Everyone was down in the bunker getting the final things prepared before taking off for second HIVE's main base. According to Felicity, the one they found in the LD was a decoy while the other one was just about a two hour drive north.
Lenora and Jacob were hiding some more knives in their armor, Ra's was adding some arrows to his quiver, Rene and Dig were packing some extra ammo, Dinah and Thea were pulling their hair back out of their faces, and Curtis and Oliver were getting the coms set up with Felicity.
"Aright, final review of the plan!" Oliver called from the platform. Everyone on the team gathered around waited for instructions. "The base is massive, so we will split up in teams of three; Rene and Curtis, Dinah and Dig, Thea and I, leaving Lenora, Jacob and Ra's all a group. The group of three will be the ones to engage Noah in order to find out where his power comes from. You three know the plan and if you need assistance, call on the coms and someone will get there. The rest of us are in charge of a distraction and taking care of the guards. Make sure your partner is with you at all times!"
After Oliver gave the final instructions, the team finished the final prep and got into a large black van heading towards the main base.
The two hours of driving seemed to pass by quickly with the whole team engaged in a big conversation. Even Ra's joined in at some points which seemed to lighten the mood. When the van finally came to a stop, the team broke off into their groups.
The base was a large office building made up of two towers that had a sky bridge connecting them. Behind the towers there was a larger building that looked to be only ten stories tops. The roofs on the two towers were being used as helicopter landing pads while the larger building was being used as a training ground and look out. Off to the sides of the buildings there was a runway for jets to take off.
"Some base they got here" Thea said over the coms
"I'll say" Curtis replied
"Remember the plan and use your separate channels on the coms. Only use the main one when you're in trouble" Oliver started "Team 4, are you in position?"
"In position and ready to infiltrate" Lenora replied
"Good, teams 1, 2, and 3. We go on my mark" Oliver said. "And….now!"
Teams 1, Rene and Curtis, and Team 2, Dinah and Dig, all rished forward towards the entrance of the base. Dinah let out a sonic screech, bringing the guards down to their feet making it easier for the other three to take them out swiftly.
"Front it good, teams 3 and 4 are good to go" Felicity said over the main coms"
The two other teams did as directed and rushed into the building. Team 3, Oliver and Thea, joined the others and took out all the guards going into the main space of the base. Team 4, Lenora, Jacob, and Ra's, all stood back for a few minutes while the others took out the guards
"Path is cleared, go ahead 4" Felicity said
"balnsbt lnysa? (For Nyssa?)" Lenora asked her team over the private channel
"balnsbt Inysa" Jacob and Ra's both replied in sync
After the three said this, they all charged forward with swords drawn and hoods up. They ran straight past the other three teams, almost like it was an action film, and kicked the doors down, literally!
Inside the room they arrived in was filled with guards, who all turned when the glass doors shattered on the ground. Before they could attack the three assassins, the other three teams all charged inside and took them each on in battle.
In all that chaos, Noah stood in the middle of the room, this time with his hood up and battl axe already drawn. The charm that he had hanging on his hip last battle was still there, letting Lenora know that it was important in some way
"Look who has come back for more?" Noah teased "Would you like me to go easy on you?"
"Cut the crap and explain something for me!" Lenora started "Why? What is all this for?!"
"Ah, the question that has yet to be answered by the name of my organization" Noah laughed "Second HIVE is here do to what the first HIVE failed to do; end violence in the world. They aimed for big things in the beginning, when there needed to be strategic planning into what needs to happen"
"What kind of planning?!" Jacob asked
"Ah, good old high school dream boy speaks!" Noah said again with a laugh "HIVE wanted to destroy the world because it was past purification but I've found a way to rid it of crime, started with this city"
"You can't purify a city by murdering the mayor!" Lenora pointed out
"Oh, but the mayor is the problem! His administration refuses to do jack in eliminating crime effectively! They would much rather have a picnic with the criminal at iron heights than let them serve out their sentence" Noah started "Once this city is pure, we move on to the state, then the capital, then the rest of the nation until the entire US is free of crime!"
"And how are you planning to cure the world from there?" Jacob asked
"Simple corn cob" Noah teased, causing Jacob's face to redden underneath his hood and cowl "The US is a world power because of its military. Use out military and the military of our allies and you can easily conquer other countries"
"You sick bastard! Do you know how many innocent people will be killed!?" Lenora yelled
"Sacrifices must be made for the good of the many" Noah replied
"You will never get away with this! Not while we are here to fight for it!" Lenora shouted at him
"I know, and that's why it pains me that I have to kill my old, best friend" Noah said. He swung his battle axe to the side, making the other half pop out and stabilize, creating a battle ready weapon. "Good bye Lenora, good bye Jacob"
Noah sprung forward and brought his axe down on Lenora and Jacob, who blocked the hits with their swords. When there was an opening, one of the teenage assassins would get in an attack while the other tried to reach for the charm hanging on the side of Noah's armor. He could see this coming and blocked the person who would try to grab the charm, making his armor take the hit from a sword
"My, my! When you can actually fight with a clear mind, you two can do wonders. Too bad it's not enough to take me on" Noah sneered as he twirled his axe in a circle, pushing Lenora and Jacob pack from him just a few feet.
Lenora and Jacob stumbled to get their footing, but when they did, Noah was right there waiting for them with his hands both free.
"Looks like this is the end of the line for you two" Noah said as he walked closer to the two assassins. "Sorry it hand to be this way Lele"
Noah moved his hands to his sides and was about to bring them crashing together when Ra's suddenly stepped in front of him. Noah clapped his hands together, but the shockwave didn't get far when Ra's lifted his sword to block the wave, causing it to bounce back to Noah. Both of them were thrown several feet into the air and hurling back towards walls.
Lenora's eyes widened when she saw Ra's hit the wall right above the doors where they entered. He fell down from the wall and landed with a thud, his broken sword landing next to him. Lenora and Jacob both rushed over to him and the rest of team arrow watched them
"Ra's! Sir! You're going to be fine!" Lenora called out several times
Ra's lifted his head slightly and looked at Lenora. "My time is up…..I will see my daughter…." He said weakly. He put his head back on the ground and his eyes closed. A final breath exited his lungs, leaving his now frail body behind on the ground.
"Oh my god…." Curtis said quietly as the rest of the team approached
Lenora and Jacob were still kneeling on the ground next to his body when a small twinkle caught Lenora's attention. It was coming from Ra's closed hand so she opened it slowly and saw something that truly shocked her; Ra's had taken the charm off of Noah when the blast hit them both.
The charm didn't look like anything special, just a crystal on a silver chain that had a faint glow. Lenora placed it in her boot, then stood up to face the rest of the team.
"We need to end this, now! Where is-" Lenora started before realizing something; Noah was gone. The area where his body landed was empty as if he had never even been there
The sudden sound of running guards snapped everyone back to reality.
"You guys need to get out of there! There are hundreds of guards heading your way and I don't think you will be able to take them all!" Felicity said over the main com
"You heard her! We need to get moving!" Oliver said to the rest of the team
"What about Ra's?! He's not a formal member of the team but we can't just leave him here!" Lenora shouted to the team
"Yes we can and we have to or else we will end up just like him!" Rene shouted back
"I'm sorry Lenora but they're right; we need to leave!" Jacob said as he put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her towards the door
Lenora reluctantly followed Jacob's direction and ran out towards the exit of the base with the other seven members of the team. When they made it to the van, everyone piled in quickly and Dig stepped on the gas, getting away from the base as quickly as possible.
-(=+=)-
Another slash and block. Nyssa jumped into the air right before a sword blade swept under her feet. Deliver a roundhouse kick and this one is down!
"Nyssa..!" An echoing voice called out
The opponent jumped back right before Nyssa's kick could do anything to him. He lunged forward and his sword went right in between Nyssa's side and arm.
"Nyssa! Wake up!" The voice called again
Nyssa grabbed the blade that was still pressing up against her side and pulled it from her opponents hand. He was confused, giving Nyssa the opportunity to take him down. A quick kick to the chest and this guy was lying on the floor in defeat.
"Nyssa!" The voice called again in a louder tone
"What?!" Nyssa shouted when she woke up. She Fayiz kneeling by her side and was immediately confused. "Fayiz, what is it? I was kind of in the middle of a good dream"
"Yes, a duel can always be entertaining but this is much more important" Fayiz replied
"What's so important that you had to wake me up? It's still the middle of the night" Nyssa stated
"Just touch my hand and you will see" Fayiz said as he reached his hand out for Nyssa to take
"Um…okay…?" Nyssa replied as she reached for Fayiz's hand.
When she touched it, a light erupted in between the two of them and they were teleported somewhere that was oddly familiar; the bridge. The sky was still the same brilliant blues, purples, and pinks while the grass felt softer than ever.
"What are we doing here?" Nyssa asked as she followed behind Fayiz
"There is someone here that wanted to see you" Fayiz replied
The two of them walked up a hill and Nyssa saw something that truly surprised her. An older man dressed in league armor with dark, grey hair stood in the middle of the field looking around for anything that was familiar. The sword at his hip gave his identity away too quickly.
"W-what is my f-father doing here?" Nyssa asked Fayiz as they looked down at Ra's
"I'm sorry to say…..he died in a battle against second HIVE. He was protecting Lenora and Jacob but it cost his own life" Fayiz explained
Nyssa didn't know what to say, but the tears that started glistening in her eyes spoke more than a thousand words.
"C-can I see him?" Nyssa asked, still looking down at him
"Of course, in fact, I believe he wants to see you as well" Fayiz responded with a warm smile
Nyssa took a slow steps down the hill and eventually was about ten feet away from her father. Ra's was looking around and didn't even notice that his daughter was standing behind him
"F-father…." Nyssa said quietly, just loud enough to hear
Ra's spun around slowly and saw something he never thought possible. "N-n-nyssa….". Before the female assassin could do anything, Ra's ran up to her and pulled her into his arms
"My daughter….I never thought this possible…." Ra's started. He pulled away from the embrace and looked down into Nyssa's dark brown eyes. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. You never should have died that night"
"I'm not dead father, I'm very much alive and in Cairo" Nyssa replied, a single tear rolling down her cheek
"Y-you're a-alive?" Ra's asked, trying his best to hold back tears "How is that possible?"
"Fayiz, but better known to you as Sterling" Nyssa replied
"Sterling….the creator of the league?"
"The one and only. He gave me a second chance in order to create the Phoenix league. I've been away from Star City to collect the last swords"
"Why haven't you told me, or Oliver and William for that matter? They're falling apart"
"I want to, believe me…but if I told them, they would want to come and help….they would kill themselves" Nyssa replied, her voice shaking slightly
"That's very noble of you, my child" Ra's started "Where did that highlight come from?"
"Oh, that" Nyssa said as she picked up the blue, purple, and pink lock of hair "It's a scar of sorts. I got it when I came back to the real world the first time…no doubt I will have one on the other side when I return to Cairo"
"Well it suites you" Ra's said with a small laugh.
Before either of them could say anything else, the church bells echoed through the starry sky.
"What is that?" Ra's asked his daughter
"I-it's the church bells….it means your time is up…" Nyssa replied, another tear rolling down her cheek
"So this is where we say goodbye….for now?" Ra's asked
"Y-yeah…"
"There's no need to cry my child" Ra's said as he wiped the tear away from Nyssa's cheek "We will see each other again, at some point or another…" He said with a small smile
"I hope it's not long" Nyssa said as she pulled her father into another hug
"No, I want it to be long….it will mean you lived a long and honorable life…" Ra's said as he returned the hug
The church bells let out another chime and the loud and deep ring echoed throughout the sky
"I must go my child, I don't want you to get stuck here before you've lived a meaningful life" Ra's said as he pulled away from the hug
"O-okay…" Nyssa said as she started walking backwards towards Fayiz
"Nyssa" Ra's said quietly
Nyssa turned around and saw her father slowly fading away, but waving goodbye.
"I love you and I always have…." He said before completely fading
"I love you too…." Nyssa said to the empty air.
The church bells rang again and Nyssa started fading away as well, but she found herself back on the floor of the plane in Cairo. Fayiz wasn't anywhere to be seen as he was probably doing other worldly things. Nyssa got up from the ground and went to put on her armor. She gathered her weapons and found two boosters; immunity and sense enhancement.
Before getting off the plane, Nyssa walked past a mirror on the wall and looked at herself. There was another highlight in her hair, but on the other side of her part. Nyssa smiled at the highlight and reached over to a seat where the golden circlet was sitting. She put it over her head and looked back in the mirror. Her armor felt complete, having the three precious things that kept going; family (the picture), friends (the circlet), and a second chance (the two highlights)
After drinking the boosters and hiding the six other swords, Nyssa dashed out of the plane and towards the great pyramid where the sword of illusion was hidden.
-(=+=)-
"So what were you able to get from the fight with Noah?" Oliver asked Lenora, who was sitting at a metal table examining the charm, still in her armor
"The charm isn't what give Noah his power, but protects him from it" Lenora stated, still looking at the charm
"I don't entirely understand" Oliver replied
"Think about it! Noah was never affected by his shockwaves until Ra's pulled this off of him. When he did, Noah was pushed back a lot further than Ra's! Ra's had the charm in hand but because of the force and power of the clap, he will still affected. Noah would have been left dead if he wasn't the one who delivered the clap!"
"So that charm just protects him from the shockwaves, but is that his only power?"
"Yeah, I believe so. If he could have changed his powers using the charm, then he would have during the fight but he didn't which means that he's only got the one" Lenora started "Thank god"
"So now we just need to figure out how to neutralize his powers, then we go in for a third and final hit" Oliver stated
"Sounds like a plan chief!" Lenora said as she slipped off the stool and walked off to find Jacob. Before leaving to find her husband, Lenora walked over to a large, metal safe and put the charm inside, sealing it from the outside world and any threats.
Oliver walked over to a meeting table and pulled out his phone from his jacket pocket. He went into his contacts and selected the one that said 'William'. It was a few seconds before someone answered the call
"Hey Dad, are you coming home soon?" William asked
"Yeah, I'll be home in twenty. Did you get your homework done?" Oliver asked his son
"Uh, I'm just finishing up some math, then I'll be done" William replied
It was almost eleven o'clock, but this had become normal for William. He wouldn't go to bed until Oliver came home or someone else that William trusted was in the home.
"Okay then, finish that up and get in bed. I'll be back soon" Oliver stated
"Okay. Love you dad" William said as he hung up the phone
"Love you too buddy" Oliver said as he hung up as well and put his coat on
"Is William doing okay?" A female asked behind him
"Yeah, he's doing just fine, Felicity" Oliver replied as he turned around
"Hey, hold on a minute" Felicity said as she grabbed Oliver's arm, stopping him from walking any further
"What is it?" Oliver asked, a tad frustrated
"You know Nyssa would have wanted you to move on, right?"
"Uh, yes…?" Oliver said, a bit confused
"Right, and that means finding something….or someone to love" Felicity said
"I know what you are trying to say, but there is something you need to understand" Oliver started, grabbing Felicity's attention "Eventually, I will find someone to love; however, that person will not be you"
"And why can't it be?" Felicity asked with a small, innocent smile
"Because I've tried to love you several times in the past, but it's always been your selfishness that's kept us divided and I don't want to put up with it any longer. We both know there is a kettle to every pot, but you aren't my kettle" Oliver started "I have to go back home and see my son"
Oliver got into the elevator and the doors closed immediately, leaving Felicity still standing in the middle of an almost empty bunker.
"Well great!" Felicity said under her breath as she walked back to the computer platform
-(=+=)-
Nyssa ran through the morning haze of the desert and towards the great pyramid. Fayiz was gone again so Nyssa was left to find the sword on her own, which wasn't a big problem. The pyramid was starting to come into sight and Nyssa ran towards it at a faster speed. Eventually, she saw that it was heavily guarded by several police officers that were holding back tourists.
"Great, just fantastic" Nyssa said as she hid in the shadows of a nearby building that was meant to be a souvenir shop.
She watched how the guards moved and the weak points in their positions for about an hour, and soon found out that there was one area where almost no guards were. According to Fayiz, there was a secret entrance to the pyramid in the one next to it and thankfully, there weren't as many guards at that one.
Nyssa walked away from the wall she had been standing up against and shot an arrow up into the sky and on the side of the building. It was a grappling arrow so she secured the cord to her bow and pulled herself up. She got on the roof of the four story building, but it wasn't nearly as tall as the smaller pyramid. Nyssa shot another grappling arrow into the sky and towards the pyramid. When it hit the old, clay bricks of the pyramid, Nyssa repeated the securing of the cord and pulled herself into the sky and towards the pyramid. It was far, but nothing too bad.
She was able to land on the side of the pyramid but what really surprised her was that the majority of the police didn't even seem to notice. Nyssa pulled her arrow out of the clay brick and was about to run to the secret entrance when someone shouted something from the ground a couple hundred feet below her.
"Hey! Someone is on the pyramid!" The man shouted
"Crap" Nyssa muttered under her breath
A whistle was blown and several other police men started running towards Nyssa and the pyramid. Nyssa saw them running towards her and ran across the side of the pyramid, towards the entrance. It was getting hard to run along the bricks, as they were incredibly skinny, but Nyssa found a solution rather quickly. She could see that the entrance was a small door on the side of the pyramid that blended in really well, and it was right below her.
"Get her!" The police shouted from the ground.
Nyssa saw them from the corner of her eye draw some pistols from their holsters. They started firing at her but she soon realized that they weren't shooting bullets at her, but tranq darts.
"How pathetic" Nyssa said as one dart hit her thigh.
The police looked stunned when Nyssa pulled the dart out of her leg and kept running towards the entrance. She soon came to the corner of the pyramid and looked down; a couple hundred feet, perfectly manageable with the immunity booster working
Nyssa crouched down a little, then jumped into the air, doing a front flip in the process. She spun to the sandy ground and landed perfectly on two feet, facing the door. She could hear that the police were getting closer so she quickly kicked the door down and ran inside.
The ground inside the pyramid was old sandstone which was good for running on, but every time Nyssa planted her foot on the ground, the sound of her step echoed through the old hallways. Not good for stealth, but she had to manage
"She ran in here! Split up and find her!" One man shouted. The footsteps of several policemen echoed behind Nyssa so she ran a bit faster.
Fayiz had explained beforehand that the tunnel to the great pyramid was just west of the entrance to the smaller pyramid, so Nyssa kept running until she reached the first hallway that broke off. There were some hieroglyphics that Nyssa could make out slightly. According to the pictures, this was an escape route to the next pyramid so Nyssa ran down that hallway as fast as she could.
The police had been getting closer but when she ducked into the dark hallway, they had lost sight of her and kept searching the smaller pyramid. Seeing as there weren't any more distractions, Nyssa ran down the dark hallway that lead to the great pyramid.
Nyssa had been wandering around the hallways and staircases of the great pyramid, looking for anywhere the sword could be located. Fayiz had told her that the sword would be located in the trophy room near the room where the great king was buried. Keeping that in mind, Nyssa looked around for anything that resembled a trophy, chest, or even a coffin
Eventually, Nyssa walked past a room that had a golden sun painted above the door. Curiosity got the best of her and she walked inside. There were several wooden tables and chests in the room. They were all covered with things that looked like keep sakes of the king that was buried here. Nyssa looked around and saw some priceless gold artifacts, jewelry, some board games, vases full of food and water, and a large wooden boat so the king could get to the afterlife.
Across the room there was another doorway, but the door was locked, sealing the contents inside. There was a painted stone above the door with a lock on it.
"Found you" Nyssa muttered under her breath as she walked towards the door.
The lock wasn't anything overly complicated, in fact, it was a style that the league used in Nanda Parbat. Nyssa remembered this because it was a type of lock she used to pick quite often to get into some hidden rooms where her father hid old and powerful weapons.
Nyssa grabbed an arrow from her quiver and a knife that was strapped to her thigh. She inserted the arrow first, then moved the tip of the knife underneath it and pressed down. There was a loud click so Nyssa removed the two weapons.
She pushed open the door and in the middle of the room was a stone pedestal with a golden lock. Besides the pedestal, the room was completely empty. Nyssa pulled a key out of her pocket but noticed something on the walls; small holes like the chamber in the Mauna Loa. Nyssa expected quicksand, water, mud, or even snakes to come out of the holes once the sword was pulled so she walked back outside to the room holding the artifacts. She found a couple of heavy urns and vases and used them to prop the door open so she could make a quick escape if necessary.
When the escape route was ready, Nyssa approached the pedestal with the key and inserted it. She moved the key 360 degrees clockwise and there pedestal started to glow a bright red. When the glow faded, a sword with a light silver blade and a dark silver hand guard decorated with red jewels. The hand guard was shaped like two falcon wings which Nyssa thought was a nice touch.
After admiring the sword for a moment and preparing to run, Nyssa wrapped both of her hands around the light brown sword handle. She gave a few forceful tugs and the sword was freed from the stone.
As expected, the pedestal let out a bright light that engulfed Nyssa and the inside of the pyramid. It was much hotter than expected but when the light disappeared, Nyssa saw that some of her armor was burned away.
"Damn it" Nyssa said under her breath when she saw the exposed areas on her arms.
Like she predicted, the holes in the wall released a puff of air and mud started pour in. Nyssa ran for the door which was trying to close but was blocked by the urns and vases. She was able to jump through just in the nick of time. The vases shattered and the door swung shut, trapping the spilling mud inside the sandstone room.
Nyssa looked back at the door and smiled. "Can't catch this phoenix" She said under her breath
"Freeze!" A man called from behind her.
Nyssa turned around and saw around ten police officers pointing actual guns at her.
"Put the weapon down and put your hands behind your head!" He called out
Nyssa smirked under her veil and threw down a smoke bomb, blinding the officers.
"Open fire!" The leader called.
All the officers started to fire at the sandstone wall and door, thinking that Nyssa was right there, but they were sadly mistaken. When the smoke bomb was thrown, Nyssa shot an arrow up to the tall ceiling and swung right over them. She ran towards the exit as fast as she could, with the sword in hand, having her footsteps muffled by the sound of gunshots
The smoke cleared and the officers saw that they had been firing at nothing and severely damaged the ancient sandstone wall.
"Search the pyramids and the city!" The leader shouted "No nut bar in a hood will leave the city!"
The officers all spread out, searching the pyramids and the areas around them for Nyssa, but she was long gone. By the time the officers stopped firing, Nyssa was already out of the pyramid and running back towards the air strip.
Ten minutes of running in the shadows passed and Nyssa arrived at her plane. She opened the hatch immediately and ran inside. She dropped all of her weapons in the seats and jumped in the cockpit. In less than three minutes, Nyssa was back in the air and heading towards the Russian city of Novosibirsk.
Author's Note: Alright, so the question of 'do you write smut' has come up several times in the reviews. I am not going to write stuff like that under any circumstances. If you like this story and want to read that stuff, just imagine it where you wish but I'm not going to write that out. Other than that, thanks for the ongoing support! The next chapter should be out within the next two days!