The Hood and Athena: An Arrow: Season 2 Fanfiction

Chapter 4: Queen Consolidated

Evelyn Queen's POV 

Oliver, Diggle and I entered the main hall of Queen Consolidated, going into the main conference room. Felicity held open the door for us. 

'They're in the conference room. Just FYI, no one is eating the bagels.' 

'First come, first serve, Felicity,' I remarked, touching her arm, and giving it a light squeeze. We walked in to the main conference room, where three people sat at the table, including the young woman from the photos in the file of Stellmoor International, Isabel Rochev. She had her hair curled, wearing a red dress, and wore a stern expression on her face. She shook hands with Oliver first. 

'Isabel. Rochev,' she said quickly. 

'Oliver Queen. Sorry I'm late,' he offered. 

'For this meeting or a career in business?' she snidely remarked, not breaking her cold facial expression. She turned to me. 'Luckily this one has some smarts.'

'Evelyn Queen.' 

'Pleasure,' she said coldly, letting a small smile slip past her lips, but there was no emotion in it. 

'I didn't realise hostile takeovers were filled with so much hostility,' Oliver said. 

'Not at all. I'm actually in quite a good mood.'

'Really?' he said. I was surprised. She didn't look to be in a good mood. I tried my very best to not laugh. Seriously, Evelyn, I thought to myself. Keep a straight face. Felicity sat next to me, on my left side. 'So destroying companies agrees with you?'

'Winning agrees with me,' she replied. 

'You haven't won yet,' I remarked. She gave me a short glare, then turned to Oliver. 

'Since you majored in dropping out of college, let me put this in terms that are easy for you to understand. You control 45% of Queen Consolidated stock. I control 45%, leaving 10% outstanding. But, in two days, the board will release the final 10%.'

'And Evelyn and I will buy it before you do.'

'With what money?' she scoffed. 'I doubt your trust funds combined are that large, and no angel will go near the company that built the machine that destroyed half the city. Companies rise and fall, Mr. and Miss Queen. Your company has fallen.' There was a short bit of silence. Just then the four Hood copycats burst in, holding up their guns. 

'Oliver and Evelyn Queen! You have failed this city!' a man who seemed to be the leader shouted. Then the gunfire started. Diggle was valiantly firing, but the machine guns seemed to be gaining the upper hand. 

'Pull back!' he shouted. 'Oliver, go! Evelyn, go! Go, go, go, go!' Oliver managed to get Isabel out of the conference room, but I stayed behind. Just then one of the Hoods stood in front of him, holding a gun to his face, when a board slammed across his head, making him fall down. Felicity stood there in his place. Just then a gun fired near her, and he tackled her to the ground as a glass pane shattered near them. 

'Quick! They're getting away!' the leader yelled, shooting at myself, Felicity and Oliver. 'Go! Move!' He grabbed a chain and launched himself and Felicity out of the window, and I jumped out after them, grabbing onto the same chain and swinging in, feeling something graze my bare leg. We swung into another room, breaking the glass instantly. We all fell on the floor and Felicity coughed. He reached out and moved her hair from her face, checking on her. I was on the ground, laying there where the broken glass was the thickest. Blood pooled from my thigh. I got up slowly, wincing. 

'We're okay, right?' I asked, still somewhat dazed, dark spots fleeting in front of my vision. I felt a hand brush hair out of my face, my eyes focusing on Oliver. 

'Yeah,' he said softly. 

Oliver and I walked into the conference room, where the gunmen had tried to attack us. I had sat down, and a police officer was bandaging my leg. 

'Ms. Rochev, I'm sorry about this,' Oliver said. 

'Cause they were after you and your sister?' she asked, the two of them walking, falling in step beside each other. 

'Because what happens in this building is my responsibility.'

'Only for the next 48 hours.' She gave him a fleeting look over her shoulder as she left. 

Time skip 

I limped through the door barefoot, my heels in one hand, following Oliver and Felicity into the main office of the Queen Consolidated building. Diggle trailed behind us.

'You could have stopped those guys,' Felicity snapped at Oliver, then glared at me. 'Both you and Evelyn could have.' 

'Not without giving Isabel Rochev and the Hoods a pretty good idea of what I'm capable of.' 

'I think what Felicity's wondering is whether you - and Evelyn, avoided taking those hoods on. And Oliver, she's not the only one wondering,' Diggle said. 

'I told you, I did not come back to Starling City to be the vigilante.' 

'But they came after you, Oliver. You could have taken them out.'

'No, I couldn't, Diggle. Look, there's a part of being the Hood that neither one of you are considering. The body count.' 

'And excuse me for saying this,' Felicity snapped, 'but so what? Since when do you care?' I saw Oliver look to Diggle, and Diggle spoke. 

'Since Tommy.' Felicity looked back at him, then at Oliver. 

'After he found out my secret, you know what Tommy called me? What he called Evelyn? Murderers. And he was right. My best friend died thinking my sister and I were murderers, and anyone that I kill dishonors his memory.'

'So don't,' Felicity said softly, coming close to him. 'It's not like you've killed every guy you've faced.'

'I could have. Evelyn could have. Because when I put on the hood, it's kill or be killed. That is what kept me alive. That's why I should have stayed on the island.' He walked away. 

'Is that where you're going now?' I shouted after him. 

'Felicity and Diggle won't help me save my family's company, I'm going to talk to somebody who will,' he announced. 

'Wait!' He stopped in his tracks and turned. 'Let me come with you.' 

'You have a bad leg.'

'I know. Still, let me come.' 

'Fine.' He motioned his head towards the door and I walked out after him.