OWWWW!

This hurts, I mean this REALLY HURTS. I have, for a number of reasons I won't get into right now, lived most of my life in near constant pain. Everything from a dull pain in the background to jaw clenching to tear-inducing.

But this, this might be one of the most painful things I have ever had to do.

Okay, just got to get it over and done with.

Arrow was really clever.

…

…

…

Yep, that hurt.

I have skipped most of this season of Arrow because after all the pain and displeasure the last few seasons have brought me, why bother? But I have been watching clips on YouTube.

The three big complaints I have heard about this season are as follows.

1) Everything about Oliver being arrested and investigated is $^& because he could use his resources to derail the investigation and/or have the President pardon him.

2) Criminal underuse of Slade.

3) Tommy's return.

2 and 3 I understand, but in all fairness, please remember I am hurting a lot doing this, it is not Guggenheim's fault.

*Hears the guns cocking all around me. *

WAIT. JUST HEAR ME OUT.

Researching it, Guggenheim sounds just as disappointed as we all are that Slade was so underused. He wanted to use Slade more, but D.C. said no because of him being in the Cinematic Universe.

And as for Tommy, well, fool you twice, shame on us. After the 100th episode, where my personal biggest complaint, out of a long list, was that we were promised Slade and got a cardboard cut out instead. But if anyone, myself included, had bothered to check, we might have been able to find out whether or not the ban on Slade had been lifted. I don't know if it was at that point, or if you could have found out or not, but Manu Bennett did also have a new series he was staring in.

So, we already had an example of them using our love of a character to draw us in and forget logic. Both Slade and Tommy's actors are on a different show at the time as regulars, and both characters have a reason not to come back in full. Slade because of D.C. and Tommy because, let's be honest here, what possible reason could he have given for being gone for so long that we would believe. Tommy being in Aruba the last five years after Malcolm resurrected him, and he never called to say he was alive, I just couldn't buy it.

And then there is reason number 1. That the whole thing with the feds is dumb because Oliver has connections and could just ask the President for a pardon.

Actually, no. (Hear is where the pain comes)

Guggenheim or whoever came up with this story was very smart. (Ouch). Something that surprisingly few people know is that the President can't pardon all crimes. The Pres can ONLY pardon Federal crimes, not local or state. The Governor of the state, for those who don't know, the governor is the President of the state, is the one who can pardon local and state level crimes. And so, because Oliver has, to my knowledge, no connection with the Governor, he could not just be pardoned.

BUT, BUT BUT BUT, now that he is in Federal custody, he can be. The President has the power to pardon anyone of anything at any time as long as it is federal.

BUT, that might also be the worst thing Oliver could do right now. (Never mind, I didn't know at the time of writing this part that Oliver had confessed on live T.V. he was the Green Arrow, so admitting he is guilty isn't really a problem, but I am leaving it in because who said fic couldn't be educational?)

"The Supreme Court supplied a reason not to accept a pardon just over 100 years ago, in 1915, writing that a person who accepts such pardon is confessing guilt because a pardon carries an imputation of guilt. In other words, the person offered the pardon actually may reject the pardon from the President because he or she does not wish to admit guilt, even if accepting the pardon would extinguish any penalties related to the alleged crime. And, a presidential pardon does not erase or expunge the records of a conviction. So, an individual's criminal history record will reflect both a conviction, if there is one, and the pardon."

sites/jacobfrenkel/2017/07/21/president-trump-can-preemptively-pardon-his-advisors-and-family-but-will-he/#5777c0b66c3b

So, yeah, turns out there might be some intelligence in the making of Arrow.

Felicity is still terrible. And what they did to Nyssa was appalling, I swear when I saw the clips with her I googled to make sure the plot of the episode wasn't about her having had her intelligence and soul stolen and team Arrow trying to find it.

So, how is Oliver going to escape from Federal custody, well. I had one idea, but then I researched some stuff to make sure I was right and found the Forbes article, so it kind of threw a wrench in my plan.

So, I changed it up a bit, and I hope you all like it.

So, without further ado, my prediction (more or less) for 7x01 and how Oliver gets out of Federal custody.

"Ever seen the Scarlet Pimpernel agent Watson?" Oliver asked as he and agent Watson sat in Iron Heights' interview room.

"Did you call me here to talk movies, Mr. Queen?"

"No, just wanting to provide some context." Oliver said. "In the movie, the 1982 version, Ian McKellen stars as Paul Chauvelin, this head of the police or something. His job is to bring in the Scarlet Pimpernel, who has been rescuing the aristocrats from the reign of terror. The Scarlet Pimpernel doesn't really bear Chauvelin any ill will, they are both men of duty, trying to do what they believe is right. But Chauvelin, he does bear the Pimpernel a lot of ill will. I hope that isn't the case here."

Watson smirked. "I don't hate you, Mr. Queen, just what you do. You open the door to anarchy; you play judge, jury, and executioner. And I can't allow that."

"Lance used to think that way too. He thought the law makes everything better." Oliver then chuckled a little. "Ever read your Bible agent Watson?"

"Are you about to give me a theology lecture?" Watson asked, not sure where this was going.

"No," Oliver said smirking. "I assume you're familiar with Daniel and the lion's den." Watson nodded. "According to the law of the Medes and Persians, any law the king wrote down and enacted could not be repealed or altered. All were bound to it for the rest of time. The logic being that the king was divine, and that meant any law he wrote must also be divine, and so there could be nothing wrong with the laws, and therefore no reason to change or remove them. That's why Daniel was thrown to the lions, even though the king wanted him to live because the law bound all and it could not change." He then motioned to the room they were in, limited by the cuffs he was in.

"And what, you're a modern Daniel?"

"Not exactly, I always thought of myself more like the Archangel Michael. Daniel was just a man doing the right thing, unwilling to bow to an unjust law, unafraid of the consequences that would come if he did not conform to the law the king had passed. I suppose this place does qualify as a lion's den." Oliver chuckled a little. "Now though, now I've decided to go back to what I was meant to be."

"And what is that?" Watson asked.

"A lion." Oliver said. "People forget, the lions weren't the villain in that story. The other advisors and rulers were the villains; the lions were just the consequences, and it was those same lions that eventually ate th. I tried to do it in the light, as a beacon of hope. Before I had hope." Oliver said, confusing Watson. "I dreamed of one day being able to hang up my bow, of having a normal life. I don't have that anymore, now all I have is nothing. So, I might as well be a lion, or maybe a Siberian Tiger, I haven't decided yet." He then stood up, extending his hands to shake. "Goodbye agent Watson. I shall be back, to haunt you." He said, and as they shook he leaned forward and whispered something. "Do avoid the firing squad." He then smiled as he left, being escorted by the guards.

What the hell did all that mean?

Watson was sitting at her desk, looking through files when her phone rang.

"Special Agent Samandra Watson."

"Agent Watson, warden Jackson, Iron Heights."

"Warden, what can I do for you." She asked, suddenly concerned.

"I'm afraid I have some bad news. A prison riot broke out a few hours ago, my men attempted to regain control, but something happened, there was an explosion, and Oliver Queen was killed."

This shocked Watson, so much that she didn't even speak.

"Watson, Watson, are you still there."

"How did he die?" She finally asked.

"Multiple stab wounds to the chest, not to mention some guards said they saw him getting the ever loving shit beat out of him. We found his body under a pile or ruble You could hardly ID the body, but the dental records confirm it was him."

"Are you sure, you haven't been hacked."

"We pulled the actual physical file on Queen, which was in my office under lock and key, and a copy in the med bay and in our off-site records, all three matches and confirmed it is him."

Watson just swallowed. "Thank you for your time warden." And she hung up.

It just did not seem possible. Oliver Queen just appeared to good to be beaten by some prison thugs.

'I have no hope.'

No, it couldn't be?

'Goodbye agent Watson.'

Could he have let them kill him, but why?

Knock, knock, knock.

"Yes."

"Sorry to bother you, mama." Some random agent said. "But we just received this from the DOJ." She handed Watson a vanilla envelope.

"What it is?"

"Not sure mama, just that it was marked urgent for you." Then the agent left.

Watson opened the envelope and then had to sit down.

It was impossible, it, it couldn't be.

A Presidential, bloody flippen, of all the stupid, raken-fraken, dang flabit, pardon.

And it was for Oliver Queen. A get out of jail free card that came a few hours too late.

Then Watson stopped and thought for a moment, the timing, it did seem just a little weird.

Watson was again at her desk a week later when a package arrived for her. It was from Queen's lawyers.

Opening it, expecting some form of legal documents, she instead found a DVD

The Scarlet Pimpernel. (1982) Was written on the disk, with a note.

~2:06:10

~2:08:11

What the hell was he getting at.

There was a letter from his lawyer.

To Special Agent Samandra Watson.

This copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982) has been willed to you by Oliver Jonas Queen. To be given to you on the occasion of his death in Iron Heights, in the hopes you find it both illuminating and educational, as well as entertaining. As well as the accompanying note.

A good day to you.

It went on to list the law practice and so forth. Watson didn't really care; she was too curious as to why he had sent it.

She then looked up at the TV in her office, with a DVD player.

Well, it had been a slow day anyway.

How, what…

Either this was all a big joke, or somehow, he had done it.

There were two possibilities, either one seemed like something Olive Queen would do, but could he do it?

If it was the first, more likely solution, then he was relying on her to ensure it. But if not, if it was the second, then how did he do it.

But then the rest of their conversation came to mind. Bits and pieces, throw away comments, little things that seemed so out of place.

It took her a while to do research, looking over every angle, three times minimum, but she might have something.

But did she, it was possible, but could she just be looking for something that isn't there.

But, if she was right, on either of her ideas as to what this, may or may not be, then she had to.

"Dear God, I hate that man."

This is the first chap of a 3 part story.

Please review (and see if anyone can guess the origin of the story title, the third chap should make it a dead give away.)

P.S. The characters listed whould includ Diaz and Watson, but for some reason while this site has Judge Grell and Dr. Lamb as listed charactures, they are not. Don't ask me why.