Oliver felt the brisk cool breeze blow roughly against his bruised face as he ran towards the edge of Lian Yu. On all sides, tall trees towered over its guests' heads, allowing only little patches of the rocky terrain to receive the sun's warmth. The thick forest would have felt claustrophobic to any outsider who stepped inside its cold hearth, though the man currently running through its woods was far from an outsider to its many perils. As most visitors soon discovered, Lian Yu was more treacherous than it first might seem.

He felt the trees' long branches brush harshly against his arms and legs, abrading small sections of the emerald green leather that covered his masculine body. His feet moved faster than a racing bullet, his mind set on only one thing, saving his son.

I'm not going to let Chase win! He can't have my son, and I'm going to use every breath in my body to make sure of it.

He skidded to a sudden stop at the island's edge, his lungs gasping for breath. All sense would dictate that a rest was required, but sense was nothing compared to a father's will to protect his child. It took no more than five seconds for his eyes to lock onto his target, Adrian Chase. He stood on a small ferry boat, water slowly splashing in an upward motion as its rusty motor roared to life. His face was cut up in several places, dried blood smeared onto the left side of his forehead from their earlier encounter. Adrian smiled back at Oliver, his empty hands swaying at his sides, tauntingly.

No distance he tries to put between us is going to stop me from reaching him.

Oliver quickly ran closer to the waterfront's edge, using his built momentum to leap over a nearby ledge and onto the wooden docking bridge. His short, tousled light brown hair blew in the wind as he charged down the bridge's pathway, his bow clutched tightly in his right hand. Without a second's thought, Oliver threw himself at the boat's front railing, his heavy boots pounding against the boat's side with an abrupt thud! His stomach lurched forward as he gripped the inner bars of the boat's support, hoisting himself up to its head.

There you are.

Oliver jumped downward, his fist colliding with Adrian's face as he successfully made it to the deck. Adrian stumbled slightly backwards, reeling from his enemy's powerful punch. Oliver used this opening to pin Adrian against the boat's edge, the latter's legs lying feebly against the ground. Clearly, the prior duel had drained him severely, though energy was not necessary for his prepared plan.

"Where's William!" Oliver demanded, his hand gripping Adrian's dirtied olive body armor.

Adrian conveyed his sentiments with a cock of his twisted head, his smirk widening as the boat's engine once again roared in their ears. He enjoyed the thrill of watching his enemy suffer from a pain far worse than death, the possible loss of his son.

How can he stand there so smugly as he puts the very thing closest to my heart in danger?!

Oliver pressed his knee firmly against Adrian's leg, allowing no opening for escape.

"Where, is, William!" shouted Oliver, each word in unison with his fist as it collided repetitively with Adrian's face.

His voice held a tone that he rarely displayed, especially in the field.

He was afraid.

"You really love that kid, don't you?" remarked Adrian, smacking his lips in an attempt to wipe off the fresh blood.

"Adrian!" boomed Oliver, his voice echoing across the baron waters surrounding the boat.

In his rage, Oliver picked his enemy up and threw him across the deck, letting his ribs slam against the steering wheel. The boat stopped suddenly, sending the two men tumbling backwards as the wheel inadvertently spun from the impact. Oliver instinctively gripped the back rail with his hand, maintaining steady balance as the boat swerved to the left.

"For an absentee father, your devotion is impressive," panted Adrian, his right hand resting against his broken ribs.

Oliver held a steady hand above his quiver, his fingertips touching the top of an arrow's nock.

What game does he think he's playing?!

"You keep on worrying about your kid when everyone else you care about is on an island about to get blown sky high," scoffed Adrian as he laid his head back against the boat's side.

"My friends and my team can take care of themselves," stated Oliver, firmly.

I won't let him scare me with that, not anymore.

"By using my plane to escape, right?" confirmed Adrian, knowingly.

Oliver didn't respond, his gaze still locked on the man lying in front of him.

"Oliver, do you copy?" asked Felicity, anxiously through the comm.

"Yeah, I'm here. Talk to me," answered Oliver, worry flooding his chest like a toxic poison.

"Chase sabotaged the plane. We can't get off the island," explained Felicity, her voice squeaky.

He hated hearing how afraid she was, but he knew his attention had to be fully focused on saving his son.

"There's an Argus supply ship on the eastern shore," reasoned Oliver, his mind racing faster as each second ticked past.

Nobody was going to die.

"But that's all the way on the other side of the island," countered Felicity, skeptically.

"Slade knows where it is, just get there and..." but he was abruptly cut off.

"They'll never make it in time. Plus, we're not finished here," stated Adrian as he pulled someone out from the ferry's room.

The very moment the metal door opened, Oliver's heart nearly stopped.

William.

He wore the same appearance now as he had during the video message Oliver had only seen hours prior, a red and white striped t-shirt, blue hoodie, green bomber jacket, and khaki brown pants, only a little muddier this time. He was absolutely terrified, though his bravery seemed to preserve past his fear as Oliver noticed that he was closer to tears than William.

If only I could tell him that his father was standing here, maybe it would bring him more comfort.

Adrian grabbed the kid by the shoulders, securing his right arm around William's neck.

"No," breathed Oliver, immediately aiming his armed bow at Adrian.

"Don't do that. Even if you had a shot, you already told me you wouldn't kill me," sighed Adrian, derisively.

Oliver stood motionless, his position never wavering.

"But have the circumstances finally changed?" asked Adrian as he used one arm to grip William tighter.

"If I die, everyone you care about dies, except your son. But if you don't kill me, I kill him," declared Adrian.

"You, you son of a bitch," cried Oliver, tears starting to well in his eyes.

William should have never been brought into this. He's just a kid.

"What's it going to be, Oliver? William or everyone else? You choose, right now," pushed Adrian, shifting his feet irritably.

Desperation consumed Oliver's whole body as he looked into his son's scared eyes.

"Either way, it proves me right. It's exactly like I told you, everyone around you, everything you touch, burns," spat Adrian, hatred pouring into his every syllable.

I know what I have to do.

Oliver slowly lowered his bow, a look of defeat covering his face. Adrian nodded, acceptingly as he gripped William tighter around the neck. But as he lowered the bow, an arrow released from its serving, sending the projectile straight into Adrian's left leg.

Adrian fell onto the ground, releasing William from his firm grasp as he reeled from the searing pain that radiated below his knee. William ran to his father, Oliver immediately placing a hand on each of his cheeks.

"Hey, are you okay? Did he hurt you? You alright?" asked Oliver, frantically as he looked his son up and down.

William just nodded, too overwhelmed to respond to his father's questions, though Oliver would never have expected more.

"He's going to be fine," sighed Adrian, rolling his eyes as he pressed his hand against his broken-ribbed chest.

"Don't you talk to him! Don't even look at him!" yelled Oliver, pointing accusingly at Adrian, his hand now shaking in anger before wrapping his arms tightly around his son.

He's okay.

"You won. Your son has his father back and he learned exactly who you are," admitted Adrian, distantly.

Oliver said nothing as he stared down at his enemy, both arms still wrapped around William's chest as he clung to his father for protection.

"Just like you learned exactly who your father was on these very waters," continued Adrian, his eyes drifting from Oliver's gaze for a few seconds as he watched the water swish calmly against the island's shore.

"What?" said Oliver in confusion.

"William's younger than you were, so he's gonna be fine with you," said Adrian, looking Oliver in the eyes, honestly.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Oliver, one arm still wrapped around his boy.

But he lost, didn't he?

"And you'll have each other, which is good," nodded Adrian, his panting getting heavier with each breath.

"Because it's going to be lonely without mom and Felicity," finished Adrian, pulling a pistol from his side holster and pointing it at the side of his head.

"No, Adrian!" shouted Oliver, reaching out a hand desperately to pull away the weapon, but it was too late.

Bang!

The most Oliver could do was shield his son's eyes as he looked on in horror, knowing what was about to come next.

Orange flames engulfed the sky above the island several feet away from where the boat had stopped, followed soon by massive clouds of black smoke and ash.

Everything was gone.