The Arrow and The Arachnid

Salvation

"Damn it." Jayden cursed as the cartridge he was working on imploded as Oliver walked into the basement. "What? He was just gone?" Felicity asked. "No! Not gone. Taken." Oliver sighed, beginning to pace. "Looks like Nickel was on somebody else's list too." Diggle added.

"After the fire last night, it's not entirely surprising. Felicity, I need you to get me everything that you can on Nickel. Focus on his tenants, and anyone who might have filed a formal complaint against him, or people that lost something in the fire." Oliver listed off as Felicity leaned in her chair.

"Well, it's going to be some list. I mean, slum lords aren't generally known for their popularity, plus.." Felicity trailed off. "What's up Smoaky?" Jayden said focused on the conversation. "Nothing it's just Oliver went over there to be all, 'grrr, stop being bad or I'll arrow you,' and now he wants to rescue him."

"I don't like the idea that somebody dangerous is out there. Somebody else because typically... They don't show my level of restraint." Oliver sighed reaching for the notebook. "So you're going to cross Nickel off anyway?" Diggle asked as Oliver began to walk away. "No. I'm finding somebody else who needs a talking to."

"Why don't you go home and be with your family, man?" Diggle suggested. "That's when the work is done." "Ok, then I'll take you out to dinner." "I'm not hungry." Oliver growled. "Not asking." Diggle snatched the notebook away as the duo soon left.

The young Lance sibling went back to work mixing some chemicals while Felicity started her search. "What have you been working on Jayden?" She asked as Jayden poured the mixture into a web cartridge. "A friend I know in Gotham typically uses bolas to retrain people and while thats good and all they are easily breakable when it comes to more capable people.." The young Lance sibling put on his web shooter and aimed at a nearby dummy.

He fired a compressed web ball that quickly expanded and wrapped around the dummy with impressive force. "We need something a bit stronger, Felicity introducing Impact Webbing." Jayden smiled, finally getting the formula down he's been working on for months. "Now I can work on a new project." The young vigilante said, pulling up some schematics on his laptop.

"When everything is said and done, do you think you'll put up the mask?" Felicity asked, earning a brief pause as Jayden scratched the back of his head. "Honestly Smoaky, I don't think everything will ever be said and done. My buddy in Gotham has been doing this for years so maybe Starling could have that problem." He sighed before Felicity's computer pinged.

Felicity sent Oliver a link as Jayden pulled it up on the big monitor in the room. "If you made the Glades your home, you know who this man is. John Nickel. He owns your tenements. Manages your slums. Provides the leaking roofs over your head. The mold in your pipes and asbestos in your walls. Basically, he makes money off our suffering. But the police aren't interested in helping us. They may have let us down, but I won't. John, I want to give you the chance to state your case. Why shouldn't you be punished?"

"I knew there was bad stuff in my buildings." "Track him Felicity." Oliver ordered. "I"m looking." Felicity said. "Okay. yes, I made a little profit! At least they had a place to live. Without me, people like that would end up in the secret." "People like that. That's all we are to guys like this." The dark figure slapped the piece of tape back over John's mouth. "Don't. I find you... guilty." The dark voice taunted before firing three bullets to John's head as Jayden shut off the video.

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked as the young vigilante nodded before finding a place to a corner to lay down in and get a little bit of rest. "We're back. I have with me assistant district attorney Gavin Carnahan. Now DAs are supposed to go after bad guys. But this one can't even be bothered to bring them to trial. Like the ones who killed my wife in a bodega." The dark figure said.