Hey
I finally got around to publishing this.
The usual of I don't own Arrow, Batman or anything DC related.
Enjoy.
A roof top
Walking out of the shadows, Batman stops near the Green Arrow, while looking out.
Bruce is in a dark gray Kevlar suit with a black bat-emblem emblazoned on his chest. He has a long light weight dark colored scalloped cape which reaches his heels and black boots. A gold utility belt with small military-style pouches is around his waist and a black Kevlar cowl with pointed ears is on his head. On Bruce's hands are black combat gloves with three razor-sharp blades on the sides.
Silently Oliver notches an arrow and fires into the roof of the Kord Industries warehouse down below, then Oliver glides down the zipline using bow before landing on his feet.
Batman glides onto the roof using his cape with landing, just as quietly.
"It's strange, I'm used to having Felicity talking in my ear and the rest of the team following me" Oliver said.
"Not much of the man left who survived Lian Yu, and ARGUS is there?" Bruce asked.
"How do you know about my past?" Oliver asked.
"I'm like you remember, I do my own research into your past. I've known for years" Bruce replied.
"The security levels in ARGUS are very high and I don't seem to remember you being that good of a hacker" Oliver said.
"I have my ways and if I need to I am that good. Through I just had Oracle compile all that information" Bruce said, thinking of his friend.
"How is Barbara doing?" Oliver asked.
"Joker murdered her in the Arkham City crisis two years ago" Bruce replied grimly.
"I heard about that, something to do with walling off a section of the Gotham and placing all the criminals from Arkham and Iron Heights in there" Oliver said.
"It was a plan by Ras a Ghul" Bruce said, not interested in the details.
Oliver nods in understanding before heading for the roof access door.
In an empty room
Dropping from an air conditioning tunnel, Bruce and Oliver land on their feet as they are both observant.
Suddenly across the room a section of the concrete wall explodes, as a squad of Ghosts begin coming through with machine guns raised. Rapidly dropping a smoke pellet, Bruce fires his grapnel gun and disappears into the rafters above.
Notching an arrow, Oliver let's lose but it misses the first Ghost then fires off two more but they miss as well. Bullets strike his body, which fortunately his suit gives some protection but Oliver is forced to take nearby cover behind an old desk.
The men stop firing as they make their way over and the Green Arrow bolts out from hiding. Taking a swing with his bow, the second Ghost ducks with kicking Oliver in the stomach before punching him directly in his face.
A third Ghost pulls out a combat knife slashing Oliver's chest, drawing blood then his left arm causing the archer to drop the bow. Getting his legs kicked out from underneath, sends the Green Arrow crashing to the ground as four of the thugs begin brutally kicking him.
In the rafters Batman looks down at the six men below. With the grapnel line attached Bruce rapidly drops down and grabbing ahold of the first Ghost they both get pulled back up.
The man screams in terror as Batman drops him, with a cable attached to his leg and the other end connected to a rafter, it goes taunt stopping The Ghost from hitting the ground while being suspended several feet up in the air.
Watching the men break off from beating the Green Arrow to death, Bruce decides to make his move. Leaping off the Dark Knight glide kicks straight into the third man, sending The Ghost sliding across the floor unconscious.
In one swift move, Batman blocks the second Ghost's punch with ducking from the fourth's knife attack and kicking the fifth in his face, breaking his jaw and nose rendering him out cold.
As the sixth man goes to fire his weapon, Bruce throws a batarang into his right hand, disarming The Ghost. However, a few men land some punches on Bruce's upper body and head.
Roundhouse kicking the second man's chest, breaking his ribs Bruce stuns the fourth man with his cape by wiping it across his face before shattering The Ghost's right collarbone with an elbow strike.
Blocking a swing from the sixth man, Batman responds by kicking The Ghost in his left leg breaking the bones inside, sending him to the ground in agony.
Turning Batman sees the Green Arrow groaning in pain, while rising to his feet.
"What happened?" Oliver asked.
"You almost got killed" Bruce replied simply.
Seeing more men comes through the hole in the wall, Batman dashes over to Oliver. Throwing down a smoke pellet before grabbing ahold of Green Arrow's back and firing the grapnel gun through a skylight, they get pulled up into the air disappearing.
Later at the Bunker medical room
Oliver sitting on the bed in a pair of blue jeans is cleaning his wounds with a wet towel and applying some healing cream.
Glancing up, Oliver sees Bruce enters with having changed into his causal clothes as well.
"That is why we bring the team on missions instead of losing the device" Oliver said angrily.
"For the device I'll let you figure out how this will work in our favor. When we first met you never needed a team and could have easily handled those men" Bruce said.
"I'm trying things in the light of day, now. I'm trying to avoid being the dark avenger during my early years" Oliver said.
"Grow up! Neither of us are The Flash who get parades thrown. You can't even break bones these days so your idiot thinking that's ever going to work" Bruce replied, snapping.
"When we first met you were going to take me down for being a crazy serial killer" Oliver replied.
"I'd rather have you be a killer then the pathetic version you are now" Bruce said.
"You done yet?" Oliver asked.
"No. You need to get rid of the fantasy version of Felicity Smoak created inside your head and look at the truth. Right now, the both of you are just acting like a couple of high school teenagers who just discovered dating" Bruce replied.
"I know. After all the mistakes, I've made since washing up on Lian Yu I deserve how Felicity treats me" Oliver said.
"Nobody deserves to be in an abusive relationship Oliver. You helped Sara out of the one with Doctor Ivo when she suffered from Stockholm syndrome. Let us help you" Bruce said.
"Even if… I fought back what do I have left to live for?" Oliver asked.
"Your sister, Laurel and Sara. Your city is falling apart. Right now Ray Palmer in the hands of Damien Darhk. If there is one thing I know, is at your core you will not walk away from somebody who needs help" Bruce replied, hoping this gets through.
After a moment "I need you to keep the team from finding me. I'll need some time to think" Oliver said.
"Will do" Bruce said.
Nodding in appreciation, Oliver climbs to his feet and pulls a gray T-shirt over his body.
An hour later at the Star City docks
Walking out on a pier, Oliver stands there looking out at the ocean and breathes in the salt air, getting lost in his mind. The same pier where the Queen's Gambit left port nine years ago, Oliver notes.
First dealing with the matter of Felicity Smoak who is a control freak and only concerned about herself. He basically concludes, that Bruce is right and it's time to end the toxic mess.
Moving onto his combat skills with his reluctance to return the warrior created during his time away. Oliver begins remembering various moments from his past.
On the island, Slade has Oliver by the shirt with a gun shoved in his face.
"There is no giving up to these guys!" Slade shouts angrily. "No crying, or buying your way out of it! You have two choices- escape, or die. So choose."
Oliver glares at the man then "Escape."
"Then let me show you how not to die" Slade said.
Walking over to the fallen bamboo sticks, Slade holstering the gun then bends down picking two up. Oliver catches the one tossed at him and immediately attacks.
Oliver's mind drifts to another memory
Night time during a street in Hong Kong where chaos is everywhere with people rushing by and others being loaded into ambulances as Amanda Waller and Oliver are talking.
"I thought I could" Oliver begins but gets cut off.
"You thought what? You could reason with him? Look around you Mr. Queen. Look around and tell me that the men Who do this type of thing understand reason. There are people in this world who deal only in extremes. It's naive to think that anything less than extreme measures will stop it" Amanda said full of conviction "The bomber was Katsu Cheng. But make no mistake This blood is on your hands."
"Cheng said I didn't have the stomach for torture. He was right" Oliver replied heatedly.
"Because you need to practice. Torture is an art form. It's a skill one must cultivate" Amanda replied blankly.
"How do I do that?" Oliver asked, nearly disgusted.
"I think Cheng was wrong. I think you not only have the stomach for this work you have the talent" Amanda said.
Oliver coming out of his memories briefly thinks over Amanda's speech and how those words of extreme methods, is something he's used ever since until recently.
Another memory comes into Oliver's mind
In a warehouse, Oliver in The Arrow suit minus his mask and the hood pulled down, is talking to The Flash who has his cowl down as well.
"When my friend said your tactics made you a criminal, I defended you because I thought you were supposed to be a hero. I thought we were supposed to be better than them" Barry said appalled.
"Barry, you live in central city where it's sunny all the time and your enemies get cute nicknames. You're not in central city" Oliver said.
"Yeah" Barry replied.
"I live in a city where my best friend was murdered, where a woman that I loved was shot full of arrows and sent tumbling off a rooftop. Where my mother was murdered right in front of me" Oliver snaps angrily.
Coming out of his mind palace, Oliver knows he has the answers he's looking for. It's time to stop running from human weapon who's willing to do the things that no one else can stomach. To use the skills Slade taught him to became a deadly fighter and the ways the world works from Amanda.
Oliver walks towards his motorcycle and climbs on.
Later at the Bunker
Diggle, Laurel and Thea are standing around Felicity who's at the computer, trying to track down the place Ray's messages are coming from but having zero luck.
Meanwhile Bruce and Sara are standing near the elevator patiently waiting. They already got into an argument with the rest of them and most of it was dealing with Felicity. Sara and Bruce just decided to wait until Oliver comes back and hope Bruce got through.
Suddenly the elevator doors open then Oliver steps off with immediately heading towards the computer station.
"Ah good your back. I'm trying but I just can't find Ray yet, so you know the next time you run off incase by some chance we did in fact find him. Don't let me know you're going someplace without telling" Felicity said, in her usual commanding voice.
"Pack your bags and get out. You're done" Oliver said.
"Oh for Bruce and Sara? You're the best. I'm tired of putting up with them" Felicity said turning around, with a grin on her face.
"No I meant you. I don't even need you here and considering how you've treated me, we are done in a relationship" Oliver replied.
"Hold on man, I think your tired and jumping to the wrong decisions" Diggle said.
"No I'm fine. Considering you have obviously decided to place your loyalty to Felicity above me, you are on very dangerous ground" Oliver said.
"You don't get to treat me like this. For sure not when I have had this bad day and dating means supposed to be showing care for your partner which you are not" Felicity replied, angrily.
"We are done and I don't need you here since the only thing you do is make things worse for everybody. Especially me" Oliver said.
"Oh and why's that? Because I'm not the island sluts Sara or Shado were" Felicity yells out angrily.
Laurel delivers a blow to Felicity's face then goes to hit again but Sara having dashed up, restrains her until Laurel calms down.
"You ever call my sister that again and I'll break every bone in your body" Laurel said verminously.
"Oh sure" Felicity replied.
"Enough! They are going to be the least of your problems if you keep talking. Don't you ever call either of them that or Shado again" Oliver replied angrily with glaring.
"Doesn't it make either of you jealous of how he just talks about Shado like that? How he loved someone that isn't you" Felicity said towards the Lance sisters.
"No. Shado helped Oliver keep his humanity and they were cared for each other" Sara replied then with a smirk "If Shado lived I was half tempted to be in a relationship with her myself. I can share."
Thea just gives Sara a look of knowing she said that to primarily tick Felicity off. However, considering Sara's casualness about her romantic relationships, she can't quite be sure.
"Get out" Oliver said growling and giving a look of The Hood, because he's a second away from personally shoving her into the elevator.
Felicity responds with a hateful look then walks to the elevator and climbs in as the doors shut.
"Man, I think you were too harsh. You know Felicity's over worked" Diggle said.
"Stop trying to make excuses for her. I have to wonder if the reason you let Felicity treat Oliver however she wants is because it's at least not my sister Oliver's dating?" Sara asked snapping. Finally, past any patience limit.
"It's lead several problems because Oliver has a blind spot when it comes to Laurel and you" Diggle replied.
"Leave, John. I'm done putting up with you constantly criticizing every decision I make. I trusted you to have my back" Oliver said, his voice blank.
Diggle goes to protest when looks from Bruce, Thea and Laurel silence him so he just turns and leaves instead. After a moment, the elevator doors shut as Oliver sighs in relief.
Glancing over "Laurel, Thea while you were not as bad as Diggle or Felicity you did your fair share of undermining me or helping them" Oliver said.
Thea and Laurel reluctantly nod in understanding that this is Oliver's way of kindly lecturing them. Although, Laurel still considers herself to be right about Oliver's hypocrisy of bringing Sara back from the dead.
"So what are we going to do about finding Ray?" Sara asked.
"Every piece of Kord's tech has a tracker in them, so I hacked into his database and found out where this device is using the serial number from the stolen item" Oliver replied.
"You can hack?" Laurel asked surprised.
"It's a skill he has but one I'm sure has dulled from relying on Ms. Smoak. Through you're not good enough to get past Kord's firewalls" Bruce said.
"Your right. Before I came here, I went and planted a router arrow into his main office servers" Oliver said.
"Is that how you transferred Adam Hunt's money to all those accounts?" Laurel asked.
"Yes it was" Oliver replied then goes over to the computer and types a few keys transferring the files with pulling them up on the screens, which includes satellite images.
"That's where Darhk is holding Ray hostage" Thea said, in realization.
"You've got a plan for getting in?" Bruce asked.
"I've got a plan but I could use the help" Oliver said.
"Then let's get to work" Sara said.
Hope you guys enjoyed it.
On Oliver getting beat up by The Ghosts and nearly killed is well his combat skills in season 4 are serious lacking to the point where he could have easily got killed.
In Felicity's massive outburst is she's known to have no filter and also used to not having anybody objecting to how she acts. Plus people who are control freaks, don't like it when people call them out on their flaws. Especially if it's the person they are trying to control.
Diggle getting removed is due to in the past few years he's clearly placed his loyalties to Felicty over Oliver. In season 1 and 2 Diggle had a issue nearly every time Laurel gets involved is Sara's reason for bringing that up.
For the action scene with Batman I took massive inspiration from the Arkham games.
Thanks to Bruce, Oliver is back.
Until next time.