The Arrow & The Huntsman [The 1st Installment of DC HEROES: CHAMPIONS OF EARTH]

[140] Cyrus Vanch

FIVE YEARS AGO...

When Oliver opened his eyes again, he was sitting upright in a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He tugged against the ropes binding his hands together, letting out a hoarse groan as he struggled. In front of him, Slade, seemingly sharpening some sort of weapon, had his back turned to Oliver as the sound of metal scraping against metal scratched against Oliver's eardrums.

"Sorry," Slade said as he turned around to face the younger man, twirling the serrated sword once in his hand before aiming it at Oliver's neck. "It's nothing personal. The airfield is a heavily fortified position. And I cannot take it on my own."

"So-So what?" Oliver stammered fearfully, trying and failing to move away from the blade. "Huh? You're just gonna kill me?"

Slade pressed the blade close against Oliver's jugular, causing Oliver to whimper as he tried with more fervor to escape his binds.

"Like I said. Nothing personal," he repeated. "But if you're alive, they will find you. And if they find you, they will torture you until you give up my location and I cannot allow for that to happen."

Then Slade removed the blade from Oliver's throat and swung his sword arm back, giving Oliver the opportunity to get up with his hands still tied behind the chair and beg for his life before his diaphragm spasmed and his body plummeted back into the chair from the force of Slade's cleated boots against his stomach.

"Don't make it more difficult upon yourself," the mercenary seethed. "I can do this in a way you will not feel it at all."

And those last words spurred Oliver's desperation sending him into overdrive as he dislocated his wrist and finally broke free of the restraints, with a pained howl. Once the immediate pain ebbed away, Oliver all but jumped to his feet and socked Slade the jaw with his good hand, sending the ASIS agent stumbling back slightly.

Slade blinked the wetness out of his eyes from the sudden punch and grabbed Oliver by the scruff of his neck and glared at him before his hardened expression lightened dramatically as he laughed raucously. Then he let go of the boy, and offered his hand for him to shake.

"Slade Wilson," he said.

Oliver cautiously shook Slade's hand and said, "Oliver Queen."

Slade's eyes narrowed once he heard Oliver say his full name. "Queen?"

Oliver nodded in affirmation.

"And you said your brother's name was Dearden?" Slade clarified.

"Yeah, why? You know him?" Oliver asked, raising his eyebrow.

"More than I'd care to admit," Slade replied. "But if you are even a tenth of the man your brother is... there might be a fighter inside of you after all."

*                              *                              *

PRESENT-DAY...

"Detective," came the modulated voice of the Emerald Archer as he appeared behind Quentin on the rooftop of the precinct. "If this is another trick, my partner will not hesitate to blow up off of the roof."

"You got a lot of balls threatening a cop on the roof of a police precinct," Quentin snarked, turning to look at the Green vigilante.