Chapter Text
"Samantha!" Thea Queen called, hearing Felicity Smoak behind her echoing her call.
Thea turned around, still moving in the direction her nephew's mother had vanished into the underbrush. "You go to the plane, okay?" Thea directed at Felicity.
Oliver had given her one job, one way to help him in his fight against Chase: protect Felicity and Samantha. He had looked her in the eye and asked this one thing of her: "I need your help, Speedy – and this is how you help me." There was no way she was letting him down and that meant Felicity had to get to safety.
Thea could see the indecision wavering in Felicity's expression. Thea promised, both to herself and to Felicity, "I'll get her!" Thea turned back towards the woods, relieved when the sound of Felicity's footsteps behind her stopped.
The day from hell continues, Thea mused darkly as she forced an extra burst of speed, quickly scanning through the foliage for a glimpse of Samantha Clayton. First, she and Quentin had been kidnapped at the hands of Laurel's doppelganger, which seemed to tear Quentin apart before her eyes. Then she'd hung in a cage on god-forsaken Lian Yu. Came face-to-face with the man who murdered her mother. Was forced into an unwanted conversation with Malcolm, and then … Malcolm gave up his life for hers.
And now Oliver was somewhere on this island rigged with explosives, facing off with the insane and diabolical Adrian Chase with William still held hostage. Thea was well aware that Samantha's actions – running away from the potential safety of the plane and into the heart of the rigged devices – was illogical. Even so, Thea had to admire it. Thea might still be angry that Samantha had kept William from Oliver, but she had to respect how much Samantha loved her son. The fierce need to protect – the overwhelming desperation to have him back in her arms – Thea remembered all too well that she had once been loved by a mother with that same kind of love.
Thea was shocked suddenly to realize that she had completely lost sight of Samantha. She paused and then heard the cry. "William?"
Just as Thea began to run towards Samantha's voice, Thea heard a far-off roar. Then the ground began to vibrate. One following closely to another, Thea heard the earth-shattering bass of explosives. She took a deep breath and continued towards Samantha's cry. There was no running away from anything: the only choice she had was to run towards something.
That's when Thea heard a deafening crash from behind her. Something slammed into Thea and she felt her body carried off the ground. She was weightless for a breath until her momentum was unceremoniously halted by a bone-shattering collision with a tree trunk. Thea had only a moment to feel white-hot pain and then – nothing.
Felicity could feel the groan being pulled out of her. Her mind was unable to connect to any thoughts, only sensations. Ears rang with a high-pitched, squealing noise even while every other sound was muffled. Her heart pounded in her chest, adding a rough staccato to break up the high-pitched whine.
Felicity blinked her eyes. Her vision was fuzzy – or else everything around her was fuzzy. She blinked and brought her arm up to her face, scrubbing her jacket sleeve against her eyelids before opening her eyes again to peer around her. An acidic feeling bit at her nostrils and throat and Felicity choked wildly, coughing to get rid of the feeling.
Felicity started to shift her weight, stopping when she realized she felt too weary to even try. She allowed her eyes to close again, attempting to draw in a deep breath, only to find herself sputtering again.
Felicity felt something grab at her arm and her adrenaline spiked with fear. Eyes shot open and she found herself looking at a concerned Rene Ramirez. "Rene," she mumbled confusedly. What was going on?
Rene shot her a little half-smile and pulled at her arm until Felicity found herself standing. As soon as her feet were stably on the ground, it all rushed back. Felicity turned around, looking through the smoke and hollered in terror, "John!"
John Diggle had been right behind her. He had come back for her, told her he wasn't about to shelter without her. Felicity swallowed through the panic. And the bombs – they went off. And John was right behind her.
Felicity tried her best to spin out of Rene's grip to look through the smoke. Her eyes fell on the blurry image of Quentin Lance and Dinah Drake crouching over a figure in the smoke.
Felicity tried to shake Rene's grip on her arm, needing to check on her friend. Rene clung on tighter and Felicity looked at him angrily. Felicity could see his mouth moving and focused on trying to understand his words. Rene seemed to gather that she couldn't hear him, and with patient eyes, Rene said slowly, his voice garbled in her ears, "You're not too steady right now."
The sound of Rene's far-off voice triggered something in Felicity's memory and she grasped at her ear to find her comm still in. Felicity's eyes widened as she cried out through the comm, "Oliver? Are you there?" There was no answer - just static. Felicity tried again, not caring that her voice shook as desperation clawed in her stomach.
Felicity caught Rene studying her and his face remained even, seemingly undisturbed that she hadn't made contact with Oliver. Felicity declared forcefully, demanding Rene release her, "I am going to John."
Rene nodded, but instead of freeing Felicity from his grip, he turned, continuing to gently steady her as he led her through the smoke towards the group clustered on the ground.
The sight before her did nothing to quell Felicity's panic. Digg was covered in blood. A large piece of shrapnel was lodged in his chest. His eyebrows had vanished, stripped off by the flames which had tinged his skin with angry burns. Digg's skin was ashen and his eyes were wild, bouncing off of the people trying to help him and the surrounding smoke-filled beach.
Felicity's heart plunged into her stomach. There was no way – no way someone could survive being skewered by a piece of an incendiary device. Digg was on borrowed time.
Dinah tore the bottom of her shirt into a long strip before tightening it over a white piece of fabric – a sock, Felicity realized – on Digg's upper arm. Digg uttered a cry at the sensation. Quentin pressed his jacket around the piece of metal lodged in Digg's chest and Felicity realized that the very piece of metal that would likely kill him was also the same thing stopping Digg from bleeding out.
Felicity, in a low, tense voice, said, "We need to get him off this island. NOW."
"You don't hafta tell me twice," Quentin agreed in a mutter.
"We need to get him to the boat," Rene stated. He looked to Felicity, still propped against him and clarified, "You said it's east?"
"We still have people here," Dinah noted quickly, even as her eyes seemed drawn back to the shivering Digg.
Two new figures appeared through the smoke, standing beside Felicity and Rene. Felicity scarcely gave Nyssa Al Ghul and Curtis Holt a glance before returning to watch Digg.
Nyssa said somberly from somewhere behind Felicity, "That girl who was with my sister may have survived the blast. I will check."
Curtis asked, "Can you find your way to the beach once you do?" There was no response, so Felicity assumed Nyssa had either nodded or sent Curtis a curt, disbelieving look. Felicity gave in and turned back to watch Nyssa. Even with their world on fire, Nyssa seemed as self-possessed as ever. Moments later, when she faded into the smoke, Felicity mused that the beach's atmosphere didn't change at all - Nyssa may as well have been a ghost.
Rene said quietly, "Someone needs to check on the monastery."
"I'll come," Dinah agreed, standing up.
"Okay," Curtis said, firmly taking charge. "The rest of us will start to the eastern side of the island. We'll check where Oliver said the ARGUS supply boat would be moored – if it starts, we'll grab the others and make a heading for land."
Felicity glanced down at the bright red blood on Digg's shirt and the way his eyes remained firmly closed, squinting against pain. Felicity said sharply, "There is no way we can move John that far."
Quentin stood up abruptly, face paling. "Thea!"
As the name left his mouth, Felicity's heart sank further. Oh, no – Thea and Samantha. In the horror of Digg's injuries and the ringing of her own head, somehow Felicity had lost track of them. Felicity looked towards the woods where they had vanished what felt like a lifetime ago. The path they had taken was engulfed in flames. Towering trees dropped branches with loud crunches as they burned.
The stricken look on Quentin's face broke Felicity's heart. Since Laurel's death, Thea and Quentin had grown close. Thea had taken charge of Quentin's care and sobriety out of a deep love for her departed friend, and Felicity felt that the Quentin and Thea leaning on each other was what had brought them both out on the other side of their grief. Quentin couldn't lose someone else. He just couldn't.
Quentin only seemed frozen for a moment. He turned, preparing to follow the enflamed path, when a voice arrested him.
"You are not suited to enter these woods." From behind them, Slade solidified through the smoke. He said seriously, "I will search for Oliver's sister and his son's mother."
Quentin raised his chin in challenge. Felicity pleaded, "Quentin – we need you here. John needs help."
Quentin's eyes darted back to Digg. Then, as though he were deflating, Quentin's shoulders slumped. He nodded.
As Slade was engulfed in the flaming woods, Felicity was glad she didn't have to say aloud the real reason she needed Quentin to stay: there was no reason to go running into the woods because there was no way they would find Thea and Samantha alive.