Chapter Text
The name of the island they found me on is Lian Yu. It’s Mandarin for “Purgatory”. I’ve been stranded here for 5 years. I’ve dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then. For 5 years, I have had only one thought, one goal, survive. Survive and one day return home. The island held many dangers. To live, I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning not the boy who was shipwrecked but the man who will help the Arrow bring justice to those who have poisoned my city. My name is David Hale. I am alive.
———
I was the one who saw the boat. When I pointed it out to Oliver, he took off running and jumping. I followed, and we tore through the forest, shoving our way through bushes and swinging from tree branches to navigate the dense jungle.
Then we reached the cliff that Oliver had picked out, as it had a perfect view of the pile of kindling he’d made as a flare. He stuck his knife into the rock, and lifted the green tarp to reveal his bow and arrows. Mine was beside his, but he left mine there, grabbing a single arrow. He struck it against a rock while I studied the ship. Looked like a fisherman’s boat. Nothing special. The arrow’s tip on fire, Oliver let it fly towards the pile of kindling, setting it alight.
Hopefully the people on the boat would see it. All we could do was hope.
We quickly saw that it had worked, and the boat headed for the shore of Lian Yu. We were waiting for them. Two men, who looked thoroughly creeped out by the island. No big surprise.
Oliver and I stood there, unspeaking and wary, but hopeful. Oliver went forwards, and fell to his knees as the two men approached him. I managed to keep my footing, but relief had made me weak-limbed.
———
The hospital they brought us to was nice. It was in our home city in Starling City. After five years of scarcely leaving Oliver’s side, it felt weird to be put into a different hospital room.
My freshest cuts were treated, and I was able to shave and get a haircut, luxuries it had been a long time since I had.
I didn’t go quite as short as Oliver had, I suspected. I kept my beard full, and left my hair long enough to style, in a bit of a quiff.
I had chestnut brown hair, and I liked feeling it thin, not so thick I couldn’t run my hands through it. I examined myself in the mirror, looking at the numerous scars I saw all over my chest. One particularly large scar stretched from my left nipple to the just below my rib cage in a sharp diagonal line.
“Sir, I’m afraid we couldn’t find any family.” the nurse said. I smiled grimly.
”I figured as much. My father went down with the Gambit, but I’d hoped my mother had survived her illness long enough for me to see her.” I sighed. My voice cracked slightly, and I noticed the nurse checking me out. She was fairly young and pretty, and I was extremely fit. I’d spent five years building muscle and I looked good. I was 19, almost 20, but I’d been through hell most 40 year olds couldn’t imagine.
“Nurse?” the doctor said dryly from behind her. The nurse cleared her throat and left. The doctor was an Asian man with graying hair, and a clear, blunt way of talking.
“Hello, Mr. Hale. As the nurse mentioned, you do not have any family that we could find. I would like to ask you about your experiences on the island. 20% of your body is covered in scar tissue. That can’t be a lot of happy memories.” the doctor said. I frowned.
”No, they weren’t. That island was hell, and I’d rather not think about it, if that’s all right.” I said. The doctor nodded.
“Of course. If you need to, though, I can recommend a great therapist.” the doctor promised.
”I’m alright, thank you.” I nodded. The doctor nodded back, and left me in peace. I turned towards the big window, looking out at the city. It was beautiful, and I never even realized how beautiful until all I knew was trees, rocks, and pain.
———
Oliver told me in no uncertain terms that I would be staying with him, for as long as I wished. I agreed.
Oliver’s mother, Moira, had come to visit him, and she seemed happy to know Oliver wasn’t alone for those five years. She’d brought a limo, and I remembered that Oliver’s family was rich as hell.
We all piled into the limo and drove out of the city proper to their property, with a huge mansion featured prominently.
The limo pulled up to the front door, under an awning, and Moira Queen climbed out first, then Oliver, then me. We didn’t have much, except for a single wooden case that the driver had put in the trunk.
When the driver went for it, I intercepted him.
”I got it.” I told him, and he looked surprised, but nodded firmly.
I caught up to Oliver and Moira, who had already entered, and caught the tail end of what a British dark-skinned man was saying to Oliver.
“-damn good to see you.” the British man said.
Oliver stared blankly at him for a minute, until the man introduced himself uncertainly.
”It’s Walter. Walter Steele.” he said.
”You remember Walter. Your father’s friend from the company.” Moira told Oliver.
Oliver walked past Walter, and the friend from the company nodded at him as he passed. Then he turned to me.
”Have we met?” he asked politely.
“No, sir. I’m David Hale.” I introduced myself, hand extended. Walter shook it.
“David was the captain’s son.” Moira told Walter as they both turned to follow Oliver, with me trailing semi-awkwardly behind them.
Oliver had approached the servant, a Russian looking woman with dark hair, who he referred to as Raisa.
”Welcome home, Mr. Oliver.” she smiled at Oliver. Then she looked to Moira.
”Mr. Merlyn called. He wants to join you for dinner.” Raisa said.
”Wonderful.” Moira smiled. There was a sound, and my head whipped towards it, startling Walter who stood beside me. A glance at Oliver confirmed he’d heard it, too, but Moira seemed ignorant.
”Oliver, did you hear that?” she asked her son, but Oliver had already walked to the base of the staircase, smiling. I hadn’t seen him do that in... well, a long time.
A beautiful girl came to the landing, a girl with brown hair and she was beautiful. To my surprise, my heart skipped a beat.
She wore a loose grey shirt over a white tank top, and jean capris. Her wavy brown hair fell past her shoulders, and a necklace bounced on her chest as she descended the stairs.
”Hey, sis.” Oliver smiled at her.
”I knew it. I knew you were alive.” the girl said, and hugged Oliver.
”I missed you so much.” she said, joyous.
Oliver whispered something to her, but I couldn’t hear it.
”David, this is my little sister, Thea.” Oliver introduced me.
”Nice to meet you.” I nodded. Her cheeks were tinted a light pink.
“Uh, you too.” she smiled.
———
I was put in a guest room, down the hall from Oliver’s actual room. It was mostly bare, with only a double bed, and a wardrobe. I didn’t have any clothes, except the long-sleeved black shirt and dark jeans the hospital had in their lost and found.
I took a shower in the attached bathroom, and then put on the same clothes. I heard footsteps coming towards the door, and in a fluid motion, I crossed the room to the door and threw it open fiercely.
“Oh!” Raisa exclaimed, shocked. Her hand was raised to knock.
”My bad. I’m guessing it’s time for dinner.” I said apologetically.
”Uh, yes. Yes.” Raisa affirmed. I headed down the stairs into the main lobby where we’d entered, and found Oliver and a guy with black hair hugging. The guy had on a cream colored suit, and Oliver had changed into a collared white shirt with a sweater thrown over it. I felt a little awkward in my normal clothes.
”Oh, Tommy, this is David. He was my best friend on the island.” Oliver introduced me to the guy, Tommy.
”Not like I had a lot of competition.” I joked as I shook Tommy’s hand.
”Thanks for taking care of him.” Tommy clapped my shoulder.
———
At dinner, Oliver and Tommy were discussing what Oliver’d missed while on the island.
They covered Super Bowls, the new black president, and the ending of ‘Lost’. But the joyous mood was ended when Thea spoke up:
”What was it like there?”
To my surprise, she was asking me.
”Uh... cold. Cold and dark.” I said. There was a brief pause, before Tommy turned to me and Oliver.
”Tomorrow, we’re doing the city. You’ve got a lot to catch up on. And David, I’m sure you’ll enjoy seeing Oliver’s haunts.” Tommy grinned.
“That sounds like a great idea.” Moira agreed.
“Good. Then I was hoping to stop by the office.” Oliver said. Walter paused, wineglass half to his lips.
“Hm. Well, there’s plenty of time for all that.” Walter said, “Queen Consolidated isn’t going anywhere.”
At that moment, Raisa tripped while carrying a bowl of fruit. Oliver’s hand shot up and grabbed it before it could make a mess.
”I’m sorry, Mr. Oliver.” Raisa apologized. Oliver launched into Russian, which I understood.
”Dude, you speak Russian?” Tommy asked with a chuckle.
“I didn’t realize you took Russian at college, Oliver.” Walter spoke up.
“I taught him, actually.” I spoke up, as Moira was giving Oliver a suspicious look.
”You can speak Russian?” Walter asked, impressed.
”Yeah. My dad taught me several languages. We were traveling around the world on the yacht, you know?” I shrugged.
“I didn’t realize you wanted to sleep with my mother, Walter.” Oliver said after a second. It would have been more impactful after Walter spoke about him knowing Russian, but Oliver wasn’t one to cut me off.
Moira cast a searching look at Thea.
”I didn’t say anything.” Oliver’s little sister said defensively.
”Walter and I are married.” Moira revealed, “But I don’t want you to think either of us did anything to disrespect your father.”
“We both believed that Robert, like you, was uh, well, gone.” Walter admitted.
“It’s fine.” Oliver assured them. He nodded at Moira, then stood.
”May I be excused?” he asked. Moira nodded, and Oliver moved to leave.
”Hey, don’t forget about tomorrow, buddy.” Tommy said, clapping Oliver’s shoulder. I stood, too.
”Yes, you can go.” Moira anticipated my question. I walked quickly to catch up with Oliver.
Thunder crackled, and we both knew a storm was coming tonight.
”Hey. Are you, uh, alright?” I asked him. Oliver looked at me with a flat expression, but I knew he used that to conceal emotion.
”Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” Oliver asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“It must be hard, you know? To find out life went on for them, without you?” I asked as we ascended the steps.
”Hm, not really. I’m just glad they all seem happy. At least Mom wasn’t lonely.” Oliver shrugged.
“Yeah. Uh, guess you’re right.” I smiled. He glanced around, and seeing nobody, he leaned in close to whisper.
”Tomorrow, after whatever Tommy has planned, meet me in my room. We’ll discuss our next move.” he said. I nodded, and we went our separate ways, him to his room, me to mine.
———
The next morning, after a restless night’s sleep, Oliver came into my room, looking shaken. He held in his hand his little brown book, which I knew contained the names of our targets. The corrupt, vile one percenters corrupting the city.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him. He tossed a bundle of clothes onto my unmade bed.
”I almost killed my mother last night.” Oliver said numbly.
”What?” I asked, stunned.
”I was having a bad dream. About... about the Gambit. About losing Sara. She woke me up, and out of habit, I grabbed her by the throat and....” Oliver trailed off.
”Oliver. You can’t beat yourself up, man. You know the hell we’ve been through. What you’ve been through. You need to time to readjust. I slept on the floor last night after about five minutes trying to lay in the bed. It was just too soft. Too comfy. I’m used to the hard ground.” I shrugged.
”I did the same thing.” Oliver admitted. I chuckled.
“Get dressed. I’m going to go see Thea, then we’re going to hang out with Tommy.” Oliver told me. I nodded.
———
Dressed in an outfit which looked suspiciously like what Oliver had on, I met up with Oliver and Tommy.
”Have you noticed how hot your sister has gotten?” Tommy was saying. Oliver just glared and I hid a smirk.
”Because I have not.” Tommy said innocently. I chuckled, and Tommy grinned over his shoulder.
———
In the backseat of Tommy’s sports car was not much space. It barely fit me. But the conversation was hilarious.
”Your funeral blew.” Tommy told Oliver. That brought to mind a worry of my own. Had I had a funeral? Had anybody cared enough about me?
“Did you get lucky?” Oliver grinned at Tommy.
”Like fish in a barrel.” Tommy laughed. Oliver laughed too.
”They were so sad and huggy-“ Tommy laughed.
“Nooo.” Oliver chuckled.
”-And I am counting on another target rich environment for your welcome home bash.” Tommy continued.
“The what?” I spoke up.
”You came back from the dead! I mean, no offense David, but Oliver’s kind of a big deal. We gotta throw some kind of party!” Tommy declared.
”Yeah, none taken.” I shook my head.
”Look, Oliver, you tell me where and when, I’ll handle the rest.” Tommy grinned. We turned and I saw a lot of homeless people on the streets, living in cardboard boxes. Oliver had gone instantly quiet.
“This city’s gone to crap.” Tommy muttered, “Your dad sold his factory just in time. Why’d you wanna drive through this neighborhood anyway?”
But Oliver was looking out at the old Queen Industrial Inc. building. It was abandoned, but I knew what he was thinking. We’d discussed it at length. That was to be our base of operations.
”No reason.” Oliver said.
”So, what’d you miss most?” Tommy asked, “Steaks at the palm, drinks at the station, meaningless sex?”
“Laurel.” Oliver said firmly. Tommy sighed.
”Everyone’s happy you’re alive. So why do you wanna go see the one person who isn’t?” Tommy asked.
———
I leaned against a railing beside Tommy. Oliver had gone to talk with Laurel, leaving me with his best friend.
”So, uh... you were only fifteen when the boat went down, right?” Tommy asked me.
”I was fourteen. And a half.” I added with a small grin.
“Right. You ever drank alcohol?” he asked me. I shrugged.
“Ah, man. You gotta get some drinks with us.” Tommy said.
“There they are.” I jerked my chin towards Oliver and Laurel. I recognized her from the little photo Oliver had on the island. He showed it to me once, said that was why he was fighting to get home. To her.
“She’s hot, huh?” Tommy asked. I glanced sideways at Tommy.
”Apparently you think everyone in Oliver’s life is.” I said with a grin.
“You gotta admit, Thea’s pretty damn hot.” Tommy laughed.
”Yeah, I’ll give you that one.” I chuckled, folding my arms. A pissed off Laurel stalked towards us.
”How’d you think that was gonna go, Tommy?” she asked.
”Bout like that.” he said as she stormed past.
———
We were walking back to the car, which was parked in an alley, when Tommy spoke up.
“Ok, so we took care of that. Good call.” Tommy was telling Oliver, “Now we can make up for lost time.”
Oliver said nothing.
“Well, if you guys aren’t too sick of fish, I suggest we find some leggy models and eat sushi all day. What do you say?” Tommy asked. A van turned into the alley and Oliver glanced over his shoulder at it, and me.
”What the hell?” Tommy asked. Guys in red skull masks carrying guns popped out like a twisted game of peekaboo. One of them lifted their gun and shot Tommy. It was a tranq dart. He went down hard. Another one shot me in the arm and one pegged Oliver’s neck, and we fell to our knees. A man in an apron emerged from the back door of a restaurant with a trash bag, and one of the guys with a real gun shot him up.
Oliver was glaring at him, but my eyes were already growing heavy. I passed out.
———
I woke up to hear Oliver’s screams. My eyes didn’t have the strength to open yet, but I heard a lot.
“Did your father make it to the island?” a nasally voice demanded of Oliver.
”Yes, he did.” Oliver said after a minute.
”What did he say?” the same nasally voice demanded. I heard Oliver panting.
“He said I’m going to kill you.” I heard Oliver say, and then the man laughed.
”You’re delusional. You’re zip-cuffed to that chair.” the voice laughed.
”Not anymore.” Oliver said, and I could practically hear the smirk. My eyes fluttered open and I heard fighting break out, bullets flying and I swear I heard wood crunch.
I forced my eyes open, but other parts of my body weren’t responding. Damn it. What if Oliver needed my help? I was better at weaponless fighting than he was anyway.
———
“That’s your story? Two men wearing green hoods burst in and took out five armed kidnappers?” the detective asked skeptically, “I mean, who are they? Why, why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. Find them and you can ask.” Oliver said with a small smile. The detective nodded.
”Yeah. What about you two?” the detective asked me and Tommy, “You see the hood guys?”
“I saw... just movement. Everything blurry. I was kind of out of it.” Tommy shook his head.
”I saw some green. Could have been two guys in hoods, but my eyes were still kind of blurry.” I shrugged.
“Yeah. It’s funny, isn’t it? One day back and someone’s already gunning for you.” the detective asked Oliver, “Aren’t you popular?”
”Were you able to identify the men?” Moira cut in to defuse an argument. The detective did seem pretty angry at Oliver.
”Scrubbed identities, untraceable weapons. These were pros.” the detective’s partner spoke up.
“Yeah. Well, they probably figured you’d pay a king’s ransom to get your boy back. Or a Queen’s ransom as it were.” the detective said, scoffing.
”After all, a parent would do anything to keep their child safe.” the detective said, staring at Oliver.
“I don’t find your tone appropriate, detective.” Moira cut in.
“If Oliver can think of anything else, we’ll be in touch.” Walter addressed the two detectives, “Thank you, gentlemen, for coming.”
The detective scoffed again.
“Your luck never seems to run out does it?” he said to Oliver, standing up. Oliver stood, too. The detective walked away, as did his partner, led out of the mansion by Raisa.
———
I was sitting on a chair in Oliver’s room, watching curiously as he researched some guy named Adam Hunt.
”Adam Hunt. He on the list?” I asked. Oliver flipped over the little brown book and pointed.
”Yup.” he said. I nodded.
”You are different. Not like you to read a book.” Raisa teased. We both looked up to see her standing there with a tray of food. Oliver flipped the book over casually and exited out the tab with Adam Hunt on the computer screen, switching instead to his screensaver, a world map, which struck me as kind of weird.
”I missed you, Raisa.” Oliver said.
”No kitchen on the island.” Raisa smiled.
”No, there is not.” I put in.
Oliver stood to collect the food she’d brought.
”Thank you.” he told her. She smiled, nodding.
“Cookies.” I noted with interest. Oliver handed me the tray, which I took eagerly.
”Do I seem different?” Oliver asked Raisa.
”You’re still a good boy.” she answered.
”C’mon. We both know I wasn’t.” Oliver said.
”But a good heart.”
”I hope so. I wanna be the person you always told me I could be.” Oliver said. Raisa smiled, nodded, and left.
”You’re so nice.” I told Oliver around a bite of cookie.
He threw the brown book at me. I laughed.
”These cookies are really good, though.” I told him. Oliver took one.
———
After we conducted our little investigation on Adam Hunt, Oliver and I decided to head out. But on the way out, Moira stopped us.
”Oliver, I wanna introduce you to someone.” she smiled, “John Diggle. He’ll be accompanying you from now on.”
The guy in question, this John Diggle, was a muscular black guy with short hair, wearing a nice suit.
“I don’t need a babysitter.” Oliver scoffed.
”Darling, Oliver is a grown man. If he doesn’t feel he needs armed protection-” Walter stuck up for Oliver.
”I understand, but this is something I need.” Moira said firmly. Oliver glanced at John, who stood stoically in front of a limo.
”He looks fun.” I grinned to Oliver. Oliver chuckled reluctantly.
“Alright. Let’s go.” he said, clapping my back.