To Sacrifice the Sun
Chapter Ten
September 17, 2016
09:51
Palenque, Mexico
"Green Arrow. Overwatch. Report. Alpha Delta Four, Report!"
Immediately, Oliver drew himself up, making all the subtle changes that transformed him from just Oliver into Green Arrow, Operations Specialist of ARGUS, the most elite intelligence organization in the world. He pressed the necessary button on his watch, turning on the outbound comms, saying strong and clear, "Green Arrow reporting. I have Overwatch." He caught Felicity's eyes and held them as they waited for a response.
John's sighed audibly, his relief evident over the airwaves. "Thank god. I swear, if you two snuck off for some romantic tet a—"
Felicity frantically turned on her comm as well. Suddenly very aware she was in a tiny little space, boxed in by Oliver's large body. Hitting her watch almost violently, she blurted out, "We're in the Temple of the Sun. I had this idea—"
"Are you secure?" John interrupted, his voice hard. And, frak, that was ominous.
Oliver's jaw hardened. The look he gave Felicity conveyed just how much he agreed with her. "As far as we can tell."
Given they were in a hole in the ground with absolutely no visibility of the outside world.
They could be surrounded for all they knew. Another reason coming down here alone was stupid as frak. What had Felicity been thinking? What had Oliver been thinking?
More gunfire rang out. A virtual shower of gunfire. Louder this time and ending in a small explosion. The comms crackled.
"There's a dozen operatives at the northwest entrance." That was Roy's voice.
"Deathstroke?" And that was Sara's…Assassin Sara's voice, to be precise.
Immediately, Slade responded, "Got it." And then there were several clear loud shots.
Felicity reached out and grabbed Oliver's arm, too freaked out to even consider that touching might be a problem. In fact, the closeness was incredibly comforting. Their relationship issues paled against…oh god, their friends were getting shot at.
Felicity had known this would probably…no, she'd known that eventually this would be their reality. That HIVE was going to show up and when they did, it wasn't going to be for a friendly chat. This was part of the mission, but…Felicity hadn't heard gunfire since Tikal and with each shot she shuddered. She knew intimately what a bullet felt like hitting her body…and she hated the idea of her friends anywhere near them.
Crap, what kind of agent was she? Felicity should hang up her shield right now.
"Green Arrow, listened closely," John came across loud and clear. "Initiate Plan Zeta. Do you copy?"
Plan Zeta? What the hell was Plan Zeta? Shouldn't she know? Felicity felt like this was something she should be in on. Didn't anyone tell her anything anymore? Then she heard another shot and her knees started to buckle.
Right. That was why no one told her anything.
Oliver blew out a breath. "Copy, Spartan. Zeta initiated." And the scariest part was how resigned Oliver sounded, how blank his stare was.
Felicity covered her comm with her hand and looked up at Oliver, demanding, "What's Plan Zeta?"
She was panicking. The real kind of panicking, where there was something real to actually panic over, not the kind Felicity was used to, where she panicked over something her brain had made up. She hadn't realized there was a difference until now.
Oliver's eyes found hers and they looked anything but blank as he whispered, "I'm getting you out of here."
What? That didn't…then Felicity remembered the exchange between Oliver and Digg in the War Room at the ARGUS safe house. Plan Zeta was for Oliver to get Felicity to the Door at all costs.
Well…fuck. What the hell was going on out there that they were ready to trigger that plan?
"But…" They couldn't leave without finding the key. Metaphorical as it probably was. They were so close. Felicity uncovered her comm, saying louder, "Spartan, we found something—"
"No time for that, Overwatch. Grab what you can and evacuate ASAP."
Before Felicity could protest further, she heard Curtis' voice ring out, "Spartan, I'm detecting heavily armed transports approaching from the south."
Oh god.
Oliver placed a hand on Felicity's back, grounding her. "Mr. Terrific, is the Temple of the Sun clear?" he asked, because apparently their fish in a barrel situation hadn't escaped him either.
"As far as I can tell, Green Arrow."
But before Oliver could respond, Digg cut in, "Engineering, contact Alpha Base. Green Arrow, we can't let them find…"
Oliver answered with a decisive nod, which was silly because Felicity was the only one who could see it and she wasn't even sure what the hell he was agreeing to. "Understood, sir."
"Good." Digg lowered his voice, "Overwatch, Green Arrow is now your CO. Good luck."
It was a dismissal. And ominous as all frak. Felicity's heart was already pounding in her ears and she was starting to sweat and not because it was hot in there, though the heat was certainly rising. Or was that just the panic too?
"Arsenal. Canary—"
Oliver reached over and shut down Felicity's comm before she could hear the next words out of Digg's mouth. "We have to go," Oliver told her in a tone that brooked no arguments.
Felicity knew that. It was just…she looked around helplessly. The team…how could they leave the team.
And they were so close to something really important here. Felicity could feel it. "But…" Yet, she didn't have a follow up to that 'but.' Her usually quick mind seemed to have run into a road block. They couldn't go to the Door without a way…an idea of how to get in.
Yet, if HIVE found them still in this hole, they would have no way to defend themselves. Oliver didn't have enough arrows. There weren't enough tranqs. They'd be trapped. What good was a key if they never got to the Door? And what good was a door without a key? Felicity's brain was stuck in a catch 22.
Staring at the slab on the ground and frowning, Oliver shook his head and let out a frustrated grunt. At least, he seemed to be fully aware of their dilemma. He slid out from between the tombs, his hand curving around Felicity's elbow and he dragged her clumsy feet behind him.
"You need to take pictures of everything. Quickly! Get your tablet and go!"
Thank god Oliver still knew how to be an agent, because Felicity…she still didn't seem to have the ability to move on her own. They were told not to do that. They…
"What about the digital—"
"We have no choice." Oliver dropped her elbow and snatched up his duffle bag, pulling out his bow and quiver.
Right. That's where they were at. No choice. Getting armed. Gathering what they could bring with them. Escaping.
Okay. Time to move.
Felicity needed to focus here. Find the Field Agent deep inside. If she didn't get moving, she was going to get someone killed. Probably Oliver and…
It was that thought that finally got Felicity going. Internally, she was still freaking out, but her body went into autopilot. She had her tablet in hand in seconds, shutting down all the satellite uplinks so the pictures couldn't be traced by anyone…not ARGUS, not Hive, no one.
Then Felicity was on her knees in front of the slab, roughly sweeping dust away and trying to get as many pictures and angles as she could, as quickly as she could. It wouldn't be as good as studying it in real life, but it would have to do.
They had to get to Kin Cuudad before HIVE. Felicity had no doubt it was real now and…Darhk just couldn't get there first. This couldn't be another Reiter, another Tikal. She couldn't make the same mistake and get there too slow. She had to do it right this time.
Everyone was counting on her. Her friends. Her family. They were being ambushed as she sat here taking pictures. Maybe lying wounded, bleeding to death, while she worried about dust and camera angles.
Without even thinking, Felicity reached to turn her comms back on. She needed to know what was happening. She…
But Oliver grabbed her wrist so quickly Felicity startled, protesting, "But the others…" She needed to know they were okay.
Oliver's face was sympathetic, but uncompromising. "It will distract you. We need to move, Felicity."
Swallowing, all she could do was nod. Oliver was already up and leaning over Cadmeal's tomb before Felicity could decide what to photograph next. He was right. Of course, he was right. How had he come away from the same trauma as she had an even better agent, while she became a scattered mess.
Then she saw Oliver lift off Cadmeal's gold mask and she gasped, crying out, "What are you doing?" Her brain might not be working nearly as well as it should, but that was…desecration!
A brief, guilt-ridden look passed over Oliver's face, but he never paused in his work. "Taking everything with us we can carry. We don't want anything important falling into HIVE's hands."
And they had no idea what was important and what wasn't.
"Right," Felicity muttered. Of course. Except it seemed so wrong to disturb anything here.
But not as wrong as any of it falling into HIVE hands. If only she had thought of opening the tombs yesterday…
The moonstone.
It was still, crazily enough, clutched in her hand. She'd been holding it like a talisman, but now Felicity moved to push it deep into one of the pockets of her loose cargo shorts, snapping it securely inside. Strangely, that didn't feel wrong to take. She actually felt better once it was secured in her pocket.
Felicity turned back to take a few more pictures, before moving on to the inside of the tombs with an increased determination. She told herself that they weren't desecrating this undoubtedly sacred site, they were salvaging what they could. Like Dolly Madison protecting the White House treasures from the British soldiers or sneaking away precious artwork ahead of the Nazis. This was war, as surely as that was. Smaller, quieter, secret-er. But war just the same.
Then she heard a snap and her eyes jerked up to see Oliver pull a ring from Cadmeal's wife's (they guessed) hand. Felicity shuddered but didn't protest this time. It had to be done and a selfish part of her was glad that Oliver was here to do it, because she didn't know if she could. Though she didn't think she would ever forget the sound of that finger snapping.
It didn't seem like a full minute later before Oliver asked, "Ready?"
"No, I…" Felicity moved more quickly, skirting around the tombs, taking as many pictures as she could.
"Fel-ic-i-ty…this has to be enough."
And it was Oliver's tone, pleading, yet firm, that almost broke her. She needed to follow his lead. He was the only one of the two of them who was able to think clearly.
"I know. Just…" Felicity took a few more photos. As quickly as she possibly could. The last ones weren't very good, but they would have to be good enough.
Good enough. Please, god, let them be good enough. Felicity couldn't handle being the reason for another failure.
Oliver handed her her backpack and Felicity quickly slipped the tablet inside and swung it onto her back. It was time to leave.
Oh god…it was time to leave.
With Oliver.
To go to the Door ahead of the team.
Alone. With Oliver.
With HIVE hot on their heels.
It was…Felicity didn't even know how to process it all.
"Here." Oliver took out a tranq (AKA poison) gun and flipped on the safety, pushing it into the waistband of her shorts, which was really pushing their personal boundaries, but…
god, what was Felicity thinking? This was life and death! There were no personal boundaries! Personal boundaries got people killed!
Besides, Oliver was all business when he said, "I'm going to hoist you up. I want you to immediately find the back corner of the temple and wait for me. Shoot—"
Whoa! Hold on there…
"Wait! Where will you be?"
Why would they need to be separated? There was no need to be separated. No. Just no. The idea of being alone with Oliver may be nerve-racking, but the idea of being separated from Oliver…that was terrifying. For five gazillion reasons.
"Right behind you," Oliver assured and Felicity forced herself to breathe. To tell herself she was over-reacting. To stop acting like a trauma victim and start acting like an ARGUS Field Agent. "But things happen fast." And didn't she know it. "Shoot anyone who approaches you."
"Anyone but you," Felicity clarified, completely unnecessarily. Because, obviously, she wasn't going to shoot him, but she felt the need to remind Oliver that he was going to be approaching her. Soon. Without delay. Because she was not doing this without him.
It made Oliver smile, so that was something at least. "Anyone but me," he agreed. "They will probably be wearing Kevlar, so I want you to aim for the neck, hands, and lower legs. Don't be afraid to shoot multiple times. Preserving HIVE life—"
"Is not our objective," Felicity finished, swallowing. She hated killing, but…she'd make an exception in this case. "Got it."
Oliver leaned down and cupped his hands, but still Felicity hesitated.
He was going to be right behind her, wasn't he? Why was Felicity dithering like an idiot? Why did it feel…why was the idea of going up without Oliver so much more terrifying? There was no other way. It wasn't like he could go first and she could hoist herself out. This was stupid.
Desperately, Felicity grabbed his biceps and…there was so much she wanted to say. There was no time.
"Hurry!" That one word had to say it all.
And maybe, it did. Because Oliver swallowed and, grabbing her elbows, he pressed a quick hard kiss to Felicity's forehead. It was amazing how much it calmed her. Then leaning down again, he ordered, "Go!"
So she went.
Felicity put her foot in Oliver's cupped palms and her hands on his shoulders. She took a deep breath and allowed him to push her up and out of the chamber. He was much stronger than Curtis and she practically flew out of the hole.
Felicity scrambled onto the floor of the temple, half expecting it to be swarming with HIVE Agents already. But there was nothing. In fact, it was eerily quiet. She didn't stop to contemplate that fact, just did as Oliver told her to and found the back wall of the temple, behind the angled walls, so she could see out but she wouldn't be spotted. Not easily, anyway.
A part of her kept hoping Oliver would appear so quickly none of this would be necessary. But he didn't and Felicity could only guess he was gathering the rest of the gear, because the arrow and rope he used to get down was intact.
Felicity's hands didn't tremble too badly when she pulled her tranq gun out and turned off the safety. She waited, telling herself Oliver would be there soon.
Time always seemed to move at a snail's pace in battle. Every microsecond counted. It was difficult to judge how much time passed. It was so hard to believe that once this had been routine.
Then Felicity heard an explosion in the distance. And with nothing to do but sit…
And wait…
And think…
Felicity started to tremble.
Terrible scenarios ran through her head as she imagined the explosions catching her friends as they stood.
Had HIVE targeted the walls around the Ballcourt, sending the thick limestone tumbling on top of them? Was the spot of their campfire a crater now? How many had been hit? Were any of them still alive?
Felicity couldn't stand it any longer. She switched on her comm and, biting her lip until she tasted blood, she listened.
Immediately Cait's clear, but desperate, voice was in Felicity's ear, "Alpha Base, where is that medevac? Arsenal needs out yesterday!"
Her hand flying to her mouth, Felicity pushed back a gasp, even though she hadn't turned on the outgoing comms, so they wouldn't be able to hear her. She tried not to flinch as she heard more gunfire, unable to tell if it was coming from outside the temple or over the comms.
But at least they weren't dead. If Felicity could hear their voices…if Roy still needed transport…poor sweet young puppy…then there was still a chance they could all be okay.
"I'm fine." It was a deep pained grunt that Felicity assumed belonged to Roy and she was exceedingly relieved just to hear him awake and talking.
It couldn't be that bad if he was talking, right? God, what would Oliver do if something happened to Roy? Especially when Oliver wasn't there to help? Felicity was certain he felt responsible for the younger agent.
It wasn't fair. None of them deserved this.
"You are not fine!"
Felicity recognized the fear in Caitlin's voice. This must be terrifying for her. She must be freaking out as much as Felicity was. Worse, since she was in the middle of it and Felicity was (currently) safely hidden in the temple. What right did she have to stay hidden away?
"Now lie back and be quiet! You're bleeding everywhere. Alpha base?"
"The first wave's ETA is five minutes out, but the medevac…well, it's holding back, Killer Frost." That was Cisco's voice and Felicity knew it well enough to know the news wasn't good. His hesitation was clear.
"You need to do better!" Caitlin's voice had that ice-cold edge that earned her the (almost silly) handle, Killer Frost, in Academy. It was started as an insult from a childish and bitter suitor, but Cait had come to own it.
Lyla's voice rang out, saving Cisco from Caitlin's wrath, "We can't bring our surgeon into the middle of a battle field, Frost."
Slade's, "Hell no!" was almost immediate.
Caitlin growled in response, though Felicity knew Cait didn't want to put Shado in danger any more than anyone else, but Roy was under her care and if she felt like there was nothing left for her to do without back-up…Felicity could only imagine that she must be reliving the last time she was in the Yucatán, waiting for medevac, trying to stem her friends' bleeding. Her husband newly cold.
"If Arsenal dies, Deathstroke…"
"The kid's strong," Slade's gruff voice cut in, followed by two loud shots from a rifle, probably his.
"Fuck yeah," the kid in question agreed and Felicity managed a teary smile.
When had she started to cry?
Digg cut off the chatter, stating, "Our primary objective, at this point in time, is to maintain the fighting in the north-east corner away from Team Zeta. Deathstroke, Canary, Mr. T, you—"
"Terrific," Curtis corrected. "It's Mr. Terrific."
Digg swore under his breath, muttering, "Stupid-ass handle." Felicity could almost see him roll his eyes. "You three head east as soon as backup arrives, drawing as many as you can away from Team Zeta. Then we will work to contain the rest and evac Arsenal."
"But—"
"That's an order, Killer Frost. No one leaves position until Team Zeta is away." It was the tone no one dared argue with. Digg was done with the peanut gallery.
But still, Caitlin asked, "Well, what the hell is keeping Team Zeta?" Felicity couldn't help but feel Caitlin's frustrated outburst was out of concern not only for Roy, but Felicity and Oliver as well. "Why aren't they away yet?"
And Felicity felt horribly selfish. She was just sitting there, listening without reassuring anyone that they were okay.
Were they okay? Where the frak was Oliver? What could he possibly be doing for all this time? Nothing could have happened down there, could it? Felicity would have seen if someone, or something, had entered that hole.
Cisco seemed to pick up on burgeoning hysteria in Cait's voice and tried to reassure, "I still have them located at the Temple of the Sun."
"Why are they still there?" Still Cait. "Are they under attack?"
"We're—" Felicity answered, forgetting for half a second that her comm was off. Oliver would want her to keep it off, but shouldn't she at least reassure them? What harm could that possibly do? Caitlin had enough to worry about. Felicity couldn't add to it.
"No." Cisco answered Caitlin's question since Felicity was still froze in pathetic indecision. "Not that I can detect."
Felicity fumbled with her watch. She needed to at least tell them they were okay. Poor Cait. Felicity had promised to be there for her and now…now her hands were really shaking. By the time she found the watch controls—
An explosion roared, rocking the temple. Felicity stumbled, bracing herself against the wall and crouching into the corner, covering her head with her arms, tranq gun still clutched in a death grip. Smoke billowed around her, filling every nook of the temple and clouding her vision. The limestone creaked and the walls shook.
And, instantly, Felicity was back in Tikal.
Crumbling pillars…
Walls falling with a massive crash. Debris scattering…
Lyla, Sara…trapped…
So much blood…
Felicity could feel the blood. Sticky and warm on her hands…
The air smelled of acid and soot and smoke. Rocks flew everywhere…
It was hard to breathe from the billow of dust…and smoke…
It was everywhere. Felicity couldn't see. It stung her eyes and burned.
There was screaming and darkness and ringing in her ears. Everything was crumbling around her.
Gun shots ricocheted and more walls fell. An avalanche of limestone. They were going to be buried alive. Those of them who were still alive…
Who was still alive?
Oliver!
Where was Oliver?
There was pain and death…and the smell of fire…
The glare of red lightning…
Oliver…no…no…no…no…
"No," Felicity whimpered, clutching her stomach as phantom pains knotted deep in her abdomen and she found it hard to breathe. She rocked as the pain got worse and, yet, she felt so empty. "The baby…no…no…no…"
"Felicity! Felicity!"
Oliver kept saying her name. Where was he? She couldn't see him through the haze. Was he hurt? Was she hurt? He sounded so close…why couldn't she reach him? Felicity couldn't even call for him. She couldn't move.
Everything was dark and she was paralyzed and the ringing in her ears was getting worse. The smell—
Then Oliver's rough his hands were on her cheeks and Felicity jerked. He was there! She couldn't see him, but he was right there. Why couldn't she get to him? She tried to shake this. To move…but she couldn't. She…
Oliver's lips pressed to hers.
Felicity's eyes flew open.
It wasn't dark. She had just closed her eyes. Felicity didn't remember closing her eyes. When had she done that? Why had she done that?
It was day and, yes, there was smoke and it was cloudy, hazy even…but Felicity…
She wasn't in Tikal. She was in Palenque. They weren't underground. They were under attack, but she wasn't hurt. Oliver wasn't hurt. At least, Felicity didn't think he was hurt. He was kissing her, so how hurt could he be…
Oh, dear god! Oliver was kissing her.
Okay, this couldn't be real. It had to be…
But then, Oliver pulled back. Still so close, but…his hands were still cupping Felicity's head, his fingers surrounding her, grounding her, keeping her safe…but his lips were no longer on hers.
Somehow, Felicity managed to meet his eyes as Oliver asked, "You with me?"
Her ears were still ringing, but Felicity could hear Oliver's words clearly. Then she realized what had really happened.
Felicity had had a flashback. Possibly the most intense flashback she had ever had, but not the longest, because…because…Oliver had kissed her.
Oliver had kissed her to pull her out of a flashback.
And it had worked. Thank god. Though it left Felicity feeling pathetic and…sad.
She was so damaged she couldn't get through 10 minutes of a battle, from a distance, without becoming so completely incapacitated that Oliver had to…had to…
And now that was their first kiss. After all this time. Five years. And their first, and maybe only kiss, was to slap her back to reality?
Felicity tried to hold on to the feeling of Oliver's lips on hers, but she hadn't had time to appreciate it, never mind kiss him back. Would he be upset that she hadn't kissed him back? It wasn't that she didn't want to…she…
What the hell was wrong with her? This was not what she should be thinking about right now!
Their friends were being ambushed. Some of them already lie dying and Felicity was cowering in a corner, lamenting a kiss. She knew they never should have let her back in the field.
Felicity shook herself. "What happened?" Oliver's hands were still cupping her skull and she should pull away, but instead she clutched his wrists like a lifeline.
"You were having a flashback," Oliver whispered, but that she knew.
"I thought…I thought there was an explosion," Felicity murmured, feeling disoriented and hating every second of it. She wasn't going to survive this if she couldn't snap out of it.
Had there really not been an explosion? If there wasn't, that was one hell of a trick her mind played on her. A whole new level of crazy.
But Oliver pulled back, saying, "There was." His shoulders drooped as Felicity struggled to grasp what he was trying to tell her. "I'm sorry." Taking her hand, he pulled her up with him as he stood. "I had to blow up the tombs."
If Oliver hadn't caught her, Felicity would have fallen right back down again. "What?!"
No. Felicity shook her head. No. Oliver couldn't have…
But the look on his face said he had. Oliver had blown up…their discoveries…the key… thousands of years…
Felicity lurched forward. She needed to see for herself. Surely, Oliver hadn't destroyed everything. Surely, there was something she could salvage…
But he caught her around the waist, holding her back. "I'm sorry," Oliver repeated, murmuring it into Felicity's ear, restraining her and comforting her at the same time. "I…we couldn't let HIVE get their hands on that slab or anything else down there."
As Oliver said this, Digg's words about making sure there was nothing for HIVE to find echoed in her head. Felicity had thought that he meant her, but…clearly not. If she had known…was there anything she could, or would, have done differently?
"Oliver…" Felicity whimpered, feeling like crying as she saw the smoke billowing out of the hole. "Those were over 2000 years old. Priceless."
If they were even real. She had planned to have samples sent to the Cave for analysis, for dating, but now…now they'd never know if any of it was even real.
"I know," Oliver murmured softly, apologetically, his hand clenching at Felicity's waist. She wasn't sure if his regret made her feel better or worse.
Then Felicity smelled smoke, again, and…dear god, it was coming from Oliver. She wrenched herself around to look him over. "Did you blow it up while you were in there?" And her voice was edging on hysterical here.
"I had no choice," Oliver whispered.
The stupid…idiotic…moron said there was no choice. To set a bomb, in a hole, while he was in there.
There was only one response that Felicity felt appropriate. She hit Oliver on the shoulder just about as hard as she could. "You did have a choice, you jackass! You could have come up here and shot—"
"Felicity," he sighed and now that she was really looking at him, Felicity could see that Oliver was covered in soot. He could have died. Then what would she have done? "We don't have time to stand here and argue."
He was right. They needed to get out of there. And if Felicity really let herself think about how close Oliver had come to dying down there…she wasn't going to be able to do anything. To move even.
Felicity drew herself up and looked him in the eyes, "When we are done here, you and I are going to have words. That was just…too unnecessarily stupid, Oliver."
Oliver smiled, but before he could say anything else Felicity's attention was drawn back to the voices over the comms.
"Canary, on your left!" Curtis screamed, loud enough to make Felicity jerk.
Oliver grabbed her wrist, demanding, "Do you have your comms on?"
Felicity yanked it back, not out of his grip (the idiot was far too strong for her) but enough to keep Oliver from turning it off. "No. Wait, Roy…"
That made Oliver freeze, his voice lowering to soft murmur, his eyes drilling into hers, "What about Roy?"
Maybe Felicity shouldn't have said anything. It wasn't as if there was anything they could do for Roy from here. The pain and fear lurking behind Oliver's hard glare was almost too much to bear, but she needed…they both needed to know Roy was okay. "He was hit. I need to—"
"Was it fatal?" Oliver demanded and his words were so hard Felicity flinched. Oh god, what would it do to Oliver if Roy died? After Ronnie…. "Felicity, was it fatal?"
Frantically, she shook her head. "No, not…" Felicity wished she could reassure him more than that, but that was all she had. "I don't know how bad it is, but I heard his voice, so it can't…Caitlin was really worr—"
Oliver pulled Felicity's wrist back to him and clicked off the comm. "You can check on the team later. Right now, the best thing we can do for Roy, for all of them, is to get the hell out of here."
Did Oliver know that the rest of the team wasn't allowed to leave until they were gone? Oh frak…Digg said they were waiting for them to be away! Felicity was standing here, arguing with Oliver while Roy was bleeding out, waiting for a medevac that wasn't even allowed to come near Palenque until her and Oliver were to safety…wherever the hell that was.
Frak, she was a train-wreck. Roy could die because Felicity was ignoring orders and freaking out in the corner.
Taking her by the shoulders, Oliver bent down so he could look directly into her eyes. God, he was close. "Felicity, I really need you with me here."
All Felicity could do was nod. It was time to get her big girl pants on. It really wasn't fair that she was making Oliver carry all the weight. Besides the fact that he had as much baggage as she did, look what happened when she played the damsel in distress. He had almost blown himself up. She tasted a dusty tear and wondered how long that had been going on.
But, apparently, a nod wasn't enough for Oliver and he demanded, "Do you know who I need?"
It made her feel like a child, but it wasn't as if she didn't deserve to be treated as such. Blowing out a breath, Felicity answered, "Overwatch?" It wasn't nearly as certain as she would have liked.
"Overwatch," Oliver repeated, because they both knew Felicity needed to stop acting like a green agent, or worse, a hysterical civilian, and work with him to achieve their directive. Their friends and the goddamn world was counting on it.
"With a little bit of Sunshine thrown in," Oliver added with a grin and, somehow, that made Felicity smile. Which was as close to a miracle as she got these days. "Can you do that for me?"
Drawing herself up and clearing her throat, Felicity said louder this time, "I can try." Unfortunately, that was the best she could promise. And she was done lying to him.
"That'll do." Oliver straightened up and squared his shoulders, switching back to Green Arrow mode. "I'm going to need you to use those glasses of yours and tell me if we have a clear shot to the Temple of the Inscriptions. Can you do that?"
Felicity nodded, already feeling better with a task she could confidently complete. Part of her even wanted to roll her eyes and snap, 'Of course,' because Oliver was literally asking her to look across the park and tell him what she saw, not exactly the most challenging task. But considering that she had just been acting like a mental patient, she didn't have a leg to stand on.
Adjusting the glasses to binocular mode, Felicity stepped out in front of Oliver, but he stopped her with an arm around her waist. "Stay behind me or a column. I want you exposed as little as possible."
Felicity threw him a look. As if she were going to use him as a human shield. Not even at her most freaked out. "I choose the column."
She could hear Oliver chuckling behind her, but mostly ignored it as she easily found a good spot to look out. One thing Felicity had going for her was she knew this temple like the back of her hand. It was easy to find a concealed spot with a good view of the much larger Temple of the Inscriptions.
The view was peaceful, not a person in sight, as deceptively quiet as the rainforest just beyond. But the sound of gunfire pulled her eyes back north-west and…
Felicity gasped out loud. "Oliver, frak. There's got to be a hundred of them…more."
How the hell had that many operatives been able to be assembled, unnoticed, in this part of Mexico? HIVE had them outnumbered almost twenty to one. It made Felicity lightheaded just thinking about it.
"By the Temple?" Oliver demanded, his voice as hard and as panicked as Felicity had ever heard it.
He tried to brush past her, but Felicity grabbed a fist full of Oliver's shirt to keep him from stepping into the open. Moron. "It looks like they are concentrated in the north-west, by the Ballcourt and the Plaza, on the other side of the Palace."
"But can we get to the Temple of the Inscriptions without being seen?" Oliver sounded frantic now, though he was smart enough to step back into the shadows. His body was positively vibrating with the energy it took to restrain himself. He was hating that Felicity was between him and danger and she knew it.
But Felicity, she liked it just fine.
Swinging her eyes back to the spot Oliver was talking about, Felicity took a deep breath and assessed the situation. "Maybe. If we move quickly."
"And the entrance to this temple is clear?" Oliver repeated and Felicity was starting to realize how anxious he actually was. She didn't think anyone else would see anything but an in-control Field Agent. But she saw the truth. Funny, how somethings you could never unknown.
"Yeah." As clear as it could be with a full-on war raging at the other end of the park.
No quicker had she said it, then Oliver yanked her out of the way. He stepped up and pulled out his bow. Felicity quickly turned her glasses back to normal sight mode, fast enough to see him aim and pull back an arrow.
And now was really not the time, like really really not the time, but it was hard not to admire the sight. It was possibly Felicity's all-time favorite thing to look at, it was so fraking hot, and it had been a really long time...
The arrow flew, carrying a thick wire, making a whirring noise as it sailed across the pavilion and lodged itself firmly high in the side of the Temple of the Inscriptions.
Oliver pulled the wire taught and wrapped the other end around the column Felicity had just hidden behind, knotting it with a practiced efficiency. "Put your backpack on your front," he instructed.
Felicity was already moving, she knew this drill. It was amazing how well she remembered it, actually. She secured her bag as he threw his duffle over his shoulder, crisscrossing it with his quiver, and latching the bow over the wire. He yanked firmly to make sure it was secure, before turning to Felicity, his arm out to her, asking, "You remember—?"
"Yup." Because how could she not? It was muscle memory. Not something easily, or ever, forgotten, but she was surprised at how not freaked out she was as she went through this well-rehearsed dance with Oliver. Felicity just wiped her hands on her shorts and stepped up to grab the bow on either side of the wire.
It was starting to rain again. Just a light drizzle at the moment but picking up. Not the best conditions to go make-shift ziplining without a helmet or harness, but they had done far more dangerous things. And maybe the rain would slow down HIVE. Anything to get them out of there quickly and help the rest of the team.
Oliver's strong arm slid around Felicity's waist and dragged her back to press full length against his body. It was necessary. Of course, it was. They couldn't exactly do this and maintain a personal bubble, but that didn't mean it wasn't a shock to her system. Of arousal. Of comfort. Of discomfort. Feeling him pressed against her for the first time in years, it couldn't not set her whole-body tingling.
Even if it was the absolute worst timing it the entire history of the world. Story of Felicity's life.
Then there was Oliver's voice in her ear, husky and warm, "Here we go." Not a question. A statement. He kicked off and they were flying through to air and Felicity had to bite her already ravaged lip to keep from screaming.
It wasn't that it was an unpleasant sensation. It was quite thrilling, actually. Fun, even…when they weren't running for their lives while their friends were being ambushed by the evilest of all the evil conglomerates. But Felicity was a screaming on a rollercoasters kind of girl and flying thirty feet above the ground, with nothing but her grip on the bow and Oliver's around her waist to keep her from plummeting to the ground warranted at least a few sounds of distress.
But a wayward sound could cause disaster and Felicity was a trained ARGUS Field Agent. Or so she reminded herself. For maybe the dozenth time in the past hour. Well, she supposed she would have to keep reminding herself until it sunk in. She wasn't letting Oliver down again.
They landed on the side of the towering Temple of the Inscriptions with an undignified thump. There was no way to slow down and land gracefully. Felicity probably would have tumbled right off the steep incline if Oliver hadn't landed on top of her, his arm shooting out so he wouldn't crush her into the uneven limestone steps.
For a moment, Oliver surrounded her, his body behind and around her, his cheek against her messy hair and it was nothing but comforting in these terrible circumstances. Felicity took a moment to catch her breath and let the feeling of safety seep into her bones. It was absurd. Objectively, this was the least safe she'd been in years, but the feeling was there none-the-less.
There was no time to analyze her feelings further, though. Which was probably a good thing. Analyzing her feelings never failed to get Felicity in trouble.
Oliver helped steady her, somehow managing to stand up, balancing on the narrow steps, extract his bow, and cut the wire, all while keeping Felicity from tumbling down the side of the temple.
Over her shoulder, Felicity watched the wire bounce and recoil, falling to the ground. If HIVE won the battle, they'd find it. What information would it give them? Maybe nothing. But maybe, it would lead them to the Temple of the Sun to find what was left of the slab. Maybe into the jungle after Oliver and Felicity.
It was impossible to tell and they had no time to further destroy the evidence. Oliver was scrambling down the steps, the tiny narrow steps that Felicity found it impossible to balance on, heading for the jungle, calling out, "Come on! We have to go."
Felicity did her best to follow his instructions, but those steps made her unsteady in the best of times, so she pushed aside how ridiculous she must look (and did feel) and scrambled on her hands and knees to the back of the temple. Oliver, of course, walked with a speed and grace even a cat would envy.
As soon as Oliver got close enough, he jumped down into the jungle, landing easily and turning to Felicity with open arms, gesturing with his hands for her to jump as well.
There wasn't time to hesitate. Working purely on instinct, Felicity stood and turned, throwing herself into Oliver's open arms, trusting him to catch her. And he did. Of course, he did. He had never failed to catch her. Not once. Not when she had been smart enough to let him.
He placed her firmly on the ground. There was no time for lingering touches. Oliver was all business. He was Agent Queen now, Special Ops, the legendary Green Arrow. Even while he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him into the jungle, Felicity recognized the way he held his shoulders and the way his keen eyes took in a dangerous situation.
And, clearly, Oliver knew where he was going. Which was good because Felicity had no clue. For the first time she really thought about that and it was terrifying.
Were they just going to disappear into the jungle? Try to walk to the Door? That would take weeks. The Door was over a hundred miles away, through the jungle. Not just a rainforest, but a fully-grown jungle. How could they possibly survive that long? Maybe there was a rendezvous point.
Please, let there be a rendezvous point.
But they hadn't gone far (and already Felicity was short of breath from being pulled over the rough terrain, not a good sign) when Oliver stopped and dug through the vegetation, revealing a hidden green tarp and under that, thank god, an ARGUS all terrain bike, larger and sturdier than a standard dirt bike, but with all the maneuverability.
Of course, Oliver and Digg had planned for this. How could Felicity have doubted them?
Oliver easily stood the heavy bike, pulling off the seat to reveal a compartment, which was much more spacious than Felicity would have thought. He pulled out a set of Kevlar vests and threw in his duffle bag, then his quiver and bow, but not until he had extracted two fire arms (the real kind, with bullets, not tranqs) and attached them to the bike's handlebars.
Turning to Felicity, Oliver held out his hand. "Give me your pack."
Felicity was already slipping it off, because she knew they had to move and the greater distance they put between them and Palenque…and the team, the better. For the first time, she let herself think about what that really meant.
That if all went well (and, please god, let it go well) and they were able to get away, they would still be isolated from the team. It would be just her and Oliver for god knows how long. The idea made Felicity warm and tingly and petrified her at the same time. It was almost too much to contemplate.
Oliver traded her pack for Kevlar, but Felicity was so distracted by the idea of days…weeks possibly…alone with Oliver that she almost didn't notice he was replacing the seat and ignoring the second vest. "What about you?"
"I'm fine. We gotta get out of here."
Narrowing her eyes, Felicity paused, the vest hanging off one arm as anger surged. Unfriggen believable. Did Oliver have a death wish? Because it certainly seemed that way! "I'm not putting on mine until you put on yours."
Oliver shot her a fierce and irritated glare. "It interferes with my move—"
"Bullshit, put it on!"
Oliver reeled back, clearly shocked by Felicity's language and, to be honest, she was pretty shocked herself. But…Oliver yanked open the seat again, roughly, and grabbed the other vest.
Felicity managed to control the triumphant grin that begged to come out, instead warning, "And that goes double for the helmet."
She knew Oliver's proclivity to 'forget' his protective head gear. And that was before his suicide mission to Russia. Felicity knew she wasn't exactly in a position to make demands of him, but this wasn't something she was willing to bend on.
"Fuck, Felicity," Oliver grumbled as he shrugged into the vest.
She knew better than to say anything at that point. Best to stay quiet after getting her way and not further rattle the boat. Though, Felicity had to admit it felt good. As if she had done one small thing to protect him the way Oliver always protested her.
As soon as Felicity had the vest over her shoulders, Oliver reached out and pulled it tight around her, quickly doing up the complicated fastenings. She didn't think, just reached out and did the same for him, out of instinct or force of habit or…who knew? But it was quick and efficient and they were done in no time.
Oliver tossed her a helmet. It was really starting to rain now and he had to raise his voice over the wind, "I'm going to need you to be my navigator. You need to patch the comms to the team and let them know we're clear, but I also need you to manage the GPS to the Door. There are no roads here, Felicity. The jungle is going to be a bitch to navigate, doubly so because of this goddamn rain, so…" He sighed, his hands on his hips. The look on his face making it clear just how difficult this was going to be. "So the only comm line I'm going to put on is the one to you. I need you to be my eyes and ears. Can you—?"
"Of course," Felicity interrupted, she might be a goddamn basket case, but the hell if she wasn't going to carry her weight the best she could. And no way was she letting Oliver take care of her like she was made of glass. They wouldn't survive. Besides, as bad as it sounded, his safety was still more important to her than her own.
Scooping up Oliver's helmet, Felicity shoved it at him. "Now, put this damn thing on!"
Oliver chuckled, a proud glint in her eyes that made Felicity feel irrationally better. As did him following her command and placing the helmet on his head.
Felicity waited until she was seated behind Oliver, before putting on her helmet and pulling up the controls for the GPS and the comms on her glasses. She hadn't really used this feature before, but this way she wouldn't have to look at her watch. From her grip around Oliver's waist, she could manipulate the watch without looking and see the controls on her glasses.
Oliver's comm line went on first. Here they go.
Felicity took a deep breath and asked, "Can you hear me?"
"Yup."
Steeling herself and swallowing, Felicity pulled up first the GPS to the door, then the comms to the team (volume low for now) and heard it crackle as it turned on. It was odd to have the controls right in front of her face, she felt very Ironman in his HUB. It was a good thing the only thing she needed to focus on, besides this, was holding on to Oliver and not falling off.
Oliver kicked started the bike and the engine roared to life. Felicity wrapped her arms firmly around his waist, refusing to think about anything but the practicality of it.
Not how right it felt.
Not that Felicity had never thought she'd be in this position again and how incredibly grateful she was to have the opportunity despite the terrible circumstances. Instead, she rested her right hand over the watch on her left wrist and tried to be ready for anything.
"Hold on tight."
The bike surged forward into the jungle.
Author's Notes:
This marks the beginning of Part 2 of our story. We'll only hear from the team over the comms for a while as Felicity and Oliver head out for their own adventure.
This story is a labor it love, but is a huge stretch for me and is so much work that I couldn't do it without Ireland1733, imusuallyobsessed, and Fairytalehearts. This chapter alone felt like I was juggling…I dunno something really oddly shaped. And heavy. A lot of them. But my Betas make it all seem worth it and keep me focused on what's missing from each chapter. Thank you soooooo much!
I'm crazy excited to hear what you think so please drop in and let me know!
Thanks, and Happy Reading,
Emmy
