Black Canary (2) • boyxboy | Arrow

40

STAR CITY, UNDERGROUND
Oliver Queen

I sit in the cell as I continue to freeze from the cold. I begin to starve as the rations of food that the mercenaries are giving is torturous. I look across my cell to see Rene locked up in front of me. It's been days, maybe an entire week since I've last seen the sun.

I told Drake trusting Silver Siren was a mistake. I worked with Silver Siren as Al Sah Him and he's ruthless. Silver Siren is not human, not one single bit. There's two types of people in this world, survivors and adapters. Silver Siren is a survivor, using every skill he has to get his way and manipulate those around him, even if it means to kill somebody out of the picture. He has an extreme lack of empathy, making him sociopathic.

I hear the water rushing in the sewers as it never stops and am reminded of Drake's sudden death. If he was the dead the news would've reported it.

All media outlets would lose it if Drake were to die. Drake has become an icon in the music industry, a living legend. He's the face of LGBTQ+ Pride, magazines, parties, companies, charities, hell maybe the entire world. He's loved by everyone.

I lay myself down on the thin mattress with a thin blanket and pillow. I cover myself with the blanket as I'm beginning to lose my strength. I start to tremble from the cold and wrap the blanket tighter around me to heat myself up but it's impossible. I close my eyes trying to sleep so that the pain of this can go away.

I'm going to die.

"Ollie." I hear Drake's voice whisper in my cell and I open my eyes to see him squatted down in front of me. He looks at me with tears in his eyes and a small smile. He brushes his hands through my hair which calms me down as it always did. I place my hand on his hand and he suddenly disappears. A Hallucination.

I begin to cry softly as this is torture. I've survived so much in my life. I spent 5 years on Lian Yu, and that experience is a true and unimaginable hell. An experience that I wouldn't even wish on my worst enemy. Even coming back to Star City, I didn't think the hell would drag on. Losing Tommy, my mother, Sara, Laurel, and myself...

The time I spent away from Star City after my death was painful. Nothing like Lian Yu, maybe even worst. The League of Assassins reverted me back to my old ways. Back to killing. I didn't think I'd be able to live free again after that, even after the plane explosion. When I got on that plane to get rid of Adrian Chase's bomb, I knew there was no coming back. I took that sacrifice, to redeem myself for everything I've done.

Next thing I knew, I woke up in Nanda Parbat in the Lazarus water. I was confused and lost when I woke up. I didn't know who I was and it took me weeks to recognize myself in the mirror. At the time, it was perfect for Ra's Al Ghul to brainwash me and revert me back to Al Sah Him.

Becoming Al Sah Him was the only thing I knew. Ra's trained me and put me up to the tasks to get rid of his targets that threatened the throne or the League of Assassins. I became the unimaginable. I lost my humanity as Al Sah Him, and I was convinced that I'd never become Oliver Queen. I didn't even know I was Oliver Queen. The Lazarus pit wiped out everything from me except for one thing. Drake.

Ra's Al Ghul's biggest mistake in his plan was partnering me with Silver Siren. Having Silver Siren on the missions to eliminate whatever target Ra's needed was a reminder of who I was. I was looking at the face of somebody I loved when I was with Silver Siren, but not the soul of the person I loved. All I could figure out on my own was how familiar Silver Siren looked.

When Ra's Al Ghul laid out his plans and I began my work as Ghost Archer, my first mission was to eliminate Drake. Ra's had shown me photos of Drake and I together. Ra's wanted me to eliminate my past to fully commit to my identity as Al Sah Him. The trick was to see if I still had a piece of humanity in me so that he could take it and start over with me.