'If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door'
-Milton Berle
Titans
Part One: Genesis
Chapter Two: The Offer
They were a little over halfway back Star City when Digg noticed that Oliver was waving him down, and after a quick check to make sure that there was no one else behind him, he pulled the van over to the side, bringing it to a stop on the hard strip of the freeway, ending just in front of the rear wheel of Oliver's motorcycle.
Thea and Lyla were quick to get out of the van, almost jumping out of the backseat; Thea feeling restless from sitting still for so long with nothing to do, and Lyla wanting to make sure that John Junior got some fresh air. They were followed by a much less hasty Diggle and Felicity, as the quintet made their way over to where Oliver was leaning against his standing bike, in the middle of removing his helmet.
"What's with the stopping man?"
"I've decided that I'm not going to be heading home with you all just yet"
"What? How come? You are the mayor man, you do have a city to run"
He blew out a breath, expecting to hear that a lot when he got back, "I know, but I need to head to Hub City, and I'll probably be there for the day, maybe another one, but there's someone I need to see about a thing"
"And I assume that you're being purposefully vague about this for a reason?"
"I am, but this time, it's none of your business", he ignored the affronted look from Felicity, and the surprised one from Diggle, as he took in his sister and Chief of Staff, who was looking at him in confusion.
"Ollie, just what's going on?"
"It's personal, but I'll talk to you when I get back Speedy, okay? If it goes well, it'll probably end up including you anyway. Can you book a table for three on Sunday night? It can be wherever you want, and we can talk there - just make sure that it's somewhat private"
"Alright", she was frowning, but wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "we'll talk in a few then"
"Digg, I'll need you to look in on the recruits while I'm gone, and I want you to keep Artemis out of the field until I get back. It should just be for the one night"
"Do you mind if I ask why?"
"I just", he sat up straighter, to look his oldest friend in the eye, "I just need you to trust me on this one Digg. No questions asked"
The former solider looked as though he wanted to argue, but decided to hold his tongue, and instead nodded his consent. Oliver had always played things close to his chest, but this was the first time he'd been sure to tell them that he was actually playing something.
If nothing else, for that act alone, he felt that this deserved his trust.
Satisfied with the non-verbal response, Oliver slid his helmet back on, and ignoring the suspicious looks he was getting from both, Felicity and Lyla, he raised a hand to them all in goodbye, before he gunned the acceleration, turning left where the team would go straight ahead, and began following the signs for Hub City.
He had an old friend to visit.
Jason Anders was relieved when the giant clock above the garage door finally hit six o'clock.
The day had felt like a long one, and with each passing second, the heat emanating from inside of the garage was made worse by the complete chill coming as a result of the rain from the outside.
It made everything feely 'sticky'.
Grimacing, he took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow on the sleeve of his overalls, he pulled the pale blue fabric over his head and toed off his work boots, before he put them back into his work locker; before taking a moment for a quick wipe down with the towel he kept there, followed by replacing his boots and overalls with a pair of sturdy trainers, black slim-fit jeans and his bright red hoodie, before he waved a goodbye to Mark, the garage's lead mechanic, and stepped out onto the streets.
He immediately pulled his hood up, liking the anonymity the material provided him, before tightening it, as the rain chose that moment to begin falling faster than it had been before. It immediately soaked through the material, chilling him to the bone, and ensuring that he completely regretted his decision to not put on a thicker coat when he left for work that morning.
He took a long, deep breath and gained a lungful of 'The Hub'.
The air was nice and crisp, even in the drearier parts of the city; a testament to the city's strong policy of cutting down on the use of non-renewable energy sources, which was something he could appreciate. As he made his way down the wide main street, he took in a whiff of the local pizza parlour, enjoying the scent of grease and salt, as his eyes saw that it was still filled with customers, despite the fact that their outdoor patios couldn't be used.
He nodded at a few people that he had come to recognise as regulars for the area, most of them being from the city's local homeless population; they were among the few people that he made an attempt to strike up conversations with, knowing that they were the first people who would know if anything particularly vicious going on in the area. It always kept his mind calm to know that everything was fine, even despite the fact that Hub City was a city known for its low crime rate.
He made a quick stop to the nearest convenience store to pick up a fresh carton of milk and a few bags of chips, paying in cash, and giving May, the elderly checkout lady, a smile when she gave him back his change, earning a wink in response, causing him to let out a short laugh.
He winked back at her on his way out, tucking his purchases under his left arm as he made his way back onto the street.
It was raining even heavier than it had before when he stepped out of the store, and he pulled the strings on his hood tighter in response, despite the fact that he knew it wasn't waterproof.
His walk sped up into a light run as the rain continued to fall hard, utterly drenching him through his jacket and beginning to soak through to his t-shirt too.
He turned the corner onto his block and made a straight beeline for the front steps of his apartment block, barely avoiding slipping on the steps, he didn't hesitate to pull open the front doors and dive inside, relishing the warm and dry entry way to his building.
He ignored the broken-down elevator, walking straight past it and onto the stairs. Half-walking, half-jogging, he made his way up to the fifth floor, heading for his own apartment - apartment 5B - which was all the way at the very top of the building, but instead of having a nice view of the rest of the area, which some people apparently had to have, he had a rather nice view of the building next door, as well as complete access to the building's fire escape.
It was the reason he chose the apartment.
Absentmindedly, he manoeuvred his free hand into his jeans' pocket, sliding his key into his palm, and then the lock, before using his shoulder to nudge the door open. Managing to keep a firm hold on his purchases, as he half-walked, half-stumbled through the door, caching himself at the last moment.
Kicking the door shut behind him, he froze for a moment, even as he dropped the milk and chips on the countertop, before shrugging it off with his wet jacket, slinging the offending garment over the nearest radiator.
He used a dish towel to dry his hair, as he cast his eyes around his darkened apartment. It was bare, which was fine with him, he'd never had that much stuff to begin with. The only personal items were the Flash and Green Arrow figurines that were set onto the TV stand, which he had manoeuvred into fighting stances.
"Are you going to stand there all night? Brooding in the dark? Or are you going to come out and say hi"
There was a low chuckle as the hidden figure in his apartment stepped out of the shadows, even as he hit the light witch on the wall, brightening the room considerably.
"I see your skills haven't diminished then"
He scoffed, "Please, I grew up with those kind of skills, kinda needed them to survive; all you did was just help make them better. It does help that I was taught by the best though"
"Ah, flattery", he smirked as he lowered himself into one of the room's two armchairs, "it'll get you everywhere, you know?"
"So they tell me", he threw his towel into the kitchen as he moved to take the opposite seat, leaving a small coffee table in between them, "what do you want Oliver?"
The Star City Mayor-by-day, vigilante-by-night, reclined in his chair, relaxing slightly, as he slid over the file he'd brought, "To put it simply… do you want to get back in the game?"
Across from him, Oliver read the interest on Roy's face the second it appeared, the disbelief colouring his face, even as the other man took a moment to read through the file, scanning each page in turn with growing understanding, "Are you serious about this man? Who else knows about this?"
"You know I wouldn't be here if I wasn't serious, and other than the two of us, no one else knows just yet. I'm planning on telling Thea and a new girl when I get back though - I think they'll both want to be a part of it"
"Good… that's good, you should definitely tell Thea", he paused for a minute, "alright then. When do we start?"
"You're in? Just like that?"
"Well, I'll need you to hook me up with a new suit, a new bow and all that, but if you've got me a place to stay, then hell yeah I'm in. I've been going out while I'm here, lending a hand here and there, knocking a few heads together, scaring a few people straight, you know how it is"
Oliver let out a chuckle, he hadn't checked up on Roy with any regularity, but somehow he knew that Roy wouldn't be one to idle, "I can get you a new suit fairly easily, and there's a few notes in there on possible expansion, but I also want you to be the one looking out for them. You'll be the oldest one there"
"And the most experienced?"
Oliver nodded, "That too"
"I suppose I can do that. I became your student to do my part to save my city. When I outed myself as 'The Arrow'", he made the gesture with his hands, "it was because that was the best way to do that. The city might've been better for having Roy Harper, but it needed Oliver Queen. Arsenal was good, but the Arrow was better"
"I go by 'Green Arrow' these days"
"Uh huh, well either way, it still needs you, but if there's even a chance for me to do that same type of work again, as myself, as Arsenal, then believe me when I say that I'm all in"
Oliver smiled, filled with pride at seeing his protégé step up once again, handing over another slip of paper, this time with an address written on it. Roy snatched it up as though it had been written on a plate of solid gold, "Here. That's where I want you to be. Be there at ten AM, in six weeks' time"
"I'll need the time to pack up here", Roy nodded to himself, "I'll be there, you can count on me", both men stood up, recognising that it was time for Oliver to leave, and they shook hands, stood together as student and master once again, "and if you need anything before then, well you already know where to find me"
When they released their hands, the elder archer made his way to the door, but before he could leave, he turned back, "Actually, there is something you could do for me"
"Alright Wallace, my man! You go, go, go, yes you do! That's my boy, right there"
"Woo! Ha ha!"
Finishing his latest training set with a laugh, Wally West ran out of the speed lab's testing circuit in a flash of bright yellow lightning and skidded to a stop in font of HR; their Earth-19 visitor, who was the latest version of Harrison Wells that had taken up residence in Team Flash.
He grabbed the jacket of his STAR Labs tracksuit and threw it around his shoulders, which matched the jogging bottoms and sneakers he was wearing. HR, who had been giddily twirling a drumstick in his right hand, wildly gestured to the screen that recorded him when he ran.
"Alright then, how'd I do?"
"How'd you do? How'd you do Wallace West!? I'll tell you how you did - that was your best time yet! I sneaked a peak and let me be the one to tell you; Kid, you're way faster than Barry Allen was at this point in his training"
"Training? What training? What the hell's going on here?"
Both quasi-mentor and student turned at the sound of an angry Joe West's voice; the police detective looking every inch a lawman, as he made his way into the lab space, flanked by a reluctant Barry and Iris, and seeing the look on his father's face, Wally decided it was best to try and downplay what they were doing.
"Nothing"
"Nothing"
He winced.
He knew that was a poor excuse before the words had finished leaving their lips.
They really needed to get better at lying"
"Nice try", Joe stared down at his son, and Wally winced as the pitch of his voice went up in the middle, and Joe pressed again while Barry began speed reading the data that was on the screen, "now answering me without the bull, I'll ask you again, what training?"
"You've been training Wally as a speedster"
It was Barry that spoke up, having finished speed reading the data. It was a list of the top speeds Wally had been able to attain, how long he had been able to hold them for, HR had even begun making him work on his reaction time by introducing new stimuli into the circuit while he was running it.
Barry had known that Wally had been using the circuit to test himself - to make himself faster - but this was more than that.
This was the same type of training he'd set for himself.
When he actually had the free time.
A part of Barry was impressed that Wally was at a point in his training after just a few weeks, whereas it had taken him months to get that fast.
Seeing what could be his best opportunity, Wally stood firm against his father's unyielding stance, "I wanna help Barry do what he does. I'm faster than he was at this point in his training. I helped out with the Dominators. I can-"
"No. Absolutely not", Joe was adamant, and apparently his mind wasn't changing. It was clear to both Wally and HR that both his sister and The Flash agreed with his opinion, "You are not a superhero Wally, and Barry doesn't need any help out there"
"But Savitar-"
"I said no Wally! And believe me, that's final. You will not be running around out there, putting your life on the line; it's too dangerous, and you", the CCPD Detective rounded on the Harrison Wells of Earth Nineteen, who wisely took a large step back, "you should've known better. You know I would never allow-"
"Dad!" Wally stepped in front of his trainer, "Don't blame him for this. I'm a legal adult, and I asked for his help. I want to do this-"
"I said no Wally", he let out a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself, "and I've already said 'no' before; my decision on this is final"
"That's not fair"
"Life's not always gonna be fair, I suggest you get over it son"
Letting out a frustrated groan, Wally darted forwards; Joe took a step back, startled by his youngest son, who ran out of the room, wrapped in a blur of yellow lightning, he made sure to hit Barry in the gut with his shoulder, knocking him into the ground and making sure that he couldn't be followed.
"Well", HR stuck his drumsticks into the back pocket of his jeans, the negativity in the room making him feel nervous, "you know what? I feel like I'm in the mood for a cappuccino. I'm gonna get me one. Anyone else want to come with?"
He skidded to a stop on top of the STAR Labs building, letting out a scream of frustration into the evening air, where it was swallowed up the noise of the city, drowned out by the din of the night's traffic and the people.
Normally, it was one of the things Wally loved most; standing on the roof of the building, high above the rest of the people, and he could simply watch on as the rest of Central City lived and breathed beneath him.
Normally, it was one of the things that served to help make him feel calmer.
But right now, Wally just wanted to scream.
It just wasn't fair.
Barry got to use his powers to help people, running around every day with the wind on his face, helping put smiles back on the faces of those that needed him, and making sure that his city was safe.
And Joe and Iris not only knew about it, but they encouraged it - encouraged him.
Even Jesse was allowed to be trained to use her powers - and Harry was way stricter with her than Joe normally was with him.
There was so much that Barry could teach him about the different ways he could go about using his powers to help people, to be a hero, someone who could stand up and show the people that they mattered; just like Barry had been doing for years now, but he wouldn't, not while Joe and Iris both said 'no'.
It wasn't fair.
He heard the dull thud of boots on the ground, and didn't even bother to look up from his city view as he spoke, "I'm not in the mood for a talk"
"Well… are you in the mood to listen?"
Wally darted to his feet, spinning around, as his eyes began scanning the area for the source of the noise.
"I'm up here"
His eyes shot up to the building's decorative metal structure that shot up towards the sky, making the building stand out amongst the skyline, and it was there that Wally found him, stood on one of the maintenance walkways, leaning over the railing as he gazed down at him.
Wally thought he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place his face.
"What-", he cleared his throat after his voice quivered, he stood up straighter, ignoring the embarrassed flush that was growing across his cheeks, "what are you doing here?"
"Me? Looking for you", he responded simply, as though that wasn't a completely creepy thing to say. Ignorant, or uncaring of what he had just said, the stranger slid off the rung he was sitting on, dropping to the floor in front of him, rolling though with the impact, until he was back on his feet, "you are Wally West, right? The speedster who isn't actually being allowed to train and use his powers?"
"Who the hell are you?"
"My name's Roy Harper, but I prefer to go by Arsenal when I'm working. I was trained by the Green Arrow, and if you're interested, I have a message from him, for you"
Shifting between the balls of his feet, Wally debated his options. In his mind, there were three viable ones in front of him.
Option number one: He could run, moving quicker than the other guy - Roy - could keep up with. He could get Barry and his dad, throw this guy in the pipeline and leave him there until they figured out what was going on.
Option number two: He could try and take this guy himself, but… if he wasn't lying and he had been trained by the Green Arrow… there had to be a reason why Barry and Cisco, both of whom had incredibly super-strong super-powers, were kind of terrified of the guy, and that could mean this guy knew what he was doing. Not to mention whatever the Green Arrow would do to him if he managed to injure the guy's protégé.
Also… Arsenal did sound kind of familiar.
Okay, so option number two was probably out.
And then there was option number three…
Even by their usual standards, Wally had to admit that option number three was probably not a good idea.
It was potentially the most dangerous.
But he'd never been known for his good decision making skills anyway.
"Okay", he stuck out his hand to Roy, who immediately shook it with one of his own, "yeah, my name's Wally West… and I think I'd like to listen"