Chapter 3 - Drones
AN – Many thanks for the reviews and messages! I always appreciate your support and encouragement! Now who's ready for the return of our fave couple?!
DISCLAIMER – Still not mine, still not stopping me!
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"There's been some activity at the warehouse. You want to go with me to check it out?" Thea asked as Roy stopped training and turned to face her. He had made himself at home at the old headquarters over the last several days. She had kept her distance but found that she did need his help and that she missed him.
Roy had been trying to find his rhythm again but it had felt strange to be in Starling City without Team Arrow. He was grateful for the distraction Thea offered; however, he still had to clarify her agenda. "The warehouse that exploded with Laurel in it?"
"Yes." Thea lifted a brow but gave no other information.
"Do you have a plan?" Roy asked with a grin.
The pair bickered over the details as Roy knew it was best to learn from previous mistakes - his and hers – so he had refused to separate from Thea. Eventually they were able to agree on a couple of plans and they prepared for the night's activities.
"So what's in your bag exactly?" Thea asked as she lifted the heavy bag in surprise. She was already suited up so she had watched Roy do the same and had been impressed by the sheer number of things he was able to attach to his suit. While she couldn't identify everything it was obvious that he was well armed and seemed to be prepared for anything.
"A little bit of this and that." Roy replied vaguely as he took the bag from her and stowed it in one of the cabinets. Working without Team Arrow had taught him to be a bit more resourceful and living on the streets had always required more than just a quick wit.
The pair remained close together and in the shadows as they explored the perimeter of the warehouse remains. The blast had been focused on the west side so they started on the east and worked in that direction. The police had long ago removed any evidence but there were signs of new activity. Both tensed when they heard noises ahead and to the right. Following the plan, Thea moved in first with her bow at the ready while Roy remained a bit further behind hidden by the darkness.
Seeing the perimeter guard, Thea paused and motioned for Roy as she looked around the room. The large interior room had housed the lab that Laurel had found and several masked men were searching it diligently. She trained her arrow and simply waited as Roy moved in front of her.
Roy approached with precise stealth and moved to take out the first man as Thea moved in close behind him and continued to scan the room. While the man hadn't been able to sound the alarm the others still reacted. As one they turned to face them which confused Roy. He knew they couldn't have heard anything as not even Oliver's ninja skills would have been enough to hear them. It didn't matter though as now they needed to fight the whole group.
Thea released several arrows in quick succession and though each reached their intended target the masked men kept coming. She couldn't help the thought that they acted like mindless drones as they relentlessly moved forward.
Forced into hand-to-hand, Roy and Thea moved together and worked to cover each other's backs. They were well trained but they were no match for the unstoppable progress of the others. Both took some hard hits and Thea barely missed being stabbed by one of the men. It was Roy who made the necessary call.
"Thea! Let's go!" Roy used one man's momentum to throw him into another. The movement allowed him to watch as Thea crouched low and swung her bow to easily knock her attacker down. Unfortunately both soon faced other threats as they just kept coming.
Roy disposed of another attacker before he was able to move closer to Thea. He had studied the building plans but the destruction had blocked several escape routes. He knew they needed to get out but he wasn't sure what direction to take especially as it seemed that a never-ending supply of bad guys kept coming from the shadows. Suddenly a flash of light caught his eye and Roy looked up to see the night sky one level above him.
With a shout to Thea, he took off to the right dodging and striking men as he did so to clear a path for them both. He could hear Thea behind him and he knew their time was limited. Roy pulled his own bow out and fired an arrow. Once it attached to the wall, he used it to climb up to the window.
Thea saw Roy's escape route and she followed as closely as she could. Just as she reached the top and found her footing, Roy cut the line. A single glance out the opening showed a haphazard course available to them as there were various pieces of construction equipment surrounding the warehouse.
Roy nodded as Thea opened her mouth but then he took off. They slid up and over some equipment and swung down others as they followed the impromptu parkour trail. As they reached the other side of the lot, they heard the first sounds of closer pursuit. It was another flash of light that caught Roy's eyes as if the moonlight had reflected on something bright. Seeing the rope and a possible hiding place, he called to Thea and moved quickly.
Glancing over her shoulder, Thea saw the masked men spread out like a swarm to check the whole area. As one fell and the remainder turned back, she paused but all she could see was a glimpse of white before the dark horde moved together. Thea took a step forward to help their unknown savior but then she paused as she knew they needed to get out alive. Unsure, she turned to update Roy but he was already pulling himself up a rope to the half constructed overpass above. Without another thought, she followed and found him stretched out over a beam hidden in the shadows.
As Roy watched, Thea pulled up the rope and stretched out over another beam. He was still concerned about the signs leading them to that position but he had to hope the masked men didn't follow them too. Glancing back down, he could no longer see the shining object that had caught his attention. Frowning intently, he continued to scan the region below them and thought he saw a man step back into the shadows. Roy peered into the darkness and listened carefully but he saw no signs of life other than the masked men. A smaller number now approached, moving forward in a close knit formation.
Thea and Roy remained tense and poised for action as the men gained ground. Suddenly a small explosion near the warehouse drew the masked men back though and both breathed a sigh of relief. After several more moments, they made their getaway and returned to the lair.
Roy limped slightly as his leg had grown slightly stiff after suffering several strikes. He knew Thea's ribs were no doubt even worse off though so he planned to help her first. Without speaking they made their way downstairs but stopped when they heard a noise.
"It's about time you guys made it back!" Felicity's tone was bright as was her smile. Roy immediately moved to the blonde and she laughed as she hugged him.
Thea held back a bit and watched. Her brother's voice close by startled her but then she launched herself at him for a hug.
"Hey Speedy." Oliver spoke against his sister's hair as he held her close. He had noticed hers and Roy's injuries as well as several other differences in the young couple. However, he knew he had changed a lot so he had to expect that they had too. Without conscious thought, he lifted his head slightly and sought Felicity. He smiled as she seemed to feel his focus and turned to look at him as well. His smile grew and he gave her a wink before he pulled away from Thea just as Felicity spoke again.
"So Plan A didn't work too well? What happened to you two?" Felicity had to admit that it felt good to be back, even if Thea and Roy were both sporting signs of losing a fight. She had thought that she and Oliver needed to leave, that they needed to be alone without the darkness of the Arrow hanging over them but she had missed it. She had missed who they had been together on Team Arrow too and had been already mentioned returning to Oliver when the mysterious messages had started arriving from inside her own network. Pushing those worries aside again, she focused on Roy and Thea as they started explaining.
Oliver moved to Felicity's side and briefly touched the small of her back before moving away to gather bandages. He listened carefully as Thea provided her updates on not just the night's events but on Starling City in general. Roy jumped in with his own comments and Felicity asked questions as well. Oliver's mind remained on his blonde partner though as he was concerned about the messages that were drawing her back home. It seemed Starling City had gained a few new threats but it was the friendly faces, bright lights directing Roy and a mysterious savior in white that bothered him.
"We need to create another board of bad guys." Felicity concluded as she moved to her computers since the necessary first aid had been completed. As Roy and Thea had been out, she had already made some quick improvements while Oliver had trained. It was both comforting and strange to be back but every time her eyes had landed on Oliver, which was often as he had used the salmon ladder shirtless, she realized there was nowhere else that she wanted to be. Felicity didn't even realize that she was again staring at Oliver as various scenes from the past replayed in her mind and thoroughly distracted her. Roy's voice startled her slightly but he did help her regain control over the inappropriate thoughts crowding her brain.
"Let's hope that if we put them all away no one will let them out this time." Roy grinned as Felicity's staring at Oliver reminded him of the good times. Team Arrow had been his family and they had done a lot of good before all hell had broken loose. He refused to think about being forced to leave Starling City or even what had happened after that with Ra's al Ghul and Malcolm Merlyn.
"Yeah, that totally sucked. Team Arrow rocked though! We were so good! We did our best work at night and there was so much action every night…not action action, not then anyway, later, yes, but that wasn't what I meant by action…I just meant that we did a lot of good and it was a Team effort!" Felicity blushed slightly and pushed her glasses higher on her nose as she silently dared Roy to offer any comments on her ramble. She couldn't help grinning though because it felt good to be back and to focus on the good times. Strange as it was, there had been more good times than bad with the Team.
Thea grinned and waited but surprisingly enough Roy kept his smart mouth shut and Oliver just stared intently at Felicity. After a short silence, Felicity started adding details and pictures to the large screen as she continued speaking. Thea and Roy almost bumped into each other as they moved closer to the screen.
"So we have the bad guys from tonight, the woman in white, the new millionaire…who else is on our list?"
"Whoever is sending you messages." Oliver was somehow next to Felicity though no one had seen him move. His frown was in place and his words had been growled out through clenched teeth. His expression even more than his words worried Thea and Roy and they exchanged frowns. Felicity, however, smiled and met Oliver's eyes as the touch of his hand on her shoulder was firm but gentle and comforting.
"Messages? What messages?" Roy asked in surprise and annoyance.
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Lesson #3 - Felicity has no brain/ mouth filter especially after taking an aspirin - ignore any and all inappropriate rambling and behavior (esp. toward Oliver – See Lesson #1). If Oliver is not around, some teasing is allowed and expected.
