"Hey, Oliver" Felicity greeted as Oliver entered the basement base of Team Arrow. Oliver approached Felicity's desk, removing his jacket as he went.
"What's new, Felicity?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," Felicity replied, her voice chiding for Oliver's lack of manners, although Felicity was well used to it, "It's all pretty quiet out there…although I think you've got competition. Somebody has been catching crooks in the act and tying them up and leaving them where Starling City police will find them."
"Has he hurt anyone yet?"
"Nothing more than a few minor concussions…whoever it is knows how to knock someone out without injuring them." Felicity reported with a glance to her computer screens, "There have been a couple of witnesses, but the descriptions are vague. Generally it's accepted that whoever it is has to be less than 6 feet tall and probably weighs less than 160 pounds."
"Who are we talking about?" Diggle asked as he walked down the stairs, followed by Roy.
"The new Vigilante in Starling City," Felicity replied, spinning her chair so she was facing the newcomers, "he or she has been doing Oliver's job for him."
"Well…that's nice of them," Diggle offered.
"Not if they get themselves killed," Oliver growled, "or if they start killing people. Any information on where this vigilante is using as a base?"
"No…and he's been active all over the city. I'll see what I can do to track him down…but there is something else…they have a bow, according to the few witnesses the police got statements from."
"Really? Another copycat?" Diggle rolled his eyes.
"I don't know…but we need to find this person before somebody else finds them first and hurts them….or this new vigilante accidently kills someone."
Roy and Diggle nodded in agreement as Sara stealthily walked down the stairs into the basement.
"Did I miss anything?"
"We've got another copycat on our hands," Diggle told her, his arms crossed over his chest as Oliver began to gather his equipment, with Roy following Oliver's lead.
"Yeah?"
"Somebody with a bow and arrow has been leaving little presents for Starling City P.D."
"Yeah…dad mentioned them today when I was talking to him. At first they thought it was you, but then they realized that things weren't matching up. They're looking for whoever it is, but their resources are stretched pretty thin at the moment. I personally think Dad is grateful for the help, even if it is a little outside the law."
"We need to do something, before somebody ends up dead." Oliver affirmed, "I don't want any blood spilled in this city, not if there is anything we can do to avoid it."
"Agreed," Diggle nodded, all of the men too busy getting ready for their patrol to notice the smile that crossed Sara's face. Felicity was absorbed by her computer, searching for the most recent sightings of the copycat, so she also missed the gesture, although she turned in her chair curiously when Sara spoke.
"Dad said that if we were going to meet this guy…girl…whatever, he thought looking in this area would be the best idea…it's where they have been the most active." Sara reported, pointing out an area of ten blocks close to the border of the Glades. Since the earthquake the area had been a criminal hotspot, so it wasn't overly surprising that the new vigilante was using it as a base for his or her operations.
"We'll start off there," Oliver offered, now in his full Green Arrow uniform, "Felicity keep an eye on the police scanners in case there is a sighting."
Felicity nodded as Oliver, Diggle and Roy filed out, but she reached out and clasped Sara's arm before Sara turned to leave.
"The Starling City Police reports about the copycat vigilante say nothing about a specific area he's been most active in…your dad didn't say anything, did he?" Felicity reasoned, although she sent a distrustful; look at Sara.
"No…my dad didn't say anything," Sara admitted with a smile, "truth is, I know the guy…he's not a threat, not to Oliver or Roy or Diggle…he just wants to play with Oliver a bit. I'm just sending Oliver in the right direction."
"You're sure…I can't picture a member of the league of Assassins wanting to play nice."
"He's not a member of the league, not really," Sara replied reassuringly, "In fact, Oliver already knows him. It'll be fine."
"As long as you're sure," Felicity replied, letting go of Sara's arm, "You'll keep an eye on Oliver though, make sure things don't get out of hand?"
"Of course," Sara smiled, before she turned and followed the others up the stairs. Felicity watched her go, before she let out a sigh.
"I hope you know what you are doing," she said to herself, returning her attention to her computers.
TW/A
"I hope you're ready for company," Sara told Stiles the moment he opened the door to his hotel room, walking over the threshold before Stiles could even open his mouth. Stiles simply rolled his eyes as he closed the door, turning to he could watch Sara as she looked around the room.
"It's not bad," she concluded. Stiles snorted in response.
"You and I have both slept in places way worse than this…you know that."
"I do," Sara nodded in agreement.
"I'm guessing the company I should be ready for isn't you?" Stiles commented dryly, walking across the room and dropping down onto the bed. Sara sat down beside him.
"No…Oliver is out there looking for you…or rather, whoever it is that's doing his job for him."
Stiles snorted, "You would think he'd be grateful for the help. Starling City might have lower crime rates than it did before he started all this, but it's still a big city with a huge crime problem. You would think Oliver would be grateful for the help."
"Once he knows who it is that's offering the help I'm sure he'll stop complaining about it," Sara offered, "he was happy enough to see me when I came back to Starling City."
'Yeah, but he never screwed me," Stiles offered teasingly. Sara laughed and lightly smacked Stiles in the arm.
"Just be careful, alright? I don't think Oliver will shoot before he has the chance to talk things through with you, but if he thinks one of the people he works with is threatened he won't hesitate."
"Right…don't look threatening towards Oliver's friends…he still goes all overprotective then?"
It's was Sara's turn to snort, "You know what he's like."
Stiles nodded, remembering with a smile how much Oliver used to try and protect Stiles when they were on the Island…even though Stiles had adapted to living on the island far better than Oliver had, and in much less time.
"I just wanted to warn you," Sara told Stiles as she rose to her feet, "be careful out there…Oliver has enough crap to deal with without thinking his team is in danger and eliminating the threat, only to find out that it was you all along. He'd never forgive himself if he accidently killed you."
Stiles nodded again, knowing Oliver well enough to know that if he did kill Stiles, even if Stiles was obviously threatening a member of his team, he would never forgive himself. He reminded Stiles painfully of Derek in that regard. They both brooded far more than they should, and felt as though every bad thing that happened was their own fault. Of course, Stiles knew that he was just as bad some of the time, so he couldn't hold Oliver and Derek's respective guilt complexes against them. He wasn't that much of a hypocrite.
"Stiles…Stiles!" Sara called, snapping her fingers in front of Stiles' face. Stiles startled backward, instinctively reaching out and grabbing Sara's hand. He let go after a moment.
''Sorry," he apologized, ducking his head a little, "I was just thinking…must have spaced out a little."
Sara frowned and crouched down in front of Stiles, "What's wrong, it's been ages since you've reacted to something like that. You're usually really good at it. Something has got to be bothering you."
"It's just…being back in the States…It's making me think of home, and the ones I left behind."
"Is that good or bad?" Sara asked. Stiles shrugged. He'd never told anyone the truth about what had happened back in Beacon Hills, or why he'd needed to leave. Some of the League had already known, but Sara didn't know, and Oliver certainly didn't.
"A little of both. I miss them, I always have, but just, being this close, it's weird. I could be back in Beacon Hills within six hours, if I wanted to."
"Why don't you?" Sara asked, "You could go see your dad, and your friends…see what's changed."
"No…they don't need me there…I'm more useful here." Stiles shook his head. Sara opened her mouth to argue the point, before she shut it again, knowing not to push the topic. Stiles would return to his hometown when he was ready, and not a moment before.
"Look, just…be careful tonight, okay Stiles…and not just around Oliver. The streets of Starling City are dangerous, and you're not as protected here as you were with the league, okay?"
Stiles licked his lips slightly, nodding, his eyes meeting Sara's.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," Sara smiled, before she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, closing the door behind her. Stiles let out a sigh, glancing at the growing darkness outside. It was time to start getting ready to head out. He rose to his feet, crossing the room to the locked box he kept his gear in. He opened it up, taking in the black leather within, the bow and the quiver, the mask…everything he had become since the Queens Gambit had gone down…ever since he left Beacon Hills…ever since he sacrificed himself alongside Scott and Allison and left himself vulnerable to the Nogitsune.
Sara still called him Stiles, and he thought of himself as Stiles, but really, Stiles was beginning to wonder how much of Stiles Stilinski was left within him.
If he went back to Beacon Hills…would his father even recognize him?
TW/A
Stiles crouched on a rooftop, peering over the ledge, scanning the street below for any suspicious behavior. It had been a busy night for Stiles, but now it was early morning things were finally starting to settle down.
Stiles hadn't really had a chance to be on the lookout for Oliver, or anyone that Oliver was working with. He hadn't even seen Sara out and about, which really wasn't all that surprising. Stiles figured that she would stay out of the way and let Oliver find Stiles himself.
Movement on the next rooftop over caught Stiles' eye, and he automatically flattened himself down against the concrete roof of the building he was sitting on, sticking to the shadows in order to remain unseen. Slowly and carefully, he slunk through the darkness towards where he spotted the movement, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, searching for potential dangers.
Stiles rose from his crouch and broke into a run, his feet making next to no noise as they met the concrete roof of the building. He jumped into the air, leaping over the narrow distance between the building he was on and the building beside it, landing nearly silently and rolling on the concrete into a crouch, his body hidden by the shadows and a conveniently located air conditioning unit on the rooftop.
Curious, but yet at the same time, cautious, Stiles peered around the air conditioning unit, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever it was who had moved. He didn't have to look very hard, quickly spotting the solitary figure standing on the opposite side of the roof, a quiver of arrows strapped to their back and a bow in their hand. Stiles glanced down at his hand, where his own bow was gripped tightly, swallowing his emotions just like he always did when he caught sight of a bow…the painful memories that were always brought to the surface.
Allison had played a significant role in Stiles' life from the moment that she walked into the classroom and Scott fell head over heels for her. From that moment on, through everything that happened when they were allies and pack mates, even through Allison siding with Gerard after her mother died, and the Nogitsune…and what happened the night before the Nogitsune was finally defeated.
Even now, years after Allison died Stiles hadn't been able to let himself forget about her. It was one of the reasons he carried a bow…not so much because he was good with the weapon, but instead as a sort of tribute to his fallen friend…the one whose death he felt the most responsible for. Yes, Aidan had died too, as well as a lot of other people, but Allison was the one that Stiles felt the most guilt about. Her death would be the one which had the biggest negative impact on the pack. Stiles hadn't been there for very long following the Nogitsune ordeal before he left Beacon Hills, but even thought he hadn't been aware of much as he'd slowly recovered from the possession; he'd definitely noticed how much things had changed without Allison being around…how Scott wasn't smiling anymore, how Isaac had reverted back to how he was before he'd met Derek, how Lydia wasn't nearly so confident about herself, how her mask had been cracked open. Even Derek had been different, guilt and grief and pity written in his eyes and every move his eyebrows made. Stiles had noticed it all, and every pain filled look and gesture had made his own guilt multiply.
Shaking his head, Stiles pushed the memories of his friends to the back of his mind. It was too dangerous for him to be distracted now. His teachers at the League had often lectured him about the importance of being focused, just like every other teacher he'd ever had. Unlike the others though, the lessons of the League's teachers had actually stuck…mainly because of they thought Stiles wasn't focused enough the lessons got very painful…for Stiles anyway. It was a sad truth that the vast majority of scars on Stiles' body had been inflicted by the teachers at the League, and not by actual fights.
Stiles looked back up at the figure with the bow, immediately noticing that he was a little closer now. The fact that whoever it was had a bow was reassuring. It meant that they were probably working with Oliver (although Stiles was pretty sure it wasn't Oliver himself…the person's silhouette wasn't the same as Oliver's).
As Stiles was watching, the person, whoever he was, passed a security light, his features, although hidden by his hood and a mask, were briefly illuminated, and Stiles froze.
No…no way…it couldn't be…there was no way it was possible...Stiles brain spun with thoughts and memories as he ducked out of sight before he was seen, while at the same time checking to see which way the wind was blowing. Luckily for him he was down wind of the other person, so his scent wouldn't be carrying towards him. It wasn't even something Stiles had taken into consideration…until he'd seen what little he could of the other man's face.
Blinking in shock, Stiles cautiously peered around the air conditioning unit, trying to get another glimpse of the person. He was still standing there, but he was looking away from Stiles, for the moment. Stiles guessed that he had a communications unit of some sort in his ear, because…the person…was softly speaking.
"I haven't seen anything, but I haven't been here for long," he was saying softly, and Stiles closed his eyes, forcing himself to keep his heart rate steady. Even though it had been over seven years since he'd heard that voice, it was still unmistakable.
"What the hell are you doing here, Jackson?" Stiles whispered to himself, although he regretted speaking almost the moment the words began to leave his mouth. Jackson's head whipped up, and he looked straight at Stiles. Stiles immediately moved to rise out of his crouch so he could start running (he'd already scoped out a good escape route...although he doubted it would be very useful considering he was fleeing from a werewolf.
What Stiles hadn't anticipated, was the forceful impact of two booted feet in his back just as he began to rise and his balance was at its most precarious. Stiles lurched forward, the sharp corner of the air conditioning unit looming in front of him. Stiles didn't have time to throw his hands up in defense or anything like that before his head smacked against the corner, and everything went dark.