Chapter 20: The List Narrows
The List shortened by three names in two weeks—the Hood's crusade accelerating with Ben's tactical insights disguised as "really good hunches."
POV: Rotating between team members
In the Foundry's war room, Oliver spread files across the metal table while Ben studied financial records that he pretended to be seeing for the first time. The names on his father's list represented a network of corruption that had turned Starling City into a criminal playground, and each target eliminated brought them closer to the conspiracy's heart.
"Marcus Redman," Ben said, pointing to a photograph of a distinguished man in an expensive suit. "Real estate developer with connections to offshore shell companies. If we hit him next, it disrupts the money laundering operation that funds at least three other targets."
POV: Oliver
Oliver watched Ben trace connections between financial documents with the precision of someone who'd spent years studying organized crime patterns. The recommendations were always logically sound, strategically valuable, and eerily accurate. Too accurate for coincidence.
"How do you know Redman's operation funds the others?" Oliver asked.
"Transaction timing. Look at these deposit schedules—money flows out of Redman's accounts exactly forty-eight hours before major payments hit the other targets' books. Classic laundering pattern where the primary operation funds secondary activities."
Felicity looked up from her computer screens, algorithms scrolling past at inhuman speed. "He's right. I've been tracking the financial flows for weeks, and the pattern is clear once you know what to look for."
"Ben identified in minutes what it took Felicity weeks to confirm through computational analysis. Either he's a financial crimes expert who's been hiding his expertise, or he has access to intelligence sources he's not revealing. Neither explanation is entirely reassuring."
"We hit Redman tomorrow night," Oliver decided. "Ben, you'll provide overwatch from the building across the street. Your job is to watch for complications and warn us if the situation changes."
POV: Ben
Ben nodded, already seeing the operation through his Prescience. Blue afterimages showed him the warehouse where Redman conducted his off-the-books meetings, the security patterns that would create openings for infiltration, the moment when everything would go wrong if they didn't adjust their approach.
"One modification," Ben said carefully. "We should wait until after ten PM. Redman has a security rotation change at ten-fifteen, and the new guards won't be familiar with the building's sight lines."
"How do you know about their security rotation?"
"Because I watched this exact scenario play out in a television show years ago in a life I can't explain to anyone."
"Pattern recognition. Look at the guard logs Felicity pulled from their systems—shift changes happen every eight hours starting at six AM. Basic security protocol for high-value operations."
Oliver studied the documents, then nodded slowly. "Good catch."
POV: Diggle
From his position monitoring communications, Diggle watched the team plan with the satisfaction of someone who'd learned to appreciate professional competence. Ben's tactical insights consistently improved their operational success rate, but something about his analytical process bothered Diggle in ways he couldn't articulate.
"The kid reads situations like he's lived through them before. Not just pattern recognition—genuine familiarity with how these operations unfold. Either he has a background in law enforcement or intelligence that he's hiding, or he's the most naturally gifted tactical analyst I've ever seen."
"Ben," Diggle said during a break in planning. "Mind if I ask where you learned to read criminal operations like this?"
"Experience. Observation. Growing up in neighborhoods where this kind of business happens openly." Ben's answer felt both true and incomplete. "When you see enough patterns, you learn to predict how they'll develop."
"True but not complete. Standard deflection technique—answer the question with partial information that satisfies curiosity without revealing everything. Military intelligence uses the same approach for operational security."
Diggle accepted the explanation because results mattered more than methodology, but he filed the interaction away for future consideration. Ben Hale had depths that didn't match his surface presentation, and depth in this business usually meant secrets.
Twenty-four hours later, the operation unfolded with mechanical precision. Oliver and Diggle infiltrated Redman's warehouse while Ben provided overwatch from an adjacent building, his enhanced abilities turning him into the perfect spotter.
POV: Ben
Ben's Prescience tracked security patrols through blue afterimages, his voice calm and steady over the comm system Felicity had designed. "Two guards approaching from the north entrance. They'll reach the loading dock in thirty seconds."
"Copy," Oliver replied. "Adjusting route."
The operation proceeded like a choreographed dance, with Ben's foresight guiding Oliver and Diggle around threats before they materialized. Every warning proved accurate, every prediction came true, building a pattern of impossible reliability that Ben knew Oliver was cataloguing.
"Redman's leaving early," Ben reported as his Prescience showed movement in the building's upper floors. "He'll be out the back exit in two minutes. If you want to intercept him, now's your chance."
"How can you possibly know that?"
"Because I can see three seconds into the future, and those three seconds show me a man gathering files from a safe and moving toward a rear stairwell. But I can't explain that without revealing abilities I'm not ready to discuss."
"I can see him through the windows. Body language suggests he's wrapping up business ahead of schedule."
POV: Oliver
Oliver emerged from the warehouse with evidence that would shut down a major money laundering operation, but his mind was fixed on Ben's impossible accuracy. Every prediction had been correct, every warning had prevented problems, every tactical suggestion had improved their effectiveness.
"Nobody's intuition is that good," Oliver said over the comm as they extracted from the scene.
"I get lucky sometimes."
"This wasn't luck. This was knowledge. Specific, detailed knowledge of how this operation worked."
The confrontation Oliver had been building toward for weeks finally erupted in the Foundry's aftermath debriefing. Files scattered across tables showed the evening's success—Redman arrested, money laundering network disrupted, three more names checked off the List—but Oliver's attention was fixed entirely on Ben.
"I need an honest answer," Oliver said. "Do you have precognitive abilities?"
Ben felt the weight of partial truth pressing against the need for operational security. His team needed to trust his capabilities without understanding their full scope, but trust required enough honesty to satisfy reasonable questions.
"I see patterns in how things will unfold," Ben said carefully. "Sometimes I just know what's coming next. I can't explain it better than that."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only answer I can give you."
The room fell silent except for the hum of electronics and the distant sounds of Starling City beyond the Foundry's walls. Diggle and Felicity watched the confrontation with the tension of people who understood that team dynamics hung in the balance.
POV: Oliver
Oliver studied Ben's expression for signs of deception, using techniques learned in environments where the wrong judgment about someone's honesty meant death. What he saw was someone telling the truth within carefully constructed boundaries—honest about his abilities while protecting secrets he considered more important than trust.
"He's hiding something significant, but his loyalty to protecting innocent people is genuine. His tactical insights have saved lives repeatedly, and his presence makes our operations more effective. Do I push for complete transparency and risk losing a valuable ally, or do I accept partial truth and maintain operational capability?"
"We need your abilities more than we need complete answers," Oliver said finally. "But understand that this partnership requires trust. If I find out you're hiding something that could endanger the mission or my team—"
"You'll do what you think you have to do," Ben finished. "I understand. But understand that some secrets exist to protect people, not to harm them. I give you my word that nothing I'm hiding puts this team at risk."
"Your word as Ben Hale, or your word as whoever you really are?"
"My word as someone who believes this city is worth saving, and who trusts you enough to help save it."
POV: Diggle
Diggle watched the negotiation conclude with the satisfaction of someone who'd seen similar standoffs resolved through mutual necessity rather than complete transparency. Oliver and Ben had reached an understanding built on operational trust rather than personal revelation—exactly the kind of pragmatic partnership that allowed dangerous people to work together toward common goals.
"Everyone on this team carries secrets. Oliver hides the full scope of what happened on the island. Felicity conceals her hacking background and the extent of her government connections. I keep my military record and certain classified operations compartmentalized. Ben's entitled to the same privacy as long as his contributions remain valuable and his loyalty remains clear."
"For what it's worth," Diggle said, "I've seen enough combat to recognize someone who's been tested under fire. Ben's proved himself when it matters. That's enough for me."
POV: Felicity
Felicity looked up from her computers where she'd been pretending to work while actually monitoring the team's interpersonal dynamics through biometric sensors and voice stress analysis. The data painted a complex picture of someone hiding significant information while maintaining genuine commitment to the team's mission.
"Ben's physiological responses suggest he's telling the truth about his loyalty while concealing something he considers more important than personal trust. Classic intelligence operative pattern—compartmentalized information for operational security. Either he has training I haven't identified, or he's naturally gifted at managing classified material."
"I don't care if you're hiding the fact that you're secretly Batman," Felicity said with characteristic directness. "Your tactical insights have made us more effective, and effectiveness saves lives. Questions can wait until after we've finished cleaning up the city."
Team Arrow settled into operational rhythm with Ben as their tactical advantage—a partnership built on partial truths and mutual need. The List continued shrinking as they systematically dismantled the corruption network, each successful operation increasing their reliance on Ben's impossible insights.
POV: Ben
Alone in his apartment later that night, Ben updated his coded journal with growing unease about the sustainability of his position. His Prescience had become his "public" power with Team Arrow—they knew he could see the future in some form, though he'd understated the three-second range and clarity. But Negation remained completely hidden, used only in moments where causality erasure could be disguised as lucky timing.
"Oliver suspects I'm hiding more than I've revealed, but he's accepting partial disclosure because my contributions outweigh my secrecy. Diggle trusts results over methodology. Felicity treats my abilities as a fascinating puzzle to solve rather than a threat to investigate. But how long can this balance last? How long before one of them asks a question I can't answer without revealing secrets that could destroy everything?"
Ben's phone buzzed with messages from his expanding network of connections. Tommy asking about coffee tomorrow. Sin wanting to know when self-defense classes would resume. Helena requesting another conversation about alternatives to vengeance.
Each relationship represented trust being extended and belonging being offered to someone whose very presence in their world was built on lies. The weight of that deception grew heavier with every successful operation, every deepening friendship, every moment of genuine connection built on foundations of necessary but corrosive secrecy.
"I came here to save the city while maintaining my cover as an observer. Instead, I'm becoming central to its salvation while hiding the very knowledge that makes me effective. The question is whether I can keep all these plates spinning when the Undertaking finally comes to light, or whether my attempts to protect everyone will ensure I save no one."
Outside his window, Starling City hummed with late-night energy, unaware that its salvation was being planned by people who trusted each other with their lives but not their secrets. The irony wasn't lost on Ben that the most honest relationship he'd built was with Oliver Queen—two men hiding their true selves behind partial truths and operational necessity, working together to save a city that would never know their names or understand their sacrifices.
Tomorrow they'd continue working through the List, systematically dismantling corruption while building toward the confrontation that would test every alliance they'd forged. And Ben would continue walking the tightrope between revelation and concealment, hoping his secrets could remain hidden long enough to matter when the time came to choose between his mission and his friendships.
The city was worth saving. The question was whether he could save it without destroying the people who'd become his family in the process.
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