A week later, I found out Malcom was going to begin Tempest. All week, we tried to figure out what was going to happen and what it was that Malcolm had planned. I rarely saw Oliver, Felicity, or Diggle.

Walter was brought back safe and sound but left Moira soon after, claiming he couldn't take the lies anymore.

I empathized with her.

I spent more time at Laurel's apartment, getting to know her better and ended up moving in with her. It was good to be with family.

I was standing in the apartment folding laundry, Laurel just having left to go to CNRI, when a floorboard creaked behind me.

I spun around, dagger pulled from my sleeve, to see a man dressed in all black standing in the corner. He had a bow and quiver of arrows on his back.

"I found your boyfriend." Malcolm Merlyn said with a soft hiss.

"I don't have one." I said immediately.

He chuckled. "It makes sense. Oliver Queen being the Vigilante. You know, I wasn't going to trigger the machine. Almost had a second thought. But then again, I thought, if I was going to hell, I might as well bring the good for nothing people of the Glades with me."

I clenched my jaw and snarled under my breath, "Well? What are you going to do? Shoot me? Fill me with arrows? Go ahead. I promise your bowstring will be cut before you could fire one."

He chuckled. "Oh, I'm not stupid, Mia. I'd never win against The Demon's Second."

"Something tells me you're still bitter I got the position and you didn't."

He glared at me. "Believe me, Mia. I'd want nothing more than to kill you where you stand. Right here. Right now. But I have things to do. Important things. Now, you have a choice. Go find Oliver and help him before my men disembowel him completely, or chase after me. Your choice."

Then, he disappeared out the window in a cloud of smoke.

I hit Dig's number in my phone and he picked up.

"Find Oliver! Track his boot! Now!"

"Mia? What's-"

"Malcolm's going to set off the machine! Please go find Oliver!" I shouted frankly. He merely grunted in affirmation and hung up.

I launched myself out the door, pulling my black jacket on and racing for my motorcycle. I got on and drove off, not caring if I was breaking speed limits, and parked at Verdant. I sprinted into the cellar, leaping the stairs and scared Felicity silly.

"Felicity did you find it?"

"Yes." She said and stood from her chair and handed me a paper with the coordinates.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"Can you disable it? From here?"

"No. I already tried." She said weakly.

I nodded and began to strap on my Vigilante suit and belted on my swords. "I know who will help. Call Quentin Lance. You know him. Call him. He'll do what's right. I will go to the police station. And sound the alarm. You-"

I cut myself off when I saw Moira on one of the screens on the news. She was talking to a group of reporters.

It took me a minute to soak in what she was saying. Then, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

She was telling the city about Tempest.

"Never mind then. I'm going to the Glades. I'm going to find Merlyn."

"But Oliver isn't back yet, Mia. He was captured by Merlyn, and-"

"I know. Believe me I'm scared to death for him. I love him, Felicity. But I know Oliver. He'll be ok. He'll make it out."

The door suddenly opened and I spun around and raced to the stairs when I saw Dig helping Oliver down and into the hideout.

When he saw me, I didn't expect him to want to look at me after Helena, but he just pulled me into a tight hug and held me close.

I wrapped my arms around him and just took a deep breath. He stroked his fingers through my hair and asked, "Are you ok?"

"Me? I'm fine." I say and pull away and lift my hands to his face. "Are you? What did he do to you?" I asked.

He lifted his hands to take mine from his face and that's when I saw the angry red welts in his wrists. I took his hands and looked at them, clenching my jaw. Without a word, I ignored his protests and sat him down in a chair and got out the first aid kit and bandaged his wrists.

"I'm gonna kill him." I muttered under my breath.

"Hey. Look at me. I need you to get your family and Thea out of here." Oliver said. "Remember our plan?"

I clenched my jaw and nodded. "Yes. It was my plan."

"Alright. Let me go after Malcolm, and you start evacuating the Glades." He looked over at Felicity. "Felicity, have you gotten in touch with Lance yet?"

"Yeah. There's just one problem. He doesn't trust us. Mostly because of you, Oliver." She says with a flinch. "And by Oliver I mean the Vigilante. He doesn't know that Oliver is the Vigilante."

I sighed. "I'll go to him."

Oliver looked at me. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not gonna go in my Vigilante get-up, silly." I pulled on his shirt collar and said, "Be careful out there, Oliver. I'll have to kill you if you do anything stupid." I say.

He smiled and kissed me. "I'm more scared of losing you."

I kissed him again quickly and said, "Leave me a piece of him when you're done. My uncle needs his head."

He raised an eyebrow and merely said, "Do you think he'd accept a head with an arrow in it?"

"Maybe." I said with a smirk and poked his nose.

*****

I arrived at the police station and parked the motorcycle, pulling my helmet off. I set it on the handles and waked right inside. The only weapons on me were concealed in my jacket sleeves.

I walked around any officers that were racing around and found Quentin at the back of the main room.

"Quentin?" I asked, tapping a finger on his desk and he looked up.

"Mia? What are you doing here?" He asked as he stood.

"Where's Laurel?" I asked. "Did you talk to our mutual friend?"

He frowned. "Yes. But Laurel is out there and-"

"I will get Laurel. What I need you to do is take this. Felicity will walk you through it all." I handed him a small earpiece.

He looked at me suspiciously, holding it in his hands. "Do you know who the Vigilante is?"

"I work with him." I say plainly. "And he with me." Before he could say anything else, I said, "You and Laurel are my family. That means you're my priority. You'll be able to talk to me, too with this. Now go. We don't have much time to lose. Moira bought us some time."

"Where's Oliver? He usually follows you around everywhere nowadays." He says suspiciously.

"He's at the Queen residence with Thea. I'm on my way there now to get them out." I lie smoothly. "But I need you to go. Now."

He nodded and slipped it in his ear. "Be careful, Mia. I don't want to lose anymore daughters than I need to." He said and rested a hand on my cheek once, then left, strapping his gun to his hip as he ran out the door.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, tests stinging my eyes and a smile on my face. I pulled in my emotions and called Thea.

She didn't answer until the last ring. "Hello? Mia? Where are you what's going on?"

"I'm coming to get you. Where are you?"

"In the Glades. I had to get Roy out. He's got a damn hero complex and is trying to save more people."

I froze. "Thea where are you exactly? Send me your address. I'm coming."

"Where's Oliver? Is he ok?"

"Yes he's fine." I say. "He's been looking for you but we got separated. Now please stay there. I'm coming."

I hung up and the ping on my phone gave me her address and I put my helmet back on and sped off, swerving around cars and people as I made my way there as fast as possible.

But on my way, a flash of silver and a terrifying high pitched scream made me swerve, the motorcycle's front wheel getting caught, and I flew off of it, rolling into a brick wall, my knee slamming into the pavement.

Wheezing, I coughed and struggled to get up, the bullet wound in my shoulder screaming with pain. The stitches were torn, warm blood dripping down my arm through my black jacket.

I slowly got to my feet, looking up to see a woman in all black with a black mask and long blonde hair.

I coughed, holding my side as I tried to get up again, but she kicked me in the side, sending me to the ground again.

Something was broken besides my knee I knew because every breath I took was an agonizing pain in my sides.

"What-do-you-want?" I gasped out, spitting blood onto the pavement.

"Ra's al Ghul wants you to come back. He has important matters to discuss with you." The woman hissed.

I let out a short laugh and swung my boot into the side of her knee, feeling satisfied at the crack it made and I got up as she cried out in pain, limping backwards.

I reached for my belt and grabbed two short rods and clicked their sides, long blades shooting out from them as twin swords sprung into my hands. A gift from the master blacksmiths of the League when my blood ties with the Demon were made known.

"What do you want, Canary?" I spat out.

She glared at me in hatred, those familiar blue eyes shining through her black mask.

"I am here to take your place, Sparrow. You aren't needed here anymore. I am here now."

"I have a mission, Canary, and I never received word that I'd be receiving help. I seriously doubt my uncle sent you here. And neither did Nysa."

She clenched her jaw and replied, "The choice is simple. Leave or die."

I clenched my jaw and said, "Your family thinks you're dead. Olly thinks you're dead after we were separated. He doesn't know you came to Nanda Parbat. You'll ruin them."

"They won't see me." She said, lifting her chin. "Now leave, Mia, and don't come back."

I tilted my head from side to side, cracking my neck as I snarled, "You can't summon me around, Sara. That's not how this works."

She pulled a rod from her own belt and it sprang into a long bow staff. She settled into a crouch and said, "I think it is."

I waited for her attack, and when it came, I dodged every attack and thrust of her staff, lifting the blades I wielded to knock aside her attacks effortlessly. Then, I caught the bow between my swords and wrenched the weapon from her hand.

She went to get it and I stopped her, my sword held at her throat.

"Don't. Move."