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John Diggle, Rene Ramirez, Dinah Drake and Curtis Holt woke up simultaneously and realized they were chained up somewhere in a dark, damp room.
"Rene? Dinah? Curtis?" Dig asked as he looked at them in shock. "What happened?"
"I don't know", Rene shook his head. "I was on my way home when I was hit by a dart."
"Same thing happened to me", Dinah said.
"And me", Curtis said.
"Who took us?" Dig wondered.
"Nice to see you all getting along again after the recent mess."
Their blood ran cold and then froze completely on hearing that voice.
How could it be? It was impossible!
They turned to their front and sure, it was the one to whom the voice belonged. But they were horrified to see him still alive and standing here. He was supposed to be dead!
"You killed yourself on the island!" Dig said in disbelief.
"But none of you ever went looking for my body, did you?" Adrian Chase asked with a smirk as he started pacing around. He was dressed in his suit which he used to wear as DA. "I know you were all trying to survive, but stupid move."
"How are you still alive, you bastard?" Dinah roared.
"As you have heard, there are 3 other Lazarus Pits in the world", Adrian said with a smirk. "I took a bath in one of them. And a ritual was used to return my soul to me."
"Didn't know you had a soul to begin with", Rene sneered.
"Why are we here?" Curtis asked.
"I hear how all of you have been treating Oliver recently", Adrian said as they gulped. "Thing is, only I am allowed to make him suffer. He is mine! None of you have the right! And I will show you why!"
"Oliver betrayed us!" Dinah ranted. "He is a hypocrite!"
"This city deserves better than him!" Dig roared.
"It does", Adrian said. "But you're not the ones it needs."
Later
Adrian pulled Rene's head out of the water as he gasped for breath.
"20 seconds", Adrian noted. "The second longest after John there, who lasted 35 seconds."
He threw Rene down as he, Dig, Dinah and Curtis all gasped.
"Curtis, you clearly have the worst record. Not even 5 seconds", Adrian said. "I wonder why you even go out in the field, considering how useless you are."
"I am more useful than-"
Adrian grabbed him and dunked his head into the water again before pulling it out.
"I AM USELESS!" Curtis confessed. "I grew up not feeling special and that's why I am so self-righteous, looking down on others."
"Finally, one down", Adrian said. "You, Curtis, are a monster, as you used a man's disability against him. Even I wouldn't do that."
Curtis fell to the ground, ashamed of himself that he had broken so quickly as Adrian turned to the other three. "Now your turns."
Later
The three woke up to see Adrian pacing around, putting names to the wall.
"What are these?" Dig asked.
"These are the names of your victims, Dinah", Adrian said as she gulped. "All of them, whom you killed in your vendetta. And you too, Rene, your carelessness has cost lives of people."
Both gulped as Adrian shoved Laurel's photo on Dig's face. "And this, is on you, John Diggle."
Dig could only sigh in shame as Adrian said. "Confess."
"We don't know what you want from us!" Dinah roared.
"I want you to admit to me who you really are, which you won't do unless I make you", Adrian said before throwing a toy of JJ and the diary of Zoey onto the ground, making Dig and Rene pale. "They didn't even know I was there."
"Confess to your sins", Adrian said.
"Go to Hell!" Dig snarled.
"No", Adrian said as he picked up a bow. "I've already been there, and I've come back with messages for you."
He then fired 3 arrows at them each as they screamed in pain.
Later
"Confess", Adrian said as he paced around the three. "Tell me your secrets."
"We don't know what you want from us!" Rene exploded.
"I want you three to tell me what you've been so afraid to tell yourselves", Adrian said.
"I'm gonna kill you!" Dinah screamed, though her dampening collar prevented it from going sonic.
"Finally we're getting somewhere", Chase said. "Confess."
"Confess Diggle, confess Rene, confess Dinah", Adrian said as the three tried to free themselves but couldn't even budge the chains. "You antagonized Oliver because you feel he is not a good hero and a hypocrite. But that's not really true, is it? No."
"Dig, the city was just an excuse, Rene, your daughter was just an excuse, Dinah, Vince was just an excuse", Adrian said as he walked around, doing gestures with his hands. "Rene, your daughter being threatened was an excuse, as well as Vince dying, Dinah. The idea that all this vendetta against Oliver is some heroic crusade to right your wrongs was just an excuse."
"Excuse for what? Huh!" Dig snapped. "Tell us!"
"You tell me, you three!" Adrian snapped and knelt close to them, saying in a whisper. "You tell me."
"You've told yourself you hate Oliver because you have to for the city and imaginary wrongs", Chase said. "Confess, you three. You don't hate him because you have to for the city. So why? Why do you do it?"
"Because I am a revenge crazed maniac", Dinah said.
"What?" Adrian asked with a cruel smirk.
Getting up, Dinah screamed. "I AM A REVENGE CRAZED MANIAC WHO HURTS PEOPLE TO UNLEASH MY DARKNESS! I DON'T DESERVE TO BE BLACK CANARY!"
"I'm a traitor at heart", Rene said.
"What?" Adrian asked, his smirk getting crueler.
Getting up, Rene screamed. "I AM A TRAITOR WHO IS CONTENT WHEN HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS, EVERYONE ELSE BE DAMNED!"
"I want to be Green Arrow", Dig muttered.
"What?" Adrian asked a third time, a malevolent glee in his eyes.
Getting up, Dig screamed. "I WANT TO BE GREEN ARROW, AS IT GAVE ME AN EGO BOOST! THAT'S IT!"
Adrian laughed before sitting down, his back to the wall, his legs laid out, as the three lied down in shame. "How does it feel, knowing I saw things in you that you couldn't see yourself?"
Getting up, he said to them. "Now I'm going to brand you permanently, as a reminder of our time together."
They screamed as he started doing some branding.
Later
The three as well as Curtis woke up and gasped in horror. Dinah felt there were stitches in her throat and tried to scream, only to feel a lot of pain. Her Canary Cry was gone permanently.
Dig looked at his arm, which was shaking at a hysterical rate now to the point he couldn't even control it if he tried, and on that arm was branded the word- "HYPOCRITE!"
Rene was struggling to walk, as his injuries had been opened up again, and on his head was branded the word- "TRAITOR!"
Curtis was lying on his back, unable to move, as his back had been broken permanently, disabling him forever.
They were free to live, but they were going to live with reminders of the terrible things they had done in the name of the city or loved ones, when their only reasons were that they were self-righteous.