Title: The games we play, The heroes we save.
Rating: R (only cause that's what it's supposed to be rated. If I wasn't following guidelines I would think it's more of a PG – 13+ fic but anyway)
Possible Spoilers/Warnings: None. This story is completely AU.
Summary: Watchtower and Green Arrow have only meet a hand full of times while doing what they do best, bringing justice to the world. But when Watchtower goes missing Green Arrow decides it's time to rally forces with the all girl heroine team to bring her home.
Author's Notes: This is completely AU. Oliver and Chloe live in Star City and only each other as Green Arrow and Watchtower. The italics in the first section are flashbacks but after there are for when someone is talking over the com (I know that's a bit confusing sorry). Also to whomever this is written for I hope you enjoy this even if it's not exactly what you wanted but incorporating everything you wanted was a little hard so I made a few changes so it would work. I just hope you don't hate it for that reason.
Anyway, Enjoy!
Listening as there was a small thud behind him on the roof Oliver smiled expecting to see the black haired, red leathered beauty that was only known to him as Watchtower. Turning around quickly, he realised that the elusive Watchtower wasn't his companion. Instead a woman in a blue and red leotard with a crown and gold cuffs on her wrists. Ducking as her whip came to towards him he grabbed the end before she could take it back and try again. Smiling he pulled on his end until she was standing in front of him.
"Why are you here and what do you want?"
"I think that's a question that you can answer better than I can," she replied taking back her whip and putting it away. "Where is Watchtower?"
"Why would I know?"
"'Cause you were the last person to see her and since we don't know who you are I find that a little strange."
"I don't know her as anything other than Watchtower and when she left here last night she didn't say where she was heading but I headed back to my headquarters where not one but all my team saw me."
He watched as the woman stepped back and seemed to nod, "Ok."
"Can I help?"
Shaking her head she turned to leave, "We can handle it but I'll remember you're offer just in case," she said before jumping of the roof and flying away.
Sighing Oliver watched as the woman flew away before he turned and left heading back to his headquarters to start his own search for Watchtower.
When he had met her three months ago he never expected anything other than to see the back of her, after all she had foiled his plan and stolen the artefact he was after. Thinking she was evil he did everything he could to get the artefact from her but she had out smarted him, leaving him high and dry. He had been furious for days after thinking of how she had foiled him but when he saw on the evening news that she had returned the artefact to its rightful owner he had been surprised.
Smiling he shook his head as the memory came flooding back.
Walking cautiously down the hall Oliver pulled out his tazor arrow when he heard something behind him. Spinning quickly he sighed when he saw that it was just a cat he moved back to his task berating himself for allowing a cat to throw him off his game. Continuing to move forward he was startled when a woman in a red leathered suit running towards him with his prize in her hands. Moving to stop her she side stepped him before continuing on her path as the guards chasing her started to shout out for both of them to stop. Turning around he followed her up the flight of stairs.
Reaching the roof he pulled the door open for her before pulling it shut tight and shooting one of his ice arrows to ensure that the door was welded shut. Turning back to the woman he smiled as he saw her looking around for an exit.
"So are you going to hand over the artifact," he said.
She turned and smiled, her black hair framing her features, "Now why would I do that."
Oliver chuckled at the fact that she obviously had her own voice distorter before saying, "Because I plan to do the right thing with it."
She smiled, "And how do I know you're really a good guy?"
"You're kidding right. I'm the Green Arrow. How can you be questioning whether I'm good or not? You're the unknown one here."
She smiled, "Fine. I'm Watchtower and I'm defiantly one of the good guys. You'll see that it in a couple of days." She said before repealing off the roof.
Running to where she jumped he garbed the repeal line and sliding down it after her. When his feet reached the ground he looked around for her wildly before realizing that she had slipped away without him noticing. Shooting off his grappling arrow he headed home, feeling very low.
Smiling at the memory that had popped into his head he climbed in through the window he always used when entering and exiting as the Green Arrow before heading to the computers that were set up in the central room. He only paused to take off his hood and glasses before taking a seat behind the main terminal and typing in the word Watchtower.
Watching as the screens around him slowly filled with information he sighed and thought of his second encounter with her.
Slipping in through the window his smile faltered when he saw the girl who had ruined his plans just a week and a half ago. Standing perfectly still in the corner he watched as she hacked her way into the files that he wanted. Smiling he realized that he didn't need Victor's program to hack in anymore. All he had to do was take her USB. Seeing as she deleted all traces of her being there and the files she had taken she turned her back to the computer to retie her boot. Creeping forward he took the USB just as she was turning around.
"Thanks," he said, "You just saved me hours of work."
She laughed, "You must be really deluded if you think I'm going to let you leave with my information."
Oliver smiled, "Yeah. Watch the news. The explosion will be awesome."
"Oh, really," she said as she placed her hand to the com in her ear before saying, "Faith, come in here. I've been made."
Oliver laughed, "What? You can't even fight me yourself. If you really want it you should come and get it," he said as he tucked the USB in the inside pocket of his vest.
The door opened gently an in walked another woman. Dressed in a purple Lycra suit, her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail that rested on the nap of her neck. The material around her chest looked like a corset in its design and had inlaying patterns that reminded him of a vine. The suit's top covered her arms as well, down to her wrist, and had metal cuffs adoring her upper arms and metal gloves that covered her hands, leaving only her fingers bare to the world. Her feet looked like they were covered in boots but he couldn't distinguish between where the pants ended and the boots started.
He looked her over once more noticing no obvious weapons on her body. Smiling, he couldn't help but wonder why Watchtower thought that this person could help her.
"What, is your team only made up of women?" Oliver joked.
"Actually it is but someone has to counteract you're team of males." She said before turning to her companion, "Faith it's inside his vest."
Watching as the other woman raised her hand towards him he ran and dove out the window as fast as possible, praying that whatever that woman was going to do to him and the USB didn't work as he landed hard on the ground and sprained his ankle.
Sighing he closed the article on the computer that was about the explosion that followed that night in the facility. It had been legendary. His only regret was not being there first hand to see it go off in person, as he had been at home, resting his sprained ankle and maintaining radio contact with everyone. It had sucked but he was glad that Watchtower hadn't won for the second time in a row. It defiantly made him feel better about the competition they were getting themselves into.
Shifting through the articles that came up he closed all the ones that he knew weren't important. For a superhero that didn't fight or have any powers it was amazing the things that she could do. Her hacking skills where amazing. He'd witnessed that the third time he'd met her.
Landing lightly on the roof he was surprised to see Watchtower there. This habit of running into her wasn't something that he was sure he should like. She always seemed to be around and now that he had done his research he couldn't really understand why this girl kept popping up everywhere. If she were on his team she would be seated behind a desk so that she didn't get hurt, especially during missions like this. But here she was, her laptop hooked into the warehouses system, typing away furiously, not noticing that he had arrived.
Clearing his throat he moved forward cautiously as she turned around.
Groaning she said, "Do have to show up everywhere I am?"
"It's a peril of us both being vigilantes and in teams of super heroes."
"Leather boy, you're the only vigilante on this roof. I'm a hero."
Oliver huffed in offence, "I think we're all vigilantes, some of us are just better at pretending to be heroes."
She laughed, "You keep telling yourself that." Turning back to her work she groaned when she realized that she had been locked out again, "Will you get your IT guy out the system."
Oliver shrugged, "No can do. He needs to be there."
"Why? I have something I need to do so that my team can work efficiently."
"Well I'm sure that when his out he'll let you back in." Oliver smiled as the com in his ear came to life
"It's done boss man," Cyborg said in his ear.
"Good job." Oliver said with a nod before turning back to the woman in question. Noticing the questioning look on her face he asked, "What?"
"You turned the sprinklers on."
"So?"
"So, that was what I was trying to do."
Oliver raised an eyebrow, unsure whether she could see it or not since his hood and glasses hid most of his face, "Why would you turn on the sprinklers?"
"Why would you?"
"I asked first."
"What are you five?"
"Are you?"
She sighed, "Fine. A member on my team needs constant access to water. On missions like this it's easier if I kick start the sprinklers for her."
Oliver nodded, "Same reason here except insert a he instead."
She laughed and he decided it was the best laugh around. Watching as she turned back to the system he did a quick perimeter sweep to see whether or not a guard had noticed them yet. Smiling he realized that this location was hidden from all the premium guard locations and for someone to actually see them they would have to actually walk past, which they weren't.
Turning back he noticed that they weren't alone anymore. A woman in a blue outfit stood next to the leather beauty. The outfit was mostly made out of mesh expect for the two vital areas that were made out of blue leather. Unlike Watchtower and Faith though, her shirt stopped just below her ribs, although it covered to her arms to her wrist, leaving her hands bare. Her pants where blue with a black strip down the side falling to her ankles and her feet were exposed. The whole thing made her look like she was ready to swim in the closet puddle of water.
Smiling he nodded to the new comer before turning back to Watchtower, "I think this is where we part ways again."
"I think so too. This place is rigged to blow," she replied with a devilish smile while scooping up her laptop.
"It's been a pleasure, once again."
"If you say so."
Smiling he couldn't help but feel a little sad that the woman he had met a handful of times had been taken. While their competition was friendly sometimes it left him with a weird feeling. It was like they should be doing more than fighting each other for the greater but fighting together. It was a bit counterintuitive for them to fight, especially when they had the same goals in the end. And while they were fighting it didn't stop a connection from forming between them, although he couldn't pinpoint the moment that it had formed.
Continuing the search of his databases an entry finally showed up that could help. Looking closer he smiled when he realized that the last time that they had spoken she must have been talking about this person.
Smiling as Watchtower landed in front of him he couldn't help but feel happy about the fact. He knew that they had only met a few times but this girl was slowly beginning to become one of his favorite people.
Watching as she took of her hood he was surprised to see that she wore a black wig over her real hair. Moving in front him she smiled she spoke.
"I need your help."
He raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? What can I do?"
She sighed, "There's this new villain in play and no one can figure out how or when they're going to strike but they are, and soon."
"So what can I do?"
Pulling out a phone she held it out to him, "Keep your eyes open. If you find out anything I need you to call me. You can't handle this alone. I know it and you know it too but I think if we can combine out resources we can take them out."
"Ok that's doable but why are coming to me?"
She rested a hand on his arm before saying, "'Cause I know that you'll help. I'm scared that they're after me and if they are I need someone who can lead my team."
Oliver gasped, "Surely it hasn't come that."
She nodded her head and walked a little distance away from him, "I think it has. I've been getting threatening messages for days," pulling some photos out of her vest and handing it to him, "They've been following me for a while it seems. I'm just glad they don't know my real identity."
Oliver sighed, "There has to be something more that I can do."
She shook her head and stood next to him. Resting a hand on his arm she said, "I'd like to think that if there was more time there would be a real connection between us but there's not and now I need to think of my team's safety. I know they'll be safe with you. And you've proven yourself to be a real hero."
Oliver closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn't believe that it had come to this. He'd been hoping to get to know her better. In their line of work life wasn't guaranteed but for some reason he hadn't thought death was possible for this woman. He figured anyone without powers or gadgets couldn't do what they do for a living and it amazed him that she actually did.
Placing a hand on hers he smiled and opened his eyes to look at her. She was a vision as far as he was concerned, even if he didn't know her real name or hair color or even looked her in the eye before, she had the same principles that he did, or so it seemed as they never really talked about it. In what he'd seen though she believed in justice the way he did and fought for it. Sometimes they fought each other in the same pursuit but their goals were the same.
"I don't know how to deal with this. We're just getting to know each other."
She laughed hollowly, "I know and in some ways I don't think it's fair but this is the life we live."
Oliver nodded, "Yeah. I'll make sure you're teams ok and we'll find you."
She shook her head, "If they take me, don't find me. If they have me they won't go after anyone else and that's the important thing."
Leaning up she placed her lips gently to his. Tilting his head slightly he deepened the kiss slightly before pulling back.
"Ok, I'll take care of your team. It'd probably be nice to have a few girls around the place anyway. Stop my boys from being cavemen."
She laughed, "Somehow I think my girls can do that."
"Then I think we'll be the perfect fit."
The computer dinged dragging him from his memory. Clicking on the link that had shown up he was surprised to see that someone was offering to reveal Watchtower's identity for the sum of one million dollars. Sighing he looked at the address before dialing the number that was left.
"Yes," the person on the other end of the line said.
"I'd like to purchase Watchtower's identity."
Two hours later Oliver was redressed and waiting on the rooftop for Watchtower's heroes to show up, his own waiting impatiently behind him. Turning he noticed that Bart had a burrito in his hand as he tried to tease both Victor and AC. He laughed. The boys were all suited up and ready to move as soon as the other got here. They hadn't even asked why this was so important they had just come. That's why they made a great team. When the chips were down they were there and that's what matter.
Turning when he heard a thud on the roof he smiled when he saw two girls he'd met on mission before and one that had attacked him just hours before hand. They were all suited up in the gear he had seen them in before, just waiting for him to make a move.
Stepping forward he said, "A couple of hours ago I received and email. From the looks of it was sent to every billionaire in Star City."
"You're a billionaire?" The girl in the blue suit asked.
"Yes. Maybe before we do this we should reveal ourselves."
The girls looked at each other before nodding and reaching for the masks that hid their faces. Turning to his boys he nodded for them to lower their hoods and remove their glasses as he took off his own.
"Should we go around the circle and introduce ourselves."
"Fine," the woman who had attacked him said, "I'm Diana Prince or Wonder Woman."
"Faith, just Faith"
"No one knows her real name." The girl in blue said, "I'm Lorena or Aquagirl."
"Oliver Queen or Green Arrow," Oliver said with a small nod.
"AC or Aquaman," AC said with a small laugh at the irony that there were two aquatic heroes in their teams.
"Bart Allen but you fine ladies may call me Impulse," he said with a wink.
"Cyborg, or you can call me Victor."
"Ok now introductions are done we need to get down to business. I called the men who sent the email and told them I'd pay the money. We're meeting in an hour so we need a plan. I'll be out of commission so that I can meet the people but I'll have a com on me."
"So what will we do?" Diana asked.
"You'll follow them to wherever they go."
"And then?" Faith asked.
"Then we get Watchtower back."
Smiling Oliver got back in the car and drove as fast as he could to get out of there. The meeting had gone well and now Wonder Woman and Faith were following the two men he had met. Hopefully they would have Watchtower back in their possession before he had to meet the two men and hand over his money. Sure he'd been willing to do that but he wanted Watchtower to trust him with her actual identity.
Pulling over to the side of the road he jumped out and opened his boot pulling out his gear and changing quickly. Finally done he headed to his bike before clicking his com on.
"Arrow online, Wonder do you have a location yet?"
"We do Arrow. It's the corner of Sherwood Close and Arthur Street. We even got on visual on Watchtower."
"What are you doing now?"
"Faith and I are circling above the building at the moment. Aquaman and Aquagirl are trying to find a sewer entrance and Cyborg is hacking into the main frame to see if he can turn on the sprinklers."
"Ok my eta is ten minutes. Arrow out."
Climbing on the bike he started the engine and headed out.
Arriving at the warehouse he circled it once on his bike before parking several streets away. Moving from rooftop to rooftop he finally ended up at a good vantage point. He could see straight through the window to where Watchtower was tied up to the chair. Her hood had been pushed back but her wig stayed in place. Her glasses were on the table next to her chair and he could see her green piercing eyes staring out the window. Her shirt had been opened, the leather having been moved aside, and her white undershirt that covered all her vital areas could be seen. Both her hands and feet were bound to the chair and there was a long cut down her cheek.
He turned his slightly when he heard someone land on the roof beside him.
"We think you can get in by a window on the other side," Faith said, "Wonder and I are going to stay up in the sky. Both Aqua's are waiting in the sewer tunnel for the signal and they'll join you and Impulse is ready to move whenever we are."
"And Cybrog?"
"He's waiting for your signal to start the sprinklers then he plans to guard the exit there just in case anyone decides to leave."
"Ok, let's do this then."
Moving into place as Faith took off again he smiled. Watchtower was right. Her team seemed to work well with his and if they all made this out of it alive he was going to raise the idea of them joining forces. Together they could do some great in the world. He knew it.
Tapping on his com he said, "Ok on three we move. One, two, three, go." Shooting off his grappling arrow he smiled as he saw the sprinklers go on. Jumping he swung himself through the window with a loud crash as both the Aqua's came out of the tunnel and attacked the two closest men. Ignoring them he ran straight for Watchtower. Bending down he untied one of her hands before moving to her feet.
"What are you doing here?" she asked confused.
"We're saving you," he said with a smile moving a hand to wipe the blood away from her cheek.
"So is this what all those damsels in distress are raving about when they are saved by the Green Arrow?"
"That's what I like to think. Now let's go." He said wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. Wrapping two arms around him she kissed his check gently as he grabbed her glasses before took off.
A week later Oliver was standing in his usual spot, waiting for Watchtower. Hearing a thud he turned with a smile as Watchtower stood in front of him again.
"Do you ever think I'm going to know who you are behind the mask?" she asked.
He looked at her confused, "I would have thought you're team would have told you."
"No they're playing the loyalty card. You left quite an impression Archer."
"Good, 'cause I was thinking, one of these days we should team up our teams. They work really well together."
"I know, even Wonder Woman was impressed and she's an Amazon."
Oliver laughed, "I'm glad we made an impression. I hear my Aqua's got a date with your Aqua."
"Ah, so that's why she's been in a daze all week."
"So, working together?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"We'll figure out the details later. Right now I've got some crime to stop."
She smiled, "So do I."
The End
