- John Diggle: Wait. So an hour ago, I was just with Ben Turner's 6-year-old child, and now he's an adult now, and now I'm his father?
- Rene Ramirez: At least you didn't throw up like you usually do. Just saying.
- John Diggle: You called me dad.
- Connor Hawke: You adopted me. Remember? It's Connor.
- John Diggle: No. No, I-I- I haven't
- William Clayton: He hasn't because he hasn't yet.
- Connor Hawke: Look. What are you talking about?
- William Clayton: We're in the past.
- Mia Smoak: That is insane.
- William Clayton: Look at this place. It's new, and them! No gray hair, no wrinkles, and we're staring at our dad alive instead at his tombstone. I'm sorry. What year is this?
- Oliver Queen: Uh, it's 2019. What year is it supposed to be?
- William Clayton: 2040.
- Dinah Drake: Hey. If you want me to stop training Zoe, I will.
- Rene Ramirez: Nah. I can't keep her in a bubble, just like you can't stop being a cop and I can't stop running for office.
- Laurel Lance: So don't. Not all of the future was bad, right? Just do the good stuff.
- Dinah Drake: Come on. I mean, the Canary Network's not a bad idea. Could be useful.
- Rene Ramirez: Then why wait for a future we can start making right now?
- Laurel Lance: You must be the Monitor.
- Mar Novu: How do you know?
- Laurel Lance: Because no human would actually wear something so ridiculous.
- Mar Novu: You ache for the world you lost, and I possess the power to restore it.
- Laurel Lance: You can bring back my Earth.
- Mar Novu: The recovery of your universe would require a single task.
- Laurel Lance: What kind of task?
- Mar Novu: You must betray Oliver Queen.
- Mia Smoak: So this is what you wanted to show me, grandpa's grave?
- Oliver Queen: Did your mother ever mention him?
- Mia Smoak: Not really.
- Oliver Queen: I suppose she wouldn't know what to say. I barely do.
- Mia Smoak: You weren't close?
- Oliver Queen: I didn't really get to know the real him until after he died, and, uh... look, I don't want that to be us.
- Mia Smoak: You've, um... you've lost people, right?
- Oliver Queen: Yeah. Too many.
- Mia Smoak: Does the guilt ever leave?
- Oliver Queen: No. You can learn to live with it. I can help you with that, Mia. If you'd like.
- John Diggle: The device has been neutralized.
- William Clayton: [sighing in relief] I guess things have never not been tense around here, huh?
- Curtis Holt: Yeah. I like to cope by stress eating. Gummy bear?
- William Clayton: [taking one] Thanks.
- William Clayton: You know, I have been told by several ex-boyfriends that I do this moody, broody thing when I'm problem-solving. I guess it must be genetic. It's Mia, right?
- Oliver Queen: I didn't want her to go out there.
- William Clayton: Well, then you should have made her stay.
- Oliver Queen: What, put her in time out? She's an adult.
- William Clayton: Yeah, and like an adult, she makes mistakes.
- Oliver Queen: She's right. I chose to go with the Monitor. I abandoned her. I haven't earned a say.
- William Clayton: Yeah, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want you to have one. Or... or that you shouldn't. And I'm saying that from experience.
- Oliver Queen: You have kids in the future?
- William Clayton: Oh, god, no. I mean, don't get me wrong, kids are a... miracle, or whatever, but I was referring to when I left you to go live with grandma and grandpa.
- Oliver Queen: Yeah, that one's still pretty fresh for me.
- William Clayton: Right.
- Oliver Queen: I mean, I-I... I thought you hated my guts.
- William Clayton: I hated you for abandoning me.
- Oliver Queen: I tried.
- William Clayton: True. But I wanted you to try harder. Push a little more. I think that's all any child wants from their parents.
- Oliver Queen: I'm sorry.
- William Clayton: It's okay. Dad, I am glad that you're in my life, then and now. And Mia will be, too.
- Oliver Queen: We set up one team to go after Grant, one team to detroy the relay device. But we also need to keep the public calm this time.
- Dinah Drake: Well, last I checked, the police are still good, and I'm still captain, future be damned
- Rene Ramirez: I'll join you. I gotta do something for the Glades from there.
- William Clayton: What about the three of us?
- Oliver Queen: William, I think it would be best if you stayed and helped Curtis. Mia and Connor, I'd like for the two of you to come with us. Like Rene said, we have to do things differently this time. Agreed?
- [as he glances at them both, they nod in agreement]
- Oliver Queen: All right.
- Curtis Holt: This is my favorite part.
- Oliver Queen: Suit up.
- Curtis Holt: Do you want the long version or the short version? Please say the long one, because I would love to geek out on this science. Did you know that...
- Oliver Queen: Curtis.
- Curtis Holt: Short it is. Whatever it is, it is possible to replicate, but there's a catch; well, a couple catches, actually.
- Oliver Queen: Okay.
- Curtis Holt: One, I don't have the tools to do it. Two, it is super illegal because it requires plutonium, you know, the bomb-making kind. Luckily, there's a guy, a military general.
- Oliver Queen: Okay. Where is he?
- Curtis Holt: Russia.
- Rene Ramirez: I've been a part of the Glades my whole life. Born and raised. And if you're from here, you know we've been counted out, a lot. We've been told we're low-income, we're uneducated, we're a lost cause. And if you hear that enough times, all you can do is hope that things will get better later. Now, I don't know about you guys, but... I'm tired of waiting.
- [applause and murmurs of agreement]
- Rene Ramirez: I'm tired of waiting for the day when people stop being afraid of the Glades and start coming here to raise their families, to find opportunities for growth and change, to uplift our brothers and sisters to be better than we ever were before. If we keep waiting, we might run out of time. That's why from here on out, we don't wait for our future in the Glades. We make our future now.
- Oliver Queen: You okay?
- Mia Smoak: I would have killed him.
- Oliver Queen: I know. And I know you didn't want to.
- Mia Smoak: Thank you.
- John Diggle: I've never dealt with anything like this before. My head is still spinning. Look, I wanna... I wanna blame someone, I just don't know who.
- Dinah Drake: John, we all failed to save this city.
- John Diggle: Yeah, Dinah, but I'm his father. So it's on me.
- Dinah Drake: So you did pick who to blame.
- John Diggle: All this talk about JJ got me thinking about Andy, how I failed him. So, yeah, the blame is definitely on me.
- Dinah Drake: I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Rene, because it's the same thing I've been telling myself: knowing what's happened can either destroy us or save us. We've seen our worst. Now let's be our best.
- William Clayton: There you are. Mia's back.
- Oliver Queen: You crack the drive?
- William Clayton: Curtis almost has it. God, you know, it's kind of annoying how good he is. Plus, he's got this perfect husband/life. Not that I'm jealous or anything.
- Laurel Lance: I don't know anything about changing timelines, but I am something of an expert on vengeance, and getting it... it doesn't do anything but cause you more pain.
- Mia Smoak: So, what, you're an expert on talking people out of murder?
- Laurel Lance: Kind of. I had to when Felicity wanted to take down Ricardo Diaz.
- Mia Smoak: My mom tried to kill someone?
- Laurel Lance: No. Because I talked her out of it. And, look, I get it; you and your mom, you're both women who won't allow themselves to be talked out of anything, and I appreciate that. But Felicity, she never regretted changing her approach. So maybe you should try doing things differently, too.
- Rene Ramirez: [after learning JJ killed Zoe in the future] How am I supposed to wake up every morning knowing how many days we have left together?
- Dinah Drake: By trying to change what happens. Trying every single day.
- Green Arrow: Stay close, please.
- Mia Smoak: Where are we?
- Curtis Holt: [on comms] You're in the service tunnels underneath the city. Basically, you are all in "The Shawshank Redemption".
- Mia Smoak: The Shawshank what?
- Curtis Holt: "The Shawshank Redemption". It's... are there no movies in the future?
- Green Arrow: Curtis!
- Curtis Holt: Oh, right. Staying on task. Sorry. I'm a little out of practice, guys.
- Rene Ramirez: You really think we changed things tonight in the future?
- Laurel Lance: You mean in like a baby Hitler kind of way? Butterfly effect?
- [seeing their looks]
- Laurel Lance: Come on.
- Grant Wilson: This isn't over.
- Mia Smoak: [drawing back her bow] Yes, it is.
- Green Arrow: Mia!
- Mia Smoak: Get out of my way.
- Green Arrow: No. Hate me if you want. I'm not letting you do this.
- [she stands down]
- Laurel Lance: In the future, do they still use the phrase "wild goose chase"?
- Mia Smoak: If you're bored, you can go. I don't need a babysitter.
- Laurel Lance: No, but you might need backup when you try and kill Grant Wilson.
- Mia Smoak: How did you know?
- Laurel Lance: Oh, well, clearly no one has informed you that I used to play for Team Villain. And I can spot a murderous intent a million miles away.
- Mia Smoak: So, what, are you gonna try and talk me out of it now? Tell me to listen to my dad?
- Laurel Lance: Oh, god, no. I would never tell anyone to listen to Oliver Queen. No offense. But I'm not exactly a very big fan of your father's; he's kind of a dick. But you are a grown womoan, and if you wanna kill this guy, then have at it. But I just wanna know why.
- Mia Smoak: Because locking him up isn't gonna change anything. He escapes, every time. Why he is such a cult hero among all the worst in Star City.
- Laurel Lance: Including future JJ.
- Mia Smoak: Exactly. Look, Grant has to die so Zoe can live.
- Curtis Holt: So, Grant is trying to one-up his father. Siege version 2.0 is tonight, and this time, Mirakuru's out and coordinated bomb attacks are in.
- Oliver Queen: How many?
- Laurel Lance: Lots. And Grant has them all connected to a remote detonator. Probably a phone.
- Curtis Holt: The good news is, and I use that term very loosely, uh, is that he set up a relay device underneath downtown.
- Dinah Drake: So we disable the relay device, we turn off the bomb.
- Mia Smoak: Okay, what about Grant?
- Connor Hawke: He's holed up underground, but the lines converge at Water Street.
- Oliver Queen: History repeats itself.
- John Diggle: Well, maybe we can stop the attack by running the same play we ran last time.
- Rene Ramirez: [entering] No. Someone told me the only way to change the future is to start doing things differently now.
- John Diggle: Rene, look...
- Rene Ramirez: John, we're good. You, too, Connor. I can't be mad at either of you for something I will never let happen.
- William Clayton: Zoe was fighting to fix exactly what her dad helped cause. That's why she was a Canary like both of you. You guys had a whole network of them in the city.
- Dinah Drake: And that's what Connor was talking about earlier.
- Laurel Lance: And yet we still couldn't save the city.
- William Clayton: After Rene walled off the Glades, the scope was just too big, and ever since the wall came down, we've been fighting the Deathstrokes, trying to make things better, but...
- Dinah Drake: I just still don't understand. I mean, JJ adores Zoe. How could he do something like this?
- Mia Smoak: Seemed pretty easy for him, so how about we stop mourning poor, innocent JJ and accept who he actually is?
- Mia Smoak: All that matters right now is stopping Grant Wilson before he screws up everyone's future.
- Oliver Queen: What else can you tell me about him?
- William Clayton: Well, just the broad strokes. Grant made a name for himself doing pretty much exactly what he's doing now, targeting the rich, uh, appealing to the disenfranchised. They became cult heroes, which is how he seduced JJ.
- Oliver Queen: Any more specifics?
- William Clayton: Grant's home base just got blown up. That... that never happened before. We're in new territory now.
- Oliver Queen: How long to access the drive?
- William Clayton: Uh, more than a few, less than a year.
- Dinah Drake: I'm gonna go check on Rene.
- Mia Smoak: We should be out there doing something.
- Oliver Queen: We will be, once we know Grant Wilson's plan.
- William Clayton: I managed to extract the data from the drive, but, surprise, surprise, it's encrypted. And since I'm not an expert in early 21st-century decryption algorithms, I've called in someone who is. Curtis.
- Dinah Drake: Great. Now, what about Mia and Laurel?
- Oliver Queen: We need to focus on tracking down Grant. Felicity's search algorithm should still be on the computer.
- William Clayton: Way ahead of you. Wow, mom really liked playing fast and loose with the Fourth Amendment, huh?
- Connor Hawke: This is my fault. I'm sorry. I should have told you sooner.
- John Diggle: Then tell me now, Connor! Everything.
- Connor Hawke: When you took me in, I was angry and rebellious, but you... you refused to give up on me. Man, you straightened me out, made me who I am; a soldier just like you. But JJ, he... he resented it. You know, it was like I had stole the love that should have been his. Maybe if I had been a better son, JJ never would have broken bad and Zoe would still be alive. Dad, please say something.
- John Diggle: Dad? Connor, since the moment you got here, you have done nothing but lie to me, to all of us. What do you want me to say?
- Dinah Drake: Why would Grant give us advanced warning? It seems too easy.
- Connor Hawke: That's because it is. Look, Grant may be planning an attack, but it won't be on the rich. The video's a mislead. This kind of deception is a Deathstroke specialty.
- Oliver Queen: How do you know that?
- Connor Hawke: I was undercover with them for a while. A last-ditch attempt to get through to JJ.
- Oliver Queen: Okay, so if this is a bait and switch, what's the switch? What do you think Grant's planning?
- Connor Hawke: Something a whole lot bigger. I just don't know what exactly. Everything happening with the Deathstrokes is... different now.
- Mia Smoak: How could you just abandon us?
- Oliver Queen: Because I chose to keep you safe, and I chose right.
- Mia Smoak: You just wanted to be a hero, so you put your mission above your family. Don't worry. You'll learn to live without me pretty easy. Just like I learned to live without you.
- Oliver Queen: [moving to block her way] I'm not letting you go out there.
- Mia Smoak: Nyssa al Ghul trained me. You want to see how well?
- Oliver Queen: I'm not gonna fight you. I'm your father.
- Mia Smoak: Really? Because from where I stand, you're just some guy in my way.
- Oliver Queen: What are you doing?
- Mia Smoak: I'm going to the hospital bomb site. Maybe Dinah missed something.
- Oliver Queen: Mia.
- Mia Smoak: I'm not gonna stand around and waste time.
- Oliver Queen: Now, look. I know what's driving you right now. You lost a teammate. I-I've... I've been there. I... I can help. I'm here to help.
- Mia Smoak: You know, I survived my whole life without you. I don't need you to play dad now.
- Oliver Queen: Hey, I'm not playing dad. I am simply telling you that it is not tactically wise to go out there by yourself...
- Mia Smoak: Fine. I'll take Laurel.
- Oliver Queen: ...when you are letting your decisions be driven by your emotions. Trust me. I've been there.
- Mia Smoak: You don't get a say. You gave up that right when you left me and mom alone in that cabin.