Team Arrow and the DEO transport Kara to her apartment...
(The DEO – 14:43)
"Alright, going through the plan one more time."
Slade's voice echoed in the conference room of the DEO, as he, Team Arrow, James, Clark, Winn, and J'onn were standing around the table with a digital holographic map of National City hovering on the table in front of them. Alex was with Kara in the med-bay, making sure that she wasn't alone. It was now three days since they rescued her, and they decided that the time was right to transport her. She was recovering, now able to walk freely despite a limp. However, the kryptonite molecules weren't passing through her system, which meant that she still didn't have her powers and was still vulnerable. As a result of this, Slade had concocted a comprehensive transport plan to get her to her apartment safely.
There was still absolutely nothing incriminating coming from the bug in Lacroix's office, and Oliver was beginning to wonder whether or not Lacroix knew it was there and was purposely not giving up anything to just toy with them. With a man of his power, they didn't know how far his influence reached and where he had eyes, so it was best to conceal Kara's transportation as best as possible. With Lacroix being an ally of Cadmus, he probably knew of the DEO, but based off what they knew so far, still didn't know Kara's secret identity. Still, they were rather to be safe than sorry.
"Nyssa is going to go to Kara's apartment immediately after this and wait there" continued Slade, as he explained the transport plan, "As soon as she reaches, two DEO vans are going to leave from here disguised as delivery vehicles. One van will be driven by Roy and James, the other by Oliver and Alex, who will have Kara with them. The vans will stop at Wood's Hardware and the Pet's Corner to make pseudo-deliveries before going to Kara's apartment. Once there, they'll drive into this alleyway, concealing them from the view of the public. Oliver will get out in civilian clothing before the vans drive back out into the open and let Kara out in the delivery clothing. Oliver will shadow Kara into her apartment building, and then Nyssa will come out a few moments later in the exact same clothing as Kara, giving the illusion that she's come back out. While this is all happening, Clark will be shadowing from the skies, I'll be stationed on a rooftop with an overview of the area surrounding Kara's apartment and Maggie will be right by the entrance to Kara's apartment. Any final questions?"
Slade looked around the room, and was met only with faces of determination and focus.
"Alright. We roll out in 15" said Slade, as they all nodded and dispersed from the room to get ready. Oliver instead headed straight for the med-bay, knocking on the door politely before entering. Alex and Kara sat on the bed next to each other, and both turned their heads to look at Oliver.
"We're moving out in 15 minutes. You should get ready" said Oliver to Alex.
"Right" said Alex, who smiled at her sister and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before standing up and exiting, leaving Oliver and Kara alone in the room. Oliver smiled before approaching her, thoroughly pleased to see her beauty returning as the black eye she once had dissipated and the cuts on her arms were healed.
"Hey" he said warmly, as he walked up to in front of her.
"Hey" she replied, reciprocating the smile he was giving her.
"Are you ready?" asked Oliver.
"Yeah" she replied, trying to appear confident, but the nervousness and anxiety in her body language and on her face was far too evident to dispute.
"Hey" said Oliver before placing his hand on her shoulder, "It's going to be okay. I'm going to be there with you the whole time" he said reassuringly.
Kara placed her hands on his, smiling appreciatively at him before she stood up and walked out the room with him.
(DEO Parking Garage - 15:00)
"Slade, what's your status?" spoke Oliver into the comms device as he sat with Kara in the back of the van.
"In position."
"Nyssa?" asked Oliver.
"In position."
"Alright, we're good to go. Let's move out" said Oliver. Within no more than a few seconds, Alex started the van up, and they began the drive. Their van was going out first, while Roy and James were trailing behind them. The reasons for employing two vans were that one could act as a decoy, and if they were attacked, they could provide back-up for each other. Despite them having Clark watching them, they knew that Lacroix and Cadmus likely still had kryptonite with them, and thus they could still rely on Slade and the others to provide back-up in case Clark was compromised. Oliver didn't take his eyes off Kara for a second throughout the ride. She was trying to hide her fear and anxiousness, but for Oliver, it was obvious.
Suddenly, the van bumped violently, causing Kara to flinch and Oliver to jolt upright to look towards Alex.
"Sorry. Hit a pothole" said Alex apologetically. Oliver let out a breath of relief, letting go of the thought that they were being ambushed. He relaxed back onto his seat, taking him a second to realise the softness he was feeling in his left hand. Looking down towards it, he saw that he had grabbed Kara's hand as soon as the van hit the bump. He looked up at Kara's face, seeing her become slightly more relaxed, but also shocked upon feeling Oliver's hand intertwined with hers. Their eyes met, and they both gave each other comforting but nervous smiles as their hands slowly let go of each other's.
A few minutes later, they felt the van come to a stop and turn into a parking.
"First delivery coming up" said Alex, as she exited the van to drop a package off at Wood's Hardware, returning just a few moments later to continue the drive.
"Package is dropped off."
"Alex has made the delivery. Our drop-off is coming up soon" said Roy.
"Roger" acknowledged James, "Hey, you never told me how you met Oliver?" asked James curiously.
"I'm dating his sister" replied Roy, bluntly.
"What? Really?" replied James, out of shock, "Man, you got some serious balls."
"Comes with the job, doesn't it?"
"Can't argue with that."
"Dropping off our package" heard Oliver over the comms from James.
With the two pseudo-deliveries done, it was now time for them to go to Kara's apartment. Everything had gone smoothly and to plan so far. They could only hope that that would be the case now.
"We're around the corner from the apartment. Get ready" said Alex, prompting Oliver to put on his trench-coat, "Entering the alleyway now" said Alex a few moments later.
After a couple of seconds, the van came to a stop, and Oliver quickly opened the back door of the van and hopped out. Immediately upon jumping out, he saw Roy and James in the van behind them. They both gave him a nod, which he slightly returned before stepping out of the way and letting the vans drive out of the alleyway. The cold breeze of the National City air hit him immediately when he stepped out. It was an unusually chilly day, as Oliver looked up to the sky to see the mostly overcast sky with few breaks in the clouds allowing the scarce sunlight to shine through. He walked out of the alleyway behind the vans, walking out onto the sidewalk of the road. He saw Roy and James park their van several meters in front of him and get off to enter the coffee shop in front of the entrance to Kara's apartment building just as he heard Alex's voice blare up on the comms.
"Guys, we have a slight problem."
"What is it?" asked Oliver.
"There's no parking directly in front of the entrance."
Oliver sighed out of frustration when he heard her say those words, immediately spotting her having to park her van across the street from Kara's apartment. The plan was originally to park the van right in front of the entrance of the van to minimize the risk of people seeing her and of an attacker getting a clear shot at her. Now, she was going to have to cross a road in broad daylight, completely vulnerable and exposed.
"It's alright. I'll walk with her" replied Oliver.
"Don't worry, we got you guys covered" said Roy, as Oliver walked past him.
"Slade and I will be extra alert."
"Thanks, Clark" replied Oliver as he continued walking towards Alex's van. He watched as Kara got out of the back of the van, holding a medium-sized box in her hands. Her hair was tied up and hidden by the cap she was wearing, which also partially concealed her face. He walked until he was right next to her once again. She turned to look at him, and he offered a friendly half-smile that one would normally give to a stranger. Oliver looked to his right, seeing Maggie leaning on the bonnet of her police car, inconspicuously drinking a coffee. She gave him a nod before Oliver and Kara began to cross the road.
Step, by step, by step.
Each one feeling as if it took an eternity to complete. With Kara out in the open, all of them were looking around suspiciously and scrutinising the details around them. Roy and James looking at the cars around them, Slade looking at the surrounding buildings through the scope of his sniper rifle, while Clark was scanning the whole area with his x-ray vision, leaving no stone unturned.
Oliver walked with Kara just behind her to her right, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. He could see her hands beginning to tremble, shaking as she held the box. Her breathing was becoming erratic, as Oliver could see her hyperventilating as she continued walking across the street.
"Kara, relax… you got this" whispered Oliver, just loud enough so that she could hear him. Despite his words, she continued to slowly lose control over herself, as she felt her own heart pounding against her chest. Each of them felt the tension of the situation as she walked. Roy, James and Maggie all kept their hands hovering above their sidearm holsters, Clark felt his eyes start to heat up involuntary, and Slade's finger moulded to the shape of the trigger of his sniper rifle. If anything was going to happen, it was going to happen now.
Edging closer and closer to the entrance, they were soon off the road and onto the sidewalk. Kara paced towards the door to her building, and Oliver quickly ran up to beside her as she approached the door. He quickly pulled out the keys to the door from his pocket and unlocked it, opening it for Kara as her hyperventilation became audible. She quickly paced into the building as soon as the door opened, with Oliver following behind her and closing the door behind him. Everybody on the team let out a deep breath, for Kara was now safe and secure.
Kara dropped the box from her hand and flung the cap off her head, with Oliver quickly placing his hands on her shoulders and looking deep into her watery eyes.
"Kara, it's okay… It's okay. You're safe now" he said. The tears started to roll down her eyes, and Oliver lifted his hands to her cheeks, wiping them away with his thumbs. He pulled her close into a hug, which she gladly accepted. She pulled him close tightly, craving the security that he provided her. They only separated when Nyssa appeared a few seconds later, who placed a comforting hand on Kara's shoulder before speaking.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore, dear. You're safe, and we're going to protect you" said Nyssa, before exiting the building. Oliver looked back to Kara, meeting her eyes once again.
"Come on, let's go" said Oliver, gesturing with his head that they go to her apartment unit.
