

"It was under my assumption that there was a basement," Oliver says. "Forgive me if I read incorrectly."

"It's towards the back of the warehouse," the real estate agent says. "Would you like to see it, Mr. Queen?"

"Please," Oliver says.

The real estate agent leads the way. Tommy walks by Oliver's side. "You planning on making something out of the basement?"

"I don't have any plans," Oliver says. "It was in the ad. I figured I'd take a look."

The real estate agent opens a dusty metal door. Tommy raises his iPhone and powers up a flashlight through his camera lense. Oliver follows the light and looks down into the dimly lit room.

It's large enough to set up some equipment. He has a vision in his mind of what he hopes for in the future. The basement will do nicely for the picture he invisions in his mind.

Oliver turns back to the real estate agent. "We'll take it."

…

The night air is dry and crisp. He presses his chapped lips into a hardline as he looks over the edge of the building. His grip tightens around the bow in his hand. No one knows. Oliver tries to think back to friends of Laurel's from high school and college. He's searched their social media pages and court records for something - even the slightest little notion of what might have happened to her.

Nothing. All those friends of hers have moved away or just drifted apart from Laurel. She has one good friend that he's never seen before. Joanna de la Vega. She's a legal aid that worked with Laurel at CNRI. Vega is as clean cut as they come. It's wrong to corner her on the street like this, but he has no other choice. Oliver pulls back on his grappling arrow and releases it onto the building across from him. He swings down from the building and drops in front of Vega.

Vega gasps and jumps at the sight of him. Her eyes are wide with terror. Oliver places his palm outwards and lowers his bow. "I'm not here to hurt you. I just need to ask you some questions."

Vega looks to the bow and looks back to him. "Who are you?"

"I watch over this city," Oliver paces around Vega as he speaks. "I'm here to find justice for those that can't find it through your legal system."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!" her eyes are watching him as they dilate in panic.

"Dinah Laurel Lance…" each syllable of her name cuts into him like tiny little knives. "You worked with her...you knew her."

Vega's breath is heavy. She crosses her arms around herself protectively. Her eyes look to the ground for a moment.

"I don't know where she is," he can hear the grief in her voice. "No one does. The police didn't find a body or a sign of a struggle. She had an ex-boyfriend that died. Maybe she had a psychological break down and skipped town."

He can see the fear in her eyes. That's not it. She knows that's not it, but she's too afraid to say anything.

"You know more than what you are telling me," Oliver looks to her. "She was your friend. She helped you get the job at CNRI."

"I'm a legal aid!" Joanna snaps. "How can you expect me to know anything about an investigation of a missing person?"

"Give me a name," Oliver looks to her. "That's all I need."

Her breath hitches in her throat. He sees her ball her fists. She bites her lower lip as her eyes fall onto the asphalt. She releases the tension in her fists and looks back up to Oliver.

"Sean Grell," she says.

"It's dangerous out here," Oliver says. "Go home, Miss Vega."

He pulls a grappling arrow from his quiver and knocks it back against his bow string. He aims for the roof of the building and releases the arrow upwards. The grappling line propels him into the air. Vega, who once looked at him with fear, now looks at him with an astonished look upon her face. She is the first to witness the change that will be brought to his city - the first of many.