Last night....

After Blake had helped staged the accident, he was forced to take the city bus back home without any other means of transportation. He sat by a window near the back, contemplating the events of this long, crazy night. He didn't mind, though. It helped him to relax and consider the offer that Benjamin had made. There were few others on the bus at this time of night, which also helped with his current state, just a couple of friends, a late shift construction worker heading home, and a young woman reading a book. Blake still had no idea what he had gotten dragged into or how to proceed with the offer.

However, his thought process was suddenly interrupted by loud voices.

The bus had made a stop and seemed to have picked up a more rowdy bunch. There were five of them, dressed as a typical gang of punks, and carrying booze. The bus driver tried to enforce the rules about alcohol on a bus upon realizing the drinks, but they just brushed past him without a single care about the rules. Blake rolled his eyes at the less than thrilling thought of now having to deal with these thugs for perhaps the rest of the way home. They didn't seem to take any notice of him as he was still off to the side, but they didn't shy away from intimidating and bullying the two friends, forcing them off the bus. Then, they got in the face of the construction worker, who clearly wanted to stand his ground, but what was he going to do against five guys on his own? Unfortunately, nothing except squeeze through them to exit the bus. The driver continued to try and tell them off the bus, but they just ignored him.

Finally, the gang moved to where the young lady was sitting, surrounding her while attempting to swoon her. Clearly, she was uncomfortable and starting to fear for her safety, but that only spurred these guys on. Blake saw this and had only one thought in his mind:

'Hell no! This ain't happenin'

Blake rose from his seat to lead the bus driver out. He protested, of course, wanting to get these punks off his bus, but Blake calmly assured him to trust him. Once he was out, Blake closed the door and stood at the front of the bus. The gang of punks quickly switched their attention from the girl to the six foot five muscular gentleman staring daggers at them.

"Woah, check out the big boy over here," one of them mocked.

"The hell you doing, man?" Another asked, foolishly attempting to intimate.

Blake just smirked as he cracked a few knuckles.

"I'm just hoping you punks like hospital food..."

"Oooo," the thugs simultaneously mocked before a couple of them laughed.

"Big boy thinks he's tough!"

"Yea, right! We'll see about that." One of them quickly approaches Blake and throws a punch.

Effortlessly, Blake catches his fist with one hand. The cocky smile on the thug immediately drops, replaced by a cry of agony as Duncan crushes his hand while bending his wrist and arm back.

"Hey!" Another punk shouted as he charged at Blake, only to be knocked back into a seat with a straight kick.

Duncan then drops the first guy's arm, only to back elbow him and swing his backfist at him, colliding his head with the plastic glass of the driver's booth and knocking him out. The second punk jumped out of the seat to retaliate but only ran into a stiff gut punch that knocked the air out of him. He then lost a few teeth from a big uppercut before being permanently laid out with a hard left hook. The other three stood in shock and anger as Blake started moving towards them. One of them started throwing the bottles at him, but Blake ducked and dodged each one. Finally, the guy rushed at him with one of the bottles, but he made it too easy for Blake to catch, disarm, and smack him with the bottle. He was knocked back, using the seats on either side to stay afoot before being handed another bottle by one of his friends. He smashed it over another seat before swinging the sharp, broken edge at him. Blake dodged the slashes before bouncing his bottle right off the head of the punk, a big 'thonk' sounding before more glass shattering, both from the first bottle crashing to the floor and the broken bottle being knocked out of the punk's hand. Duncan gave him a little jab, further infuriating his current target before he attempted a kick, but Blake caught his leg before kneeing his shin and driving his elbow down. The punk continued to scream as the sickening crunching sounds of his leg twisting echoed through the bus. The remaining two street thugs just watched with disturbed horror as their buddy had his leg broken in at least three different places. The fourth guy jumped at him, looking for a surprise attack, only for his punch to be blocked and have a knee driven into his gut. Blake then smashes his head temples first into the bars around the chairs on either side of him. One last knee to the face and he was out for good.

At last, it was just Blake and one other guy, the last of the gang. He looked petrified beyond belief. He should've just run away or sat down in surrender. Instead, he pulled out a switchblade, causing Blake to scoff a laugh.

"Boy, you're about the dumbest of them all, aren't you?"

The idiot moved to stab him, but Blake caught him by the wrist before headbutting his nose, breaking it, and putting his arm in a Kimura lock. The final punk screamed as his arm snapped, forcing him to drop the knife before his head got rammed into the edge of a seat. Blake then slams him down hard on the platform before laying three massive punches, rendering the last threat unconscious.

He glanced over his shoulder to ensure the rest of the gang was still immobilized. Each of them was either knocked out or painfully moaning on the floor. He then switches his gaze toward the young lady, who had a stunned expression from what she had just witnessed. Blake couldn't help but smirk from the ordeal.

"Sorry about that. I know I went a little over," he casually says before picking up the switchblade and standing up.

He closes the blade before offering to the girl, further surprising her.

"Can never be too careful these days."

She nods a little before slowly taking the knife.

"Thank you..." she gratefully says, receiving a smiling nod from her protector.

Duncan makes his way off the bus, stepping over the wounded bodies as he goes. He opens the door and makes it outside, where the bus driver is still standing with stunned silence.

"Sorry about the mess," Blake quickly apologizes before casually strolling down the sidewalk, walking the rest of the way home.

X

"I have to say, between last night and helping your family last month, it felt good to be fighting for something that counts again," Blake admits after revealing the events of last night to Benjamin.

"So, I take it you're in?" Ben asks with a hopeful grin.

"Yea, I'm in," he proudly nods. "Besides, the thing about a job like this is that it takes a piece of you the more you commit to it. You need someone to remind you of who you are; that you're not the job, you're still you. For that, you can always count on me."

He held out his hand for Ben to shake, which he proudly did, especially after the kind words spoken by Blake.

"Welcome aboard, partner," he happily replied, sealing the deal for their newfound alliance. "Come on. Let's go for a little ride."

X

Back at the police station, the four squadron members returned to their office area, a mixture of emotions after their interview with their only suspect, Benjamin.

"I'm telling you guys, it's him," Kevin stated as they entered. "The way he reacted when we showed him that footage, it has to be. He was hiding something."

Josh rolled his eyes with irritation before Sami replied.

"Maybe, but let's not jump too far ahead. It may seem obvious that it's him, but that doesn't always make 'em guilty."

"True, but-"

"Gentlemen!" Someone cut off before Kevin could reply.

The unit turned to see the man who spoke approaching.

This is Commissioner Brian Nudocerdo of the SCPD.

"Commissioner," Cody politely greeted, although they all knew this wouldn't be a pleasant conversation.

"I was under the impression you four had a suspect; and yet, I don't see any arrest?"

"We... do have a suspect, sir, just not enough physical proof, yet," Cody answers, remaining professional and respectful as always, although has never been one to like the Commissioner's guts.

"Proof?! Everything you've obtained so far isn't proof enough?!" He continues to grow angrier with the conversation.

"No, sir, not for this one," Cody continues with a pleading tone, the others knowing well enough to let him do the talking. "I know you're under a lot of pressure right now, but-"

"You're damn right I'm under a lot of pressure! And frankly, so should you be, along with your team here! There's a lot of important people in this city who are upset, scared, and are expecting results!"

"Sir, with all due respect, this suspect's family is the very heart and soul of this city; not to mention one of the most powerful in the country. If we're right about this, we can't leave any room for mistakes. Otherwise, this whole department may get cleared out." He managed to reach his level of understanding.

Unfortunately, it did his current mood no favors.

"Well, you better start showing some serious effort, which I don't consider taking your beloved sergeant off the case as such." He darted his eyes toward Fatu, who silently took exception to being singled out. "This case is your top priority, gentlemen. If you can't do your jobs, then maybe it's just the Major Crimes Division that needs to be cleared out."

He then stomped past them, not caring if he brushed by them too harshly.

"I'm sure you four may like to think of this guy as some sort of modern-day Robin Hood like many others in this city," he says as he walks off, but then stops to turn back towards them. "Except, here's the thing people tend to forget: Robin Hood was a criminal, and so is the Arrow."

He walks off without any more spoken words, leaving an angry quadruple taskforce, especially with Josh, who quietly scoffed once the Commissioner was gone.

"Miserable piece a' shit is one to talk about criminals... as long as he ain't sharing no drinks with them," he muttered to his unit.

"Yea, he may be an asshole, but he does have a point," Kevin noted, receiving a defensive look from the sergeant. "Don't hate me, Jey. I know this guy saved your girl, but he is still a guy who takes the law into his own hands. I just thought you didn't support people like that?"

Josh shook his head.

"Man, I don't! But in a city full of killers and drug dealers and such, you really think imma lose sleep over a guy who plays dress up and shoots some arrows? Hell no, man! Besides, you know as well as I know that he ain't breathin' down our necks because of the law....."

Kevin sighs in defeat as he knows the point Josh has, and that he's most likely right about the Commissioner's agenda.

"Come on guys," Cody interrupted. "We need to get back to work."

X

Meanwhile, Benjamin and Blake are arriving at the Arrow Cave, exiting the car before walking up, or limping up in Benjamin's case, to the front entrance.

"Now Blake, I'm willing to trust you with everything. What's mine is yours; but once you enter here, there's no backing out. So, I need to know if you're absolutely sure, if you're really in a hundred percent?"

"I'm in... all the way," he responds without even a hint of hesitation, earning a smirk from McFarland.

"Two-four-eighty-eight," he nods toward the keypad, a way of signaling the trust he spoke about.

Duncan punches in the code and immediately hears the door unlock. Benjamin politely opens the door for his new partner.

"After you..."

Blake nods in gratitude before entering, letting out a long whistle as he takes in the sight before him.

"Hell of a setup," he compliments.

"Thanks, got a hell of a decorator," Ben replies while shutting and locking the door. "This is the center of everything we do from here on out," he informs as they step further inside. "I'm sure you'll wanna add some weapons of your own; but other than that, everything we need is right here."

"What's the mission?" Blake asks, getting right to the important bit.

"Picking up where I left off last night with Stellmoor International, along with our new friend, Komodo."

He painfully grunts as he takes a seat, Duncan taking the extra chair across from him.

"And what about the police?" He notably asks.

"Don't worry, I expected this, part of why I was hoping you'd agree to this now," he revealed.

"Wait, what're you saying, you wanted them to suspect you?" Blake asks with shock and confusion.

"I mean, come on, man. It was only a matter of time before somebody started to suspect me, but I have the perfect way to ensure they don't ever suspect us again. Now that you're here, we can set that into motion while focusing on our main task at the same time." He types away on his computer before bringing up the layout on Stellmoor International.

Blake starts to understand where he's going with this and tries to trust him with it.

"Alright, but we need to figure out who this Komodo guy really is," he wisely noted, but Benjamin had an immediate response.

"I already know who he is, I've always known, last night just confirmed it, especially when he spoke about this." He shows off his Arrow Totem.

Blake furrowed his brow before asking, "Who is he?"

Benjamin glances back up at him.

"It's Simon Lacroix, the owner of the company himself."

Blake grows surprised, never imagining a guy like Simon would secretly be someone like Komodo. Then again, he wouldn't imagine a guy like Benjamin to be the Green Arrow either.

"I know about him. I also heard there was some history between you two, but what exactly is it?"

Benjamin dryly smirks as he thinks back to that history.

"Well, to me, he was always a smug bastard because he was, you know, born into poverty, had to build himself from the ground up while I got the privileged life and all that..." Blake laughs with him before he continues. "But I'll give the man his props. He is intelligent, resilient as hell, everything he needed to land a spot in the family business. Most importantly, catch my dad's attention."

Now that caught Blake by great surprise.

"He knew your father, too?"

"Yea, since neither I nor either of my siblings had any real interest in taking the business over at the time, I guess he saw Simon as the heir to his throne that he never got with us. Everywhere my dad went business wise, Simon was never far behind."

"And yet, Simon ends up starting his own company instead of taking yours over?" Blake questioned.

Benjamin nods as he thinks back again to that time.

"About a month before he was killed, my dad and Simon had some sort of falling out. I never cared to ask what had happened, but it must've been something bad. He went straight from being destined for royalty to completely cut off and blacklisted. Now, I think I know why, too."

"How come?" Blake asks.

"Because of this," he raises the Totem once again. "No doubt in my mind he was with Dad when he went looking for this as well. Based on his skillset, I'm guessing he thought himself more worthy of this than I was and trained hard to be exactly that. Dad must've found out he wanted this for himself and felt betrayed for it."

"Then, the very next month, your dad gets assassinated," Blake notably finished while nodding. "It doesn't make sense, though. Your dad was willing to give him everything else, his entire life's work, and yet he betrays him for the one little thing that he's giving to you? What exactly is that thing?"

Benjamin looks down at the final gift from his father.

"According to what my father told me, this was the Totem of an ancient Arrow Clan, supposed to grant it's wearer great enlightenment, which is all that I know. I wasn't with them when they searched for this, so... I don't know. Maybe it has some sort of... hidden value that only Simon knows about, or maybe he got too greedy or something. I don't know, but the bottom line is that he betrayed my dad for this and had him killed for it. Plus, from what the detectives told me, it seems that he wants to destroy everything my dad has ever built, but I'm not gonna let that happen."

Blake nodded along to his words, feeling the determination and defiance seeping from the archer. After how close Blake had become to his family, after all they had done for him, he wasn't going to show any less than Benjamin, nor let Simon Lacroix of all people bring anymore harm to them. It stops here.

"So, what's your plan?"

X

Later that night, it was time to host the dinner that Benjamin had promised with Margot and the two Nicks at the mansion. Julie and Racheal had prepared a big special meal for the actress and the Aldermen with the dining room set up beautifully to perfection. Everything was ready by the time they had arrived and sat at the table.

"This all looks so wonderful, and you have a beautiful home, Mrs. McFarland," Nick Aldis complimented.

"Thank you! It's always a pleasure for us to cook for honorable guests like you," she sweetly replies, receiving bright smiles from the three guests.

"And allow me to express my gratitude toward your song for inviting us here and honoring our dinner plans in spite of the circumstances," Aldis kindly added.

"Nah, I wouldn't have canceled this for anything, and I've already promised to refrain from any more late night joyrides, which I will extend that promise to all of you," Ben assures.

The three guests nod with gratitude, especially Margot, who smiles with glee. Benjamin can't help but admire her beauty for a moment, but his attention is stolen by his sister, who is sitting next to him with a plate full of a ton of food covered in salt.

"Um... Weren't you not feeling well this morning?"

Racheal just shrugs.

"I'm feeling great now, besides hungry..."

Benjamin rolls his eyes before returning his attention to the people across from him.

"So, now that we're all here," Aldis continues, "I'd like to go ahead and dive into why you arranged this dinner for us, my young friend. Margot tells us you have something important to discuss?"

"Yes," Benjamin nods before taking a sip of his drink. "She's made me aware that funding both your campaign and her documentary have been spreading your finances a little thin. I've discussed it with my family and we would like to help."

This peaked the interest of the three guests as they glanced at Julie.

"How so?" Margot asked.

"By hosting a fundraiser for you all at McFarming Industries," Julie answered. "We've hosted them dozens of times for great noble causes and we would be honored to do the same for you three."

The Aldermen grew astonished by the generous offer, with Margot turning to Benjamin with surprise and admiration. However, Mr. Nemeth appeared hesitant about the proposal.

"Not that we don't highly appreciate what you're trying to do for us, but we make an effort to avoid that kind of assistance from high society types, no offense. It just looks hypocritical on our part. Besides, we've had to figure things out before, and we'll figure it out again."

He was polite in his statement, but Benjamin knew where he was coming from.

"It's not what you think," he assures. "The people who come to our fundraisers? They're all true humanitarian types; environmentalists, advocates, crusaders, real fight the good fight and save the world kinds of people. They're the exact types you represent and the type of people you want by your side, who would be proud to stand by yours as well. Just one fundraiser with our people, and you will never need another cent again."

That seemed to break through the hesitation by Nemeth and continue to reach the interest of the three friends. They glanced between each other as if conducting a silent conversation amongst themselves before reaching an agreement.

"Sounds splendid," Margot responds. "When does this take place?"