Someone stick a fork in me. I'm so done with this week like you wouldn't believe. It was so good just to sit down and write this out.

Team Arrow sets out to rescue Roy, Quentin and Dinah learn something disturbing from Oliver, and Laurel comes face to face with who has now become the team's big bad in Star City.

***

Laurel made no secret that she was not happy to be in her current situation as the police officer led her into an abandoned casino in Star City. When she was stopped in front of Anatoli Knyazev playing solitaire, she remained silent, giving him the nastiest look she could.

He just gave her an innocent look in response. "We got her from here," the man at his right told the officer. "Head back to SCPD before you're missed."

The police officer left, and Anatoli smiled at her. "Laurel! Svozvrashcheniyem." He paused, then tilted his head. "Is it Laurel or Laurel these days? So confusing, this doppelgänger business, but you seem to figure it out."

"I know Diaz killed Cayden James," Laurel told him bluntly.

"He told me," Anatoli shrugged. "No honor among thieves . . . or crime lords, I guess. Oh, well."

Laurel scowled, looking at the Russian Oliver had once considered a friend. "Diaz manipulated you and Talia and Evelyn. He lied to all of you. This whole time, he's had his own agenda. That doesn't bother you?"

"I'm not sentimental," Anatoli shook his head. "I am Russian. I am in this city for two reasons only. One is revenge against Oliver Queen, and two is money. I'm happy to work with whoever can get me either."

"Well, I see two things after you say that," Laurel smirked. "One, good luck getting money because we got it all back. And two? You're also only in this city because the Bratva cast you out."

Anatoli's look soured. "Well, there's that, too."

***

"How'd it go?" Kara asked as the trio exited the elevator.

"There is a fifteen-second window where neither roof guard is watching the HVAC vent," Oliver answered. "We can get in that way."

"All right," Thea nodded, taking a deep breath. "Well, did you see him? Is he OK?"

Oliver paused. "We can get him out," he answered instead.

"I know," Thea nodded. "And I'm coming with you."

Oliver blinked, then opened his mouth, but clicked it shut when Malcolm chuckled. "I'd've thought you were sick if you were about to say you weren't."

"Dad, it's Roy," Thea said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Exactly," Malcolm nodded.

Oliver sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it would be hypocritical of me to tell you not to do this?"

"Would you want us to tell you that if it was Kara who was in there?" Slade raised an eyebrow.

"Point taken," Oliver conceded.

"Besides, I may be the only one who can fit through the vents," Thea said, looking around. "Though it would be entertaining to see any of you try to."

"I'll give it a go," Kara volunteered.

"Kara," Oliver began.

"Don't ruin the reputation, I know, you've said it, but . . . " Kara took a deep breath. "Thea may need a hand getting Roy out. I don't need my hands free to get out of a place like that."

Oliver sighed and nodded. "OK," he looked around. "So Malcolm, Thea, Kara, and I go out there and get Roy."

Thea smiled triumphantly, turning around and walking over to where her bow was contained. "I'm assuming my suit's location hasn't changed since I used it against the Nazis?"

***

The quartet walked across the roof moments later, Thea back in full Speedy attire. "You OK?" Oliver asked.

"It's just like riding a bike," Thea smiled.

"What bike did you get when you were a kid?" Malcolm asked.

"Funny, Dad," Thea glared at him.

Oliver eyed the guards at the hotel. "We can guy you a few extra seconds," he said.

Kara looked at Thea. "You ready for this?"

Thea took a deep breath. "It's Roy. I've been ready."

"That's my girl," Malcolm smiled.

Oliver nodded, drawing an arrow and firing off to his left. The arrow exploded into a shower of fireworks, drawing the attention of the guards. While they were distracted, Kara flew over to the balcony as Malcolm fired a grappling arrow into the wall. Thea hooked her bow over the line and zipped down to the hotel, nimbly dropping onto the balcony as Kara opened up the vent entrance. She climbed in first, holding the vent open for Thea as she ran over. As Kara continued through the vent, Thea climbed inside and shut the vent behind her, just before one of the guards moved around the corner.

***

Really, the bruises all over his body were bad enough, but the phonebook against bruised ribs? Roy really wasn't a fan of that.

But he still didn't give the officers what they were looking for, even as he grunted in pain as the book was hit against his body. "Want to keep going, or you gonna testify?" the officer wielding the book sneered.

Roy heaved for breath, but managed to glare nastily at the cop. "You know, I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure torturing your witness isn't gonna be great for your case."

The cop tossed the phonebook to his partner, sitting down across from Roy. "You don't think we know how to put you in a world of hurt without leaving a mark?"

Roy continued to glare at him, but froze when he saw him pull out a nightstick. Roy swallowed hard, then winced when the officer behind him grabbed his shoulder and placed the phonebook over his torso. The cop in front of him swung hard, and Roy yelled out in pain as the cop dealt blow after blow.

***

"Rao, help him," Kara breathed as she watched through the vent, one hand over her mouth.

Thea had to turn away, tears were filling her eyes. "Are you getting this?" she whispered.

"I'm enhancing their badge numbers," Felicity answered.

"Just when you thought Oliver took down all the crooked cops last year," Dig grumbled.

"I don't know how long I can stay up here without doing something," Kara whispered.

"Just hang on, angel," Oliver told her.

"Oliver's right, there's six more guards in the hall," Felicity said.

"I know it's hard, you two, but you have to wait," Oliver said.

"You'll get him," Malcolm added.

Kara flinched when the next hit came with a cracking noise, and she buried her head in her knees, clasping her hands over her ears as Roy coughed violently. Thea gritted her teeth, rubbing the back of Kara's neck comfortingly. She was about to open the vent and jump down when the cop with the nightstick stood up. "I'm working up an appetite here," he declared, then glared down at Roy. "Hey, we're gonna get some Big Belly Burger. You decide to play nice, I might give you the fries."

"Dad, if you see that one, please give him hell," Thea growled under her breath.

Malcolm's smirk was evident in his response. "Noted."

***

Roy stared after the cops as they left, panting and taking in as much air as he could. He was not looking forward to when they came back.

A creak up above caught his attention, and he looked up to see the vent open, and a figure in red dropped to the ground. Even with her mask on and the hood hiding most of her appearance, Roy recognized her at once, his eyes widening. "Is that my hood?" he asked as Thea hurried behind him, cutting off his restraints. "It looks good on you."

Thea stopped in front of him, mouth opening as she tried to find words. She finally just kissed him, which Roy was all too happy to return. She stepped back, staring at him as if trying to believe he was in front of her, then she stammered out, "I'm sorry if you're seeing someone – "

"I'm not," Roy shook his head, grimacing and wrapping an arm around his stomach. "I didn't take your advice. No kids, no wife, and I really, really hate minivans."

Thea giggled, causing him to smile, then her smile froze. "How did they find you?" she asked.

"I was in St. Roche, and the Star City cops, they tazed me and they threw me in the back of a van," Roy answered, eyes flicking up when he saw more movement from the vent. Given that Thea had already been in there, it had to be someone on her side, so he went back to explaining. "They knew everything. They knew about Oliver, they knew about me faking my death, they – they knew it all."

"SCPD SWAT incoming!" Felicity called over the comms.

More movement came from the vent, and Roy did a double take as a blonde woman in blue and red dropped to the ground. "Can you help him?" Thea asked desperately.

"Try and stop me," she nodded, jogging over. "Just get the door open."

"OK," Thea took a deep breath, heading over to the balcony.

"Wait," Roy blinked, seeing the crest on the woman's suit. "Supergirl?"

"You've heard of me?" Kara tilted her head in surprise.

"Only because the cops were asking about you," Roy admitted. "Though word on the street is you're like a guardian angel."

Laughter came over the comms from multiple places. "Very funny, boys," Kara growled playfully, though she smiled as she took Roy's arm and carefully maneuvered it so it was over her shoulders. "Very funny."

"Guess that's not very original now, kid," Slade couldn't help but say anyway.

"Shut up, Slade," came the expected retort.

Roy winced in pain as Kara helped him stand. "But I'm in no shape to be swinging from rooftops."

"Good thing you won't be swinging," Kara told him, wrapping her other arm around his waist and helping him move. "Hope you're not afraid of heights."

"They're right outside the door!" Slade warned.

Kara turned to look through the door, and she swallowed, looking at Thea. "Get him out," the brunette told her.

"Thea!" Roy protested, then yelped as Kara took off out the window. Barely a second later, an ebony arrow shot past them, a thick cord wrapping around Thea and yanking her out. Roy stumbled as Kara landed on the opposite balcony, and Oliver crouched in front of him. "Roy?" the older man asked in concern, putting his own arm around Roy as well. "Roy!"

Roy spat blood out onto the ground, then gave his mentor a small smile. "I'm OK."

Oliver sighed in relief, then the sound of boots hitting the ground made Roy look up. Thea swayed a bit as she found her footing, and Malcolm helped take the cable from around her. "You OK?" he asked.

"Fine, yeah," Thea nodded, brushing her suit off. "Thanks for the exit."

Malcolm nodded, then saw Roy staring at him. "Roy," he nodded.

"I've gotten to the point I'm hallucinating, haven't I?" Roy finally looked from Oliver to Thea. "Because I swear I'm seeing Malcolm Merlyn right there."

Kara giggled as Malcolm snorted. "We have a lot to catch you up on," Oliver smiled.

***

"Thank you for coming, Alex," Thea said gratefully.

"Well, if you can't go to the hospital, you go to a federal agent on another Earth with the training to work at one," Alex smiled, finishing wrapping Roy's abdomen and stepping back. "And it's not like I could resist meeting the guy who turns you into . . . well, Kara when she's with Oliver."

"Hey!" Kara complained from where she was leaning against the railing.

"She's not wrong, little one," Slade snickered.

"She's really not," Malcolm agreed from where he stood with Oliver.

"You two are the worst brothers ever," Kara pouted.

"No, we're not," both men said at the same time.

"OK, I still think I'm hallucinating," Roy shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Because I'm still having trouble believing that these two are here and apparently part of your team because last I remember, they both wanted to kill you."

"More like manipulate him," Malcolm shook his head.

"Make him suffer," Slade corrected as well.

"You two are not helping your case," Thea sighed, even though she was smiling.

"OK," Roy slowly turned to point at Kara. "And you are an invulnerable alien from a planet that exploded, you live in another universe . . . and you are engaged to Oliver."

"That's the short version, yes," Kara nodded.

"And you're her adoptive sister who got Laurel's suit?" Roy pointed at Alex.

"That's me," Alex confirmed.

"Wow," Roy let out his breath in a rush, shaking his head. "Well, first off . . . congratulations, man," he looked up at Oliver.

"Thank you, Roy," Oliver smiled as Kara beamed.

"And second . . . man, I missed a lot," Roy rubbed his temples.

"Well, you're here now," Dig patted him on the shoulder. "With . . . what does he have?"

"A severe case of beaten within an inch of my life with a telephone book?" Roy asked sarcastically.

"Which loosely translates to two broken ribs and a pulmonary contusion," Alex diagnosed, making Malcolm hiss sympathetically. "Take it easy for a few days, Roy."

"Well, that's the good part about being a fugitive," Roy shrugged. "There's nowhere else I have to be."

"I'm not a lawyer, but what are the effects of us having the government's star witness in our protection instead of theirs?" Felicity asked.

"Not as much as you would think," Oliver tilted his head back and forth.

"Witness tampering gets added to the already long list of charges," Slade thought out loud.

"Don't forget obstruction," Malcolm added.

Oliver huffed. "Not helping, you two."

"I'm hearing this, and I still can't believe these two are here," Roy shook his head. "I mean . . . no offense meant . . . what happened?"

"Kara saved my life," Malcolm looked over at the blonde, who looked down bashfully. "I got another chance with Thea. I chose not to waste it this time around."

Thea smiled proudly at him. "And the mirakuru cure finally worked," Slade nodded. "What it made me do . . . "

"Yeah, I know firsthand what mirakuru can do, and I got a synthesized version of it," Roy gave him a meaningful look.

"And I'm sorry," Slade told him sincerely.

Roy considered him. "I believe you," he finally said, looking between Oliver and Thea. "You trust them?"

"I do," Thea nodded.

"So do I," Oliver confirmed.

Roy sighed. "Then I do, too," he looked between the two men, who nodded thankfully. "So . . . Deathstroke and the Dark Archer are now allies. What's next, Laurel's actually alive?"

There was awkward silence in the bunker. "Well," Felicity held out.

"Define 'alive,'" Dig sighed.

"You're kidding," Roy looked between them all. "Seriously?"

"Laurel's Earth-2 doppelgänger is alive," Oliver explained. "And last night, she was attacked and was forced to pretend to be Earth-1's Laurel."

"Whoa," Roy exhaled shakily. "Um . . . wow. Is she OK?"

"We don't know," Malcolm shook his head, scowling in annoyance. "Quentin says one of the police officers at the hospital took her from there, saying he was taking her to a 'safe house.'"

"Safe house," Slade muttered, scoffing.

"A dirty cop, like the ones who took Roy?" Kara asked, looking around.

"So you find out who's paying them, you probably find out who has Laurel," Alex shrugged.

"We already know," Dig said grimly, making everyone turn to him. "Diaz."

"What?" Malcolm's eyes narrowed to slits, his voice turning ice cold.

"OK, that's more like the Malcolm I remember," Roy mumbled to Thea.

"That's just his protective side coming out," Thea rubbed his back.

"I pulled financials on both the police officers that were torturing Roy," Felicity explained, spinning in her chair to pull up info on her computer. "They both received generous dividend payments from stocks in a Corto Maltese-based shell corporation."

"It financed the company that was manufacturing the drug I used to treat my injury," Dig continued. "Ricardo Diaz's company."

"Both officers were on duty when Cayden James was killed, and all the officers that were there tonight, we have reason to believe are working with Diaz, too," Felicity nodded.

"So it was Diaz who had Cayden's son killed," Kara whispered.

"And it was Diaz who had Laurel jumped," Malcolm scowled.

"He's been playing us since the beginning," Oliver sighed.

"Bastard," Slade summed up.

"Took the word right out of my mouth," Malcolm agreed.

Alex saw Thea take a deep breath, then cleared her throat. "Hey, Thea, can I check you out, too? I mean, from the grappling arrow?"

"Uh," Thea blinked in confusion. "Y – yeah, sure."

Roy watched in concern as Alex led Thea away, and Alex shook her head. "OK, I'm not checking you out like that, but . . . how are you?"

"What?" Thea blinked in confusion. "I'm fine."

"Really?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. "You just learned the mastermind behind your brother being investigated, who had Laurel thrust back into the spotlight, and who had Roy kidnapped and tortured. Are you really fine?"

Thea swallowed. "No," she admitted, and as she leaned against the table, Alex sat back on it, folding her arms. "You know, there have been times that I felt like my life completely fell apart when Roy left . . . from my bloodlust to my dad originally, to Lian Yu . . . knowing he was out there, that he was OK, it made my life just a little bit easier. Ever since Mom died, I haven't known much of anything other than the fact that I want to make sure he is safe." Her eyes hardened as she looked at Alex. "And I will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens."

Alex smiled reassuringly. "He's lucky to have you."

Thea smiled back, then Kara hurried down the steps. "Guys," she swallowed hard. "Felicity found something else."

***

"No, no, no, no," Dinah shook her head as she spoke on the phone at SCPD, Quentin observing her as he sipped a mug of coffee. "OK, you know what? Who can tell me where Laurel Lance is? Can you tell me that?" She glowered at the answer she got. "And when will he be available?" Quentin frowned in concern, which deepened when Dinah sighed in annoyance. "No, no, no, no. No, thank you. I'll call back."

She hung up the phone in annoyance, and Quentin held up both hands. "I swear, this isn't me, all right?"

Dinah just glared at him, then heard footsteps behind her. "I need to speak with you," Oliver said, looking at Quentin. He nodded, then Oliver looked at Dinah. "You, too." Dinah looked at Quentin in confusion, but he looked just as bewildered as her as both followed Oliver towards the interrogation room. Oliver let both in ahead of him, closing the door behind him. He lifted his head, eyeing the camera behind him in the corner, then looked at the two. "Turn the cameras off." Concerned now, Dinah reached for the remote on the table behind her and clicked a button, turning the camera off. Oliver walked forward, then took a deep breath. "Cayden James was murdered," he informed them, nodding at the table the two were in front of. "Right there, by Ricardo Diaz."

Dinah stared at Oliver in shock, and Quentin blinked once before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh, my God," he muttered.

"And it was covered up by the SCPD," Oliver added.

"I thought Cayden James was killed by another inmate on his transfer to Iron Heights," Quentin scowled.

"Felicity found out what actually happened," Oliver said. "Never made it to Iron Heights. The cops on duty are on Diaz's payroll. They faked the transfer. And they let Anatoli and Talia go, too."

Dinah closed her eyes, thinking hard. "Doing that would take – "

"A systematic breach of the police department," Oliver nodded, thinking exactly what she was. "Worse than last year's corruption."

"I didn't think that was even possible," Quentin grumbled.

"Neither did I," Oliver agreed, looking between the two. "Dinah, I know that you don't believe in me right now, and I know the two of you don't like each other right now and maybe don't trust each other either, for good reason, but the both of you believe in the badge. I need you working together. I need to know how deep this goes. I need to know who in that room we can trust." He pointed at Dinah, eyes hardening. "Which means you got to put your vendetta on hold."

Dinah sighed, thinking long and hard. Her moral compass won out. "OK."

Oliver nodded gratefully to her. "We can work out of my place," Quentin said. "Walls here got ears."

"And this is why I couldn't find Laurel," Dinah realized. "Because those bent cops sprung her."

"Or they took her someplace worse," Quentin said.

***

"Tell me, Laurel," Anatoli said as he led Laurel deeper into the casino. "How is the little huntress? You know location, yes?"

"Why are you asking?" Laurel scowled.

"Diaz's feelings were so hurt when she ran," Anatoli shrugged. "It's as if she doesn't trust him or something."

"I have it from her that the only person she trusted was Vincent Sobel," Laurel narrowed her eyes, wincing and holding her side as they walked down stairs. "And Cayden James made her kill him."

"He did," Anatoli confirmed, not an ounce of regret on his face.

Laurel shot him a glare. "You know, I don't blame Evelyn for not trusting him. I'm still trying to figure out why you do."

"For me, it's more matter of money than trust," Anatoli told her. "Either way, Diaz better. Why control city when you can control it, yes?"

The sounds of grunts and fists meeting flesh grew louder as they walked, and Laurel looked over the railing as they walked into what looked like an auditorium overlooking a fighting ring. Diaz was on the platform, brawling with another man. Anatoli led her down the stairs, and Laurel observed Diaz's fighting style and how he was giving everything he had to his competitor. She had to admit, he was good. Bet he wouldn't hold up against Oliver, Malcolm, and Slade, she thought to herself, smirking at the image that made.

Diaz eventually forced his competitor to his knees, hands holding tightly onto his shoulders. The man conceded, dropping his head. "You're as good as they said you were," Diaz told him, patting his shoulder. "But you know that fighting for trophies . . . not the same as fighting for your life." He patted him on the cheek. "We'll break you of your bad habits." He held up his hand, and one of his men tossed him a rolled- up bundle of money. "Welcome to the team," he offered it to the man.

He nodded thankfully, taking the money. "That's a lot of money for man with bad foot," Anatoli remarked as Diaz walked towards them.

"I didn't break it," Diaz smirked, watching the man limp down and join the other men off to the side. "I just had to break him." He nodded as he looked over all of them, clapping a hand on Anatoli's shoulder. "Building a family, Anatoli. Family. Isn't that what the Bratva means? Brotherhood?"

"Da," Anatoli confirmed.

Diaz nodded as well, then looked over at his men, raising his voice. "See, family . . . they rely on one other. Family trust each other. See, when the family does well, each member prospers . . . but if just one person betrays that family!" he yelled, turning and pointing at Laurel.

Laurel met his gaze defiantly. "I didn't betray your family," she sneered, saying the word mockingly. "I just did what I could to save someone from a toxic environment."

She could almost see smoke coming out of Diaz's ears. "Give us the room!" he shouted. "Move!"

Anatoli grimaced, looking at Laurel. "Udachi," he muttered, then left with the others.

Laurel watched him go, then rolled her shoulders, looking at Diaz as he sat on the side of the platform. "I still don't see why I'm here," she told him.

Diaz glowered at her. "The money that Evelyn stole from Cayden was also my money. I earned it, just like her, except I didn't take more than my share."

"That money is Star City's, and it's back where it belongs," Laurel narrowed her eyes. "All I did was help make sure it got back here. I'll ask again . . . why am I here?"

Diaz considered her. "My business with Evelyn may be concluded," he answered. "But in light of how you managed to get inside her head and convince her to turn her back on her family . . . perhaps it's time for us to begin some."

Laurel stared at him incredulously, then burst out laughing. "Us?" she repeated, managing to speak through her laughter. "OK, look . . . you're done with Evelyn. You've managed to convince Anatoli that you're worth staying in bed with. I don't see Talia here. Us? I have no business with you."

"But we do," Diaz smirked coldly. "We started our business when those men helped Star City see their beloved Laurel Lance is actually still alive."

"Yeah, I figured out that was you when your dirty cop told me I was coming to see you," Laurel scowled. "Your little family got Dinah, Rene, and Curtis to break away. Are you trying to break the rest of us up?"

"You see, Laurel," Diaz leaned forward. "I see all. I know all. I control it all. I've been working on this for months. See, Cayden . . . he's just a small piece of a much larger puzzle, and so are you."

"What, because I'm apparently back on the board?" Laurel scoffed. "Right. Well, you see, I don't know if you've noticed, but it's gonna take a bit more than shoving me into the light and declaring I'm this Earth's Laurel Lance to get me to turn my back on them."

"I managed to convince Talia there was something worth sticking around for," Diaz stood up, walking over to her. "I've learned Evelyn is a lost cause."

"And I was never a cause to begin with," Laurel snapped. "Out of all of us, it's me you decide to try and convince?"

"I think I can," Diaz smirked.

"Oh, please," Laurel held out her arms, stepping back and sitting down in one of the chairs. "Tell me what you could possibly do to make me turn my back on my family. I'm apparently not going anywhere."

Diaz smirked in reply.

***

Oh, look, Roy's already with Team Arrow! Yeah, with Kara in play, there was no real reason for Roy not to be rescued immediately. Instead, Diaz has Laurel and seems to think she can be turned.

Though, if you think about it, the soundtracks I attach to episodes usually have some meaning to what happens . . . *winks*