Arrow ~ Tribute ~ Part Two

***

Dig paced anxiously, hands behind his back, feeling his right one still shaking. "You OK?" Dinah asked from where she sat on the couch.

"My best friend is under a microscope by everyone in this city the FBI, so he couldn't stop the Bratva from taking hostages," Dig ground out. "So let's just assume I'm not."

"I wasn't talking about what's going on with Oliver," Dinah gave him a significant look.

Dig looked at her incredulously, then folded his arms. "Dinah, I'm The only thing that's really bothering me is you being up in my business."

Dinah considered him, then looked past him when the door opened. "Hey," she stood up as Oliver and Quentin walked in. "We came as soon as we heard."

"We need to know why Anatoli took the Markovians, and we need to find him now," Oliver ordered.

"Oliver, Felicity and Curtis are on this, but you need to stay here," Dig warned.

"Look, I know I said before Chase could be behind this, but now I'm thinking," Quentin began.

"It's Anatoli," Oliver finished. "He leaked the photo to tie my hands."

"We're on this," Dig promised. "We'll take care of it."

Oliver sighed, frustrated he couldn't do anything.

***

"SQL or Java?" Felicity called as she worked on one side of the Arrowcave.

"What?" Curtis frowned from his work station on the other side.

"In your job as a secret programmer, are you coding in SQL or Java?"

"Both. Plus a little Swift."

"I can't believe you've had a secret job this whole time, and you didn't even tell me about it," Felicity swung around.

"Is this relevant to locating the Bratva and/or their hostages?" Curtis sighed.

"I am multitasking, thank you very much, and yes, if you must know, I am running my image analysis algorithm on the photo of Oliver."

Something beeped nearby, and Curtis turned as Felicity walked over to the image of Oliver. "What? Get something?"

"No," Felicity groaned in annoyance. "Just my algorithm crapping out again."

"Don't despair," Curtis turned to his computers. "I think I might have a line on our friend Anatoli. Now, working on the assumption that he hasn't been in town that long, I wondered how he was fixed for cash."

"I bet his Bratva buddies are good for it, no?" Felicity raised an eyebrow.

"Well, he has to pay them somehow," Curtis pointed out. "Cash would set off too many alarm bells, plus he'd have to convert it from rubles. Credit cards are way too easy to track, but then there's . . . "

Felicity leaned in closer when she saw what Curtis pulled up. "Cryptocurrency's virtually impossible to track!"

"For mere mortals," Curtis smirked. "But we're Mr. Terrific and Overwatch."

"Overwatch and Mr. Terrific," Felicity smirked back, going to her station as Curtis laughed.

***

"No, I can assure you, we are doing everything in our power to get the hostages back," Oliver said into his phone, barely paying attention to his office door opening.

"We haven't determined a motive for the kidnapping, but the police are working on it around the clock, all right?" Quentin continued to speak on his as Kara stepped inside, a tray of take-out drinks in her hand.

"Of course, of course, of course. Thank you, minister."

"Yes, that's right, we'll be in touch. Thank you."

"That sounds like fun," Kara remarked sympathetically, handing each of them a coffee. "Here."

"Thanks, Kara," Quentin sighed.

"Thanks, angel," Oliver kissed the side of her head, taking a drink of his own. "The Markovian consulate is losing their minds."

"It's the same with the Vortex home office," Quentin nodded. "They want to send private security to get their people back. I told them we've got it handled, but – "

"Felt like you were lying?" Oliver guessed, and Quentin nodded with a sigh. "Where are we with the SCPD?"

"Dinah's got people rounding up every Russian thug with a record, but, you know, they're shorthanded down there," Quentin answered.

"Got a new problem!" Thea announced as she and Rene entered, Rene taking a moment to cough into his arm.

Thea took the remote from the table and turned on the TV screen, pulling up Channel 52. the newscaster said.

"Lady's getting a lot of anonymous messages these days," Rene remarked.

"Rene, my comment is that we don't negotiate with terrorists," Oliver growled.

"Yeah, but if we did, we got twenty million dollars from the reconstruction of the police department," Rene said as Thea turned off the television.

"Which is the exact number Anatoli chose," Kara sighed.

"I don't care what number he chose, we're not paying him twenty cents," Oliver said in annoyance, taking his phone out when it vibrated. He checked the Caller ID, then answered. "Yeah? This is he." He paused, then looked at Kara. "Is he OK?"

"William?" Kara's eyes widened.

"No, of course, of course," Oliver shook his head, hanging up and grabbing his jacket. "We have to go," he told her.

Kara nodded and ran after him, the three others in the office watching them leave.

***

"Want to tell us what happened?" Oliver asked as the limo drove back to the loft.

"They know you're the Green Arrow," William answered, clinging to his backpack. "They said you're not here to help me."

"Oh, man," Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose. "William, I'm really sorry."

"They were really big eighth graders," he added.

"Eighth graders, huh?" Oliver mused. "You should go for the nose."

"Oliver!" Kara stared at him, eyes wide, as William blinked.

"What?" Oliver shrugged. "If something like this happens again, go for the nose. Find the biggest one, the biggest one in the group, walk right up to him without saying a thing, and punch him in the nose as hard as you possibly can. He will have no idea what is going on. He won't be able to see, and if he can't see, he can't fight, and then all of his buddies, all the guys that were being so brave, they will back off. Trust me on that one."