Arrow and Shadow

The Lone Gunman

Inside our hide away, Oliver was training while I looked more information on our next target. My name is Ashlee Merlyn. To my family, I am the sister and daughter who just returned home after being lost at sea 5 years ago with my best friend Oliver Queen. They don't know we came back with a mission, to bring justice to our city, and they never can. The men and women we've targeted are dangerous, corrupt, a virulent cancer. Cancers like James Holder, whose corporation put defective smoke detectors in low-income housing in The Glades. There have been many fires and too many funerals. I showed Oliver the man and the reports and he looked at the name in the book. Cancers can be fought and conquered. All it takes is a surgeon and the right instrument. We suited up before leaving.

"Heh. Other than the bill I got handed this morning by my legal team, I'm feeling pretty good. Plus, now that this lawsuit's been settled, we can focus our attention on Unidac Industries. Ok. I'll see you in the office first thing." Holder hung up his phone and tossed it on one of the chairs beside him. He was about to take a drink when Oliver shot an arrow through the glass he was holding. He quickly turned and saw me behind him. "I have armed security inside. All I have to do is call out." He told us.

"Go ahead. They can't hear you." Oliver told him and I tossed one of the guns the men on his security detail had.

"What the hell do you want?" Holder asked us.

"How many people died in those fires? How many?! The courts say you don't owe your victims anything. I disagree. James Holder..." Oliver was interrupted by Holder getting shot. He quickly turned and aimed his bow where the bullet came from and fired off two before taking cover. I moved quickly and took cover before holding my hand over my left shoulder. I removed it to find blood. The bullet must have gone through Holder and into my shoulder. Once we knew it was safe to move we moved from our cover and quickly left the scene before the cops arrived to check out the sound of gun shots.

We went back to the Steel factory and I undressed enough to see the bullet wound.

"Didn't pass though so I'll have to get it out of you." Oliver told me and I sat at the desk and waited for him to get what he needed before taking out the bullet and stitching me up. "Do you remember hearing anything about that guy from before we left?" He asked me and I shook my head as he finished stitching me up.

"It's no surprise a man as corrupt as James Holder has more than one enemy though." I told him once putting on some different clothes.

"But who? " Oliver asked sitting down and crossing Holder's name off the list before leaning back in his chair. I moved to get a drink of water when I stumbled into the desk where the computer was.

"The bullet. Poison." I said staring at Oliver with my eyes wide. Oliver quickly grabbed the keys to the one of the wooden chests we kept with us and unlocked it. He dug through it until he found the herb and gave it to me. I quickly took it and some water from the water bottle next to me. I downed it before falling into Oliver's arms on the ground.

When I came to Oliver was already up and turning towards a Chinese man in a green hood. I liked down at my side and saw the arrow still sticking out of my shirt.

"Who are you? Why did you shoot us?" Oliver asked him. The man replied in Chinese before holding out his hands, one holding an herb and the other a cup of water. We looked up at him confused with what he wanted us to do. He said something in Chinese again and we each took the herb and ate it before washing it down with water. The man quickly moved to Ollie's shoulder and pulled out the arrow that was still in him making my friend scream in pain before moving to me.

I sat up quickly, taking in a deep breath as an alarm went off on the computer screen.

"Hey, you okay? " Oliver asked me moving to me from where he was training.