Sara kept her eyes firmly locked on the one and only Lady Shiva.

Anyone who valued

their own physical health would never keep their eyes off of any part of her body.
Hands, feet, every single inch of her had been trained to be a deadly weapon. She
mastered every single weapon to a tee. Sara leaned closer towards her. No matter
what, she could not blink.

Lyla kept her hand firmly on the gun. Shiva pointed out if she was here to kill,
they would not have a chance to have this conversation. Said statement only put
Lyla calm. Shiva was known to play a more dangerous game than many people would in
circumstances like this. The attack could come at any moment and catch her off
guard.

The fact she did not attack didn't put her at ease. On the contrary, it put her in
an even more uneasy scenery.

"So, you're here," Sara said. "You're here and you have my attention. I'm not that
hard to talk to, just talk to me."

"Your crusade is going along quite well," Lady Shiva commented to him. "But, at the
same time, it's opened up a Pandora's Box."

Sara knew she could have talked about any number of things which occurred ever
since taking up this crusade. She turned her hand and motioned Shiva to come
forward. The assassin remained rooted firmly on the ground and showed Sara who was
in charge of this particular situation.

Both warriors stood at a stalemate. Sara put her hands on her bow but did not draw
it just yet.

"You're telling me I opened a Pandora's Box," Sara said. "Do you think you can be a
little less cryptic? I know what's happening affects you."

"You're smart, and you've come a fairly long way from where we started," Shiva
said. "You still have a long way to go before.."

Sara blocked the woman's hand before she could catch her with a palm thrust. She
turned the attack one of the most skilled and deadliest women in the world. She
pulled two concealed daggers out of Shiva's sleeve and trained them on her neck.

Lady Shiva stared into Sara's eyes with cold indifference.

"Games, I'm not in the mood to play them tonight," Sara said.

"If you think this is a game, you have a lot more to learn that I thought," Shiva
said. She only just blinked at the daggers which came ever so closer towards her
throat. "No, this is not a game, Sara. This is far from a game. The sooner you
realize it, the less you'll hold back."

Sara dangled the daggers closer towards the throat of this extremely dangerous
woman. She pulled back a half of a second later and dangled the daggers between her
fingers.

"Yes, I'm sure," Sara said. "And I'm going to ask you one more time, why are you
here?"

"You're correct, this does affect the people I'm working for," Shiva said. "But,
there's something much deeper than then, and much more insidious. You've uncovered
a hint some really dangerous people have taken an interest in Starling City."
"The Court of Owls."

Shiva's body language shifted for a second. She leaned closer towards the young
woman and clicked her tongue, frowning even deeper.

"Yes, you don't have a proper grasp of the Pandora's Box you've opened," Shiva
said.

Shiva shoved Sara back and tried to reclaim her knives. Sara wasn't about ready to
go for that one. She kicked a chair into Shiva's path and knocked her back onto the
ground. Shiva jumped up to her feet and caught Sara around the hands.

One of the knives ripped from Sara's hand, and Shiva held it. Sara returned fire
with the knife when pushing back against her. Both women pressed knife to knife
with each other, until Sara drew it back.

"Drop it now, and let's have a conversation," Sara said. "Or you will be leaving
through the window."

Lyla wondered if Sara had lost her mind. She had the gun but didn't feel rather
completely confident against Shiva. Shooting Lady Shiva might have been the last
thing she done.

Shiva shifted her eyes to meet both the dagger and the gun Lyla carried. The woman
judged what was going on around her and she took a half of a step back. The two
very skilled assassins remained lock eye to eye.

"The Magician is about ready to make his move."

Sara rested her diligence for only a second. Shiva reclaimed the knife which Sara
took from her a moment ago. Sara stood rigid and ready for the attack. Shiva
casually slid the knives back into her sheaths and turned completely towards the
young woman.

"I understand."

She understood more than ever before. Given her training, Sara should have been
able to put two and two together and figure out the identity of the second archer.
Sara's eyes looked towards Lyla and then looked towards Shiva who took a step back.

Everything became clearly now, and Sara realized the situation she was in. It was
going to be a huge problem.

"Be careful, because you are not ready for this one," Shiva said.

Shiva hurled herself through the window and caused glass to fly up into the air.
Sara and Lyla dropped down onto the ground to avoid the shattering of falling glass
from hitting the ground.

The moment the glass and the dust settled, Sara got up to a standing position and
walked over towards the window to peer down outside. Shiva already was gone, but
her warning hung in the air.

How could she have not put the obvious together?

"It's Merlyn," Sara said, half breathing in and out. "Malcolm Merlyn."

"We knew he was into some suspicious activities, butyou think he's the Dark
Archer."
"I know, he was a member of the League, but he had been let out of his
obligations," Sara said. "What he's doing, what he's planning, it's going to bring
the League here to Starling."

Sara did not want to face that particular facet of her past. She looked down at the
ground from where Lady Shiva disappeared. The busted window was the only other sign
the woman had been here for a moment. Sara grabbed the sill and turned around.

"I'm going to hunt him down and make sure this ends," Sara said. "Tonight."

Lyla wondered if Sara knew what she was doing.

"It's a huge risk doing this, but I have to make sure he doesn't cause this to
escalate," Sara said. "It's already begun with him killing Crawford and his
friends."

Laurel pulled into the driveway her thoughts going a million miles a minute. When
she departed from work, she had a sense something off was going on. It was the same
sense she had ever since the news broke about the other archer putting arrows into
people. A sickening, twisting desperate feeling turned around in the pit of
Laurel's stomach.

It was a bad feeling, which she could not shake.

She made her way towards the apartment and noticed a couple of the windows
shattered. A disgusting smell spread through the air. Laurel walked closer towards
the apartment, heart thumping even faster when approaching the scene.

'Smokeand gasoline..'

Something was going on here, that she didn't like. Laurel ripped the door open and
the desk in her apartment was lit on fire. The fire started to spread. She moved
over and pulled the fire extinguisher from the wall nearby in an attempt to put it
out. The fire almost spread and caught the curtains.

She exited the apartment, going back down the steps. It was time to call 911.

The fire didn't burn down the house and for some reason, the alarm didn't go off.
Laurel fumbled with her cell phone. She paused and looked over her shoulder.
Something about her surroundings was odd and she noticed someone stalking the
shadows.

'Now, what?'

A slimy figure from the shadows noticed the woman and decided to take action. He
rushed towards Laurel and went for a punch. Laurel managed to block his arm and
take him down to the ground. The back of his head smacked against the sidewalk.

Laurel stood over the top of him, holding his right arm and stepping on his left.

"Get up, who is doing this?" Laurel demanded. "Tell me who's doing this?"

The man tried to push up to a standing position, a sickening yellow smirk spreading
through his nasty teeth. Laurel stepped on his arm and blocked an attempt to reach
for his pocket. The man's nasty demeanor didn't stop.
"The boss warned you to stay away!" he yelled. "You didn't listen, and now, you're
dead meat, bitch!"

Laurel heard the sound of something clicking and turned around. A sniper had her in
the cross hairs. She dropped down to her knees to avoid a shot. A shot which never
came and caused Laurel to pause. Dare she look?"

She chanced a look behind her. The sniper slid off his perch and dropped down to
the ground. Blood splashed from the man's mouth. Laurel wondered who her savior
would have been. She saw no obvious arrows, so it was obvious who it wasn't.

A long moment passed with Laurel waiting for the figure to present herself.

"Um, thank you," Laurel said.

A figure stepped out of the shadows wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and pulled
down the hood. Cassandra stood face to face with Laurel. She reached in and pulled
Laurel away from the goon on the ground. Cass stepped over and knocked out the goon
with a punch to the side of the neck.

The goon's arms and limbs extended back. Laurel slowly turned to Cassandra who
offered her a nod and motioned for her.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Laurel said. She saw the fire department arrive, someone finally
having summoned them. She stood back with Cass in the shadows and waited for the
men to do their job. "Is he okay? You didn't kill him, did you?"

Cass looked on the ground towards the man in question and studied him for a moment.
She looked forlorn when shaking her head.

"Not dead, that's good.what about the sniper?" Laurel asked.

Cass raised her hands and drew a thumb against her throat to demonstrate to Laurel
what had happened to the sniper. She looked visibly frustrated by the result, but
there seemed to be no choice. The older girl placed a hand on Cass's face.

"You were only defending me.and they're going to be back," Laurel said. She
escorted Cass away. The sirens of police were arriving. "I'm not looking forward to
my father grilling me about this. He's going to want an answer this time, and
something tells me he won't go with the it's classified thing."

Cass took a second to shrug and look at Laurel with a sympathetic smile. She
grabbed the older girl's hand and put a firm enough squeeze on it.

"The sentiment's appreciated, I think," Laurel said. "So, where's Sara tonight?"

"Magician," Cass said.

Laurel frowned. She did not have any idea what was going on. The only magician Sara
and Laurel ever saw was the daughter of one of her mother's old friends, who
currently did a show in Las Vegas. But, she doubted that was who Cassandra was
talking about.

Cass didn't seem too inclined to elaborate, and they really didn't have time for
twenty questions. She could see the police making their way in after the fire had
been put off.

'Right on schedule,' Laurel thought to herself.

She came face to face with Quentin Lance who was giving her the Dad look. Less
powerful than the Mom look, but still one which caused Laurel to wilt under
pressure.

"Dad, I'm fine," Laurel said.

"Really, you almost got taken out tonight, so excuse me if that doesn't fit my
definition of fine," Quintin said.

"Your concern is wonderful, and I'm happy you care," Laurel said. "But, you should
know your daughters can take care of themselves."

"Yeah, and I know that, but what's to stop these scumbags from targeting someone
else's daughter?" Quentin asked. "Not everyone is as tough as you and your sister
are."

Laurel only frowned in response. He would have had to play that card and try to
guilt trip her. It was a fair enough point. It was a low point to try and get
information out of her, but it was a fair enough point.

"Once the case is over, you'll be the first to know," Laurel said.

"Detective, one of them is waking up," one of the police officers said.

"Where did she go, the other one, where is she?" the slimy goon asked.

"Yeah, the girl you targeted, she's fine, but you're not going to be," Quentin
said. "You're under arrest."

"I wasn't referring to the attorney, she had a hood, and she.she hit me, she put
me out for the count," the goon answered, almost shaking in response. "Yeah, lock
me up, if the boss gets his hands on me, I'll be deaddeader than did."

Quentin wondered if the Hood was here. He made sure the goon was cuffed. There
would be a few questions to be asked of him.

'And suddenly, I have a case of Deja-Vu.'

Sara broke into Queen Industries for the second time in many nights. She had a
pretty good hunch something was going to go down tonight of all nights. Shiva's
tone and Sara's ability to read between the lines had told her about this move.

The first entrance point had been barred off thus causing Sara to climb her way
through the fire escape and slide inside the building. She stuck to the shadows and
looked around.

'Become one with your surroundings and master them.'

It was a lesson Sara learned a while ago.

'Lack of security is unnerving,' she thought.

Sara kept her hand on the bow and prepared to fire at anything which moved. She
leaned closer towards the wall and held onto it.

She stepped back and saw a lump down on the ground. One of the security guards
slumped down on the ground, an arrow put into the back of his neck. Sara flipped
the man over and blood oozed from his mouth. It wasn't really good. And if she had
been caught standing over a man who bled to death, it was going to be even worse.

Sara positioned herself and waited for the other hooded archer to make his next
move. This had been one of the most intense nights since returning to Starling
City. Around every corner lurked potential trouble, and Lady Shiva's warning put
her more on edge.

'Always take the first shot. It might be your only shot, so shoot to kill and make
it count.'

Sara had been put in a very tight spot. Merlyn did have an idea what was going on
and might have been behind it all. Leaving him alive would cause complications.

'I don't know what I should do.'

Indecision frustrated any warrior and also weakened them. Sara could not go into
this battle without her entire mind full and focused. She edged a tiny bit closer
and noticed something moving. Sara turned around and fired an arrow.

An arrow shot through the curtain on the wall and impacted the wall. Sara did not
relax and stepped back. One archer turned around just in time to see an arrow
flying at her face. Sara arched her neck back to avoid the arrow before it caught
her in the neck.

Another promise of a white-hot arrow came close towards Sara's neck. She avoided
the arrow from piercing the side of her neck. Sara loaded up the arrow one more
time and fired the attack. The arrow fired directly Sara one more time. Again the
arrow came close connecting with her and stuck in the wall from the impact. The
hood dropped to her knees.

The hood returned fire by drawing back her bow and fired an attempted taser arrow
at her enemy. The Dark Archer avoided it and slipped into the shadows, disappearing
from sight. He wanted her to give chase and the Hood followed to give as clear and
concise of a chase as possible.

The Dark Archer swung from around the corner and fired a shot towards her. The shot
almost knocked her hood off. She rushed the Dark Archer and avoided three more
arrows before jumping into the air. A huge knee strike sent the Dark Archer back
onto the ground. The Archer flipped head over heels and smashed through the windows
in response.

The Hood dropped down to the ground and stepped into the conference room. The
archer turned around and came face to face with the Dark Archer who popped back up
and kept firing her. He managed to unload more arrows. One of them caught the
shoulder with a glancing blow and another knocked the bow out of the Hood's hand.

The Dark Archer aimed the arrow towards the Hood. The Hood grabbed the man by the
arm and flipped him down onto the ground. The Dark Archer flipped out of the
positioning. The Hood reclaimed the bow lost in the battle and fired a shot. The
Dark Archer turned to avoid it and the arrow impacted into a globe.

Sara struck while the iron was hot, knocking the Dark Archer through the opened
doors. The Dark Archer descended up a flight of stairs and Sara gave chase.

'You're not going to get away, not that easily.'

She turned the corner and had to duck another arrow before it spiked her face. The
arrows continued to sail over her until the Dark Archer reached behind a few
seconds later. Sara popped up and nailed the Dark Archer in the chest to cause him
to fly down to the ground.

The Dark Archer reached underneath the desk and had more arrows. Before he could
fire, the Hood repelled down and kicked him in the face to knock him down. The
Archer returned fire and flipped the Hood down onto the ground.

"I knew something about your fighting style was familiar," The Dark Archer said.
"She taught you everything she knew, didn't she?"

"Not quite," the Hood said, flipping the Dark Archer off of the landing to another
level beneath her.

The Dark Archer dropped to one knee and the Hood came down next to her adversary.
She switched from the fighting tactics she used in the League, to the ones she
learned elsewhere. The Dark Archer avoided being taken down.

"You're in my way," The Dark Archer said.

The Dark Archer engaged her in battle hand to hand. The Hood blocked some of the
attacks and then returned fire with many more of her own. She cascaded off of the
wall and knocked the Dark Archer down to the ground.

The dark clad mercenary returned to his own bow and arrow set and started to fire.
One of the arrows grazed the Hood's side, only scratching her barely. Two more had
been ducked before the Hood was in a position to return fire.

The Dark Archer screamed in agony when an arrow pierced through his knee. The Hood
jumped up into the air and knocked the Dark Archer back onto the ground. The Dark
Archer pulled himself up and picked up a piece of wood.

The attempted impalement with the wood had been blocked. The Hood stood over the
Archer, the arrow aimed at the man's head. Her hands remained steady. She needed
answers.

"Tell me what you're up to."

"Ms. Lance, I'm afraid you don't fully understand the predicament you're in."

The blunt reveal she knew who she was, distracted the Hood for a fraction of a
second. The Dark Archer pushed back from the attack and slung her against the wall.
The Hood returned fire and now the Dark Archer ripped the quiver and bow from her.
The Dark Archer aimed one of the arrows against the wall.

The arrow hit the wall and for a second Sara felt relief at the fact it missed. The
explosion which occurred next showed less than relief.

Several jagged pieces of metal, wood, and concrete fired from the wall. Sara
screamed in agony, slamming against the wall when they struck her back and front. A
searing pain went over her body the very instant she hit the ground. This was the
second worst pain she had ever felt in life, blood soaked through her uniform where
it pierced.

The Dark Archer shook his head and ripped the arrow from his knee. He reclaimed his
gear and slipped off into the night.

Sara collapsed to the ground and grew rigid in pain. She tried to pull herself to a
standing position and then collapsed down on the ground. Every time she moved, it
hurt even more to breathe.
'You can't pull yourself up from your lowest, you've already lost this battle.'

Sara would not have lost this battle. She climbed from the deepest pit of despair.
The never ending pain which started at her back and spread down her legs racked
her. She had to do it. The Archer was still out there, Merlyn was still out there.

'You have to pull it together. Your life depends on it. Starling City depends on
it.'

A dinging of the elevator signaled the arrival of security. Blood pumped through
Sara's body when she slid backward. Each inch she moves was agony, but the
alternative of being found out was even worse.

Sara pushed herself through the opening created by the exploding arrow. She had no
idea where she ended up, and there was only one place.

The hooded heroine dangled several feet about the concrete. The sounds of footsteps
getting closer prompted her to do the one thing which many would consider her very
insane for. Sara retracted her fingers from the edge of the rooftop and descended
backward to parts unknown.

One word described her predicament.

'Fuck.'

Felicity slipped out of the elevator. The best time to get work done really was
late at night. She would not have been brazen enough to ask for anything like
overtime. She saw some security guards moving around when she left.

'Another break in,' Felicity thought. 'Oh, there's going to be some heads
rolling.glad the physical security part isn't my thing.'

Felicity stepped forward and blinked in surprise. Several pieces of debris littered
the floor on the garage. The smell of decay and smoke as well, lots of smoke, like
something just blew up.

'Okay, just back away,' Felicity thought.

She jumped back with an "eep" when someone free-fell and landed, bracing herself
against the car. It took everything she had not to scream.

"You'reoh my God, you're.oh my God, you're just.wow!" Felicity yelled.

"Be quiet," the Hood managed.

Felicity took a second to look at the figure who had put fear into the
superstitious and cowardly of Starling City. Several pieces of debris stuck into
the back of the hooded shirt, and also in the front.

"Was there an attack?" Felicity asked.

"No, get me out of here," the Hood managed to spit out.

The blonde female took a moment to look at the hooded one. So much blood spilled
from her, it was like something out of a gore movie.
"You really should get to a doctor," Felicity said. "I'm pretty sure you're going
to die if you don't get the proper medical like.I'm actually surprised you're
still conscious, to be honest."

"No doctors," the Hood said firmly, gripping Felicity's fingers so hard so they
turned blue.

"Okay, okay, let's.just keep your head down," Felicity said. She helped the Hood
into the back of the car. "I'll..I really don't know what to do, where to go."

"Fifty-Two East Avenue," The Hood managed to spit out before passing out.

Felicity closed her eyes. She either had a criminal or a corpse in the back seat of
her car. Either proposition didn't sound too inviting. She pulled out and sighed.

'And, hey, you're an accomplice now!'

They just barely missed the cops by the skin of their teeth.