There's this old saying, "Wisdom is to live in the present, plan for the future and profit from the past." Once again, Katie found herself thinking of those words and she wasn't truly sure why. Not in this moment. Not as she sits on the hard wooden chair, in an old oil processing plant, staring at the eye patched wearing man who just stared at her, with a slight smirk fixed on his face.

"The first time I met your father, I remember walking into his office and overhearing a conversation he was having with you." Slade shook his head at the memory. "He was telling you how much he looked forward to seeing you when you came home after graduation."

"So before you kill me, you're going to talk me to death?" Katie snarked and Slade chuckled.

"Sense of humor." the man said. "Just like him. Some times I just think he liked to hear his own voice. He just talked and talked and-"

"Much like you're doing now." Katie stated with a shake of her head as she turned away from him. It was just the two of them, but she had no doubt, Slade's goons were nearby.

"You know I expected more of a fight from you." Slade said and Katie chuckled. "At least from what Ms. Rochev described, but I wouldn't be able to ask her now."

"Did you love her?" Katie asked and the man turned away. "Is that why I'm here, because I killed her?" he looked to her, seeing the smirk curl at her lips. "I didn't hesitate, you know? There is no hesitation when it comes to your survival."

"You sound like a soldier." the man said sliding closer to her, intrigued that she didn't even attempt to inch away. "But what kind of war has some rich doctor been put in?"

"You and your league of doped up criminals." Katie says, deciding to lean in as well. "Definitely aren't my toughest opponents." she sat back in her seat, and folded her arms over her chest. "What are you waiting for? Are you going to kill me? Are you going to invite Oliver so he can watch? What happens now?" Slade looked at her, and it made her feel uneasy, even though she would never show it.

"All in good time. Right now I just want to talk to you."

"About my father?" she asked and the man sat back in his chair. "The man who gave the order that landed you on that island."

"Jacob took my life." Slade replied with a shake of his head. "And I don't even know why. I wasn't one of his ARGUS agents, he wasn't my commanding officer, and yet he made one call that landed me and Billy in his office, and all these years I still don't know why."

"You can't ask the dead questions, Mr. Wilson. If you could, people would sleep a whole lot better at night. Either let me go, or kill me, because this talking doesn't change anything that has happened." Katie said. "Actually nothing you have done will change anything, you ending up on that island, Shado being killed, no matter how many bodies you pile up, nothing will ever change that." He once again stared at her, studying her and she wasn't sure what he was doing. "What is this? Why do I get the feeling that this isn't you trying to draw Oliver here. Why—

"You talk an awful lot." Slade replied before standing to his feet towering over her. "Just like him. Except back then I was too much of a good soldier to rip his tongue out, but now—" he bent down slightly, their eyes locked, neither flinching in intimidation. "Now—" he simply chuckled before turning and walking off. When he was gone, Katie knew he wasn't really gone, knew she wasn't truly alone. Her hand slid across her pocket, relief only settling inside of her at the feeling that this would soon be over.

Martin Ellis was simply a man who believed in what he did. He would die for the cause set by Jacob, and it would seem he would die anyway. He stood trying not to flinch or shake, or show any signs of fear after revealing to his boss that the protection detail following his daughter had gotten caught up in the war happening in the streets of Starling, and now had no idea where she was. What Martin knew about Jacob Robins was that the man could talk. He always had something to say, usually in great detail about practically everything, and yet in this moment, Jacob Robins was eerily quiet.

"Sir—" Jacob held up a hand for the man to not speak another word and Martin closed his mouth, not even tempted to disobey the order.

"My daughter is in the hands of man who would love nothing more than to hurt me, even if beyond the grave." Jacob spoke, turning and walking over to his desk , dropping his hands on it's surface, before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "My only child is being used as tool to satisfy this sick son of bitch's craving for revenge." Jacob turned back to Martin. "And you have no idea where she is. Is that what you're telling me Marty?" To any one else, it was just a carefree nick name, but Martin knew the truth. Jacob only called him Marty, when he was wholeheartedly upset with him, which meant his actions could be unpredictable.

"No sir." Martin replied and Jacob looked to him with a quirked brow. "I'm telling you that a man whose only power lies from a drug that runs through his veins, that can easily be taken away, has captured a woman who has faced the devil himself." Martin took a step forward, only one. "I'm telling you sir that this woman who everyone think needs to be protected is the one Slade will need protection from. You made sure of that sir." Jacob stood silently, before turning away.

"Find my daughter Martin." Jacob simply ordered. Martin nodded before turning and rushing from the office. Once alone, Jacob let out a sigh before slightly lifting his head to the ceiling. "Oh Grace, I hope you're watching over her."

Oliver Queen wasn't one hundred percent sure of any of the decisions he'd been making lately which at this moment, when him and his friends were in the middle of a war just seemed too risky. Sara, and Nyssa had arrived with a couple of Ra's assassins, apparently there to help. Oliver was expectantly suspicious, but knew that he needed all the help that he could get when it came to defeating Slade's men. He took it, with the added insurance that they made no move without his approval. He knew it was a long shot, that this, Ra's people here when he was overwhelmed with Slade, could be a tactic to get to Katie, but he knew without a doubt he wouldn't let that happen.

Katie. He tried with every ounce of himself to not think about her, to not think about what Slade could be possibly doing to her because of this plan he believed could be their answer to finally ending this war. It was a very tough decision to even fathom, and yet something happened. He realized that the woman he so desperately wants to keep safe, who he needs to keep breathing, has absolutely no problem of protecting herself. Maybe there were hundreds of other options, maybe this was a stupid plan, and maybe he had doubt about most of it. What Oliver Queen didn't doubt was her. So he would wait for the call that he had absolutely no doubt was coming. Slade thought he captured the one Oliver loves, but he had no idea that it was he who had been captured.

Oliver stood on top of a cab after a intense battle with Slade's men. It had to be close to the last of them, leaving only Slade.

"We need to talk." Nyssa spoke from below him. He glanced down, before hopping down to her. "Nura—"

"We had a deal, you don't say her name, you don't even think about her." Oliver growled.

"I find it laughable that you think you can prevent what is already destined." the woman said. "But that is not what I'm talking about, your Slade Wilson has Nura and—"

"Do not worry about her." Oliver said before turning to walk away, but Nyssa caught his arm and the man jerked from her grasp.

"You already knew, didn't you?" she asked, but Oliver simply looked out to the area making sure everything was clear. "She's bait."

"No, she's what Slade needs her to be." Oliver said turning back to her. "Do not worry about her, because you will not come anywhere near her." the woman chuckled slightly. "What?"

"Nura does not die tonight. Whatever your plan entails, whatever you expect to happen, I really hope it happens, because she does not die tonight."

"Why, because Ra's wants her for himself?"

"One day you will know how powerful the demon's words are." Nyssa said before turning and stalking away.

"What was that about?" Sara asked walking over to Oliver who turned away. "Ollie—" Sara was interrupted by a call that came through his comlink.

"Go!" Oliver answered. Sara watched him closely, seeing the tension take over his features as he listened to whoever was speaking.

"It's over, Slade! Your army is broken." Oliver snapped.

"And I pity them. But once again, you miss the point. I have the one you love." Slade revealed, and he heard the snarl that escaped Oliver's lips. "You're going to meet me where I say. Otherwise, I'm going to kill her."

"No you do what you have to. I'm done playing your games!" Oliver snapped angrily.

"You're done when I say you're done!" Slade roared. "I was surprised. I thought you had a thing for strong women. And now that I finally have her, I can see there is a very different side to your Twinkie." the man chuckled, tauntingly.

Katie sat in the cold, oil factory her eyes closed and her arms wrapped around herself. She should be focused, one hundred percent, but she knew what this was. It was supposed to be a production, one set for Oliver. The thing was, it was she who would decide everything, because she held the syringe in her pocket, and the more she thought about it, the more she couldn't understand why she was waiting to end this.

Katie's heart was ramming in her chest as the plane landed. She was getting nervous, and hesitant about all of this.

"I can't imagine what must be going through your mind right now." Martin spoke from his spot across from her. Neither had passed any words during the duration of the flight, but Martin seemed to want to change that. "The only thing I can tell you is that, all of this, every last beating, every last punch, kick scratch, in the end it will be worth it." Katie turned an icy glare to the man who had the audacity to say those words to her. "You don't see it now—" the man stopped talking when Katie unfastened her seat belt. "Katherine—"

"Was it worth it for you?" Katie asked. "To turn against my father and hurt his daughter the way you have? You're a piece of shit, and I promise you that when I get home and I get my life back, I will spend a very embarrassing amount of time helping the police find you and find Agent Waller, and Ra's Al Ghul and making sure every last one of you pay for what you've done to me."

"You don't get it do you?" Martin said with a shake of his head. "At this point, I thought you would, but you just don't get it." the man unclasped his seat belt as well. "You were kidnapped by Bosnian extremists and held against your will in order to gain ransom from your father. When they realized that his health would not improve they decided to release you." he leaned in closer. "You didn't see their faces, they never let you see their faces. You remember me though, I came to try to pay them off, but they killed me, right in front of you."

"What—"

"Some story about secret government agencies, and mystical warlords, that's not something a lot of people believe. If you go to the embassy, if you return home unable to just let this go, then you'll never truly get home. We won't let you."

"Is that a threat?" Katie growled.

"No, it's a promise. This was all a test, one you passed and lived to take the lessons with you. And you're going to need those lessons." The man suddenly stood to his feet. "And now we must prepare you for your return." Katie looked at him confused, before turning at the sound of footsteps. She saw a man, dressed in tactical gear. He wasn't one of Waller's, so she assumed he was with Martin.

"And by prepare..." Katie stood to her feet and began backing away from the man.

"You were in a prison, beaten to submission." Martin looked over to the man who clenched his fists as he stretched his neck. "You have to look the part." the woman rose her fists ready to fight back and Martin simply stood there watching the fight begin.

"You were the light of his life." Slade's voice spoke, pulling her from the memory. "It's what he said that first day I met him." Katie opened her eyes to see the man standing behind the chair he'd been sitting in earlier.

"It was Billy." Katie said suddenly and the man looked at her with confusion. If he wanted to play mind games, then she would play them too. "He showed signs of violent, erratic behavior in the field. He became unpredictable, and ASIS needed someone to determine if he had a future with the agency."

"How do you know this?" Slade asked taking the seat in front of him.

"I was given files, about you and your missions and that one mission some guy from a different agency assigned to you." Katie replied with a shake of her head. "My father had a reputation for revealing the things people wanted to hide, to bring out their true selves, and that's why he was hired by your agency. They put Billy in a situation, rescue a chinese ally held captive by terrorists. They wanted to see what course of action he would take in the event that this cut and dry mission wasn't so cut and dry."

"And me, what was my purpose?"

"You and Wintergreen were friends, had been for a long time. ASIS wanted you to save him, to pull him back from the darkness, and you couldn't do that." Katie said leaning back in her chair. "You actually fell into the darkness yourself."

"Because of Queen, and what he did."

"Oliver was placed in a very impossible situation. Ivo had a gun to the heads of two people he cared deeply about, how do you make that choice. Someone was going to die, someone was going to have to die, and Oliver—"

"He decided that my Shado would be the one to die." Slade growled before standing to his feet and kicking the chair, sending it crashing into the wall. "He took the one thing I needed for my heart to beat, and now I am going to take his."

"Let me go!" a voice echoed and Katie looked confused as she tried to find the source. Soon she found it, as Laurel is dragged in by one of Slade's me. The moment she saw Katie, she tried to pull free, the man held onto her firmly. Katie turned her glare to Slade, before standing to her feet.

"Let her go." she growled, and Slade looked at her in a amusement.

"Oh, there she is. There's the spit fire I've been hearing so much about. Now we are going to let my friend Oliver make another choice." Slade said taking a dangerous step closer to the woman, who didn't move an inch. He leaned in closer, looking at her eyes. "You got some big darkness wrapped up in that tiny body of yours, don't you doctor."

"You have no idea." Katie replied, before she grabbed the chair behind her and threw it at the man, only causing him to stumble back. Katie used the momentary distraction to run toward the man holding Laurel, who immediately pushed the woman away, before pulling free the sword he had sheath behind his back. He swung the sword with a powerful force, but Katie dropped slightly to miss the blade, before kicking her foot up, right into his wrist knocking the sword from his hand. "Laurel, run!" both women bolted as quickly as they could away from Slade and his goons. The factory was huge, seamlessly never ending, and it would seem every turn never seemed to be bring them closer to an exit. Katie suddenly stopped, grabbing Laurel's arm and pulling them behind one of a row of pipes. Both women tried to catch their breath, but also tried to listen for anyone who could be close by.

"How do we get out of here?" Laurel whispered and Katie glanced over to her, before looking around for a way out. She spotted a window, further up that could be accessed from a ladder underneath it.

"There." Katie whispered pointing to the ladder. "Take that ladder, and get out of here." she turned back to Laurel. "Get as far away as can and—"

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" Laurel asked and Katie shook her head.

"Slade does not make it to tomorrow." Katie replied. "This all ends tonight. Laurel you have to—"

"I'm not leaving you here." Laurel said quite unexpectantly. Laurel's opinion of Katie had been quite clear for a long time, and for her to show such concern for her wellbeing was still a bit odd.

"Laurel I appreciate you wanting to help, but I can handle this on my own. But I can only do that if I'm not worried about you getting hurt. Your dad needs you, your sister needs you and—"

"Oliver needs you. John and Felicity need you." Laurel interrupted. "So no, I'm not running and leaving you here alone to take on a psychopath by yourself."

"You really are annoying." Katie muttered only for the woman to give a smirk. "Alright, I have to contact Oliver and—"

"Slade already did." Laurel said and Katie turned to her. "Slade told Oliver he had you and that if he wanted to save you then he had to come here alone."

"Of course he did." Katie sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. "C'mon we need to find out where this is happening."

"Why?"

"Because we're Oliver's back up." Katie replied before nudging her head for the woman to follow.

Oliver moved quietly into the processing plant, his bow held high and an arrow at the ready. His eyes moved across the steam and pipes around him, searching for Slade.

"I want them found now!" Slade's voice roared, causing Oliver to stop. He turned, following where he'd heard the voice. Soon the man came in his sights, and Slade turned to the arrow pointed at him.

Oliver's eyes glanced around, hoping to see Katie, but she was no where in sight, which only made him even more nervous.

"Where is she?!" the Arrow roared, his finger twitching to release the arrow. He knew he couldn't, not yet, not until he knew she was safe.

"Let me go!" a familiar voice screamed and both men turned to see Katie and Laurel now being dragged toward them by Slade's goons. Oliver locked eyes with Katie who the goon handed over to Slade. Slade pulled a sword from behind him, and pressed it to Katie's neck.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked looking between Katie and Laurel.

"My first words to you." Slade spoke, never lessening the blade against the woman's neck. "Do you remember? I do. I remember the exact moment. My blade against your neck." he glanced down to Katie who closed her eyes trying to retain her focus. "Just like my blade is against the neck of your beloved. If only I'd killed you then, everything would be different."

"Would it?" it was Katie who spoke opening her eyes. "You know I keep hearing these stories about the island, and all the fucked up shit that happened. You were never going to be happy Slade, you and Shado were never going to ride into the sunset together, because this guy was inside you, the monster you think Oliver created was already inside of you and she would've seen it. "

"Shut up!" Slade growled, the blade pressing just a bit deeper, causing Katie moan in pain.

"Slade, don't!" Oliver pleaded and Slade lifted his eyes back to the man.

"Drop the bow, kid." Slade ordered, and Oliver hesitated for a moment, his eyes still on Katie. "Now!"

"Don't do it Oliver, just end him." Katie said as tears suddenly rolled down her cheeks. "This needs to end, just end it." Oliver swallowed hard, before cautiously lowering the bow to the