Note: Hey guys! Sorry that I wasn't able to reply to all of your comments. I read all of them and I really appreciate that you keep taking the time to tell me your thoughts on my story. I've been having some technical difficulties with my Internet at home, so I am currently at the school library updating this chapter. I'll go back and reply to your comments on the previous one as soon as I "borrow" my baby brothers computer. Either way, this chapter is a bit shorter than the previous one and there will be a time jump. Things are coming together. Enjoy!
Hunted
Chapter 25: The Mirakuru
The weeks that followed Barry's departure were hectic. The team, along with Thea and Moira, forced Oliver to lay low for a couple of days after he had recovered from being poisoned. Oliver had protested, not liking the fact that only Diggle, Felicity and Roy were allowed to hunt while he had to stay back with Tommy in the Foundry. He had been certain that his mother would try to forbid him from going out on the street permanently, and he would have stood his ground against her, but it hadn't been necessary. Instead, his mother had once again seemed oddly accepting of his extracurricular activities, opting to just tell him to not hunt alone anymore.
Oliver would be foolish though, if he said that resting for a week hadn't helped him. During the first couple of days after waking up, he had been a bit disoriented. Spells of dizziness hit him in the most untimely moments, causing him to falter in his step and stumble forward. He was lucky though, because Felicity was always there to steady him, holding on to his arm until his vision focused again. Oliver couldn't help but be thankful toward her. After everything that they had been through, she had remained by his side and with time, she had forgiven him for his mistakes and accepted his friendship once more.
The problem for Oliver, however, wasn't that. No, his problem was the fact that ever since he had been cleared to hunt by Diggle, Felicity had started taking the train to Central City every five days. She didn't stay away for more than a day, but it bothered Oliver and he knew very well that it was as simple as him being jealous of what she had with Barry.
Felicity had told him what she had figured out about Barry's ancestry. Diggle had been a sceptic the moment he had heard the word "witches", but Oliver had come across them before, in Hong Kong and later, on Lian Yu. He knew that they existed, but in Starling City, he hadn't heard of a single one, which was most likely why Diggle didn't believe it at first. Only when Felicity had started explaining how witches were actually humans who learned to do magic through the elements, showing Diggle pictures from some old books that Barry had found among his mother's old things in the attic, did Diggle believe her. Of course, it was a difficult thing to grasp, but Tommy seemed to be absolutely fascinated by it too, as was Roy.
Whenever Felicity returned from Central City, she always smiled so brightly, that it almost hurt Oliver to look at her. Knowing that Barry had given her something that Oliver himself never could, gave him nothing more than heartache. It didn't help that he had seen the two of them kissing at the party that Thea had thrown all those weeks ago.
The kiss was something that they hadn't talked about, but Oliver figured that it wasn't any of his business. No matter how much it hurt him to know that Felicity was with someone else, all he could ever wish for was that she was happy. He had told her as much when he had woken up after being poisoned, and he knew that Felicity had started to say something about the kiss, but they had gotten sidetracked, as they always did. Oliver hadn't wanted to bring it up again because it just hurt too damn much to think of it. It was better to just let it be and continue to be Felicity's friend now that they had finally returned to being comfortable around one another. Talking about her and Barry would only cause him pain, so whenever Roy tried to tell him to talk to Felicity, he shut the younger man down. Oliver didn't understand why Roy kept insisting that both Felicity and him were being stupid, but he wasn't going to get into it. They were partners before everything else and being friends with Felicity was important to Oliver. If he had to swallow his own pain every time he overheard her talking happily about all the progress Barry was making in such a short time, then that was exactly what he would do.
-§-
Felicity ducked out of the way when Roy pounced at her. Grinning at his frustrated huff, she stood her ground when he came at her again, twisting around him before tapping him on the shoulder.
"Point," she said happily.
"Not fair," Roy groaned. "You're both faster and stronger than me. There's no full moon to even things out a it and you're a hybrid," he enunciated, throwing his hands up in the air.
Felicity looked at him as she released her hair from her hairband, starting to re-tie her ponytail. He was red in the face and looked mildly annoyed, but she knew that he was stronger than he thought; she believed in him.
"Your opponents aren't always going to be wolves, Roy," Felicity said. "We've fought a lot of different things in Starling, but you have to know that there are more creatures out there."
"Like the one that almost killed Oliver, right?" Roy asked.
His words instantly caused Felicity to tense as she thought of what had almost happened all those weeks ago; how she had almost lost Oliver because he had gone out hunting for what he had believed to be a blood wolf, only to find out that it was something worse. She still had a difficulty wrapping her head around this new hybrid that Oliver believed he had faced. When he had told her that it seemed like a mixture of blood wolf and lethalis shifter, she hadn't been able to believe that such a monster existed. Then again, hybrids were rare as it was. Or rather, naturally made hybrids were rare. Whatever the Master was injecting wolves with to force them to turn, couldn't be anything natural. She had been aware of that all along. For so long, she had hated the creature that she had become, but now, she knew that she had a choice when it came to consuming blood. She didn't need it and it would make her vampire part latent. On the other hand, she knew that it would also make her more vulnerable, which was why she had started to drink a drop or two of blood whenever she and Roy went out hunting or training in the woods. It gave her body enough energy to keep the vampire-side going, along with the heightened senses, but her wolf-side would always remain stronger, just like she wanted it to be.
"Yeah," Felicity finally swallowed, finishing with tying her hair up again. "Like the thing that almost killed Oliver."
Roy nodded slowly, running his hand through his sweaty hair. He was deep in thought once more, but Felicity didn't want him to be distracted. She was very well aware of the fact that her beta worried. While he was working with her and the team, he had his role to play in their small pack of two as well. She tried not to put too much pressure on him, but among wolves, the responsibility sort of came on it's own, naturally. Felicity knew that Roy would always be ready to throw himself in the mouth of the wolf for her- No pun intended. If it ever came down to it, he would do anything for her, just like she would do anything for him. That was what it meant to be a part of a pack and deep down, Felicity knew that this feeling had extended toward the rest of the team as well, on both her side and Roy's. There was a loyalty there that had built on the foundation of their friendship. Wolves felt things stronger than humans, Felicity knew, which meant that the simplest of friendships could quickly become more meaningful partnerships and partnerships, in turn, could become something else.
Something more.
Her mind flooded with thoughts of Oliver and how much it had hurt her to see him unconscious. She remembered the pain in her chest when his heart had stopped and she never wanted to go through such a thing ever again. That was why she hovered, even when she denied it to herself and everyone else. Whenever she left for Central City to help Barry, her mind went back to the man she left behind in Starling City and the truth of what she felt got harder to deny. Every time she visited Barry, she made sure to tell Roy to watch over things. Roy always gave her a knowing look, telling her silently that he was well aware of the fact that she meant that he should watch over Oliver, specifically. Her beta knew her well because sometimes, she forgot to stop sharing too much of her own mind with him. He had seen her thoughts a couple of times, he had felt her pain when Oliver's heart had stopped. Their minds hadn't been linked, but through the bond they shared as a pack, he had felt everything that she had felt and he had been certain that Oliver had died.
"You know," Roy started slowly, "you can't keep running from what you feel."
Felicity turned to him sharply, closing off her mind once more. They didn't share thoughts unless one of them was in wolf-form, but emotions had become easier to pick up on since the wolf part of her had grown stronger again.
"I'm not," she insisted, knowing very well that it was a lie. How was she supposed to tell Oliver what she felt when she wasn't sure of it herself? She knew about Roy's beliefs; she knew how he thought that she and Oliver were essentially soulmates and how they had always been meant to be, no matter how hard they fought it. How would she present such a crazy idea to Oliver now that they were finally friends again?
Felicity thought of Roy again and how much he struggled with his position, both in the team and the pack sometimes. It all stemmed from the bond he shared with Thea. They were mates in every sense of the word and Felicity knew that they had chosen each other. For Roy, there would probably never be anyone else and if things kept going like they were, there wouldn't be for Thea either. It was difficult for Roy because Felicity knew that every fiber of his being was constantly screaming at him to keep Thea safe, no matter what. It didn't matter if his pack bond told him to watch over Felicity, or his instincts told him to trust their team. If it came down to it and Thea was in danger, he would choose his mate. Felicity could sense the guilt in Roy and she knew that he was torn about it. She had told him too many times already that in her eyes, his only mission would be to always keep Thea safe, no matter what happened to her or anyone else. It made things a bit easier on him, but he still hesitated. The night that Oliver had been attacked, Felicity had ordered him to stay with Moira and Thea, because she had known that deep down, he needed to be with his mate who was also at the risk of being attacked. They hadn't known what they were dealing with and it was just like he had said that night: They had a habit of being attacked during parties. Felicity hadn't wanted to risk it, knowing that it would destroy Roy, just like she knew losing Oliver would destroy her. That was what she feared, most of all. Giving into the bond that Roy believed that she and Oliver shared would bind her to him forever. It was something that she wasn't sure Oliver would be able to understand or accept. Being rejected by one's chosen mate was the worst thing that could happen to a wolf and she wasn't sure she could handle being rejected again. It had taken her months to get over it and forgive Oliver fully, but she knew that if it would happen again, she would never want to see him again because it would just hurt too much.
Roy huffed, shaking his head at her, bringing her out of her thoughts once more. "Yeah," he said, "keep telling yourself that."
Felicity shot him a glare and growled lightly, eyes flashing gold as her sharp teeth shone in the sun. She lifted her arms up and got into fighting position. "Hand to hand combat," she told him. "You win and you won't have to train for a week."
"Two weeks," Roy bargained, "and if I win, you also have to tell Oliver the truth."
"You don't have any ground to stand on, Roy," Felicity countered. "Don't push it and let's go because I have to be at Queen Consolidated before noon."
Roy charged-
-and ended up on the ground, with a grinning Felicity standing over him.
-§-
Oliver checked his watch for what felt like the hundredth time, tapping his foot against the floor. It was half past twelve and Felicity still hadn't come into the office. He knew she was out in the woods outside of Starling City, training with Roy, but she knew that they had a video conference scheduled at one o'clock and he wanted her there with him. Whenever he was alone, his mind always ended up wandering. Normally, it was to Lian Yu and those five years that he had been gone, but lately, he thought of other things that worried him.
Since being attacked by that new hybrid, Oliver had noticed a steady rise in Dark One activity and he couldn't help but wonder if it was all somehow connected. It seemed almost as if there were more ravenous creatures roaming the streets at night, all of them getting more and more out of control. Oliver thought about Lian Yu again, remembering his old master's and what they had taught him. When something seemed to be connected, and one's gut told one that it was, it usually was. Things didn't always have to be complicated, but Oliver hoped that what his gut was telling him now was wrong. He thought about the drug that he had happened upon on the Island; the substance that he had thought he had destroyed in order to stop it from ever spreading over the world. What if he hadn't gotten all of it? What if there had been another crate left, hidden somewhere in the depths of purgatory? Oliver stared at the glass door of his office, at Felicity's empty seat in the other room. He knew that he had to tell the rest of his team about his suspicions, but he was going on nothing more than the symptoms of the crazed monsters that they hunted at night. He had no solid proof that it was the mirakuru drug.
Oliver and the rest of the team had speculated about how the Master was turning wolves into hybrids and due to the serum that Nyssa al Ghul had injected Felicity with, they knew that Felicity too had been given some kind of injection to turn her into a hybrid. Oliver was certain that it couldn't have been pure mirakuru, because otherwise, Felicity wouldn't have been able to control herself from becoming a savage. Yet, Felicity had never actually killed anyone.
Something was missing and he couldn't figure it out. There was a piece missing and he had to talk to the others, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Things were difficult enough as they were with them hunting every single night, to the point of exhaustion. Roy was getting antsy with the many training sessions that Felicity had organized for the two of them. Tommy, while eager to help them, also had to balance his life with Laurel. At the same time, he also had his family business to take care of now that his father was dead. The thought of Malcolm still made Oliver angry. It was a betrayal that he never would have expected and he thought sometimes of how different things might have ended up if he had listened to what Felicity had said from the very beginning. She had always sensed that something was off with the man, but Oliver had been too caught up in hating her to hear her out or investigate it further. He had been another man back then, angry and closed off, not wanting to hear anyones opinion other than his own. Diggle had been his only partner, a brother that he valued highly, but never allowed to get too close to him. Then, Felicity had come crashing into his life with a mission that seemed to be impossible. Yet, she had won his trust and continued to earn it, over and over again. Today, Tommy, his mother and his sister knew of his secret identity and he had a real team that worked together to take down the Nightcrawlers that threatened the humans at night. They were all a well-oiled machine, a family, more than anything. Oliver couldn't imagine that it would have been possible without Felicity, to keep them all together. She had seen what he had needed before he had known it himself. In the beginning, he had thought that his curse would be to always be alone and never let his family and friends close to him. Instead, Felicity had helped him realize that they were what made him strong and kept him motivated to keep going because they all believed in him and his cause. He was no longer just a hunter, like in the beginning. Now, he was a protector as well.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Oliver," Felicity said, stepping into the room. Her high-heels clicked against the floor and Oliver took a look at her, enjoying the flush of her cheeks and the way that her hair still seemed to be a bit wet, despite the fact that she had clearly tried to dry it before coming here. "Apparently, everyone in Starling City decided to eat lunch out. The streets are filled with cars and not even my mini could make it through the rush."
"It's okay," he said. "You're here now." He glanced at the pattern of her dress, liking the black and white that contrasted against each other. She had opted for painting her lips a lighter pink this time around and her thick-rimmed glasses that she didn't actually need were in their place. He wasn't sure why she still wore them, considering that his mother knew very well that a hybrids vision was as perfect as it could get. She didn't have much of a cover to maintain anymore that she couldn't pull off without the glasses. Then again, getting that look from her, where she pushed the glasses up her nose after eyeing him over the frames… It got his blood racing and made him feel warm all over.
Maybe he should ask her to not wear them anymore because he was sure that she wouldn't appreciate him watching her so intently now that she was with Barry. Besides, he knew how to control himself because he had been doing it for so many months already. She had been with his team for well over a year now, closing in on two, and he didn't think he had ever given away the fact that he'd had a bunch of dirty dreams about her. It might had started off like that. Like an unwanted physical attraction that he wanted to deny at all costs. Over time, it grew to become something else entirely. He became friends with her, partners and then later, something more. He hadn't realized how deeply he had fallen until he lost her and it hurt him to know that they would never be like that again. He loved her and that was why he needed to let her go. Felicity deserved to have everything she wanted and Oliver would never stand in the way of her happiness.
Even though he would never get to be the one to make her happy again.
-§-
There was something going on with Oliver. Felicity knew it, deep in her heart. She could also feel the tension rolling off of him after the conference with some of their partners in China. He only replied curtly or with hums and Felicity had simply sat there and observed him while handing him the spreadsheets that she had printed out for the meeting. Once they were done, Oliver stood from his seat and started for their offices immediately, not lingering at all to wait for her. She quickly got tired of his pissy attitude and the moment they were alone in their office again, she walked up to his desk and promptly asked him what the hell his problem was.
"What?" Oliver snapped, his eyebrows furrowing at her.
Felicity placed her folder on the desk and glared at him, "I said, what's your problem? Has something happened that I don't know of or what?"
"Nothing has happened," Oliver said. "It's just annoying me that we've been looking for the Master for almost two years now and we still haven't figured out anything. Things are escalating on the streets but we have nothing to go on whatsoever."
She could hear the frustration in his voice. Felicity felt it inside of her as well. When she had taken the serum that Nyssa had offered her, she had believed that they might learn something more useful. Instead, she had only learned that whatever the Master had injected her with, might be reversible.
"We'll handle it, Oliver," she assured him before frowning. "What do you mean by escalating?"
Oliver huffed, "If you hadn't been too busy running off to your boyfriend all the time, you might have taken notice that there's been an increase of Dark Ones on the streets at night."
Felicity's mouth fell open as she took in his words. "Excuse me? My boyfriend?" she questioned.
"In Central City," Oliver continued to glare, crossing his arms. For a moment, she thought she might have seen pain flash over his face, as if saying the words hurt him physically.
"In Central… Are you talking about Barry?" Felicity asked, staring at him. Oliver shrugged, looking away from her momentarily. She walked around the desk, grabbed the chair that he was sitting on and forced him to turn around to look at her. He glanced up and she could see something swimming in his baby blues, something that she wasn't sure she was ready to talk to him about just yet. "Barry isn't my boyfriend, Oliver," she said, to clarify. "You know I've been helping him with figuring out his ancestry. There's nothing more going on there, I swear."
Oliver hesitated, she could tell, but a glimmer of hope shone through in his eyes as well. She took a step back as he stood up from his seat, towering over her despite the high-heels she wore. Suddenly, he felt too close.
"But at the party… I saw you two…" Oliver mumbled. It took her a moment to realize that he was talking about the kiss that he had witnessed between her and Barry at Moira's welcome home party. With Oliver getting poisoned and her having to reveal his identity to Barry, she hadn't actually taken the time to talk to him about what he had seen. Since she and Barry both agreed that they were better off as friends because they clearly had feelings for other people, the whole thing had escaped her mind. She hadn't thought about it until now that Oliver had mentioned it again.
"Oliver," she started, her voice soft. "That didn't mean anything," she explained. "Barry and I are just friends and the kiss was just me trying to figure out if I could get over…" She trailed off, eyes wide as she stared up at the man in front of her. Oliver watched her carefully, taking a step closer. His chest brushed up against hers and slowly, the familiar currents began running through her bloodstream. The electrifying feeling of having him so close to her again, after everything that they had gone through was almost overwhelming. She had missed him more than she ever could have imagined.
"Get over what?" Oliver asked, his voice low and raspy. His warm breath fanned over her face and Felicity drew in a shaky breath, reaching out to place her hand on his arm. She wasn't sure if she was going to pull him closer or push him away, but before she could do anything, the sound of the elevator and quick footsteps forced her to pull back and away from him. Her face was warm and she didn't have to look at Oliver to know that there was a confused look on his face. When Thea entered the room, he seemed to understand why she had stepped back so suddenly, but Felicity still wouldn't meet his eyes.
Thea paused, probably at the sight of them standing so close together. They might not have been facing one another when she had walked into the room, but they were still close enough that Felicity could feel Oliver's body heat radiating off of him. For a moment, Felicity was certain that Thea was going to say something about the lack of personal space between them, but Thea's expression only twisted into one of worry.
"Felicity, did Roy go training with you today?" she asked.
It took Felicity a second, but she frowned, "Yes? Why do you ask?"
Thea took out her phone and started typing a text message before speaking again. "He was supposed to meet me for lunch, but he never showed up. I've tried calling and texting, but he's not responding at all," Thea explained.
"He went home to change, but I went to the Foundry since I had left some notes there," Felicity said, worry creeping into her. Something was off, clearly. It wasn't like Roy to stand up Thea. The young man was incapable of doing something that he knew would hurt her. Felicity took out her own phone and tried calling, but it went directly to voicemail. Frowning, she looked at Oliver who was sending a message too, looking worried. The conversation they'd had would have to wait until they found Roy and made sure he was all right. Oliver glanced up then, meeting her eyes and she knew that he agreed. Finding Roy was their priority and they would, Felicity was certain of it.
-§-
They searched for Roy all day long. Oliver cancelled all meetings at Queen Consolidated and Felicity left shortly after to go up to the roof. She didn't have to explain to him why she wanted to go there, because Oliver suspected that she might be trying to catch Roy's scent. The look she had on her face when she returned told Oliver that her attempt had been unsuccessful.
"There's just too much people in circulation," she had said. "I'll need to try tonight… Maybe drink some blood to heighten my own senses."
Oliver had recognized the distaste in her voice. He knew how she had never liked the whole vampire part of herself and since finding out that there might be a way to reverse her becoming a hybrid, she had barely been drinking any blood at all. This was Roy, though. Oliver knew there wasn't anything Felicity wouldn't do to find the young man who was also her beta.
Late that night, Thea joined them in the Foundry. Tommy was going to be keeping track of things while Oliver, Diggle and Felicity went out on the streets in search for Roy. Felicity had caught a hint of his scent once the city settled down a bit. It was faint, although Felicity insisted that it was enough to go on for now because it would get stronger once they closed in on Roy's location.
"I wish we could go one week without someone being kidnapped or injected with some kind of mysterious serum-slash-poison," Tommy spoke in the comm-link. Oliver stood at the edge of the apartment building, looking at Felicity who was crouching nearby, listening and sniffing the air as her eyes glowed.
"Technically, Tommy, it's been over a month since the last attack we suffered," she said, her voice calm. Despite that, Oliver knew her, and he was fully aware of how worried she was for Roy. They all were.
"I'm keeping an eye on things from the other side of the street," Diggle informed them. "This factory has been abandoned for well over a year now. No suspicious activity according to Lance."
"The corrupt part of the police force could have covered up something," Oliver stated. "If the scent Felicity caught took us here, we should be careful when we go in." Felicity stood up and Oliver turned to look at her, momentarily cutting off the comms. "You okay?" he asked. She did the same as him, turning her comm-link off before responding.
"Yes," Felicity nodded. "Are you?"
Oliver looked over at the building before nodding. "It's good to have you by my side," he admitted, now that he knew that the others couldn't hear them. "When we go in, no unnecessary risks, all right?"
"You're telling me," Felicity scoffed, her lips quirking up just a little. "I'm following your lead tonight… Partner."
Something inside Oliver's chest warmed and he nodded curtly at her once more before they turned on the comms again. "Dig, I'm going to need you to head in through the main entrance. Felicity will sneak in with me through the back and we'll meet up inside. Tommy, you sent Dig the blueprints, right?"
"Done and done," Tommy replied. "I managed to turn on the security cameras inside, but there's one room that I couldn't get them to work. I'm guessing that's where Roy is being held and where all the bad guys are. Third floor, down the hall, to the left. It's where one of the main laboratories used to be."
"Okay," Oliver said. "We're shutting the comms off for now. We'll get back to you as soon as we get Roy."
"Copy that," Tommy said. "Be safe."
Oliver took out one of his arrows and attached the zip-line to it, aiming at the emergency exit on the other building. He took the shot and the arrowhead opened up and hooked onto the railing. Pulling on the line twice, he made sure that it was fastened well before securing it where he stood. Oliver turned to Felicity and reached out to her. She took his hand and he ignored the feeling at the tips of his fingers when they brushed hers. Felicity had taken to wearing fingerless leather gloves tonight, due to the fact that it was getting colder. In fact, most of her clothes were black tonight as she tried to melt in with the darkness. Oliver pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around him as they stood on the edge together. Looking down, he met her eyes briefly.
"Hold on tight," he said, but it was low, like a whisper.
He felt her grip on him tighten instantly and for just a second, her forehead dropped against his leather-clad chest. "Don't drop me," she told him.
"Never," Oliver promised, his arm wrapping around her waist before he jumped with her.
Felicity was prepared for the landing, jumping when they were just a few feet away from the emergency staircase. She grabbed onto the ledge and pulled herself up and then turning to Oliver who was on the level below her. He grinned at her when she reached down and helped pull him up.
"That went surprisingly well," she said before pausing. "I can hear movement inside… There's some kind of buzzing sound too. Something is spinning."
"Diggle, are you ready?" Oliver asked, tapping his comm-link.
"Stepping in now," Diggle replied. "I'll meet the two of you inside, like we said."
Without wasting any more time, the two of them got the window open and climbed inside. Oliver had an arrow nocked and Felicity led the way by following Roy's scent. Halfway to the place that Tommy had directed them to, they met up with Diggle. They only acknowledged each other with nods before continuing down the hallway. Oliver couldn't help but note how eerie quiet it was. Whatever Felicity had heard outside, there didn't seem to be anyone in the building with them. Still, his gut continued to scream at him that they needed to keep their eyes open.
Felicity stopped them outside the laboratory, holding her finger to her lips in a motion for them to stay quiet. Her eyes flashed golden briefly and she held up six fingers. Oliver gathered that she had picked up on six hybrids inside the room and he quickly turned to Diggle for confirmation. His other partner nodded back.
When they entered the room, Oliver took a quick count, only seeing five Dark Ones who were all wearing labcoats. They turned at the same time toward them, hissing as their fangs elongated, dropping the charts they held in their hands. They pounced immediately and Diggle fired the first shot, hitting one of them with a sedative in the shoulder. It didn't seem to faze the hybrid much because it kept coming at them and Oliver shot an arrow into its leg to slow it down, at least. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Felicity jump at one of them, fist out as she punched it straight in the face. She must have used all of her hybrid strength because the creature stumbled back, momentarily stunned. Oliver took another shot and hit the hybrid with one of the special-made tranquilizer arrows in the throat. The Nightcrawler fell unconscious to the floor and Oliver was glad that Felicity had made sure his arrows were loaded with an extra strong mixture of wolfsbane and vervain.
They fought with the remaining hybrids, working together. The hybrids that Oliver and Diggle took down, Felicity made quick work to tie up. It took a couple of minutes because the hybrids seemed to regain their power quicker somehow. Felicity was forced to send a swift kick to one of the monster's heads to make sure that it would stay down.
Panting, Oliver lowered his bow as he looked at the creatures that were tied up. Diggle stepped forward and injected them with another dose of vervain and wolfsbane mixture that they had been supplied with by A.R.G.U.S. after Felicity had asked Lyla to get it done for them. There was only so much poison she could make before the fumes got to her and Oliver knew that even though Felicity mostly worked with a mask covering her nose and mouth, she forgot about time sometimes and the mixture managed to weaken her because of it.
"Roy," Felicity said suddenly and Oliver looked over at her. She was standing by a bed and Oliver instantly recognized Roy's unconscious form. When Oliver stepped closer, he noted that Roy was connected to a bunch of machines and there was a buzzing from one of them.
"What are they doing to him?" Oliver frowned, feeling Diggle step closer too.
"They're… Transfusing his blood?" Diggle said, but it came out sounding more like a question.
Felicity seemed dazed for a moment and Oliver reached out to her. She flinched away and closed her eyes before opening them again, turning to stare wide-eyed at both him and Diggle. "I sensed six hybrids," she said, looking back at Roy who didn't move. His chest was moving up and down steadily and from what Oliver could tell, his vitals seemed to be good. "They're turning him," Felicity said, her voice shaky.
"They're turning him into a hybrid?" Diggle asked urgently.
"We need to unhook him," Oliver said, but Felicity shook her head.
"He's in the middle of transitioning, Oliver," she said. "If we pull all these wires out now, we'll surely end up killing him." Oliver could sense the desperation in her. She was torn, clearly. On one hand, she wanted to save Roy from turning into a hybrid, but on the other, she wasn't willing to put his life on the line. Felicity seemed to be contemplating her options, looking at all the connecting wires. "That's the centrifuge that was stolen from Queen Consolidated," she said. Oliver looked at the machine and noticed the brand on the side of it. "The thing that they are injecting him with must be mixing in there, but I doubt that they would leave it all there if it's the only place they could create their mixture," Felicity said.
"This is the Master's work," Diggle said. "He knew you'd look for your beta. He might have wanted us to be here."
"That explains the lack of security," Oliver said as things started making more sense. "Whoever he is, he's probably watching us through his own bugs right now."
"I'll call Lyla," Diggle said. "Have her call in A.R.G.U.S. to deal with these hybrids. What should we do with Roy?"
"It's like Felicity said… If we unhook him in the middle of his transition, he might die," Oliver said, but he couldn't help but notice how Felicity's cogs seemed to be turning. She reached up and clicked on her comm-link, connecting them once more to Tommy in the Foundry.
"Did you find him?" Thea's desperate voice came through. Oliver's heart ached for his sister. He remembered how he had felt when Felicity had taken Nyssa's serum. It wasn't difficult to imagine what his sister was going through.
"Thea, listen," Felicity spoke calmly, clearly not trying to alarm the younger woman. "Tell Tommy to prepare the emergency chains and to get the medical table out and ready. We're bringing Roy in."
"Is he hurt? Felicity, please, tell me something-"
"He's still alive," Felicity cut her off. "For now, at least. Get the things ready and we'll be there shortly." She turned off the comms again before Thea could say anything else and she hurriedly stepped around the bed, shutting the machines off.
"Felicity, what are you doing? You said that would kill him," Oliver protested as the blonde started pulling out the wires.
"The injection will either turn him into a hybrid or kill him anyway," she said, sounding pained. "I sensed him as a hybrid, and I've been trying to reach out to him mentally again, but his mind is all jumbled up. It's not making any sense to me." She turned to Diggle, "Get the van going and as close to the gates as possible. We'll leave these hybrids here for Lyla and her team to pick them up."
Diggle nodded, hurrying out of the room. Oliver stared at Felicity when she pulled out the final cable and quickly bandaged up Roy's arm that had been used for the transfusion. The way she talked about the injection, the serum or whatever the hell it was… How it either turned one into a hybrid or killed the host; it was all too familiar. Oliver's head was dizzy with how things were slowly falling into place. The Master, whoever he was, had clearly gotten his hands on the same essence that Oliver had found on the Island. The Mirakuru had had the same resulting options: either you turn or you die.
The realization that he now knew what method the Master was using to create his hybrids made Oliver's mind swim with thoughts. He had to tell the others, but right now, he needed to focus on helping Felicity get Roy out of there. It was only a matter of time before the Master sent others to deal with them, especially if he was watching them now. Oliver wasn't sure if taking Roy had been a way to target Felicity. All those months ago, according to Floyd Lawton, Felicity had a bounty on her head. It was clear that the Master wanted her in his clutches again, but for what, Oliver couldn't be certain. The only thing he knew for sure was that he would protect Felicity until his dying breath and even then, he would give everything he had if it meant that he would keep her safe. No one would get to take her from him.
-§-
Diggle drove like a mad man through the streets. It was a miracle that they made it to the Foundry in one piece, but Felicity made sure to hold on to Roy so that she would be able to keep track of his pulse. So far, it was weak, but it was still there. Diggle stepped up and took the younger man in his arms, carrying him inside and Felicity hurried to open the doors. Oliver was behind them, instantly walking over to his sister. Thea started crying the moment she saw Roy's unconscious form and Felicity saw how she held on tightly to her brother, so that her knees wouldn't buckle.
For a moment, Felicity thought of the soul bond that Thea shared with Roy. She had never wanted to fully believe in it, but Felicity couldn't deny that the connection between Roy and his chosen mate was strong.
"Put him on the table," Felicity said. "Tommy, get me the chains."
The men complied and in the background, Felicity could hear Thea asking Oliver what Felicity was doing. Oliver murmured something quietly into his sister's ear, but Felicity focused on Roy. She looked down at the young man who had grown to be like a brother to her. He wasn't just her beta, he was a part of her family. Inspecting his wounds, she noted that most of them had healed, but it was taking too long. Glancing up, she met Oliver's eyes and for a good second or two, she held his gaze. Everything seemed to slow down and she took in the way that everyone in the room was breathing. In and out, slow and steady. Oliver was standing tall, looking at her like she held the answer to the question that she had subconsciously sent him. He knew that she would make the right call. He trusted her and she knew it.
Pulling her own wrist up to her mouth, her fangs elongated instantly and she tore into her skin. Blood filled her mouth and dripped down her chin, but she reached down and lifted Roy's head gently, putting her wrist against his lips. He needed to heal faster and her blood would surely do the trick. Even if he was turning into a hybrid, he was still transitioning. There was no way to say that her blood wouldn't help the process along. She knew that her blood was slowly trickling down his throat and making its way into Roy's system. She waited for another minute before pulling back. Diggle offered her a towel and she quickly wiped down her wrist and wrapped the towel around it. Before going out on the hunt tonight, she had drunk some blood, but clearly not enough because it was taking some time to heal.
They watched Roy's body, his chest barely moving up and down now. Thea was still sniffing in the corner, Oliver's arms around her and panic welled inside of Felicity. If Roy died, it would be her fault. She had gotten him involved in all of this by trying to save him and teach him. She had pulled him into this world and made him a target.
Another moment passed and suddenly, Roy's eyes snapped open as he took in a breath, his chest heaving. Hope filled her, but then she saw the golden glow in his eyes. Roy's mouth opened, as if to let out a strangled cry. Instead, his canines curved, claws coming out as he gripped the table, scraping against the metal before a loud and animalistic roar tore from his throat.
Note: The next chapter will also be a shorter one, but pick up right where this one left off. We'll get a conversation between Oliver and Felicity, where Oliver shares some of his past with her and his suspicions regarding the mirakuru. Now I really need to get back to studying, but hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to leave me a comment with your thoughts! :) xx
P.S. Sorry for any spelling-mistakes. I didn't have time to proof-read it an extra time before posting!
