Author's note: So sorry for the delay. I meant to have this up earlier. Unfortunately, real life just would not give me a break.
I also struggled a bit with getting the tone right for this.
Here it is though.
Chapter Three
"Breach in, five, four, three, two, ONE."
After that, things escalated quickly. Felicity tried to keep count of the amount of people felled by Oliver's arrows, and by Diggle and Helena's rubber bullets, but it was chaos. And dark. They were going to have to invest in night vision cameras, she thought with annoyance.
While Helena took the stairs up to the upper floors, Oliver and Diggle made their way into the basement. They were confronted by a lot more people down there and she watched on the jerky camera feed as Oliver and Diggle ducked and ran as they returned fire.
"Roy, you're up." She instructed.
Roy kicked in the exit and quickly ran inside. "Starting search." He declared.
"Upper levels clear, coming down." Helena stated.
Felicity had to remind herself to breathe as she watched the four camera feeds. Diggle and Oliver had successfully concentrated the attention of the guards on them. There were several pallets and crates with cash ready to go, and the guards seemed intent on defending it. Diggle and Oliver were fighting them off, while trying to get to the printing machine to get the money plates.
With the guards distracted, Roy was quickly scanning the sectioned off parts of the basement and Helena ducked in unnoticed to help.
'Please be there, please be there, please be there.' Felicity thought anxiously.
A dark figure stepped around a corner suddenly and Helena quickly lashed out, kicking him square in the stomach before punching him in the side of the head.
Felicity gripped her headset as the guy went down like a stone. "Roy, two rows over and to your right." She said shakily.
Helena slunk around the corner and paused to take in the sectioned off room. Felicity leaned forward in her seat. The video feed showed the silhouettes of two other people, plus someone in a chair.
Roy came running around the corner and Helena gave him a nod. Together, they quickly burst inside and incapacitated the two men. Felicity anxiously waited for them to turn around and finally:
"Walter."
Helena quickly stepped over to him and knelled down next to his chair. Felicity sucked in a breath. He looked like hell. His arms were secured to the armrests with zip ties. His clothes were filthy and torn. There were bruises in various stages of discoloration visible on his arms and face.
"We've got Walter." Helena declared.
"Condition?" Oliver grunted over the coms.
Helena reached out to tap Walter's face as Roy cut through the restrains. Walter blinked blearily at her, his eyes slowly focusing.
"Conscious and responsive." She replied. "Can you walk?" she asked Walter.
"Who are you?" he croaked.
Helena smirked. "I owed Oliver a favor." She said. "Can you walk?"
"Yes." He nodded. "Oliver?"
Helena took his hand and she and Roy hauled him out of the chair, ducking under his arms to support him when he swayed. Helena touched her hand to her ear. "We're on the move." She said. "What's your status?"
"Mostly clear." Oliver panted. "Take the west exit, you'll be in our line of sight if you take the front."
"Understood." Helena said. "This way." She said to Walter, and they began to slowly make their way to stairs. "We could use a ride." Helena said, as Walter struggled to walk.
"Coming up." Felicity declared. She quickly pushed out of her seat and stumbled to the front of the van, squeezing between the seats to get behind the wheel. Over her headset she could hear the continued sounds of the fight as she started the van.
She drove around the corner and down the street towards the complex. She could see the chain link fence looming and spared a thought for the paint job of her beloved mobile command center before she gunned the accelerator. She crashed through the fence and drove on, making a hard u-turn at the front entrance. There wasn't enough room for the van along the side of the building, so she backed up as much as she could to the corner of the building. Leaving the engine running, she squeezed back through the seats, rushing to the back doors just as Oliver cursed violently.
"Helena, move!" he shouted.
She spared a glance at the video feed and saw that they'd put action to words and had set fire to the counterfeit money. She threw open the doors and touched her headset.
"I'm at the side of the building." She declared. She could see the door leading into the basement in the distance, a good 70 or 80 yards away.
She turned to look over her shoulder at the screen and winced as Diggle bodily tackled someone to the floor. Helena and Roy were almost at the stairs leading outside, but with the money burning it seemed like the remaining guards (five, six? Dammit they needed better cameras!) had decided that was a lost cause and were focusing instead in trying to stop their escape.
Helena and Roy were making their way up the stairs with Walter, Diggle close behind as Oliver tried to slow the remaining guards down. She turned back in time to see Helena and Roy emerge through the open doorway in the distance, Walter leaning heavily between them. But he was walking. He was up right and mobile and alive. Come on!
Felicity gripped the edge of the van tightly as they stumbled closer. She wanted to jump out and help, but there really wasn't anything she'd be able to do. They were moving as fast as Walter was able, and her hovering wouldn't speed them up. Feeling utterly useless, she moved back and yanked open the panel in the side of the van, pulling out their first aid kit. Looking back over her shoulder at their progress, she blindly reached into the small nook again and grabbed the rubber mat by feel.
She unrolled it on the floor of the van and then slammed the panel closed, opening the one next to it to grab the blankets. She spread one out over the mat, hoping Walter would at least be a little comfortable and tossed the other one onto her chair. She turned back and crept back to the doorway, peering out into the darkness. Helena and Roy were still a good 20 or something yards away. Diggle had the plates and was jogging to catch up to them, and she could see Oliver exiting the basement in the distance.
Suddenly one of the boarded up windows in the side of the building seemed to simply explode. Helena and Roy ducked instinctively and drew to a startled halt as two men jumped out of the window, landing a few feet in front of them. Before they could even react one of the men had raised a gun and fired two shots squarely into Walter's chest.
It was loud. The sound of the gunshots echoed in the night and made her ears ring. Felicity watched in horror as Walter jerked at the impact and then toppled backwards, dragging Roy down with him. Helena shook herself free and jumped forward as the other man rushed them. Diggle was still running and managed to half catch, half break Walter's fall with his body.
A horrified scream tore itself free out of her throat. The man with the gun swung around in surprise and then she was facing him. Time stopped as she stared at him and he leveled his gun at her. Her hands gripped the edge of the van once more and she could feel it digging into her palm. They stared at each other and she felt rage and frustration build. She wanted to jump out and lash out at this man. Just hit him, hurt him in some way, yell at him. Did he even know who Walter was? Did he even care?
She'd never make it of course. He was too far away for her to tackle. And he'd shoot her before she came close enough. She should be scared, she should try and get out of his line of fire. Instead she clenched her jaw and shifted her weight, ready to spring. He cocked the gun as a half-smile formed on his face.
And then he gave a wild jerk. Felicity blinked and there was an arrow protruding from his neck. His arm slumped down and then his legs crumpled. She watched him drop to the ground and stared down at his body impassively for a moment, breathing hard. 'Good.'
She lifted her gaze and could see Oliver in the distance, his bow still raised.
Time reasserted itself as Helena grunted. She was still struggling with the other man, and she managed to break free enough to wedge her knee between them, kicking him back. Helena was reaching for the gun strapped to her leg when another arrow whistled through the air, catching the man in the chest. He gave a cry of pain and then a second arrow hit him. He went down.
Felicity turned back to Walter and her blood turned cold. Diggle and Roy were dragging him to his feet and she could see the blood staining his shirt from here. Helena rushed over to help and they half carried, half dragged him to the van.
As soon as they were close enough, Felicity reached out and grabbed Walter's arm, pulling him up into the van. Diggle climbed in next to her and together they pulled him up onto the mat and blanket, as Roy and Helena pushed.
"Roy," Diggle panted, "you drive."
Roy nodded and then quickly ducked around the open doors to make his way to the front, while Helena turned back and went to get the plates Diggle had dropped. Felicity glanced outside and could see Oliver was running to reach them. But they had other priorities.
She snapped open the first aid kit and grabbed gloves and gauze pads as Diggle tore open Walter's shirt. She tossed the gloves to Diggle, before opening the gauze and pressing the pads down onto the wounds on Walter's chest. They were instantly soaked through with blood and she pressed down harder as Diggle pulled on his gloves.
"Behind you!" Helena yelled suddenly, and Felicity looked up in time to see Oliver half turn and send an arrow flying. The man who'd been exiting the basement in the distance went down with an unintelligible shout.
"Go!" Oliver ordered.
Helena ducked around the side of the van and Oliver quickly pulled himself up, slamming the doors shut behind him.
Felicity turned her attention back to Walter as Helena climbed into the front seat and Roy set the van in motion. He was conscious, but barely. Diggle had more gauze ready and batted her hands away.
"Gloves." He said tersely.
Felicity grabbed a pair of gloves as Oliver dropped his gear and settled down next to her.
"How is he?" he asked Diggle.
"Shot twice in the chest at close range." Diggle replied through gritted teeth. "Grab the blood."
Felicity finished pulling on her gloves and then nearly toppled over as Roy took a hard turn, saved by Oliver reaching out quickly to steady her with a hand on her waist.
"Roy! Unless we're being followed, pull over!" Diggle snapped. "Felicity, hand."
Felicity got her balance back and reached over to press down on one of the wounds. With his now free hand Diggle pointed into the bag Oliver had grabbed for the blood. "Side pocket, I need the morphine." He instructed.
Felicity shifted so she could reach the first aid kit, tugging it closer so she could get the disinfectant and forceps. Cold fingers encircled the wrist of the hand she had on Walter's chest and startled she glanced down.
Walter had reached out and grabbed her hand and was slowly blinking up at her. "-Ffffelllissty?"
Felicity forced a smile as she leaned down. "Hey boss." She managed to whisper, her voice hoarse. "It's really good to see you."
Walter struggled for a moment to speak, and coughed violently, blood staining his lips. Felicity drew back in concern. "Guys."
"Yeah, I got it." Diggle said, as he plunged a syringe with morphine into Walters arm.
Oliver reached for the hand Walter had wrapped around Felicity's wrist and pried it loose, clamping a pulse oximeter onto his finger. The monitor behind Diggle beeped and lit up, and Diggle twisted to look at it.
Felicity grabbed another gauze pad and wiped away the blood dripping down Walter's chin. "You're gonna be okay." She said, trying to sound confident. "We've done this before."
Walter winced and turned away, coughing again. Felicity glanced up and caught the alarmed look that Diggle and Oliver exchanged, as Oliver handed over a bag of blood.
Walter turned back slowly and reached out weakly for her. Felicity caught his hand in hers and squeezed; his fingers were like ice and that couldn't be good. "Mmmooo,-." He struggled.
"Walter, don't talk." She pleaded.
He shook his head stubbornly. "-Mmmoira." Walter rasped. He gave her fingers a light squeeze that must've cost him most of his energy, and she gave in, leaning closer to try to make out what he was saying.
"-Lin." He whispered.
Felicity shook her head. "Walter please,-"
He gave her hand another determined squeeze as the sounds from the monitor increased. "Mare… Lin." He managed. He caught her gaze as his breath faltered. "Murr… lin." He repeated.
Felicity nodded. "Okay." She said desperately.
She leaned back and caught the look on Diggle's face. He was still pressing down on the wounds Walter's chest, and Oliver had inserted the needle for the blood bag into Walter's hand. But they weren't doing anything else.
Felicity stared at him for a moment and felt her stomach drop. She turned to look at Oliver beside her and he had the same look on his face. Wary and resigned and no. Just no.
"No." she said harshly.
Diggle shook his head. "Felicity,-" he began quietly.
"We need forceps," she interrupted him as she focused on Oliver, "and the disinfectant."
Oliver's brow drew together in sympathy. "Felicity,- "
Her monitor interrupted whatever he was about to say as it emitted a sharp tone. She glanced up with dread and stared at the screen.
'Patient is experiencing heart failure, commence CPR', flashed across the screen.
Walter's hand in hers went limp and she turned back to him, shifting to get up on her knees. "Grab the AED." She instructed hoarsely.
She placed her hands on Walter's chest, feeling for the breast bone and then pressed down. Blood seeped out of the wounds and in between Diggle's fingers with every compression.
Oliver shifted, "Felicity." he said softly. "There's nothing else we can do."
"You can get the AED." She bit out.
Diggle sighed. "The bullet must've nicked an artery." He said.
He slowly sat back, his hands stopping their pressure on Walter's wounds. Her next compression had blood seeping out from under the gauze and she faltered, blinking back tears as she hovered, her hands still pressed to Walter's chest.
Oliver's hands closed around her upper arms as he crouched down next to her. "Stop." He said quietly. "He's gone."
Felicity drew her lower lip into her mouth, biting down hard. She tried to focus on that pain instead, as Oliver carefully tugged her back. She sagged against the side of the van, swallowing down the tears.
Diggle reached out and removed the oximeter and silence abruptly filled the van. Felicity drew her knees up to her chest as Oliver hesitantly sat down next to her. Diggle shifted and reached out, gently closing Walter's eyes.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." He spoke into the silence. "Peace be with your soul."
Felicity looked away from Walter and stared down at her hands. Her gloves were stained red and she slowly peeled them off, dropping them next to her. Her hands were shaking and she balled them into fists where they rested on her knees. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, breathing deeply.
They'd stopped moving. She wasn't sure when, but the van wasn't moving except for the humming of the running motor. Oliver was sitting next to her, pressed close to her side from hip to shoulder. She pressed her lips together. The silence was heavy, but for once she didn't have the urge to speak. No desire to try and fill the empty space. Silence was fine. Walter was gone.
A warm, calloused hand slowly closed over her clenched fist, engulfing her hand. She sucked in a shuddering breath, opening her hand enough for him to grasp it properly. She felt strangely numb. The emotion of a few moments ago was gone, leaving her feeling lethargic. Adrenaline crash probably. She held onto Oliver's hand, trying to somehow draw strength from that single connection.
Roy awkwardly cleared his throat from the front seat. "I'm really sorry you guys." He said cautiously. "But what do we do now?"
Felicity slowly opened her eyes as she felt Oliver tense. Diggle reached behind him to get the blanket she'd tossed onto her chair. How long ago was that? A few minutes? He shook it open and carefully covered Walter with it. Felicity blinked as Walter disappeared from view.
From her periphery she could see Roy shift uncomfortably. She turned her head to look at them as Helena glowered at Roy. They were both twisted around in their seats, looking at them over the back of the front seat.
Helena caught her looking at them and gave an apologetic shrug. "I have the money plates." she said awkwardly.
"We can tip off the police." Diggle said as he stiffly got to his feet. "Send them to the apartment complex."
"What about Walter?" Felicity asked dully.
Diggle and Oliver exchanged a guarded look. After a moment Oliver slumped. "It's best if we leave him here, so the police can recover him." He said reluctantly.
Felicity jerked her head sharply. "We can't leave him alone." She said. "Someone has to stay with, –the body." She choked out.
Oliver squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Okay," he said, "I will."
"You can't." Felicity said and he tilted his head in confusion.
"You need to go home." She explained quietly. "When the police come. You need to be home."
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. "Yeah." He agreed gravely. "I should."
Felicity looked away. She wasn't the only one who had lost Walter tonight.
Diggle rubbed his forehead. "I'll stay." He said. "Helena, I'll need to borrow your bike though to make it back."
Helena nodded. "Of course."
"And Oliver, I'll need to borrow your hood. Might as well make sure they get a glimpse of me when you're confirmed as being somewhere else." He continued.
Oliver nodded. "Good idea." He agreed.
Oliver gave her hand a soft tug. "I need to make the call." he said.
Felicity nodded. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and then got up, opening the van doors and jumping out. The wind blew fresh air into the van and she breathed in deeply. Diggle turned and settled into her chair in front of the screens. After a few seconds she pushed herself to her feet and made her way to the doors, stepping outside. Her legs were wobbly and she leaned back against the open doors, looking around.
She thought she recognized the parking lot they were in as one a few streets over from the apartment complex. It was adjacent to a small library and there were a couple of reading benches placed in front of the building. There were a few street lamps but it was out of direct view from the main road.
Out of view… Cameras.
The thought hit her suddenly as she heard the van door open and slam closed. There could be traffic cameras or security cameras and here they were just standing around.
She spun around. "Diggle, cameras." She exclaimed.
Diggle shook his head. "Not recording." He said. "Probably just to dissuade people from vandalizing the building."
She heaved a sigh of relief as Oliver returned. "I tipped off Detective Lance." He said. "It'll take him an hour to get here, but he's probably going to send a unit that's nearby, so we need to move."
Helena and Roy came around the side of van and Oliver considered the parking lot. "The bench." He decided.
He turned back and grimaced. "Felicity, maybe you shouldn't…" he trailed off.
She shook her head. "It's fine." She mumbled as she climbed back into the van.
Helena handed Roy the plates and then she and Oliver grasped the edges of the matt at Walter's feet as she and Diggle did the same by Walter's head. Carefully they moved Walter out of the van and then carried him across the parking lot over to a bench. They lowered him onto the bench and Diggle straightened the blanket covering him. Oliver took the plates from Roy and carefully tucked them under the blanket by Walter's feet.
They stepped back and stood in a semi-circle, at a loss for words.
It was Helena who broke the silence, speaking softly:
"O God our Father, Creator of all the living,
we entrust to Your gentle care all those we love who have gone before us;
and have gone to their rest in the hope of rising again.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death."
"Amen." Diggle said quietly.
Oliver just held her hand.
To be continued