Won't Let You Down (Book Two of The Unmatched Records)

Chapter Six

Alex did a double take. "Malcolm?" she asked in surprise.

"Thea and I are half-siblings, which all three of us only discovered a few years ago," Oliver nodded. "My first year when I became a vigilante, Malcolm was my main enemy. He was also one of two enemies that had a lasting impact on my career as a vigilante. And it's partly because of Malcolm I became one, too. He was the one who orchestrated the sinking of my father's yacht, leading to his death and to me being stranded on Lian Yu. Malcolm's son, and my best friend, was killed during his Undertaking, and I swore I wouldn't kill while I was a vigilante because of Tommy. I hated Malcolm's guts for so long, and there were probably times when I wouldn't stop someone from killing him, but Malcolm came through when I needed him to. He put Thea's life before his on the island, and they've been working on their relationship since." He took in Alex's stunned look before continuing. "I spent five years on that island before returning to my city. Slade was with me for the first two of those years. The first year and a half, he was like my brother. He taught me to fight. He helped me learn how to survive. The last half of the second year, he was my enemy. The woman he loved was killed, partly because of a decision I made, and he put the entirety of the blame on me. A serum to heal him didn't help much other than that. He was driven by the need for vengeance, and it led him to my city my second year back from the island. Alex, he killed my mother in front of me. And I still gave him the cure for the serum because I couldn't kill him. He was, at one point, my brother. I didn't know if there was a way to bring him back from the brink, but I couldn't kill him. Three years after the cure was administered, Slade was back to himself, and he proved it. Never once did he betray me. Never once did he turn his back on us."

Alex had slid down the wall to sit down on the floor as she listened, her face pale. "And Laurel," Oliver sat down across from her. "She didn't always call herself Laurel Lance. In fact, she's not even the Laurel Lance of Earth-1. The Laurel Lance I knew, the Laurel Lance I grew up with, was murdered by a man named Damien Darhk. She was called the Black Canary. The Laurel who came here is known as Black Siren, and that's what we called her until Lian Yu. She came from Earth-2 with an enemy speedster named Zoom, and she was held in S.T.A.R. Labs until Prometheus released her to try and impersonate our Laurel. We recaptured her and placed her in custody of a government organization on our Earth, except Prometheus freed her again. She allied herself with Prometheus on Lian Yu. She probably would have been imprisoned again, had she not taken your sister's advice and given me vital information about where my son was being held." He leaned forward. "Three people who used to be my enemies. What do all three of them have in common?"

"The island," Alex answered. "Lian Yu."

"And in turn, Kara," Oliver nodded. "If it wasn't for Kara, Malcolm wouldn't have made it to the end at all. He stepped on a landmine to save Thea; Kara flew him away from the landmine before he could be blown up. To this day, I have no idea what Kara said to Slade before we rescued half of my team, but whatever she said stuck, because Slade kept his word the entire time. Even gave her a nickname, too," he cracked a grin. "That's when you know you've really earned Slade's trust, when he gives you a nickname."

"He still calls you kid," Alex recalled.

"Yeah, and he calls her little one," Oliver chuckled. "And yet, she could snap him like a twig if he pissed her off." Alex smiled at that, and Oliver waved a hand. "And Kara helped Laurel after the final fight against Prometheus. She told us where my son was located, and Kara flew off as fast as she could. And she got to him before Prometheus did, too. Except there was one problem." He looked Alex in the eye. "I assume you know what a dead man's switch is?"

"Something is triggered when someone dies," Alex nodded, and she froze. "No."

"Prometheus had bombs planted all over Lian Yu," Oliver nodded. "Kara, William, and I were off the island, but Slade, Malcolm, Laurel, Thea, and the rest of my team were still trapped. Prometheus pulled a gun on himself. I couldn't have stopped him if I tried. Kara did. She forced him to shoot in a different direction, and punched him until he wouldn't wake up for a while." Alex's eyes were wide open, and Oliver leaned forward. "My entire team owes Kara their lives," he told her seriously. "But it's much more personal for the three I brought with me. They have another chance to live their lives a new way because of Kara. They all agreed to come the very second I told them I was coming to check on her. And whether we can help her by talking to her or supporting her or destroying Cadmus completely, we will do it."