I had met up at the Queen mansion, seeing that Thea was sitting in an armchair, looking at a tablet.

Oliver was standing at a table behind her.

I walked toward them.

"Tahitian green or midnight black?" Thea asked. "What do you think?"

"I think that you've been dropping hints all week, Thea, and Mom still isn't buying you a car for your birthday," Oliver answered.

Moira walked in. "I could not have said it better myself."

"Oliver got a car when he turned 18," Thea told us.

"Yeah, but I could back it out of the driveway without hitting a tree," Oliver told her. 

"That's true," Thea told him. "But I do remember you taking the paint off the side of Dad's Maserati."

Moira turned to me. "Oh, Jillian, it's been a while since we've seen you around here, and that's strange, considering that you've taken up residence in the guest room."

"I wanted to give you guys some space," I told her. "I didn't want to be intrusive."

"Nonsense," Moira told me. "I decided to let you stay until you get back on your feet, and that includes giving you a place to go home to even in the most difficult of circumstances."

"Yeah, well, that will be easier once the club really starts going," I told them.

Moira smiled a small smile. "Thea, the party planner's waiting. Sorry to run off like this."

Moira kissed me on the cheek.

Thea stood, walking closer. "Don't we have a convertible to go buy?"

I smiled a small smile. "Good luck." Moira and Thea walked out, leaving. I looked at Oliver, walking closer. "How's she holding up?"

"Oh, she's okay," Oliver answered. I walked past him to the breakfast food laid out on the table behind him, picking up an apple, taking a bite. Oliver turned to face me. "Thea thinks she's actually a little bit too okay."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Just... behaving erratically," Oliver answered. "Shut-in one minute, running the company the next."

"Well, her husband is missing and presumed who-knows-what," I told him. "If anyone had an excuse to be erratic, it's your mom."

I picked up a cherry, taking a bite.

Oliver was watching the news. "That's what I told Thea."

I turned to see the news.

There was an interview with Lance.

"He's too busy to comment."

"The department has got the same comment about this heist as it did the other two," Lance told them. "No comment."

A reporter looked into the camera. "The SCPD may not be willing to go on the record, but traffic cameras got the entire heist in this exclusive." 

There was a video clip of a heist robbing an armored truck in the middle of the night.

"Shortly after 1:00 AM, three masked robbers approached the armored vehicle after launching what appears to be..."

"That's why you keep all your money offshore," Oliver told me. 

"One of the guards was pronounced dead on the scene, while the other died en route to Starling General. Their identities have not yet been released." 

"Sound like a blue/hood situation to you?" I asked.

Oliver looked at me, shrugging.

I took a bite of my apple.

⚔     

In the hideout underneath the club that was still under construction, Oliver was shirtless, doing one armed push ups with the other arm behind his back.

John walked toward me. "With all the guys working up top, you might want to think about a side entrance for your, uh, hero cave."

"Just put one in," I told him. "South alleyway."

Oliver stood. "Something I want to show you."

Oliver walked toward the computers.

"Finally getting into online dating and you need help with your profile?" John asked sarcastically.

"Not exactly," Oliver answered. 

I smirked. "But there is some people we'd like to meet."

Oliver brought up the information on the heist.

John walked closer to take a look. "Yeah, I read about it. This is the third truck to be hit this month."

Oliver pulled on his shirt. "We saw it on the news this morning. Couldn't figure out why it seemed so familiar. Then I remembered this. Kandahar, '09, when the Marines took out a Taliban transport vehicle."

"Yeah, well, there's a reason why it looks so similar," John told them. "These guys are running the same swarming technique. Where'd you find this?"

"I was researching someone," Oliver answered. "Bodyguard who works for a private security firm." He pulled up the information of a man. "Blackhawk Squad protection group. His name is Ted Gaynor."

"Ted Gaynor was my commanding officer on my first tour in Afghanistan," John told them.

I turned to him in surprise. "Dig... I'm sorry." I showed him Oliver's father's book. "But Gaynor's on the list."

Oliver took the book, starting to walk away.

"Gaynor's a few hundred thousand dollars short of making your list," John told us.

Oliver picked up his bow. "Well, I never said it was just one-percenters, did I?"

"Oliver, this guy saved my life," John told him. "Received a commendation for it." He walked closer. "I don't care what your book says. He's not a stick-up man."

"You haven't known him in a long time, Diggle," Oliver told him.

"We both kept in contact with each other since we got stateside," John told us. "Six months ago, he even offered me a job at Blackhawk. Now, trust me, you don't know this man like I do."

I walked toward the computer. "I know in Afghanistan, his training specialty was M-32 multiple grenade launchers, the exact same weapon used in these heists." I turned to face them. "And not exactly something that you find at your local sporting goods store."

John walked closer. "Two months ago, we found out this wasn't even Robert Queen's book, that it was written by whoever hired the other archer. Doesn't that kind of beg the question what else you could be wrong about?"

"We could be wrong," I told him. "But the list isn't."

"Now, I'm gonna have a pointed conversation with Mr. Gaynor tonight," Oliver told us. "We'll see what he says to say about it." He started to walk away. "I understand if you want to take the week off, John."

"Well, thank you," John told him. He looked at the computers. "Sir."

I looked from Oliver to John.

⚔       

Flashback - 5 Years Ago

It was raining on the island.

Jill was sitting underneath a tree, holding the map that she had taken from the uniformed man.

Oliver brought water for them to drink. "Do you even know how to read a map?"

"I know how to read it better than you do," Jill answered. "But parents used to take me, my brother and my sister camping. We did it once a year during the summer. Just stayed out in the wilderness, no Internet, no phones, just each other."

"Like this?" Oliver asked.

Jill folded the map, putting it away so it didn't get ruined by the rain, standing. "This is hell." She turned to Oliver. "Did you get the gear from the guy I knocked out?"

Oliver showed her the contents of the bag. "Yeah."

"Great," Jill told him. "All you gotta do is put it on and go in there to see is Yao's still alive. If we can get him out."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Oliver told her, pulling the gear on. "Just make sure you can get us there."

Jill gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir."

⚔       

Jill and Oliver walked through the woods for what seemed like hours, following the map.

They heard men shouting in the distance.

Oliver pulled on his ski mask, nodding for Jill to stay behind.

Jill hid behind a tree, watching.

Oliver walked into the camp where the other uniformed men were. He found food, looking entranced, walking closer to take a tray like the others were doing.

A man walked closer, wearing the same uniform, speaking in a foreign language. He spoke in English. "Different day, same slop. You new?"

"Yeah," Oliver answered.

"Don't worry," the man told him. "It took me a year to find my way around the island."

The man started to walk away.

"Oh, hey, hey," Oliver told him. The man turned back. "I'm supposed to be transporting a prisoner. A Chinese guy who wears a green hood."

"Sounds like the guy they took to the east camp," the man told him. "I'm heading over that way. Come on. You can hitch a ride. Let's go. Come on."

Oliver nodded, walking along toward the woods, placing down the tray on a nearby tree stump where Jill could see it, but nobody else could.

Jill watched as the man led Oliver to his vehicle. She looked in the other direction, hiding more prominently. 

Edward led more uniformed men toward them. "Hold up, hold up! Unit one, two."

The uniformed men split up, looking around.

Jill was no longer in her hiding place.

Edward got into the back of the vehicle with Oliver and the man.

Oliver tried to remain as still and disciplined as possible.

⚔       

Now

Oliver had just gone to Ted's office to 'talk to him' as the vigilante, but John had intervened and made him run, but not before Oliver had taken a USB drive from the office.

They were back in the hideout after dark.

Oliver put the bow down, looking at John angrily. "I could've shot you. I could've killed you. What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm not gonna let you William Tell an innocent man," John told him.

"Gaynor isn't innocent, Diggle," Oliver told him.

"You seem to think that mainly because of what's in your damn book, which you apparently trust more than you trust me," John told him.

"I trust my father," Oliver told him. "And he explained to me that every name on that list has a reason to be there."

"I thought you took that book off your father's dead body," John told him. "How can he have been so chatty?"

"A few years ago, I found a message he left me explaining the list," Oliver answered. 

"Oliver, how is that possible?" John asked. "You were on a deserted island."

"I didn't say that I found it on the island," Oliver told him.

"Calm down, both of you," I told them. John and Oliver looked at me. I took a deep breath. "John, for the past four months, we have lied to, hurt and hid things from all the people that we care about. Do you really think that we would do all of this if we weren't sure?"

John took a minute to calm down, sighing. "Listen. Gaynor got me into Blackhawk, and I'm gonna prove he's innocent."

John walked toward the table.

"And if he isn't?" I asked.

John picked up a gun, cocking it. "You owe me that." He walked toward us. "You owe me at least that."

John walked away, leaving.

I looked at Oliver for a moment, sighing, looking down.

⚔       

Flashback - 5 Years Ago

The vehicle was driving through a clearing.

Jill was in the cover of trees further behind, following soundlessly.

Edward looked at Oliver. "Were you stationed by the perimeter?"

Oliver nodded. "Yes."

"And your report?" Edward asked.

"Uh, everything's good, sir," Oliver told him. "No trouble."

"How long have you been stationed here?" Edward asked.

"Just arrived, sir," Oliver told him.

"Yes, you do seem rather green," Edward told him. "Although, I don't recall the submarine bringing in a phalanx of new troops lately."

"Submarine?" Oliver asked. "I thought everybody came into the island on the plane."

"Indeed they do," Edward told him.

Oliver realized that Edward had been testing him, closing his eyes, not sure if he had it in him to keep fooling them for as long as he could.

Jill was still following in the cover of the trees, careful to keep her distance, but also careful not to lose them.

⚔ 

Now

I was in the hideout, plugging the USB drive that Oliver had stolen from Ted.

A Blackhawk login form appeared on the screen.

I couldn't hack it.

I sighed, debating what I should have done.

⚔ 

Flashback

It was after dark by the time Edward and Oliver got to the other camp where Yao Fei supposedly was.

Jill was hiding behind the cover of trees, seeing a cage where Yao Fei was being kept.

Edward walked toward Oliver. "You see, this is where we keep the, uh... detain prisoners prone to running off before I've finished with them." He hit Oliver over the head, making him fall. He knelt next to him, pulling up his ski mask to see his face. "Prisoners like you, Mr. Queen." He stood, turning to a few soldiers. "Spread out. Search the woods. If the girl's here, find her."

Jill hid behind her tree, looking worried and scared.

⚔ 

Now

It was after dark.

I walked into Felicity's office.

Felicity was sitting at her desk, eating Chinese food, placing it down. "And here I beginning to think my days of being Jill Wright's personal computer geek were coming to an end."

"Is that your way of saying 'hi'?" I asked.

"No," Felicity answered. "But if it works for you, go with it."

I chuckled. "So, a friend of mine is running a scavenger hunt, and there's a case of Lafite Rothschild 1982 waiting at the end."

"Oh, I love red wine," Felicity told me.

"But in order to find it, I first need to get through this," I told her, handing her the USB.

Felicity took the drive. "Hmm. Security fob." She plugged it into her computer, coming up with the same login page. "It's pin protected. Challenge response goes back to a company called Blackhawk Squad Protection Group."

"Yeah, my friend had his bodyguard set it up for him," I told her. "Personally, however, I think it's cheating. But whatever."

Felicity started the hack. "This is a military-grade cryptographic security protocol. Your friend really went to all this trouble?"

"The idle rich are hard to entertain," I told her. "And Oliver Queen takes these things way too seriously." Felicity looked at me in amusement. "Listen. You get through it, and one of those bottles of wine is yours."

Felicity smiled, returning to the hack.

⚔ 

I was walking down the stairs in an alley outside of the Queen Consolidated building. My phone rang. I took it out, seeing it was Felicity calling, answering. "What did you get?"

"I think your friend's bodyguard gave him the wrong security fob."

"Why is that?"

"Well, once I got past Blackhawk's authentication system, there wasn't anything about a scavenger hunt. Just directory and... well, I think you stumbled onto, or got me to stumble onto, something pretty illegal."

"Define illegal."

"Oh, you know. Robbing an armored car with grenade launchers and tear gas."

"Whoa. What?"

"Someone at Blackhawk was using their system to store detailed routes and schedules for each of the city's seven major armored car carriers, including the three that have already been hit." I made a face in frustration, disappointed because I wanted to believe that John's friend was in the clear. "Miss Wright, I think we should provide this information to the police. With it, they should be able to predict the next heist."

"Hold on. Felicity, I don't want you to get in trouble with my friend, so do me a favor. Forward that directory on to me and I'll get it to the police personally. Thank you."

I sighed in frustration, hanging up, turning to go back inside.

⚔ 

With the directory that Felicity had sent to me, I was able to predict the next heist that night, suited up to go to the street.

A man in full gear stood in front of the armored truck, while a black van pulled the armored truck over, several other men in gear getting out with the same guns that Man 1 had.

I punched Man 1 in the face, making his face mask come off, turning to the other men.

The men started to shoot.

I raised both swords, swirling them around to deflect the bullets, ducking behind a car for cover. I drew a knife, throwing it into Man 2's shoulder, making him fall to the ground. Man 3 tried to shoot me. I somersaulted out of the way of the bullets. 

The armored car started to drive away.

I ran toward a nearby trash can, picking up the lid to use as a shield against the bullets.

Man 3 shot a device into the lid. The device exploded with gas, throwing me back to the ground.

Man 4 ran to help Man 2. "Quick, quick. Come on, man. Come on."

I couldn't breathe within the gas, coughing and gasping. The gas clouded my vision. I couldn't see the men, but I could hear the van doors close. I struggled to breathe, standing, walking out of the smoke, seeing the van drive away down the road.

⚔ 

Tonight was Thea's birthday party, also, which was why Oliver wasn't there with me, because he had to be there for Thea.

I walked into the Queen mansion, looking at all of the partiers dancing to the loud music, wearing a simple red dress.

Thea saw me, smiling, walking closer. "Jill. You made it."

"Of course I made it," I told her. "Happy Birthday, Thea."

We smiled, embracing, pulling away.

"Thank you," Thea told me. She pulled out a set of keys. "Oh, God, check it out, check it out. Convertible." She smiled. "Oh, my God."

"You must be so surprised," I told her sarcastically.

"Isn't everything absolutely perfect?" Thea asked. "Except for if my dad were here..."

I looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Thea. But I'm sure that if he were here, he'd say you look beautiful." Thea smiled a small smile. "I would have gotten you a present, but..."

"Are you kidding me?" Thea asked. "You saved my brother and made sure that he made it back here. That's all the present I need from you. I mean, it's the best gift you could give me." I smiled a small smile. Thea looked behind me, seeing one of her friends. "Oh, um, excuse me."

"Mm-hmm," I told her.

Thea walked away.

I saw Oliver and John standing at the side of the party talking, walking toward them.

John looked at me. "I heard the girl in blue foiled an armored car heist this evening."

"Gaynor wasn't running the rocket launcher," I told them.

"I know," John told us. "I was with him the whole time it was going down."

"It looks like you were right," I told him.

"Listen, if someone at Blackhawk is involved, I'd put my money on Knox," John told us. "He started right before the heists began, and he has military training."

"Okay," Oliver told us. He looked at me. "What happened exactly?"

"I injured one of them," I answered. "A knife to the shoulder. He was bleeding pretty badly when they made off in their van."

"Okay, so if any of Knox's blood is one of the motor pool vans, we'll know for sure," John told us.

"I'm going with you," Oliver told us, stepping toward the door.

I stepped in his way. "No, no, no, listen. You have this party. We can handle this."

"Hey, head on a swivel," Oliver told us.

"That's the way I was born, man," John told him.

Oliver nodded.

John and I walked out, leaving.

⚔ 

John and I went to Blackhawk, in the garage.

I was suited up, walking along. I found the van that had been at the attempted heist, opening the back of it to find bloodstains on the floor.

John stood at the side of the van, peeling off the Blackhawk sticker to reveal a logo underneath.

Inter

Globe 

Cable

I heard a gun cock, taking cover behind the open door, looking out toward the sound to see Knox with a gun aimed at John. He hadn't seen me yet.

Knox looked at John. "I had a feeling you'd show up."

John turned to face him. "Yeah? Why is that, Knox?"

"Right after Gaynor got you hired, someone hacked our system," Knox answered. "First person to ever make it through our firewall. You want to tell me how you did it?"

"I'm not really sure," John told him. 

"He didn't think you'd be very cooperative," Knox told him.

"Who?" John asked.

The lights turned on.

Ted walked out from hiding. "Hey, John."

John looked at Ted in shock, realizing that he had been apart of it all along.

⚔ 

John looked at Ted incredulously. "Ted, you're a part of this?"

"No, not part of," Ted answered. "My men. My mission."

"Mission?" John repeated. "This isn't Afghanistan."

"Oh, don't I know that," Ted told him. "Over there, we were trusted with millions of dollars in weapons and personnel. We were conquerors. Now we're nannies with tasers."

"So that gives you the right to steal, to kill innocent civilians?" John asked.

"I'm not gonna convince you I'm right," Ted told him. "I'm gonna convince you to join the team."

John scoffed. "Yeah, now, I know you're crazy."

"Earlier tonight was supposed to be our last score, but because of the sword girl, we struck out," Ted told him. "Now we're down a man. Good thing you're qualified to take his place."

I spoke quietly through comm to speak to John. "Give me the signal and get out."

John shook his head to tell me to wait. "Ted, I think your convincing is gonna have to be a lot more convincing."

"Copy that," Ted told him. He spoke into his radio. "Cavanaugh."

Cavanaugh walked in with John's sister-in-law Carly tied and gagged.

John looked at her worriedly. "Carly." He tried to attack Ted. "You son of a bitch." Knox aimed a gun at John. Cavanaugh aimed a gun at Carly. "No! Don't! Don't. Wait."

"You both can die tonight, John," Ted told him. "Or once we do this, we're on a plane and she can go home to your nephew. It's your call. Or you can watch your sister-in-law die."

"You're forgetting one thing, guys," John told them.

"What's that?" Knox asked.

"You're not the only one who has reinforcements," John answered. I jumped out of the back of the van, throwing a knife into Cavanaugh's wrist, making him drop his gun and let go of Carly. John led her away. "Carly, get out of here!"

Ted tried to shoot me. I rolled out of the way. Knox tried to shoot me. I threw a knife into the gun, making him drop it. I spun to kick Ted in the face, making him fall. Knox drew two small staffs, trying to hit me with one. I raised a knife to block the move. Knox tried to hit me with the other. I raised another knife to block the move. Knox swung the staffs toward me from either side to try and hit me. I ducked, punching him twice, spinning to kick him in the face, making him turn away, grabbing him in a chokehold from behind, holding him like that until he passed out. Ted picked up another gun, trying to shoot me. I raised a knife to push the gun to the side to make the bullet miss, slamming the other knife against the other side of it, using them like prongs to pry the gun out of his hands, making it fall to the floor. Ted tried to punch me from either side. I ducked, spinning to kick his legs out from underneath him, punching him in the face, kicking him in the head, making him unconscious.

I stood, walking out of the building to outside. 

John was standing alone.

"Where's Carly?" I asked.

"In the car," John answered.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Shaken up," John answered. "I have to get her home." I nodded in understanding. We heard police sirens as they closed in. "You should get out of here."

I nodded. "Be careful."

I ran off, leaving.

⚔ 

Thea had gotten into a car accident.

I was back in the dress from the party, walking into the hospital, seeing that Oliver was waiting outside of Thea's room. "Hey."

Oliver turned to face me, sighing. "Hey."

"Is she okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," Oliver answered. "She's a little banged up, but she's mostly okay. She's..." He chuckled without humor, shaking his head. "More worried about the car."

"Of course she is," I told him.

"How did it go with John?" Oliver asked.

"As good as it could go, when Gaynor was apart of it and he kidnapped Carly to try and make John see things his way," I answered. Oliver looked at me in surprise. "Don't worry. We took care of it. But I'm beat. I just need some sleep. I just wanted to make sure Thea was okay."

Oliver nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course," I told him.

Oliver sighed, nodding.

I turned around, walking away, leaving.

⚔ 

It was the next morning in the hideout.

Oliver and I were already here.

John walked in.

"Cops give you a hard time?" I asked.

"Nah," John answered. "I explained to them that me and Gaynor were old war buddies. He tried to rope me in..." He sighed. "When I refused, he kidnapped Carly. Everything else happened under duress." He turned to face us, shaking his head. "I screwed up, guys. Obviously, Gaynor wasn't who I thought he was. I was wrong."

"Yeah, but..." Oliver trailed off. "You were right, too. When you told me that I trusted the list more than I trusted you. Diggle, the truth is, after what happened to me on the island... it's difficult for me to trust... anything. But you do. And that reminded me why we chose you as our partner. It's because you see the best in people." He looked at me. "And though you want to see the best in people, your trust issues are almost as bad as mine. You just... have a healthier way of dealing with them. You pull me back from the edge when I get in too deep. That's how we do this." 

Oliver sighed, looking at Robert's book his in hands. He handed it to John. 

John took it, looking at the open page to see Ted Gaynor's name. 

I handed him a pen. 

John took the pen, crossing Ted's name out, closing the book. "I learned something, too. Until you tell me, I'll never want to know what other names are in this book."

I nodded, taking the book, walking away, putting it down.

⚔ 

Flashback

Oliver was in a cage at the camp, no longer in the army men's uniforms.

An army man in a uniform brought a struggling Jill closer. 

Oliver sat up in worry, holding onto the bars.

Edward was standing outside. "Do you know why my men wear Balaclavas, Mr. Queen? Because it masks everything but the eyes. In a man's eyes, one can always find the truth." He looked between Jill and Oliver. "You two, you risked everything to save your friend." He looked at Jill. "Someone I warned you about, Miss Wright, yet you trusted him. But that trust was misplaced."

The army man that brought Jill pulled off his mask, revealing it was Yao Fei.

Jill and Oliver were in shock, confused.