Lone Gunman
"My name is Selena Merlyn. When I turned sixteen, I learned of my destiny as a Guardian. For two years I trained with a Drakonian elder named Hu-Or, and he told me that I was meant to bring us five Guardians together. However, before I could complete my training, Hu-Or informed me of a dark threat looming over my home. After recruiting a partner in Gotham, I returned to Starling City and teamed up with Oliver Queen, the best friend of my older brother, to help protect the city. Oliver has his own agenda, but I believe that teaming up with him, will help me find the other Guardians, and the Dragon Princess we're meant to protect."
Under the cover of night, Selena, Tim, and Oliver stood on a rooftop adjacent to a high-rise apartment complex, where a very rich and very corrupt man lived. This man was next on the list of names Oliver was crossing off in a way to better Starling City.
"So, tell me again why we're doing this?" Tim whispered to Selena, the pair waiting for Oliver to clear out the security before they moved to the apartment's rooftop. "I thought you had your own mission to deal with?"
"I do." Selena answered in a low voice. "But, I feel that helping Oliver is the right thing to do." Seeing the confused look in her partner's eyes, the dark-skinned girl sighed. "Look, it's hard to explain, but Hu-Or told me to trust my instincts, and they're telling me that us working with Oliver will put me on the right track to finding the other four Guardians and the Dragon Princess."
"Alright." the black-clad male sighed, his breath visible in the cool, night air.
Selena just cracked a small smile and tucked some hair behind her ear. She took a couple deep, slow breaths and her eyes flashed gold as she focused her hearing, catching the last bit of their target's conversation. "Other than the bill I got handed this morning by my legal team, I'm feeling pretty good." Holder chuckled. "Plus, now that this lawsuit's been settled, we can focus our attention on Unidac Industries." after a moment of silence, he continued with "Ok. I'll see you in the office first thing."
The three vigilantes crossed onto the high-rise's rooftop and hid in the shadows. James Holder reached for a glass of wine, when it was suddenly broken by an arrow fired by Oliver. "I have armed security inside." Holder warned, staring a trio in the shadows. "All I have to do is call out."
"Go right ahead." Tim replied, standing firm.
"They can't hear you." Selena added with a smirk as Oliver tossed the guns at their target's feet.
Holder swallowed the lump in his throat, "What the hell do you freaks want?" he questioned, his voice shaking.
"How many people died in those fires?" Oliver asked sternly, taking a step forward. "The courts say you don't owe your victims..."
Oliver's voice trailed off as Selena's hearing picked up on something else. She moved her head ever so slightly, catching the faint sound of a rifle being cocked. She slammed her hand down on Tim's shoulder, forcing them both to the ground as a gunshot sounded.
In the blink of an eye, James Holder was dead in his pool and Oliver ducked behind an AC unit to dodge the bullets being fired at them.
"What the hell is that?" Tim asked in a harsh whisper as he and Selena ducked behind another unit to avoid being shot.
"Apparently someone else wasn't too pleased with James Holder." Selena replied, casting a glance at the dead body floating in the pool.
Back in the trio's headquarters set up under the old Queen Consolidated steel factory, Selena and Tim watched as Oliver dug the bullet from his arm and then proceeded to stitch up the wound.
"It's no surprise a man as corrupt as James Holder has more than one enemy." Tim pointed out as he looked over the file Oliver had put together on their latest target.
"So that means the list of whoever wanted him dead is a pretty long one." Selena noted, leaning against the metal table where the computers were set up.
"And that's a list we need to-" Oliver began to say, but trailed off as he stumbled on his feet, before collapsing on the floor.
Selena was instantly at his side and braced her hands on his shoulders. Her eyes flashed gold as they focused on his newly stitched wound and she inhaled. "Poison." she stated. "The bullet was laced with poison."
"My...trunk..." Oliver rasped out, fighting to stay conscious. Tim darted for the trunk at the opposite end of the room, "Pouch...herbs...water..."
The younger male rummaged through the trunk and found the pouch of herbs, while Selena grabbed the water bottle from the table. Kneeling down next to him, Tim held open the pouch as Oliver took a pinch of herbs from it and dropped it in his mouth, washing them down with the water. A few seconds later, he passed out against Selena's legs.
Hours passed as Tim and Selena kept watch over Oliver to make sure he would be alright. He came to with a sudden jolt and looked around. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Ollie." Selena chuckled, sitting on the metal table with her legs crossed. "You had us worried."
"What time is it?" Oliver asked, slowly getting to his feet. He pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked away the dizziness.
"Ten after seven." Tim answered.
With a groan, Oliver grabbed his sweater and headed out of the Foundry. Tim and Selena just shrugged their shoulders and made their own way out and headed for SC Jitters for some coffee and breakfast.
When Oliver returned home, he saw two uniformed police officers talking with Walter and Moria, while Thea just sat on the couch looking uninterested and Elena rubbing her temples in slight annoyance.
"What happened?" Oliver asked his bodyguard. "Thea ok?"
"The cops brought her home. Her and some of her friends broke into a store, tried on some dresses last night. Lit up the breathalyzer like a Christmas tree." John informed. "So how was your evening, sir?"
Oliver cast a quick glance at his family, "You mean after I said I had to go to the bathroom at dinner and never came back?" he questioned.
John kept his expression neutral, "I guess from now on I'll be watching you pee."
A small smirk crossed Oliver's face as he walked into the living room, passing by Walter as he escorted the two officers out of the house. "Last time it was public intoxication." Moria cleared her throat and turned to her youngest daughter. "This time breaking and entering. My, how we are moving up in the criminal world."
Thea got to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, "You know, when you pay off the store owner, you should check out the merchandise." she cracked a smile, which made her older sister roll her eyes. "They got some pretty killer outfits."
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for school, Thea?" Elena reminded, raising her eyebrow.
A light chuckle escaped the younger brunette's lips, "I was thinking of taking a sick day." she replied.
"Fine." Moria sighed. "Then go upstairs and get some sleep." Thea spun on her heels and headed upstairs, not bothering to hide the smile on her face.
Elena's mouth dropped at her mother's comment, "You're just gonna let her play hooky?" she crossed her arms over her deep-purple blouse. "Seriously mom?"
"Elena, you know when your sister gets like this, it's best to give her her space." Moria reminded in a calm voice.
"Wow." the younger blonde muttered, grabbing a black, leather briefcase and a designer leather handbag with gold chains, "You know, you'd think you would've learned from my mistakes. After all, you gave me so much space, you didn't even notice I was addicted to drugs." Elena slid her sunglasses on top of her head and walked out, brushing past Oliver as she did so.
"You know Thea's testing you, right?" Oliver spoke up as he entered the living room.
"Now who could she have learned that from?" Moria turned and faced her son.
"Mom, when I was their age, you and dad let me get away with murder." Oliver pointed out. "Looking back, I could have used less space and more parenting. You really want what happened to Elena, happen to Thea too?" With that thought, he turned and left.
"Two Cafe Americanos and two breakfast sandwiches." Elizabeth relayed the order as she set down the two plates and drinks on Tim and Selena's table. "Enjoy guys." The redhead gave the pair a smile.
"Thanks Elizabeth." Selena returned the smile and took a sip of her coffee.
"So this is our new normal?" Tim asked, taking a bite of his breakfast sandwich. "We stay out most of the night, crossing names off a list and hopefully stumble across a Guardian?"
Selena shrugged her shoulders, "Pretty much. I told you this wouldn't be easy." she reminded, setting her drink down. "I mean, the visions of the Guardians are blurry and I can't make out any distinguishing features. If I'd had more training, I probably would've found out their true identities."
"But this supposed dark threat is coming and that's why you're here now." Tim finished, taking a swig of his coffee.
"Exactly." Selena nodded in confirmation. "Right now, it's just you, me and Oliver." Her phone buzzed beside her with a text from the aforementioned person, "Speaking of, he wants us to meet him at the Foundry."
They both grabbed their things and Selena left a few bills on the table for a tip before they headed out.
"So what do you think?" Oliver asked as he opened the doors to the steel factory. "Great spot for a nightclub or what?" Along with him were his bodyguard, Diggle, Tim, Selena and Tommy.
"Sweet." Tommy whistled as he looked around, "Though I got to tell you, man, if you're thinking about calling it Queens, I don't think you're gonna get the clientele that you were hoping for."
Both men chuckled as Oliver continued to give them the tour, "Private office." he indicated to a room on the upper level of the building.
"For the private one-on-one meetings, I would imagine." Tommy commentated, earning an eye roll from his sister walking beside him.
"Hopefully the occasional two-on-one meeting." Oliver laughed under his breath.
Again Selena rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I think I see where you're going with this." she muttered, tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's gonna take a lot of work though, to turn an old steel factory into a club."
"Why are you interested in this, Lena?" Tommy glanced to his sister.
Selena just shrugged her shoulders, "Since I've been back home I figured I should get a job." she answered with a smile. "I am eighteen after all. So what do you say Ollie?" she giggled, glancing to the other male she grew up knowing as a second brother. "Think I could be a waitress or something?"
"And I could be a bartender." Tim added with a slightly raised hand.
"Sure thing." Oliver agreed with a nod.
"Sure you want to do this?" Tommy asked in all seriousness. "It's not like you really have any experience in running a...well, anything."
"Maybe you can scope out other clubs to see what you'd need to top to make this place the one to beat." Tim spoke up with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Selena agreed with a smile.
"Yeah. There's a new club opening downtown called Poison." Tommy informed. "Max Fuller owns it."
"Max Fuller?" Oliver repeated. "I slept with his fiancée."
"Yeah, before the wedding." Tommy reminded.
"It was at the rehearsal dinner." Oliver clarified.
"The rehearsal dinner is technically before the wedding." Tommy laughed as he wrapped his arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Besides, who stays mad at a castaway?" His phone buzzed in his pocket and his expression fell, "Damn, I gotta go." he sighed. "Good place man. See ya later." On his way out, Tommy pecked his sister's cheek.
Oliver turned to his bodyguard, "So, what do you think?"
"Well, I'm here to provide security, sir, not a commentary." John answered, standing tall with his hands folded in front of him.
"Oh, come on, Dig." Oliver chuckled. "Speak freely, please."
"Well, this is The Glades, right?" Dig questioned, clearing his throat. "Your rich white friends wouldn't come to this neighborhood on a bet."
"I am Oliver Queen, right?" the blue-eyed male grinned. "People would stand in line for three hours if I opened a club."
"And no one who actually lives in The Glades would see a penny of those cover charges." Dig added.
"So we make it a successful business, we gentrify the neighborhood." Oliver pointed out.
Tim and Selena just stood off to the side and exchanged a glance and arched eyebrows as the two men continued to argue. "The white knight swooping in to save the disenfranchised, all by his lonesome with no help from anybody." Dig went on.
Oliver blinked, "You don't think very much of me, do you?" he questioned with a slightly raised brow.
"No, sir, actually, I have a very high regard for how perceptive you are." Dig spoke up.
While Dig stepped out to get the car, Oliver turned to his two younger partners. "So what's the real reason you want to open a nightclub in this building?" Selena folded her arms over chest and raised her eyebrow.
"Well, the nightclub will conceal the base underneath." Oliver answered. "And with me hiring the two of you, it will also provide an alibi for where we spend our nights."
"So you admit that we're a team." Selena grinned, tapping her fingers on the sleeve of her leather jacket.
Oliver started into the brown eyes of the dark-skinned female, "Yes." he answered. "And who knows, maybe you'll find the rest of your Guardian friends or maybe that Dragon Princess once the club opens."
Selena pursed her lips together, pondering the thought. "Yeah, maybe." she agreed under her breath. She glanced down at the silver Wolf's Paw dangling from the black chain on her wrist, softly caressing the stone as her eyes flashed gold.
In a flash of light, Selena saw the five Guardians standing tall in a stance ready to fight. With the exception of herself, their eyes glowed the colors of the gems they wore and faint auras representing each animal surrounded them. Standing in the middle of the Guardians was the Dragon Princess, her hair glowing like fire.
At CNRI, Andrea looked over the open file in front of her while tapping her freshly manicured nails on her desk. "Hey Andrea." her colleague, Joanna, said, standing behind her. "Do you have the depos on the Jergens case?"
"No." the olive-skinned female replied. "Laurel's got 'em." She glanced across her desk at the aforementioned brunette, who was staring at her computer screen while chewing on a pencap. "Hey Laurel." Andrea snapped her fingers, getting her friend's attention.
"Yeah?" Laurel questioned.
"Jergens depos." Joanna raised her brow.
Laurel looked around her desk as Andrea and Joanna moved to stand on either side of her, seeing the article she was reading. "Really?" Joanna questioned with a scoff.
Laurel just sighed and put on a smile, "I am over him." she assured. Both her colleagues looked at her with arched brows. "And neither of you believe me." the fair-skinned brunette sighed.
Joanna rolled her eyes, "Well, I would have if I wouldn't have just caught you trolling for articles on him." she stated as she began searching filing cabinets for the case depos she was looking for.
"I was not trolling." Laurel defended.
"I don't want to have to be the one to remind you that he cheated on you, Laurel." Joanna pointed out, which made Andrea slap her own forehead and run her hand over her hair. "With your sister."
"Nice self control, Jo." Andrea sighed as she leaned against the filing cabinets.
"Well one of us has to be blunt." replied the dark-skinned lawyer. "It's past time you move on."
"I've been busy." Laurel defended again. "I work a lot."
Joanna shut the cabinet she was looking through, "Tonight the three of us are going out." she declared, glancing between Laurel and Andrea. "We are going to have some shots and we are going to dance with men that we don't know and we are going to stay out way too late."
"Found 'em." Andrea cut in, handing Joanna the file she was looking for. "And I'm in for tonight. I could use a night out."
"Great!" Joanna giggled, patting Andrea's shoulder as she walked past her.
"I really don't think I can go out tonight." Laurel sighed, leaning against her desk.
Andrea chuckled, "It's adorable that you think she's giving you a choice in the matter." She tucked some of her milky-brown hair behind her ear, catching sight of a family of four walking into the office. "Okay, I've got a meeting with some clients, but you are going out with us tonight." she reiterated, meeting her friend's eyes. "So Poison, eight o'clock. See ya there." With a smile, she patted Laurel's shoulder and met her clients before leading them into one of the conference rooms.
Selena and Tim walked through downtown, carefully scanning the area. "So, what are you doing?" Tim asked in a low whisper, his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie.
"Trying to find some evidence of our own." Selena answered, her eyes flashing gold as she remembered the previous night. She closed her eyes as she visualized where the gunshots came from and sniffed the air, picking up the faintest hint of gunpowder. "Over there."
Tim sighed as he watched his partner take off down an alleyway and ran after her. When he turned the corner, his jaw dropped as he watched Selena gracefully swing from a fire escape and grabbed hold of a pipe on the side of the next building. "Damn." he muttered, blinking.
Keeping her balance, Selena saw the hole in the brick where a bullet was lodged. With a flick of her wrist, her nails elongated into claws and she pulled the bullet from the building's side. "Gotcha." she chuckled to herself before jumping down and landing on her feet. With a bounce in her step she walked over to her partner and closed his mouth, "Come on, let's get his back to Oliver."
Tim shook off his daze, "You're a show-off, you know that?" he scoffed, following the African-American girl back to their hideout. Selena just shrugged her shoulders with a light chuckle.
Down in the Foundry, Oliver sat at the computer with Tim and Selena standing on either side of him as he analyzed the bullet. "7.62 millimeter round." he informed the two younger members of his team.
"What was the poison that it was laced with?" Selena asked, her pink-highlighted dark hair falling over her shoulders.
"Curare." Oliver answered. "It's extremely rare and deadly, if not treated in time." He scanned over the computer screens display. "The money trail leads back to the Bratva."
"The Russian mob." Tim clarified, earning looks from both Oliver and Selena. "What?" he questioned. "There's a branch of the Bratva in Gotham. A friend and I dealt with them once or twice." he muttered under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, this is some good luck for us." Oliver stated.
"How so?" Selena raised her eyebrow questioningly as she glanced in his direction.
Oliver pushed his chair back and stood up, looking down to meet her eyes, "Just trust me." he told her before leaving.
Later that night, Tim and Selena got dressed for going out clubbing. "Think you'll find one of your other Guardians tonight?" Tim asked, slipping on his red leather jacket as he walked to Selena's room.
Selena stood in front of her vanity desk where the ornate box that held the other four Animal Gems sat. The lid was off and she stared at the four stones, her straightened hair falling down the back of her black, leather dress. "It's a possibility." she answered, shrugging on a silver leather jacket that matched the ankle boots she was wearing. "Let's go."
"And remember..." Selena added as she opened the door to her mustang convertible, "...we are on a mission so, don't get too drunk and try to bring a girl home for the night."
"Fine." Tim adjusted his jacket as he climbed into the passenger seat. "Should I say the same to you?"
Selena rolled her eyes as she started her car, "Nope." she replied, "I'm not a one-night-stand type of girl." With a wink, she peeled out of the driveway and headed towards downtown Starling City.
Loud music blared from the club as Tommy and Oliver walked in. "This is going to be killer." Tommy laughed, patting his friend's shoulder.
"If Max Fuller sees me here, I agree." Oliver joked.
"Ah, if you want to run a business, you've got to take a few risks." Tommy reminded, slapping his friend on the back.
Over by the bar, Andrea and Laurel each tipped back a shot. "Now that's what I needed after a long day like today." the olive-skinned brunette sighed, signaling the bartender for another shot.
"Yeah." agreed Laurel. "If I were meeting clients with lawsuits against my father all day, I would need something to take the edge off too." She took a sip of her wine. "I still can't believe you're going after him."
"Laurel, he's corrupt." Andrea scoffed, tipping back her next shot. "Shady deals and fraud. Victor deserves to be behind bars."
"So he's Victor now." Laurel noted.
Andrea sighed, "Yes." she confirmed. "He doesn't deserve the title 'dad'. Not after the way he's treated me and Rachel since our mom left." She downed a third shot and exhaled, a smile crossing her lips.
"Wow." a familiar voice chuckled, making the two girls turn. "Doesn't you going out and having fun violate some kind of law?" Tommy questioned with a grin. "Like the ones that are carved on a stone tablet?"
"That's cute, Tommy." Laurel chuckled dryly with a roll of her eyes.
"I can see you two are up to your old hunting patterns." Andrea noted, leaning against the bar, looking between Tommy and Oliver.
"Just seeing what passes for fun in Starling City after five years." Oliver informed with a grin that matched his friend's.
"Well, I'm sure you'll find that it just hasn't been the same without you." Laurel replied sarcastically.
Andrea motioned to the bartender for a few more shots. "Big brother!" Thea giggled as she stumbled over to Oliver. "Oh, I am so wasted right now. There is...two of you."
Oliver just stared at his sister, "I thought you were grounded." he told her.
"I am." Thea drunkenly giggled. "And thank you...for that, by the way." Seeing the stern look in her brother's eyes, the teen girl laughed again. "What are you going to do? Tell mom?"
"Thea." Oliver said sternly. "You are hanging with the wrong people."
"You're one to talk." the youngest Queen scoffed. "How much do you know about your own so-called friends over here?"
"Thea, maybe you should..." Tommy began to say but was cut off by Thea. "Tommy... I think your BFF has a right to know." she stated. "I guess they never told you that they've been screwing while you were gone."
Laurel and Tommy both looked away from Oliver, while Andrea just held her shotglass to her lips, "Well this just got awkward." she muttered under her breath before tipping back her shot.
Tommy went to speak up, but Oliver raised his hand to stop him, before returning his eyes to his sister, "You and me, we're done for the night." He reached out and grabbed Thea's arm.
"Take your hands off of me." Thea snapped, backing away. "You're not my father. And you're barely my brother." She shoved past him back towards the dancefloor.
Tim and Selena stood in the middle of the dancefloor, every once in a while scanning the area. A young woman stumbled past them and bumped into Tim, almost toppling over in the process. "Woah, sorry." Tim apologized, grabbing the young brunette's arm.
Thea looked up and chuckled, "Thanks for the save, handsome." she slurred, lightly tightening her grip on his arm to steady herself.
"Thea?" Selena questioned. "You okay?"
"Yep." Thea giggled, moving to take a step and stumbled again.
Selena rolled her eyes and fished out her phone from her pocket, "Okay T, I'm calling you a ride home." she sighed, tapping a name in her contacts list.
Out on her balcony outside her bedroom, Elena sat in a lounge chair with an open sketchbook on her lap. On the page was a drawing of an eagle perched on a branch, with a sunset in the background. Her phone buzzed on the table beside her, an image of her and Selena appearing on screen.
"Hey Selena, what's up?" Elena asked, holding her phone between her ear and shoulder.
"Your sister's blood alcohol level." Selena answered on the other line, over the sounds of upbeat music.
With a roll of her eyes, the blonde shut her sketchbook, "Where is she?" she huffed, brushing her bangs from her face.
"Poison." Selena replied. "Downtown."
"Yeah, I know where it is." Elena sighed. "I'll be there in like twenty minutes. Just meet me out front." She slid on a pair of flip-flops and grabbed her car keys, shrugging on a purple hoodie on her way out of her room.
"Got it." Selena nodded, casting a glance at Tim and Thea. "See ya soon." She hung up and slid her phone back in her jacket pocket as she walked up to her friends. "Thea, your sister is on her way to pick you up."
Thea scoffed, "You called Elena? I don't need a babysitter Sel." she rolled her eyes and swayed to the side.
"Thea, you're drunk." Selena told her as Tim wrapped an arm around Thea's waist to steady her. "So yes. I called Elena to come pick you up and take you home. Now let's go." As they moved towards the club's exit, Selena accidentally bumped shoulders with another woman in the club and an image of a white fox flashed in her mind again.
The Guardian clad in white and silver dodged the shadowed figures coming at her from every direction. With narrowed, silver eyes she drew back her bow and fired off arrows, which struck her attackers. A light smile crossed her lips as she charged forward, the white Fox aura engulfing her body.
Selena's head whipped around to see who she bumped into, but all she saw were dancing patrons. "Damn." she sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Who is she?" With a shake of her head, she turned back and headed out of the club, meeting Tim and Thea outside.
Oliver and Tommy were shoved into a private area of the club by a few of Max's bodyguards. "Told you he was going to be pissed." Oliver said to his friend as he straightened his jacket.
The bodyguards moved forward and Tommy put himself between them and Oliver. "You want to get to him, you've got to go through me." he stated with a shaky voice. Seeing the stern looks on the men's faces, Tommy gulped. "Wow, they are probably going to go through me."
The four men in the room started throwing punches, and in the midst of the fight Oliver and Tommy ended up on the floor. However, before the guards could land any more hits, they were punched in the back. When they turned to see who attacked them, they were each met with a fist to the face.
"So is this over, Max?" Laurel questioned, cracking her knuckles, staring at the club owner.
"Or are you going to have your boys pound on us next?" Andrea added, flipping her hair over her shoulder as a small smile crossed her lips. Her and Laurel exchanged a glance and bumped fists.
Max motioned for his bodyguards to step aside, "You four consider yourselves banned for life." he stated, pointing to Oliver, Tommy, Andrea, and Laurel. "Get the hell out of my place!" He stormed out of the room with his guards in tow.
"Your club sucks anyway." Tommy shot back after Max had left.
Andrea and Laurel helped Oliver and Tommy to their feet, "You guys alright?" Andrea asked, holding onto Oliver's sleeve and casting a glance towards Tommy.
"Where'd you two learn to do that?" Oliver asked, glancing between the two women.
"Cop dad, remember?" Laurel reminded. "He made me take self defense classes."
Andrea nodded in agreement. "Yeah, especially when we decided to live on campus during our years at law school. Pretty badass right?"
"Definitely." Oliver agreed. He cleared his throat and looked to Laurel, "About what Thea said..."
"Tommy and I don't need your blessing." Laurel cut off. "And I don't need your forgiveness." On that note, she turned around and walked out, leaving behind two very stunned men. Andrea simply sighed and followed her friend, but not before giving Oliver and Tommy a friendly smile goodbye.
Outside the club, Selena and Tim stood with a drunk Thea as they waited for Elena to pick her up. Soon, a deep purple camaro pulled up to the curb and the passenger side window rolled down, "How bad is she?" Elena asked.
"Well, she's been flirting with Tim for the past twenty minutes." Selena answered, leaning down to talk through the window. "She'll probably pass out once her head hits the pillows."
Elena rolled her eyes and unlocked the passenger side door, "Well, thank you for calling and keeping an eye on her 'till I got here." she smiled at her friend as Selena and Tim helped Thea into the car.
"Not a problem." Tim replied, closing the door. "After all, isn't that what friends do?"
"Yeah." Elena nodded with a smile.
"Take care Ellie." Selena returned the blonde's smile.
"You too, guys." Elena quickly waved before pulling away from the club, her sister pouting the whole time.
Selena's cell rang in her pocket and she checked the caller ID, "Yeah Oliver?"
"I've got a name and location for the sniper we're looking for." Oliver informed on the other line. "Meet me at 1700 Broadway. The Papp Motel."
"Papp Motel." Selena repeated, meeting Tim's eyes. "We'll be there." She hung up her phone and motioned to the club's vallet to get her car.
"What's at the motel?" Tim asked in a low voice while they waited.
"Our shooter." Selena answered.
Donning their suits, Oliver, Selena, and Tim snuck around the perimeter of the Papp Motel. Oliver held up his hand and signaled '52', informing his two younger partners of the room number they were heading for.
They snuck up on the room and with a swift kick, Selena knocked the door off its hinges. The next second, Oliver fired an arrow which their target dodged. Soon, bullets started flying and the trio ducked for cover. In the midst of the firefight, Floyd Lawton jumped out through the motel room window and disappeared into the night.
"Damnit." Tim cursed under his breath as he lost sight of Lawton.
"SCPD's heading this way." Selena alerted, catching sirens wailing in the distance. She saw Floyd's laptop on the table and an idea crossed her mind. She grabbed it and jumped out the window with her teammates and they fled into the night.
The next morning, Selena walked the halls of Queen Consolidated with a laptop case slung over her shoulder and a drink carrier with two coffees and a bag from SC Jitters. She checked each of the room numbers before coming to the office she was looking for.
Walking into the small office, her eyes landed on a lone blonde wearing a light pink blouse and white skirt, chewing on a red pencap. "Rachel?" Selena questioned.
The blonde spun around in her chair, the pencap falling from her mouth, "Hey Selena." she greeted with a smile, her low ponytail draped over her shoulder. "What, uh...what are you doing here?" she asked, lightly biting her lip.
"I came to ask a favor." Selena answered honestly, setting the coffee drink carrier on the desk along with the sack. "I went to Jitters and asked Elizabeth what your usual was."
"Vanilla hazelnut latte with two shots of espresso and a cranberry-orange muffin?" Rachel's green eyes widened in excitement as she took a sip of her drink. "What can I do for you?"
Selena lightly chuckled, brushing some hair from her face. "Well, actually it's more of a favor for Oliver since he thinks he's too cool to come down here." she pulled out the bullet ridden laptop and set it in front of them. "He said something about spilling something on it and he needs help."
"Spilled something." Rachel repeated, adjusting her glasses. "I'm no CSI chick or anything but these look like bullet holes to me." She glanced up at the dark-skinned girl, her heart fluttering slightly.
Selena just shrugged her shoulders as she removed her silver leather jacket, "I'm just telling you what Oliver told me." she said, pulling up another chair and taking a seat. "If there is anything that you can salvage from it, I'm sure he'd appreciate it." She gave the blonde girl a genuine smile.
Rachel returned the smile with one of her own and felt her cheeks heat up slightly as she stared into Selena's deep, brown eyes. Quickly, she snapped herself out of the daze, "I'll, uh...I'll see what I can do." She took a deep breath and opened the laptop, Selena still watching her.
Elena walked into her sister's bedroom, carrying two dresses, "Calvin Klein or the Zac Posen?" she asked, holding them up. "Which one do you want to wear?"
"For dinner?" Thea asked, glancing up at her older sister from her bed. "I was just going to wear pajamas."
Elena shook her head, "No. For Walter's stock auction tonight."
Thea scoffed and went back to what she was doing, "I think I'd rather be grounded." she said. "Besides, you're the one going into the family business."
"Whatever." Elena sighed, draping the two dresses over the back of the small couch in Thea's bedroom. "I just thought you would want to be part of the family and come with mom and I to support Walter. He's family too, ya know."
When Elena turned to leave, she came face to face with Moria. "Take a seat, Elena." she told her oldest daughter.
"I've got to get ready-" Elena began to protest, but Moria held up her hand. Sighing in defeat, she sat on the edge of her sister's bed.
"I know things have been difficult these past few years." Moria said as she sat in front of her daughters. "You two were so close when you were little." A faint smile crossed her face when she remembered, "I remember when you were five and four, you had found a stray cat and declared it was going to live with us." Elena cracked a small smile when she remembered what her mother was saying.
"Your father came home from the office and he sat you two down and explained that the cat was in fact a tiger and that we needed to get it home." Moria continued, her eyes welling with moisture at remembering her late husband. "And somehow...you both understood." the two Queen sisters exchanged a glance, "Robert was always so good at getting through to you girls. I was always so jealous of that."
Elena leaned forward and hugged her mother, exhaling a shuddering breath. "That's the first time you've talked about dad in years." she said as she pulled back.
Moria nodded, "The three of us have gotten into some bad habits." she noted, glancing between her daughters. "There's been a lot that has changed recently, and I think that maybe this can change too."
A smile finally crossed Thea's lips and she nodded, "I'd like that." she agreed, her voice cracking slightly. Moria smiled and embraced her daughters, all three sharing a laugh.
After a few minutes, Rachel managed to hack into the laptop, pulling up what information was stored on it. "Looks like blueprints." Rachel noted.
"Blueprints of what?" Selena asked, her arms folded over the back of the chair she sat on.
"The exchange building." Rachel answered. "Unidac Industry's auction is scheduled to take place there tonight." She saw a name on the blueprint window. "I thought you said this was Oliver's laptop." She glanced over at Selena.
"Well, he gave it to me claiming it was his." Selena replied. "Why? What did you find?"
"Well, I know Mr. Steele is planning on buying Unidac." Rachel informed. "And this happens to be a company laptop associated with one of the guys he's competing against."
"Floyd Lawton." Selena noted.
"Warren Patel." Rachel corrected, her eyebrow raising slightly. "Who's Floyd Lawton?"
Selena sighed as she examined the layout, "An employee of Mr. Patel, apparently." she muttered, biting her lip. "Anyway, thanks for the help, Rach." Selena placed a thumb-drive into the laptop and transferred all of the data. "Alright, feel free to wipe this and recycle it or something."
Rachel's eyebrow was still raised as she took off her glasses to clean the lenses, "Sure thing." she agreed, not pressing the obvious issue that Selena wasn't telling her the whole story.
"The glasses are cute." Selena said as she stood up, shrugging her jacket back on.
"Thanks." Rachel replied, sliding her glasses back on. "I just use them for work."
Selena gave a nod, "Well, guess I'll see you around." she lightly chuckled, tucking some hair behind her ear.
Again, Rachel lightly bit her bottom lip, "I like the pink highlights." she nervously smiled, "You look good." She then went back to her work, mentally kicking herself.
A smile crossed Selena's lips as she stepped out of the office, "You too." she replied before spinning on her heels and walking out, a bit of a bounce to her step.
That night, Selena met Tim and Oliver at the exchange building, prepared to locate Floyd Lawton and take him down before anyone else was killed. "How did you get SCPD to go along with this?" she asked in a low whisper.
"He didn't give Lance a chance to say no." Tim answered, buttoning up his suit jacket.
"Just be on alert." Oliver told them, smoothing out his own suit. "Lawton will try to take out the rest of the buyers. He won't be deterred by the police presence." Selena and Tim both nodded and the trio split up into the crowd.
As Oliver scanned the area, he heard his name being called and turned to see his step-father by the bar getting a glass of champagne. "So pleased you were able to attend." Walter greeted.
"Walter, the police said that some of the Unidac bidders were murdered." Oliver informed, trying to keep his demeanor calm. "I just think that we should be a little bit more careful. My mother's already lost a husband."
"Well, if Moira shared your concern, she wouldn't have come." Walter noted. "And she definitely wouldn't have brought your sisters." He motioned over to where Moria, Elena and Thea were standing talking with Walter's assistant.
Oliver quickly made his way over to his mother and sisters, wanting nothing more than to get them to safety before Lawton showed up. He walked up behind Elena and placed his hand on her bare shoulder. "Ollie." the blonde smiled, giving her brother a one-armed hug. "I didn't know you'd show up."
"What a wonderful surprise." Moria added with a smile.
Mr. Diggle joined the Queen family and Oliver looked right to him, "I need you to get them out of here right now." he told his bodyguard.
The next second, a gunshot sounded and Oliver wrapped his arms around Elena while Dig did the same for Moria and Thea. "You okay?" Oliver asked Elena, who was gripping his arm and trying to catch her breath. "You hurt?" Oliver then turned to his mother and youngest sister, who shook their heads.
"Sir, I have to get you out of here." Dig stated.
"No, them!" Oliver rebuked, pushing Elena towards their mother. "Them." he repeated before taking off into the chaotic crowd.
The frenzied crowd gave enough cover for Tim and Selena to sneak out of the building to where they hid their suits. They quickly suited up and met up with Oliver, who fired an arrow with a cable attached to it to help them get to the next building.
The vigilante trio crashed through the building's window and were immediately fired on. Lawton fired off multiple rounds from the turret on his wrist, stopping when he didn't see any more movement. Unbeknownst to him, the three vigilantes were each laying in wait.
Selena's eyes flashed gold under the black hood she wore when Lawton's form passed under her. She jumped down from the rafters, landing behind the assassin and instantly attacked. The shadows around them seemed to move with her with each punch. Her nails extended into claws and she managed to slice the turret from Lawton's wrist and pushed him on the defensive.
Tim extended his bo-staff and the battle soon became two-on-one. The duo knocked Lawton off-balance, giving Oliver the chance to jump in. But, Lawton wasn't going down so easily and he managed to land some good blows and forced the trio to duck for cover once he recovered his weapon.
"Drop your guns." Oliver ordered from behind a cement pillar. He cast a glance to the side where his partners were pressed against another pillar, Tim holding his wrist which looked sprained.
"I admire your work." Lawton admitted, strapping on his turret. "Guess you won't be extending me any professional courtesy."
"We're not in the same line of work." Selena snarled, flexing her claws.
"Your profession is murder." Oliver added.
"You've taken lives." Lawton pointed out.
Oliver sighed, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "For the good of others." he stated. "You're only out for yourself."
A small smirk crossed Lawton's face because that statement was true. He fired off a few rounds into each cement pillar then stopped. That small pause was enough time Oliver needed to fire an arrow from his bow, which struck.
After a few seconds, Selena, Tim, and Oliver stepped out from behind the pillars and stood over Lawton's body, the arrow lodged in the patch over his right eye. "Damn." Tim muttered.
"Yeah." Selena breathed out, her eyes returning to their normal brown.
Oliver just stood and stared down at the body, focusing on the arrow in the eye. A groan from someone else snapped him out of his daze and he turned around, seeing Dig leaning against the wall, with a visible gunshot wound.
Oliver and Selena helped Dig down the stairs leading to the Foundry while Tim ran ahead and grabbed the herbs from Oliver's trunk, along with a few other things and set them on the table. While Selena and Tim tended to Dig's wound, Oliver crushed a some of the herbs and mixed them with water in a tin cup, and gave it to Dig to cure the poison in his system.
An hour later, Diggle woke up drenched in sweat. He looked around, unfamiliar with his surroundings. Slowly, Dig sat up and his eyes landed on Oliver leaning against a metal table with Selena and Tim on either side of him, all still wearing their vigilante suits.
A/N: Another chapter down, hope ya'll like it. Again I only own my OCs Andrea Rayne, Rachel Rayne, and Elena Queen. The character's Selena Merlyn and Elizabeth Mendel belong to my sister DemonGirl123. Tim Drake belongs to DC comics and the other characters belong to CW Arrow. Like always, I look forward to your reviews.
For some fun little trivia regarding the story, please visit the "Wolf's Moon Rising" page on SCP wiki.
Review responses:
DemonGirl123: I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and the cute little Pokemon references. Thanks again for all your support and letting me use your characters and I hope I'll do them justice. Love ya sis!
powerrangeroflight: I'm glad you're enjoying the series and like the little twists of mine and my sister's DemonGirl123. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and will stick with the story.
FirePheonix11: Maddie, thank you for giving this story of mine a chance even though you are unfamiliar with Arrow. I'm glad you're giving it a shot and I hope to see more reviews from you in the future. Thanks for your support and I'm glad you're liking it so far. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.