16 Loose Ends, Bye Bye Island

"Hey kid."

Still at the table waiting for the Australian secret agent to draw closer, David turned to face his guest and leaned against it with his arms crossed.

"Hey," he threw back. "You're here. I assume that means you've made a decision…"

Taking a few steps forward, Slade's vision flickered from David's markings to his face. "You assumed wrong."

"Then why are you here?"

"For more information. You said you have a way out…I'd like to know more..."

Nodding and ignoring his guest's pointed looks, David said in response, "Fair enough."

Standing up straight, he approached the man and said, "I hate wasting time, so I'll get straight to the point. Before I killed Fyers, I made him call a boat. It'll arrive at the eastern shore in six days between the hours of 0800 and 1000. If you miss it, well…I don't need to tell you what happens then..."

The two of them were now within arms length of each other, and Slade had an almost strained look on his face, like he was contemplating something. Arms crossed with a careless expression on his face, David didn't have to wait long for his guest to speak.

"Fyers. Did he tell you about my mission here, on Lian Yu?"

"Hmmm. Not much. He only said you were here to rescue some Chinese general, Yao Fei. He showed me the guy's picture and all but I have no idea where to find him, if that's what you're asking."

"I would be surprised if you did. Yao Fei has been evading Fyers long before you and I arrived. But I happen to know where he is-"

"And you want him to join us…." David interrupted. "No problem," he said right after, much to Slade's relief.

"Even though Fyers had your buddy torture me because of him, I have no issues with the man."

At those words, Slade's relief took a hike, replaced by a frown as he put his guard up. Well, it's not like he ever let it down.

"Relax. I'm not out for your friend," David laughed awkwardly and raised both hands. "Trust me, this conversation would be very different if I were."

Slade heeded these words and gave the pile of bodies at the edge of the camp a quick glance, his mind swimming with images of the similar carnage at the airstrip.

Putting two and two together forced him to believe. Believe that if this kid in front of him was truly responsible for what he saw, then they indeed would be having a different conversation if his target was Yao Fei.

Stowing his suspicions and mistrust, he let go of his holstered gun and extended his gloved hand forward, feeling the need to introduce himself. "I'm sure you already know this, but I'd like to start over," he said in his deep, hoarse voice.

"Slade Wilson."

David took his hand and gave it a strong shake.

"Oliver Queen."

"Thank you Oliver, for coming to get me."

"Like I said, no problem."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up here?" Slade let go and asked.

Back at the table and inserting a magazine into his selected gun, David paused before answering, "There was an accident at sea. My yacht sank, and I ended up here."

"Yacht?" Slade said, his disbelief evident. "I thought you were just a pretty boy, turns out you're also a rich one. How the hell did Fyers and his men lose to you?"

"Hahaha…" David laughed at the question, not at being called a pretty boy. He was already used to that in his past life. With regards to Slade's question, he raised the assault rifle and paused.

"It's because of those tattoos you keep looking at. But, that's all you're getting from me."

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Covering his ears with both hands, Slade stood nearby in ever increasing confusion of David's strangeness. The latter's impeccable aim and lack of discomfort from the noise added to the many questions he had. But, David's last statement sent a message, one he received clearly.

"That's enough questions."

And so he just watched as the strange pretty boy went back and forth between the table and his firing position, firing gun after gun until he ran out of bullets.

Throughout this, not once did David smile or look at him. He always had a frown as if in a state of constant irritation. He also never maintained eye contact for long.

Slade thought perhaps after he outed himself as a rich boy, David wanted to look like a tough and serious person. The reality couldn't be further from the truth.

Even in his past life, David had this frowning problem. It had been with him since childhood. Anytime something bothered him and caused him to overthink, or he found himself focused on a task, his face would automatically assume a frown. His mother had chastised him many times, but all her efforts were for naught.

The habit had been embedded in his soul and transferred over to this life. What Slade thought was trying to look tough, was just David brainstorming reasons and ways to hide his markings, excuses to avoid the Lance and Queen family drama, and concentrating on maintaining his low hearing sensitivity, all at the same time.

As for the eye contact thing, that was just his discomfort born from interacting with strangers. Meeting new people was a chore, one he had no fondness for but knew its necessity.

Luckily, he had some experience with it, and that experience told him this awkwardness would soon pass, especially quickly if the two of them shared a few laughs.

Packing all the guns and empty magazines into a bag, David began to walk in the direction of Fyers' tent, but not before pointing at it and saying. "That is my tent. The rest are yours if you want to make yourself at home. The pantry supplies are also there," he shifted his finger to another tent, "if you're interested in rice and beans that is…"

"As long as it's not boar meat, I am good to go…" Slade said and moved towards it. David chuckled at this, walking away as he did so.

....

[Day of boat arrival… 8:02 AM]

-Thud!-

David dropped from the tree branch he sat on. He just got a message that the boat had arrived. Unknown to the sender, he was already here and could see it. Slade and Yao Fei could too, that's why they straightened themselves and began a slow walk outside out of the jungle.

All three of them wore the black uniforms of the mercenaries, complete with their masks as they strutted onto the beach. This was David's idea, as he didn't want anyone else to know he was ever here on the island. Not after what he did. Amanda Waller would certainly want answers, and he didn't want to interact with that crazy bitch… not yet at least.

Eagerness present in their steps, Slade and Yao Fei practically charged towards the boat. As the delivery guy jumped overboard and waded onto shore, David instantly got a bad feeling. As a matter of fact, this uneasiness appeared when he first set eyes on the boat, but he dismissed it as butterflies in his stomach.

Now that he'd set eyes on the guy however, he knew something was truly wrong. As a result, he stopped ignoring his instincts and activated [Eagle Pulse] and [Enhanced Synesthesia], encompassing his fellow strandees, the man, and the boat in the dual effect.

Slade and Yao Fei became green, the delivery guy became blue, and a tiny brick sized portion of the boat became gold. 'Law enforcement?' He thought and tried to understand the reason for this.

'This has to be Argus,' he reasoned. Only Waller and her subordinates knew of this operation. 'They must have found out about the boat I had Fyers call. This guy is probably here to confirm his death and tie up the loose ends...'

Meanwhile, the oblivious duo kept walking and passed by the fake delivery guy. Passing the key to Slade, he asked,

"Where is Fyers?"

Snatching the key, the impatient Australian did not stop moving and gestured at David.

"Ask him."

The namesake himself had his mind going in circles trying to understand the situation. Finding his deductions worrying, he focused on the small gold spot of the boat with [Enhanced Synesthesia] and had his fears confirmed when he heard an ominous beeping.

'A bomb!'

It was at this moment the delivery guy reached him. The latter opened his mouth to repeat the question, but never got to as he knocked him out cold with a slap. Slinging the guy over his shoulder, he raced to the boat and jumped onto it, avoiding the water as though it were lava.

"Guys," he called out to Slade and Yao Fei. "There's a problem."

The two of them tensed and rushed to him. They finally had a way out of this place, there's no way they were going to lose it.

"What is it?" Slade asked.

"This is not the guy Fyers spoke to on the phone," David said as he searched and stripped the unconscious guy, leaving the spectating duo clueless as to how he obtained this knowledge.

Unbothered by their confusion, he continued. "I think he was sent by whoever hired the bastard. To, you know, kill us and tie up any loose ends."

"Don't play games kid," Slade warned, his voice going graver.

"Never."

Getting into his feet, David passed the detonator he discovered to the cranky agent, who shared a look with the Chinese general. "Don't ask me how I know. Just know that I do."

Walking past them with the nude delivery guy on his shoulder, he said, "Follow me. I know where the bomb is..."

Ambling over to the stern, he dropped the guy like a sack and ran his hands over a particular section of the boat's inner hull. Making sure to be careful, he popped the cover off and revealed the source of the beeping only he could formerly hear.

Leaving his fellow strandees to take in the troubling sight, he lifted the unconscious guy by the foot, brought him to the edge of the boat and then dipped him in the chilling waters of the North China sea.

It was silent for a few seconds until the guy showed signs of struggle. Flexing his strength in front of the two spectators, David pulled the fake delivery guy out of the water and asked. "When were you going to blow us up? Right after we got on, or after we were in the middle of nowhere?"

Arms flailing, coughing and shivering, the fake delivery guy's mind was in chaos. Even though he heard the question clearly, his addled mind only came with one response amidst the coughs and sputtering.

"WHAT?"

David shook his head. "Wrong answer…"

SPLASH!

He dipped the aggrieved man in the sea again, counting to ten before pulling him out. Blind to the suffering of his captive, he didn't wait until the guy finished coughing and sputtering and asked the question again. This time, it seemed his brain had fully awoken, so he answered quickly, spitting out words amidst the coughs. "My orders -cough- -cough- were to take-cough- no chances and -cough-kill you right here."

"Orders from who?" Slade chimed in.

"I don't know."

David lowered him slightly at that. "Looks like you're still thirsty."

"No! You have to beli-"

SPLASH!

...….

Half an hour later, a seaplane landed on the shores of Lian Yu, not far from where the now burning and smoking boat stood. The pilot disembarked and made way to the beach, pulling out his phone and calling the fake delivery guy. The call went through, but nobody answered.

He tried to call one more time when something hit him from behind and knocked him out. The culprit was a masked man who dragged him into the forest and tied him around a tree next to the person he was looking for.

After he secured both of them, David, the masked man, reached into his bag for a syringe and a medicine vial to inject both unconscious men with a sedative. These two were law enforcement and no direct enemies of his. They were not like the mercenaries.

He didn't know if they were corrupt themselves, but he knew they took orders from a corrupt person, thus, killing them didn't sit right with him.

"It's diazepam," he said after the injection and stood up, dusting his knees. "When they wake up, they'll be none the wiser and we'll be long gone…"

Even without [Enhanced Synesthesia], his senses were ten times better than those of someone like Captain America. He could detect subtle shifts in the behavior and mannerisms of those around him, even without looking directly at them.

And just now, he sensed Slade and Yao Fei's reactions when he pulled out the syringe. 'They must think this is a bad idea.'

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he started a stride in the direction of the plane, the two of them following as he said. "I wanted to kill them, but I realized there was no need to. My identity is safe, and they are no longer threats. Besides, these guys are just pawns. They were just taking orders, something I'm sure you two can relate to."

David breathed out a sigh. "So yeah, I spared them. These guys are law enforcement, unlike Fyers and his mercenaries. I don't want to make a habit of killing my way out of every problem. That never ends well…" he said, referencing his knowledge of various comics and shows.

The two older men listened and gave varying responses. Slade clutched his shoulder and pulled him close. "Most men in this line of work know to always go for the kill, but few know when not to." Letting go of him to go and start the plane, he left with, "You did good, kid."

As for Yao Fei, he remained silent and just nodded at David, an action the latter returned. Hearing the plane engine start up, he came out of his thoughts and the frown under his mask shifted into a smile of wariness and expectation.

His life as Oliver Queen was about to begin.

---[Part One End]---