Arrow 6x10 goes on exactly how it goes (except that Roy is here and Diggle is dead in this story, so Roy pretty much takes over Diggle's role). The best I can do is add a few more scenes. Enjoy.
Leave a review after reading, please. Feedback is always appreciated.
I'd like to thank the following users for reviewing the previous chapter: Aragorn II Elessar, buffylovezsupercat, CallMeMiles, lupo95gxd
To Aragorn II Elessar: Yeah, I'm sorry about the trial. But I'm not really good with trials.
To buffylovezsupercat: Using cold winds to fly, huh? I mean, CW's Killer Frost already uses ice slides to glide in the air, but I guess I could try using the trivia you gave me. As for who will Barry end up with in the end, you'll just have to wait and see. I'm both a SnowBarry shipper and a SuperFlash shipper, but only one couple prevails. Caitlin's mom didn't die in the show, by the way. That was something just for this story. The mystery behind Mrs. Tannhauser's death will have to wait.
To lupo95gxd: Thawne is the best, that's for sure.
"If I see a situation pointed south, I can't ignore it. Sometimes, I wish I could." - Steve Rogers, Captain America: Civil War
Killer Frost just returned to her pocket dimension after another night of monitoring Central City for bus metas. Team Flash can't find a way to prove that Barry did not murder Clifford DeVoe, so the best they can do is search for the people who have been turned into metas by DeVoe and make sure they're either locked up (if they're evil) or safe (if they're good). As for the info that Marlize DeVoe provided Iris, Team Flash have yet to decide whether or not to inform Oliver, Kara, and the Legends about the secret supervillain group that killed DeVoe, much to Killer Frost's relief.
She begins recording the latest entry in her audio journal.
"Journal Entry 09-27," she started. "Four weeks have past since Curtis Holt, Rene Ramirez, and Dinah Drake left Team Arrow due to a breach of trust. Leave it to Oliver Queen to make the word trust the most complicated word on the planet. Ever since, Cayden James and his cabal have more room and time to pursue their goal of destroying Star City with a thermobaric bomb. According to Laurel Lance, they're planning on seizing control of the Bertinelli Crime Family's docks in Star City. Just like with the Cayden's bug in the Arrow Cave, the docks will serve a second purpose in facilitating my plans. Laurel will ensure that the docks are secured... if she isn't too busy exchanging notes in class with kiss marks with Leonard Snart."
Killer Frost ends the recording and uses Clifford DeVoe's chair to teleport herself out of the pocket dimension and into Star City. She finds Laurel's apartment building and creates an ice platform to lift herself to the window on Laurel's apartment. Someone forgot to shut the curtains completely, because there was still enough space between the curtains for Killer Frost to see what was happening inside.
As expected, Laurel Lance was in the middle of a make-out session with Leonard Snart. Leonard sat on the bed with Laurel sitting on her lap as they kissed. Killer Frost rolls her eyes and sighs with displeasure at the sight of this. They're at war and these two decide to give each other bite marks on each other's lips. She decided to just leave the two lovebirds alone, preferring to deal with them another day.
Then Leonard stopped the kissing.
"Something wrong, Lenny?" asked Laurel.
"I just think we're rushing this too quickly," said Leonard. "I'm a small moments kind of guy."
"Is that really your reason, or is this about Sara?" Laurel asked suspiciously.
"I'm not spending the night with her, am I?" Leonard replied flirtatiously.
Laurel smiled and the kissing continued. Unfortunately, Leonard still feels the need to second-guess himself, while Laurel was secretly suspicious of his feelings.
Weeks have past since the falling out of Team Arrow. Curtis, Rene, and Dinah have left the team because of Oliver's trust issues. So, now, it's just Oliver, Roy, and Felicity (you can count Thea, if you want to). Oliver was busy tinkering with his arrows and making sure they're battle ready. Felicity, tired from all the work, just sits down on the floor looking like she has had enough of life.
Fortunately, Roy came in with a cup of coffee for the former IT girl.
"I thought you could use some caffeine," said Roy.
"Roy Harper, saving lives even when no one asks you to," Felicity said, grateful as she accepted the coffee.
Roy helps Felicity off her feet since she was too tired to do it herself.
"Just trying to find other ways to be helpful around here," said Roy. "Here you are sacrificing sleep to find Cayden James while I'm still in the sidelines 'cause of my robot arm."
"Well, don't worry. Curtis is coming over and he might have what you need to get back out there," said Felicity. "We has the technology."
Roy laughed a little. Felicity messed up her grammar due to lack of sleep.
"How's Helix Dynamics, by the way?" asked Roy.
"Well, we can afford to fix your EMP problem, so I say Curtis and I are doing just fine," Felicity said, still sounding tired.
Felicity's phone beeped. Curtis texted her, saying he'll be there in a five minutes.
"He's early," Felicity commented.
"Who's early?" asked Oliver, who was finished sorting out his arrows.
"Curtis," Felicity answered. "Shouldn't you be getting home? Raisa must be making quadruple overtime by now."
"Raisa's doing just fine," said Oliver. "I mean, William loves her, so..."
"William doesn't know you're here," Felicity finished it for him.
"I know and I don't like it, but we need to find Cayden James," said Oliver. "Are we making any progress on that front?"
"Despite my 21st consecutive all-nighter... no. He's either the first bad guy to ghost us or he's just biding time," Felicity said, very tired. "Also, I don't know if you've been paying attention to the news since Christmas, but Barry just got arrested and imprisoned for murder."
"I did hear," said Oliver. "I called Cisco and asked him if Barry needed help, but he told me that Barry wanted to face this on his own. I haven't said or done anything because I'm just respecting his wishes."
"Well, at least you're not completely cut off from the world," Felicity said sarcastically.
"What about Laurel?" asked Oliver.
"Still wished she brought a mistletoe over for Christmas?" Felicity asked jokingly, also in a jealous tone.
Oliver glared at her, as he usually does every time she cracks a joke that he has no interest in or patience for.
"Nadda," Felicity reported. "Cayden must've blocked her sonic frequencies from our radar and digitally scrambled her face to avoid facial recognition. I have no way of finding her."
"Alright, we will continue with the low-tech option. I will go out there again tonight," Oliver decided.
"I still think this is too risky," said Roy. "I mean, sure, you threw people off on you being the Green Arrow by having me put on the suit, but the anti-vigilante law is still an obstacle."
"I'm not worried, and neither should you be. We will solve this problem together," Oliver said firmly.
Oliver heads to the elevator just in time it opens. Curtis was inside, having come by to visit to fix Roy's metal arm problem. But now it's awkward. Last time Oliver and Curtis spoke, they had a fight along with the rest of the team.
"I like your new haircut," Curtis said awkwardly.
"I didn't get a haircut," Oliver said with a deadpan face and tone. "Curtis, it's fine. I really appreciate you for helping Roy."
"No hard feelings?" Curtis asked nervously.
"No," Oliver said bluntly.
Oliver steps into the elevator and leaves the Arrow Cave, leaving an awkward Curtis feeling, well, awkward.
"That wasn't super awkward," Curtis said awkwardly.
"You think?" Roy replied sarcastically.
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ARROW ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
After getting his cybernetic arm analyzed and giving Curtis a sample of said arm, Roy returned to City Hall to meet up with the new Deputy Mayor, Thea Queen. Rene resigned from the position after quitting Team Arrow, so Oliver had only one person to trust to run the city with him and that was his sister. There was a lot of skepticism about the former Chief of Staff being promoted to Deputy Mayor, especially since she just woke up from a coma. But Oliver didn't care and Thea accepted the position.
"How's Ms. Deputy Mayor today?" Roy asked as he entered her office.
"Boring," said Thea. "But I guess that's because Oliver hasn't been here all day. Still busy looking for Cayden James?"
"Another day, another nadda," said Roy. "You sure you're up to this?"
"I'm still basically Chief of Staff. It's just that I have slightly more power than my old position," said Thea. "But let's not talk about me. What about you? Are you feeling okay?"
"My arm works just fine, Thea. It's more about getting out there on the field without getting EMP'd again," said Roy.
"I'm really sorry about that," Thea said sympathetically.
"Don't be," said Roy. "I chose to run away. It's my fault I got captured. I have to live with this."
"Have you ever thought about looking for your real arm? I mean, I'm sure Curtis or Cisco can technologically put it back on," said Thea.
"Even if Cadmus still have my arm, it's in a secret hi-tech facility that is heavily guarded. Going there comes with a 99% chance of dying," said Roy. "And without a complete team, the chances of dying are gonna stay that way."
"This is all my fault," Thea blamed herself.
"Hey, we all make mistakes, especially when we're boxed in," said Roy.
"I agreed to testify because I didn't want to lose you again," said Thea.
Roy holds Thea's hand and says, "We'll get through this. Don't we always?"
Thea smiled and squeezes his hand lovingly.
"So, are you thinking about going back on the field again?" asked Roy. "I mean, I'm not gonna be wearing my suit anymore, so..."
"Still thinking about it," said Thea. "I know I said I was done with playing hero, but... just being out there again made me feel so alive. Maybe it's the adrenaline, but... being Speedy really helps channel all of the negative energy in me into something positive. I haven't made a choice yet, but I don't think I'm done with Speedy just yet."
"That's good to know, Speedy," Roy smiled.
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Lieutenant Dinah Drake was off on another clandestine rendezvous with the Vigilante. Five wanted criminals have turned themselves in during the past week and Adrian Chase contacted her after the fifth one showed up at the precinct. The two met in an alleyway. Adrian had to wear a hoodie and some shades to hide his face.
"Good work," Dinah started, smiling at him. "See what you can accomplish when you're not killing criminals?"
"I admit, my trigger finger is very itchy, but I guess self-control is part of our lessons," said Adrian. "Impressed?"
"Maybe," Dinah teased.
"But you know, I was thinking that maybe our partnership could improve," Adrian suggested.
"What do you mean?" asked Dinah.
"I was thinking you keep a close eye on me," Adrian suggested. Sarcastically, he adds, "I mean, aren't you worried I'll step out of line?"
"You're suggesting we team-up and fight criminals together," Dinah realized.
"Your choice, lieutenant," said Adrian. "I mean, it's not like you have a team to fight beside with at the moment."
"Actually, it's not just me. All the newbies quit the team," said Dinah. "The three of us are planning on forming a team of our own. Just because the Green Arrow and I are on the outs, it doesn't meant my vigilante life is over."
"This is still our little secret, right?" asked Adrian.
"I'd be getting the same look from Wild Dog and Terrific that the Green Arrow gave me if I told them I was helping you," said Dinah.
"Well, instead of a team-up, how about we grab coffee?" asked Adrian. "I'll pay."
Dinah chuckled uncontrollably.
"How are you even planning on walking into a coffee shop without being recognized?" asked Dinah.
"You'd be surprised how a pair of shades can be an effective disguise," said Adrian. "I'll see you at 7 then?"
"We'll see," Dinah teased.
Felicity, Roy, and Thea called Curtis, Dinah, and Rene and asked them to meet with them in Felicity's apartment. It was inevitable that some harsh feelings were shared through contemptuous stares, but three members of Team Arrow wanted to take this meeting seriously without it devolving to another argument like Christmas.
"Cayden James had Laurel plant a bug in the cave," Roy said, getting straight to the point. "He's been spying on us."
"How long have you known about this?" asked Curtis.
"Can't say I keep track of time that well, but right around 24 hours," Roy answered.
"You've known we were exposed like this for a whole day, and you're just telling us now?" Dinah asked accusingly.
"Hey, we had to be sure. For all we know, it could've just been a malfunction or a glitch in the PA system," said Felicity.
"And that's not even the worst part," said Thea. "Turns out Cayden James is working with other dangerous people besides Laurel."
"Anatoly Kynazev, Ricardo Diaz, and Adrian Chase, to be specific," said Roy.
"Just what the city needs," Rene said sarcastically.
"No, no, no, that's insane. Adrian hunts criminals. He doesn't throw down with them," said Dinah, refusing to believe this ludicrous claim.
"Oliver just saw him with Cayden and the rest of his troop," said Roy.
"Well, excuse me if I don't take Oliver's word for it," Dinah said bitterly.
"I mean, keeping us under surveillance? Sounds like he and Cayden James have a lot in common," Rene said with scorn.
"We did that because we were trying to protect this team," Felicity justified.
"Is that how you sleep at night, Felicity?" Curtis criticized.
"We are facing an actual breach in security," Felicity emphasized. "You guys gave up on Oliver. You don't get to stay mad at daddy 'cause he read your diary and you get to just skip out on curfew."
"Seriously? Again, you point that attitude at us instead of Oliver's little sister," said Rene.
"Hey, I did what I did to protect the people I love," said Thea. "It may have been the wrong move I made on a whim, but at least I know where my focus is."
"You do realize testifying against Oliver means selling us out as well," said Curtis.
Dinah walked out on this little reunion to speak with Adrian Chase about allying himself with Cayden James. They just had a nice cup of coffee together earlier and even went on a moonlight stroll, but now she discovered that he has been keeping a big secret from her. Unfortunately, let's just say her meeting with him didn't go well for her.
For the past few days, Cayden James and his criminal cabal have been trying to force Jerry Bertinelli, the current head of the Bertinelli Crime Family, to hand over control of one of his crime family's ports. Jerry agreed to meet with Cayden at a large warehouse to discuss transferring control of the port, only he did it because the Green Arrow asked for his help in luring Cayden James to the open.
Green Arrow perched on a beam high in the ceiling, waiting for both the Bertinelli Crime Family and Cayden James' team. Felicity, Roy, and Thea monitored the situation from a temporary HQ.
Jerry shows up with some armed goons of his own. Just when it looked like they were in for a quiet wait, an explosion occurred, prompting to find cover. The explosion came from Ricardo Diaz, sporting a Kevlar suit for the occasion, and Cayden's own thugs.
"Funny! You guys don't look like a Chechnyan death squad!" Diaz taunted.
Cayden's thugs and the Bertinelli goons find cover in lower platforms as they shoot at each other relentlessly. Diaz didn't mind getting in on the action, using a rapid-fire rifle of his own.
"Ricardo Diaz in the house!" Felicity commentated through the comm-link.
"That doesn't mean much without Cayden James," said Roy.
"Ollie, your move," said Thea.
Green Arrow jumps down from above and starts shooting arrows at Cayden's men, incapacitating or killing them. He moves on to the lower platform that Cayden's men were using as cover. He had to slice one thug's arm with an arrow before jumping down into the ditch. He starts with a few high kicks and a few arrows. He blocks one thug's punch and flips him down. Another thug lunges at Green Arrow, but the vigilante tossed him aside and used a third thug's gun to incapacitate the second one. He goes back to unleashing some athletic kicks, including wrapping his leg around one thug's throat to pin him before tossing him aside. Green Arrow uses a thug as a shield from gunfire before kicking down the thug that tried to shoot him. He takes out the last two by slamming the first one's face to the floor and kicks the other one hard in the throat.
Just when it looked like Green Arrow and Ricardo Diaz were about have a Round 2, Black Siren shows up and sends Green Arrow flying away with her sonic cry.
"Large problem! Very large problem!" Felicity panicked.
"Oliver, get up and get out of there!" Thea shouted.
"He will, as soon as we send backup," said Roy.
The backup came in the form of a T-Sphere controlled by Roy like some PC video game. He used to zap Cayden's men into unconsciousness so Green Arrow can have time to recover and get back up.
"Enjoying yourself?" asked Thea.
"If you want, you can try it," Roy offered.
Green Arrow gets out of the ditch, only to run into Black Siren. He quickly aims an arrow at her, but he didn't immediately release the bow, for some reason. Black Siren also didn't do anything. They just looked at each other with silence.
"You're not supposed to be here, Ollie. Get out, now," Black Siren said, sounding somewhat concerned.
Green Arrow had to turn around when Anatoly and the rogue Bratva thugs aimed their guns at him. He kept his arrow pointed at his old friend, but he knew he couldn't do anything without getting.
"Stand down, Oliver. You are vastly outnumbered," said Anatoly.
Green Arrow was gonna shoot anyway, until Vigilante jumped him. Vigilante strikes with a tumbling kick and then drags Green Arrow through a wooden ladder. Anatoly, meanwhile, shoots the T-Sphere, preventing Roy from helping further.
Green Arrow and Vigilante exchange some hard kicks, neither one being able to get the upper hand on each other. Green Arrow blocks Vigilante's knee strike, but Vigilante blocks his front kick as well. Vigilante tumbles to the side after dodging a high kick. With Vigilante still on the ground, Green Arrow strikes. Vigilante blocks Green Arrow's two incoming kicks aimed at his sides, but was unable to react to Green Arrow's kick to his chest, knocking down and into a ditch.
Green Arrow flips down the ditch and continues to fight Vigilante. Vigilante dodges Green Arrow's next kick and the two get back into punching each other. Vigilante blocks Green Arrow's next to punches before kneeing him in the gut. Green Arrow manages to punch Vigilante in the face, but Vigilante persists and grabs him with force. Vigilante pins Green Arrow down and keeps him down so the others can continue their business.
Jerry was about to depart with his two remaining men, only for said men to be shot dead by Sheck, who finally showed up along with Cayden James.
"Don't leave early. The best parts are always at the end," said Cayden.
Green Arrow tried to get up, but Vigilante has his arms pinned down to keep him from escaping.
"I'm disappointed, Mr. Bertinelli, I truly am, but not unreasonable," said Cayden. "This can go one of two ways for you and your men. The choice is yours."
Jerry looks at Green Arrow and decides that he must do whatever it takes to protect his daughter, whom Cayden threatened earlier, even if it means betraying the vigilante.
"I'm sorry, kid," Jerry apologized.
Jerry aimed his gun at Green Arrow. Before he could fire, Green Arrow's wrist device started blinking green and stopped at red. A series of explosives planted by Green Arrow exploded, giving Green Arrow time to fight back. He punches Vigilante off of him and swings away from the warehouse with a grappling hook arrow.
This just leaves Jerry with Cayden and his cabal.
"Just take the freaking port," Jerry gave up.
"Well, thank you," Cayden said with combination of menace and formality. "Although you elected to betray me this evening, you ultimately made the right choice."
Diaz executes Jerry by shooting him in the head multiple times with his rifle. That means the cabal can use the body to tell Star City of the downfall of the Bertinelli Crime Family. While they prefer to keep their existence a secret, they want the city to be frightened by the unknown.
After a rough night, Laurel returned to her apartment only to find that someone has broken in. Leonard Snart. She'd be angry if he was just a thief breaking in and not someone she's very interested in. He was just sitting down on the couch reading a book. He closed it when he saw the owner of the apartment enter.
"I oughta have you arrested for breaking and entering... if you weren't so cute," said Laurel.
"Well, I don't just break in without reason," said Leonard.
Laurel sits down next to Leonard and starts kissing him. Leonard, however, pulls away, much to her disappointment.
"I'm starting to think you're not all in on this," said Laurel.
"I've been thinking, what exactly are we doing, Laurel?" asked Leonard. "Are we just comrades with benefits or are we something more serious?"
"We could be serious, if you want to," said Laurel, playfully poking Leonard's cheek.
"But based on your history, you're not exactly capable of commitment," said Leonard. "Or maybe you're just using me to dodge your feelings."
"What are you talking about?" asked Laurel.
"Am I the one, Laurel, or just a distraction?" Leonard replied. "I'll give you some time to think. Sorry I can't stay any longer."
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ ARROW ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
Back at the villainous sextet's pocket dimension, Killer Frost resumed to add another entry to her audio journal but not before spying on Laurel and Leonard again. Their romantic drama was getting on her nerves, but what Leonard asked Laurel has her concerned.
"Journey Entry 09-28," Killer Frost started. "The Bertinelli Crime Family port is secured. The Bertinellis' time is up, thanks to Cayden James. Team Arrow believes they have debugged their bunker, but they have no idea what I have planted right under their noses. When Laurel Lance hacked into Cayden's bug, I managed to input an intricate series of code that allowed me to tap into Team Arrow's systems. The bug may be nonfunctional now, but it served its purpose. The Legends. The Time Burea. Team Flash. And now Team Arrow. All are now under surveillance by us. Control is key, and my friends and I have almost absolute control. Unfortunately, while the loyalties of my allies are all but fixed, some of them are letting their hearts spark doubt. Last thing I need is a compromised unit. Rest assured, this will be rectified."
Killer Frost ends the recording and saves it in her audio journal file. She sighs with dissatisfaction, wondering if Laurel's heart will affect her loyalty to the cause.
Looks like Laurel and Leonard's "thing" is working a lot less well than previously expected.
And Thea shall return as Speedy, mark my words.