The Siege of Starling City

by KyliaQuilor

It's been a year since Oliver Queen and Laurel Lance returned to Starling City, but even as the Hood and the Black Canary fought against those who were poisoning the city, Malcolm Merlyn's Undertaking nearly succeeded - and serious damage in the process. But with Queen Consolidated in a downward tailspin and an old enemy lurking, will this year be any better for Starling City?

12. Control

Disclaimer: I don't own it.

This chapter is dedicated to Okori and Nyame most of all. The use of a certain comics character you'll meet later in the chapter (adapted for the needs of this Arrowverse fic) came from them, and if not for their many discussions of the character for their own works and just in general, I might never have gone with them. Additional thanks for them giving this a beta-read.

This is an unusually long chapter for this series. I apologize, but it is what it is.

The Siege of Starling City

By Kylia

Chapter 12: Control

Arrow: I will always come for you, pretty bird. [Embraces The Black Canary, presses his forehead to hers]

Black Canary: I never doubted it for a minute. I love you. [Whispers] Drop, now.

[Arrow drops to the ground, as the camera shifts, revealing DEATHSTROKE standing back up behind where Arrow had been standing, despite the multiple arrows in his body, his mask torn half-off. Black Canary screams at Deathstroke, sending him flying off the top of the skyscraper as he staggers back under the force of the sound waves.]

-Excerpt from the transcript of 'Black Canary And Arrow: The Siege of Starling City', a movie released in 2026 based on the events of the supervillain Deathstroke's attack on Starling City in 2014. At the time, though many suspected it by then, neither Oliver Queen or Laurel Lance had come out as being vigilantes, though the movie series took sides on the dispute by casting actors that looked quite similar to the two in 2014. The movie was panned as being inaccurate to the events in question - Arrow was reportedly especially known to have disliked the movie, but it was praised as being genuine to the heart and soul of the heroes and the culmination of their romance (first hinted at in 2023's movie "Black Canary and Arrow: The First Supervillain', about the events of the Undertaking) was praised as one of the best Hollywood had produced in years.

The Foundry, Starling City

December 8th, 2013

"What just happened? What the - what did I do? How did I -" she looked at Sara, as if hoping her sister had answers, but her sister was rubbing around her ears. "Sara! Did I - did I - are you - are your ears okay? Can you hear?"

"Laurel, I don't speak Arabic... can you say that again?" Sara asked, raising her voice a little, like she'd been listening to loud music and hadn't quite adapted her ears.

Laurel blinked, and realized she had been speaking more Arabic, not just the curse word. Laurel swallowed and tried again. "Sorry I - " She raised her voice just a little, terrified whatever had happened would happen again - not looking at Sara, just in case - "I was trying to ask if you could hear okay."

"There's this godawful ringing, and my head hurts all of a sudden, but the headache might just be because of the conversation we were just having. And the ringing is less than what happens to people who get hit by your sonic device so... I'll manage." Sara's volume dropped a little by the end of her answer, though not completely back to normal. "What the hell was that?"

"I..." Laurel heard her own voice now, and realized she sounded... hoarse. Scratchy. Like she'd just...

Just been screaming.

Which she had.

"I don't know." Laurel finished. "I felt this," she brought a hand up, gesturing at her neck, her diaphragm. "I felt this... something in my throat. And I knew - somehow I knew I shouldn't be facing you. And then I screamed and then..." she gestured to the wreckage of the hideout. Half the place was wrecked. The tables and chairs themselves seemed to be intact, even if toppled over, but the computers and more... it even looked like the concrete wall was chipped a little. Laurel walked towards it, gingerly stepping over shards of computer and pieces of equipment and touched the wall, feeling the spots that looked like they'd been damaged, looking at them.

Definitely bits blasted out. Not a lot, but still.

"You didn't... you didn't by any chance swallow your sonic device at some point, did you?" Sara asked, an awkward, forced laugh following the question. Laurel turned to look at her sister, and Sara held up a hand, "Sorry. Bad joke, I - I just... what?"

A really good question. Laurel felt her breath catch as she pondered that, her pulse racing. She closed her eyes and took a breath, and then another. Her emotional control was still ragged, but her physical control - even if days of being angry with her mother hadn't done much for her state of mind while away from her in Central, she had gotten her body back under control.

To do what she did, to fight as she did, to not kill, she had to be as aware as possible of her body and her strength. A talent drilled into her by the League. Granted, they hadn't taught her these skills with the intent to use them to reduce less than the maximum harm possible, but... they were adaptable.

She couldn't afford to lose that again, so she took another breath, eyes still closed.

"Laurel?" Sara asked, tentatively, carefully walking towards her. She reached out an arm to gently touch her shoulder slowly. Laurel turned, holding up her hand.

"Don't - not - I'm still angry with you. With what you hid." Laurel murmured softly. Sara grimaced, looking away a moment, then she nodded.

"Right. Sorry."

"I just want to make it clear we're not done with that conversation." Laurel pressed, and Sara nodded again. With that out of the way, Laurel pulled her sister in for a quick hug, as much for her own sake as for Sara's. She used the hug to ground herself further as she tried to understand what had happened.

She'd... screamed. Louder than should be possible. And her sound waves had been unidirectional, visible and done an insane amount of damage for... well, a human scream.

But is it a human scream?

Somehow, she had the ability to do that? Or... had it been some freak accident? Some... bizarre event that just... happened. And if she could do that, if she could scream like that, was it something she did consciously, or could she control it.

And of course, if I am doing it, how? People didn't do that.

Normal people didn't, anyway. But... then... normal people weren't the only people in the world. Hadn't she just been pondering that before Sara came in, and dropped her revelations, one and then the other?

Damien Darhk and Felix Faust and the others... most of them... magic is something ancient. It's a thing of talismans and rituals, icons and spells... not... just making a thing happen. But there were other stories that were passed around the league. A shapeshifting telepath was another story that passed around. Demons, or beings that could be called that. Some were probably just stories, but others...

Oliver and that Idol he found. Mirakuru itself. Reality really is stranger than we think.

"I... step back, away. I - I'm going to see if I can do it again." Laurel told her sister. "See if it's something I can do consciously." She stepped away from the wall as well, making sure only things she'd already destroyed were her field of vision, apart from the wall. No reason to destroy more stuff.

Sara nodded, "Right. Uhm... I'll stand over here." She hurried around behind Laurel, into the undestroyed part of the base.

Laurel took another breath. She wanted to see if she could do this when she wasn't angry. Or rather, when anger wasn't dominating her. Because she was still angry at her sister and at Vanch.

She focused on the feeling of something trying force itself up her throat, how it had felt like she had to vomit, but not. How she'd screamed. The way it had felt for that... force to rip from her throat.

She screamed.

And nothing happened. Just a loud noise.

She cursed in Arabic for a moment. If this was something that happened any time she got angry, that would be dangerous. Very dangerous. She had to know for sure. And if it was, she had to find a way to make sure it didn't happen.

Staying calm in the field is usually easy, but all it takes is one slip.

She heard Sara shifting on her feet behind her. She heard the sound of her own breathing, felt her own pulse.

Maybe focusing on the feeling of how it had happened for the first time wasn't it? Laurel had loved YA novels as a teenager, stories about teens having powers, or strange abilities or magic. She didn't read those sorts of books these days, or even sci-fi fantasy novels as much as she might have under other circumstances, but she still did from time to time. And Sara was always comparing her life, their lives, this whole situation to comic books.

Laurel had always seen it as much as Sara's coping with what had to seem like pure insanity to someone normal, someone who hadn't been to hell and back like she had, like Oliver had. Diggle had served three tours in Afghanistan, its own kind of hell, even if different. Being a cop in Starling City wasn't easy but... Still.

As such, Laurel's view of the 'comic book' comparisons had been that they were... understandable, but wrong. Or at least, shallow comparisons.

But now. Well. she had a superpower, didn't she?

I have a superpower. She repeated in her head. It sounded slightly less insane the second time. Stress-induced abilities are not unheard of in those sorts of stories, but they don't need to be stressed to use them. Usually. How did a hero in the comics use their powers? Usually, they just willed them to happen.

So she screamed again, thinking about how her scream had been so much louder, so much more powerful-

The visible sound waves flew from her mouth again, crashing into the debris in front of her and breaking them even more, chipping more concrete off the wall. It seemed to have as much force, as much power as the first time...

"Well, that confirms I can do it consciously, but..." Laurel shook her head.

"But what? Laurel, you have superpowers!" Laurel turned to face her sister, who was bouncing on her feet excitedly. "And a cool one too, not a lame one like Reed Richards stretching or the Mystery Men's whole... whatever." Sara gestured vaguely. "I remember nothing about that movie except that everyone's powers sucked." She shook her head. "Not the point. The point is, you have superpowers! And from an exploding particle accelerator to boot. Which is just..."

Sara furrowed her brow. "...which means other people probably have powers too. Since there's tens of thousands of people in Central City and the odds of you being the only one with powers after that seem pretty slim."

Laurel hadn't even thought about the how - though to be fair, she'd only just had that first scream five minutes ago, but...

What else would it be? There had to be a connection between the explosion causing her to lose her voice, and her powers.

"I... I guess that makes sense." Laurel murmured. It did make a frightening amount of sense. Laurel wasn't arrogant enough to assume she was special in this regard. "Something to worry about later, but there's nothing we can do about it now." Laurel didn't see how they could prove anything right now, and what were they supposed to do, go to STAR Labs and tell them 'hey, your exploding accelerator gave me superpowers'?

Sara looked doubtful, raising an eyebrow and sideying her a little, but she said nothing.

All this assumes STAR Labs even survives the next month. I'm amazed Dr. Wells hasn't been lynched yet. The way even people in Starling had freaked, attacking that STAR Labs storage annex Sara had been forced to defend...

It was terrifying, but mob justice was all too possible. Or just the legal system.

And Laurel would have to tell people who she was, and risk outing herself as a vigilante to people she didn't know, didn't know if she could trust... and that assumed nobody wanted to experiment on her. Find a way to manufacture more of her.

She'd call it a modern Mirakuru project if Mirakuru wasn't already happening in her city.

Because given what Waller had subjected Oliver too, what she'd seen as a member of the League... she didn't doubt most world governments would at least have a passing interest in trying to use her - or any other... mutant that emerged to get an edge.

And then there's always the risk of us being made into second-class citizens, or worse.

No. For now, secrecy was important.

"I suppose it wouldn't be that simple," Sara agreed, visibly skeptical as she frowned, but she wasn't arguing the point. Which is good. There's still enough that we need to argue about. No need to add more. Then she chuckled. "I wish I could be there to see when you use it on criminals tonight."

"Use it on criminals tonight?" Laurel shook her head "Sara, I'm not going to do that."

Sara blinked. "You're not going into the field tonight? Okay... tomorrow night then." She shrugged. "Whatever. I just wish I could be there to watch them be surprised when you hit them with your... scream power."

"I'm not going to be using it in the field. Not tonight when I go out." She'd put it off too much, but she couldn't just leave Oliver to handle everything alone. "Not tomorrow. Not anytime soon."

"Why?" Sara stared at her. "You're saying it like you're stating the obvious, but I mean - what I just saw seems a lot more useful than your sonic device, and more powerful? It did a lot more damage, and it seemed more... focused?" She gestured to her ears, "Like I said, since I wasn't the target, it didn't do the same thing to me as the sonic device would? At all? Sure, made my ears hurt and ring for a bit, but not much. Am I wrong, or is that not more tactically useful? Being able to have less chance of friendly fire?"

"And like I said, more powerful, I mean, look at what it did to the wall!" Sara gestured at the wall, laughing a little incredulously.

"Yes, Sara, I saw what it did to the wall. Yes, it's more directed, and more controllable in who or what I hit with... it?" Laurel needed a name for this? Her Scream? That felt... too simple, but it worked. Though she was called the Banshee once, before Black Canary caught on, so she supposed 'scream' worked as well as anything else.

"I won't use this in the field until I know how much damage it does... to people. To my surroundings. I can't - I won't - use it if there's a serious risk of killing someone, or permanently destroying their hearing..." Laurel had no illusions that she didn't sometimes cause permanent damage to the criminals she took down nonlethally - a broken arm or leg could heal, as could most other broken bones, but the human body was fragile, and damage could linger. But she did her best to leave it possible that people she hurt could function close to how they did before.

She always strove to do the exact amount of damage needed, relative to the situation, the enemy she faced. And she was almost always successful because she knew herself, knew her strength, and knew what her enemies could do.

She'd lost that when she'd killed the Count, at least... she'd lost her confidence in it. Her nerves were still raw - and Sara's revelation hadn't helped at all - but she felt more sure of her physical control in a fight, at least.

But this? She did not feel any sort of confidence in her control over this... this... scream, in a fight. Not until she knew what it could do, how much she could hurt someone. And if she could use it at... different volumes. Different levels of control.

"That... that makes sense." Sara nodded slowly. "But that raises a question-"

"How can I know?" Laurel finished, and Sara nodded. "I'm not sure. Decibel meters and a lot of research about the impact of sound waves at high pitches on the human body?"

There was no ethical way she could test it on anyone. You could always test it on Vanch. Laurel closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling. No. As cathartic and satisfying as that would be, it wouldn't work. She'd have to do a bit of research. There were ways to make dummies that could be used to reasonably test the damage things could do to a human body with close approximation. She'd have to look into those as well, potentially.

Laurel took another breath. She wasn't sure how she could test it, not completely. She'd have to find somewhere suitably secluded, but that was doable. But there was someone who might - who should - be able to help her. She just had to reach out.

But I should talk to Oliver first. Not just to see if he thought reaching out to Nyssa was a good idea - though she did want to know his take on it, even if she might still do it regardless of what he thought - but also because... well, if Oliver suddenly developed superpowers, she'd want to know about it as soon as possible too.

"We have time to work on that. There's more we need to do." She pulled her phone - the new one Oliver had given her at the hospital - out and dialed him. There was a pause.

"Laurel? Do you- is your-" He started, hesitant, concerned, hopeful, worried...

"My voice is back... and then some," Laurel answered. "Can you get away from the office soon?" She held up a hand, interrupting Oliver's answer before it started, even if Oliver couldn't see her gesture. "Don't force it. You have appearances to make, and since apparently IA, as part of their investigation into Sara is looking into us..."

Sara rolled her eyes and made a cutting motion with her hand, clearing trying to get Laurel to not say anymore. No, sorry Sara, I'm telling Ollie this.

"What?" Oliver demanded, then he dropped his voice lower, "This is what she was going to mention the other night?"

"It was. She insists that since IA is looking only in the context of trying to investigate her, and they can't turn over information to the rest of the SCPD, we should be fine..." Laurel trailed off.

"Because you will be!" Sara insisted, raising her voice. Laurel covered the phone's mouthpiece and 'shhhh'd' her sister, then went back to the call.

"But that's not the worst of it. Vanch didn't just tell the Count who we were, he set the Count up to die. To be killed by one of us. And apparently he has video footage of..." Laurel's breath caught a moment, she twitched several times, then, "of me killing him. And he's been holding it over Sara as blackmail. Threatening to send it to the press, the police... or other criminals. Brickwell, China White... anyone with a grudge against the Black Canary."

"...they'd try to take a shot at you when you're not prepared, when you don't have your suit, your weapons..." Oliver murmured. "She still should have told us."

"She insists its her problem to deal with." Laurel turned away she couldn't see Sara making faces and gesticulating her disagreement. "It's not that simple. But we actually have a bigger problem, or... bigger situation, anyway."

"...bigger? Than that?"

"You know how Sara keeps saying our lives are like comic books?" Oliver made an affirmative sound. "Turns out, she's more right than any of us realized. The-" Laurel flushed, feeling like it was insane to say it, but wasn't like Oliver wasn't going to believe her. "The particle accelerator explosion seems to have given me some kind of superpowers."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Oliver said, but before Laurel could object, he added, "As soon as I can get done what I have to get done, to rearrange the schedule. Rochev has a new round of layoffs and wage freezes she wants to discuss, and I can't duck out of it."

"Don't. That woman already has too much influence over what Queen Consolidated does." She'd managed to talk Rochev into letting QC fund that gun buyback, but the woman's eyes were consistently on the short-term profit, rather than long-term benefit for QC. The company was understaffed as it was, which was one of the reasons they were losing contracts and thus making less profit - not enough people to do everything as quickly as it needed to be done - and her approach was to risk losing what talent the company had left. And of course, the damage layoffs here in Starling would do to the city...

For someone who claimed to not want to just gut the company in typical corporate raider fashion...

Okay, maybe I'm being unfair. She does have bosses at Stellmor to report to, who expect returns. And expecting her to have a social conscience is a tall order for any CEO. She could wish CEOs would, but it was never going to be something she'd expect.

The woman was interested in profit for Queen Consolidated, and she could just have different ideas how to do it than Oliver.

Or she just wanted to loot the company and was claiming otherwise because she had to share.

"I'm well aware." Oliver muttered. "If I survive this year as CEO, it will be a miracle. People shooting bullets at me is less likely to kill me than this."

"I'm pretty sure that's not true, Ollie." She paused, "Half the equipment in the base is destroyed. Including most of the computers."

"...I'll tell Felicity to draw up a list of things she needs for that then." Oliver commented, blandly. "I'll see you as soon as I can. I love you."

"Love you." Laurel hung up, and turned back to Sara, who had found a garbage bag and gloves and started picking up pieces where she could.

"Okay, so I shouldn't have interrupted your call, but it is actually not your problem, Laurel. It's my problem to deal with! You can't do anything about the IA investigation, and there's nothing you can do about Vanch. If finds out I told you about the video, he'll probably just put it out as it is!"

"You're giving him too much credit," Laurel shook her head, going to fetch a beg of her own. She'd made the mess, she should be the one to clean up. "He's not a mastermind. He's a clever thug. At best."

"All you saw from him was him when he kidnapped you. Which, if you hadn't been the Black Canary, and Oliver hadn't been the Arrow, would have been a great way to get me killed, which was the whole point for him." Sara countered. "I was the one who arrested him. He may not have managed to make it as big as the Triads, or the Bertinelli family, but he killed 52 people, he had his hands in drug running, human trafficking - he was poised to get bigger. It's one of the things that let us have a solid enough case against him in the first place - he was outpacing his ability to cover himself, legally."

Laurel frowned. She could see what her sister was saying. From everything she'd learned, from her pre-law classes, from her dad, from reading book after book on the subject in college, from staying informed on it now, even from her time in the League, the truth was that the old, established organized crime syndicates had well-crafted defenses. Legions of lawyers, nested levels of deniability, middle-ranked guys ready to take a plea bargain, ties of family and even friendship to keep the membership loyal and together. They had connections inside and outside police departments, justice systems... and they knew how to play the rules. How to hide the bodies, how to not go so far that they drew too much attention. At least, once. In recent times, less so, but still.

And if nothing else, organized crime liked stability.

All of which was why making cases against the core enterprises of these families could be very hard.

But someone like Vanch wouldn't have all that.

"That doesn't make him a mastermind." Laurel countered. What she'd seen of him when he'd held her prisoner - sure, he'd figured certain things out, about the Arrow's strategies, his quiver, planned for The Black Canary's sonic device, but at the end of the day, it was all brute force. Nothing fancy, elaborate.

A clever thug, like she'd said. He'd killed his way into prominence, not did it with finesse.

"It means you can't underestimate him." Sara snapped. "He'll have backups of any footage, and deadman switches for releasing it. And do you really think he won't spill your name, Oliver's name, if he ends up with the cops? Or, more importantly, hand over that footage anyway?"

"So what, you're just going to let him Blackmail you forever! Until you get caught stealing evidence for him, or letting one of his goons go?! Sara, he has to be stopped!" Laurel snapped.

"And I will stop him, in my own way, with my own plan, because he's my problem! I need to play this out, find out what his actual plans are." Sara countered. She looked around, as if searching for an excuse to defend herself with. This isn't just your problem, Sara, and even if it was, you don't have to deal with a man like Vanch on your own! "And find out more about his backups for the footage."

"If he's as smart as you think he is, he's not going to just tell you how he's planning to release it!" Laurel tied off the bag she was filling and moved it aside. She needed a paper bag, or a box, for the next pile of shard and pieces, too sharp for even a good garbage bag to hold.

"I didn't say he was a genius, I said don't underestimate him. I said he's got plans. And yes, Vanch is smart, but he's also the most egotistical piece of shit I've ever arrested. He likes to shoot his mouth off. And when we spoke, he really liked that I refused to play along with his banter." Sara scoffed, "He took it as a challenge, I think, that I wouldn't give into his 'we're all friends now' schtick, to humor him, placate him."

She started pacing, one hand behind her back, the other one raised, one finger up. Laurel crossed her arms in front of her, watching Sara, willing to hear her out, at least.

"He offered to give me details on his rivals in the criminal world, if I 'played along'/" Sara continued.

"To pass it on to us? We're not going to become his attack dogs!"

"If he had information on China White's location, or where a gun runner was keeping a stash of military grade weapons, would you not act on that?" Sara countered, and Laurel opened her mouth to protest that she wouldn't...

And then closed it.

The weapons... maybe she could sit on that. As dangerous as that sort of gear would be on the streets, it could be dealt with piecemeal, or at the sale, or... something. But China White? Laurel wasn't sure she could pass up a chance to get the drop on the other woman. She was too dangerous to leave free.

"And then he made another offer. Which..." Sara bit her lip. "Do you think it's just a coincidence that some mysterious bad guy with a mask starts trying to make supersoldiers right after the Count was sent after the Arrow and the Black Canary by someone with a lot of resources? Because I don't."

Laurel inhaled, stiffening as Sara put it like that. She hadn't...

She hadn't thought about it.

"If Vanch had said anything about supersoldiers, you would have said so, sooner." Laurel felt like she was grasping at straws here. Mirakuru is bad enough. Tie in Vanch. The Count. What is going on if it's that -

"No, of course not just - Vanch knows who financed the Count." Sara now had both hands gesturing, flailing almost, as she got more and more heated. "Yes, Vanch has no problem with lying, but he's too full of himself to do it that much. He didn't lie there." She paused, stopped moving and brought her hands up to her face, pulling them down across it for a long moment, letting out a breath, and then taking one, the action slow and deliberate.

"This is my problem," Sara murmured, speaking quietly and slowly now. "But," She added, before Laurel could waste her breath trying to argue the point more, "You're also right that I probably should have said something. Maybe not right then, right after Vanch sent me the copy of the video, but... soon. About Vanch, and about IA." She let out a breath.

Laurel pursed her lips, wanting to press harder. But if Sara was going to apologize right now, she would have. She probably wasn't sorry. Acknowledging she should have done differently wasn't the same thing as feeling bad about what she did.

She did that a lot as a kid too. It wasn't that Sara never said sorry, but sometimes... sometimes she kind of skipped that stage.

"You think the person that helped the Count is behind the Mirakuru?" Laurel circled back, accepting the 'apology' as all she was getting for now.

"I think it's likely. And even if it's not, they'll try again. I need to play this out, find more about his backups, his long-term plans. Something that can get him put away safely. And if, while I'm doing that, I find out something more. He said it was 'a doozy'. Again... he was too full of himself to lie about it." Sara made a face, grimacing, "Okay, so... I'm pretty sure, anyway. I'm not saying we take him at his word once he tells me more but-"

Laurel held up a hand, interrupting Sara before she could start heated again. "I get your point. And... I don't think it's as simple as it being your problem, but if you want to play this out, for now, I won't stop you. Just... make sure you tell me, tell us what else Vanch 'asks' you to do." Sara nodded.

Laurel stared at her sister. "Are you keeping anything else secret?" She hated feeling like she had to ask that, and she probably didn't, but... just to be safe. She had to ask.

"Of course." Sara shrugged. "All sorts of thing. My social life may not be what it was, but I do still technically have friends, people who tell me things in confidence. And I'm allowed my own privacy. But if you mean am I keeping anything secret that's relevant to you, or your vigilante stuff or anything like that, then no, I'm not."

Laurel watched her sister, but Sara didn't give off any sign she was lying, or even omitting... she was telling the truth.

"Okay. Good." She let out a breath. "Oliver probably won't be here for a few hours, if you need to get back to the precienct-"

"I'm good for the rest of the day. Union rules about how many extra shifts I can be forced into. Police Union does more than protect shitty cops from consequences. Who knew?" Sara shrugged. "I can stick around and help with this." She gestured to all the mess. "Besides, I want to see the look on Oliver's face when you show him what you can do." Sara grinned, and Laurel rolled her eyes.

Okay. So that's typical Sara.

The Foundry, Starling City

December 8th, 2013

Even after his meeting with Rochev, Oliver hadn't been able to get away. The head of the New York City office needed face time to discuss a new product launch for January 1st. If things went well with this new computer component - some sort of processor - then the company's profits might actually be enough to satisfy Rochev. He'd managed to fend off her plans to lay people off, or cut wages, and even talked her out of most of the raise and bonus freezes she was trying to get, but as he was quickly learning, she had just as much ability to stop him as he did her.

Two people holding 50% of the voting shares each could easily lead to deadlock.

And so Oliver had had to concede on a few bonus freezes and raise freezes. They'd agreed on a hard cap on how many people, and which people they do it to. Not low-ranking employees, and he hadn't been able to convince her to do it to the executives (though he had signed away his own End of Year Bonus) but some of the upper management, right below the executive tier. They made enough right now, and they could afford the freeze better. And most of them had put in enough years at the company that Oliver could hope they'd stay and ride things out.

Hopefully.

But then after Rochev, and the product launch discussion, there was a talk with the Head of Legal about some nuisance lawsuits that the company was being hit with in Texas, and a new set of regulation passed in the EU that would necessitate some restructuring of how the Milan branch was organized. And then some.

According to Legal, the new environmental regulations would make certain parts of the Milan Office's focus unprofitable to follow them, necessitating a shutdown of that division and a relocation of its operations. Oliver wasn't convinced that it was true, and had asked the Milan Office to take another look.

I just don't want to fire a hundred-odd people halfway around the world just because it's inconvenient to control our chemical disposal process better.

So between all of that, and other meetings, it was into the evening by the time Oliver was able to get away. Diggle right behind him, Oliver walked down the stairs into the Foundry.

There was no sign of all the wrecked equipment that Laurel had warned him about, but half of it was missing. Most of the computers, the cases holding their uniforms, the tennis ball shooter Oliver trained with, a few other bits and pieces. All gone.

Sara was leaning against one pillar, looking at her phone, while Felicity was at the one remaining computer. Laurel was doing the Salmon Ladder. She dropped down when she saw him, landing on the mat.

"Did you manage to fend off Rochev?"

"Mostly, but then I had other meetings." Oliver watched as Laurel ran a towel over her face, then grabbed her shirt and pulled it back on. "So what exactly happened to all the equipment."

"When I came in they were still picking pieces of the computers off the floor." Felicity complained. "I put a lot of work into upgrading those." She muttered that last part, sour, but Oliver shrugged. He'd get new ones and Felicity could upgrade those.

"We'll worry about that in a minute." He walked over to Laurel, taking her hand, speaking in a low tone: "Are you good?"

"Apart from freaking out just a little that I'm some kind of mutant, yeah." Laurel murmured back, too quiet for anyone else to hear. "Still angry with Sara, but she... sort of apologized. That way she does sometimes."

Oliver frowned, but he didn't say anything else. He knew what Laurel was saying. It wasn't Sara's best trait, but it didn't happen anywhere as much as it had in years last, and he wasn't going to tell Laurel she couldn't accept it. "So what do we do about Vanch? And IA?"

"Keep our distance as vigilantes from her and her cases, at least where anyone can see. As for Vanch, she wants to play it out." Oliver raised an eyebrow, staring at her, then looking over at Sara, who met his gaze impassively. Oliver looked back to Laurel. "Yeah," Laurel murmured. "But she may have a point. Not sure I agree with it, but we can't exactly force her to do things differently." Laurel gave him a quick summary of the discussion she'd had with Sara - about Vanch wanting to use them to take out his rivals (and Oliver had to admit that depending on the information, it would be hard to justify not acting on it) and about Vanch's offer to reveal who was behind the Count.

Oliver blinked when she mentioned that. He'd forgotten entirely that the Count had mentioned that. Between Laurel killing him, and then her going to Central, and then the murders at the Applied Science Center, Mirakuru... Laurel getting hospitalized, losing her voice...

He'd forgotten, or at least pushed it far to the back of his mind.

"...we need to plan for if he releases it." Oliver noted, as she finished up. "Or for IA."

"The question is which option do we go with for each? Or both? They could end up feeding on each other." Laurel murmured. Then she exhaled. "We have time. We also have something else we need to deal with."

"Your superpowers. You didn't say what they were." Oliver shrugged. "Not sure it's something we need to 'deal' with." He looked at her, almost wishing he'd read more fantasy stories or even comic books when he was younger, so he might have even the slightest frame of reference for all this, beyond what he'd picked up from cultural osmosis. "Apart from knowing what you can do in the field so we can plan for it-"

"I can't use it in the field. At least, not yet." Laurel interrupted. "It'll be easier if I show you." She stepped away and raised her voice. "Everyone, stay behind me, and cover your ears."

Oliver obeyed, and Sara moved very quickly as Laurel stood in the section where all the missing equipment once stood, facing the wall. It was as Oliver watched Laurel move into position that he noticed that the wall was... damaged? Small cracks, pieces chipped off. Nothing too bad, but.

"You really will want to cover your years," Sara suggested, moving next to him. "It's like her sonic device, but not as bad when you're behind her. Still, not fun."

What's like her sonic device? From what Laurel and Sara were saying, and the comment Felicity had made about everything being in pieces... Some sort of sonic wave thing? How would that work?

Laurel has superpowers because a particle accelerator exploded. Even having seen magic firsthand, even with everything that had happened in his life, this seemed the most absurd.

Laurel leaned forward a bit, opened her mouth, wide, as if to scream -

And she did. Except that it was loud. If he had been standing right next to her, Oliver was pretty sure it would be louder than anything he'd ever heard. He could see the sound flying out from her, hitting the wall, and he watched more pieces of concrete chip off of it. If she'd been standing closer to the wall, Oliver worried she might blow even more out of it.

Amazing. Oliver started at his girlfriend, at the amount of awesome power she had displayed. How many people could say they had a legitimate superhero as a partner? And one as beautiful and amazing as Laurel? She was one of the most formidable combatants he'd ever known, the smartest woman he'd ever met, she cared about people, always dedicated herself to helping them in ways even he had trouble matching...

And now she had superpowers.

If it was possible, this just made him even more in love with her. It wasn't possible, but still.

Laurel closed her mouth, straightening back up and turning to them. Oliver walked up to her, hands on her arms.

"That was amazing," He told her softly.

Laurel smiled softly. "...it's very weird to do, but..." she exhaled. "But you can see why I can't use it in the field." Oliver frowned, and Laurel shook her head, "Look what I did to the wall. I shattered all that equipment. What would I do to a person? I need to know if I can change the amount of force behind the... scream, or whatever I call it. Can I do it quieter? Louder? Narrower? Wider? What if I use it a lot? Would that damage my throat? My voice?"

Oliver nodded. "I see your point. But there still would be situations where you could use it." Oliver took her hand and squeezed it. "I just don't want you to turn down any opportunity you can, if something turns against you..."

Laurel pursed her lips a moment, her free hand playing with her hair a moment. "...true. But there's another concern. If people found out I had superpowers - and I can't possibly be the only person who was in Central City who got powers - then they might try to lock me away, or worse, make more of me. A modern mirakuru project."

Oliver grimaced. He could see Waller doing something like that.

I know ARGUS has a major base in Starling. Waller hasn't bothered us because we've never been important enough to. But if she knew Laurel had powers, and thought she could grab her, use her to make more, make supersoldiers...

Oliver would fight to the death to stop Waller from being able to do that, but he wasn't foolish enough to think he was guaranteed victory in such a circumstance.

"I hate to interrupt your... moment, but what if you just made it look like not a superpower?" Felicity suggested from the sidelines. Oliver and Laurel both turned to look at her. Felicity cleared her throat, "I mean - that - The Black Canary is known for her sonic device. What if you, like... made something you could... wear around your neck, or something, that made it look like it was just... an upgraded version of your sonic device? It would just be a shiny toy but..." Felicity trailed off, looking away. "Stupid idea?"

"...no, actually, I think that's a pretty good one." Laurel murmured, and Oliver agreed.

"People don't tend to assume things they know are impossible. Superpowers aren't real. Magic isn't real. Secret organizations of assassins don't exist for hundreds or thousands of years." Oliver nodded. "Give them a reason to believe it's just smoke and mirrors..."

"And they'll be looking for the man behind the curtain." Laurel finished. "Do you think you could make something that looked like it would be a legitimate upgrade? If we want to keep my powers secret, we need to do this in-house, if we can."

Felicity frowned, bringing her fist up to her lips a moment, "Maybe? No promises, but if it just needs to look shiny and not stand up to any scrutiny... It's got to be doable. I didn't exactly do that great in the electrical engineering course I took in college, but... I passed." Felicity flushed. "Forget I said that last part."

"As long as it looks right and doesn't electrocute me or anything, I think it will work," Laurel chuckled. Felicity nodded. "As for controlling it... I seem to be in control of it right now, but... I was... angry when I screamed the first time earlier. If I get angry in the field again... I need to be careful. Especially right now." Laurel grimaced. "I have an idea on how I might be able to find out the best way to control it, but... you're probably not going to like it, Ollie." She looked over at her sister. "You won't either."

"If it makes it so you can be sure you can control this..." Oliver wasn't sure what she meant.

"Even if it means asking Nyssa for the League's help?"

"I thought they cut you loose?" Sara cut in. "I mean, she came by looking for that other earthquake machine, but... why would they help you? Without... I mean, everything you've said about the League, and Ra's... everyone in the group other than Nyssa, they're all evil bastards."

Laurel clenched her hands into fists, letting out a breath. "It's a bit more complicated than that. Most people in the League are... just going along with it. Whatever principles they had were broken long ago. Even the people who are in it for the license to kill believe in the principles of the League, largely. Sort of. It's not like any of us trusted each other. Nyssa was the only one I could ever even somewhat confide in, and vice-versa."

Oliver knew this part of things. Laurel had felt guilty about abandoning Nyssa from the moment she had, when they met again in Russia, and had told Oliver all about her.

"You think the League can help?" Oliver was more worried about what the League might demand for their help. He trusted Nyssa - or at least, he trusted Laurel's trust in her. He didn't trust the rest of the League.

"I think there's a good chance. They taught me the control I rely on in a fight to begin with. And... if nothing else, they do have experience with people with... unusual abilities. Usually killing them, but... it's not like there's anyone else with any experience with this we can contact."

Which means you'd be giving them a chance to work out how to kill you, how to counter your powers. Nothing they were doing should draw the League's ire, but...

But Laurel was also right. Maybe ARGUS had some sort of knowledge on the subject, but he actually trusted the League to keep their word more than he did Waller.

"As for why they'd help... Nyssa would be willing to on her own. Ra's..." Laurel exhaled. "I may not be part of the League, but just as with Malcolm, if the League decides that I'm violating their code, or if I... I don't know, start spilling their secrets, then they'll come to... clean up their mess. Letting him know about something like this, so he can plan for it if he needs to... eliminate me."

"So you want to make it easier for him to kill you if he decides you need to die?" Sara rolled her eyes. "No, I can't imagine why you might think Oliver and I would have a problem with this."

"Laurel knows what she's doing." Oliver shot back.

"Of course she does, but that doesn't mean I have to like that it's probably the best plan." Sara snapped. She let out a breath. "I shouldn't have said it like that. I'm sorry."

Laurel nodded. "I can't say I'm thrilled about the prospect. As for contacting Nyssa... well, I can't pick up a phone and call her." Mostly because Nyssa didn't have a permanent phone, and she didn't know how to contact Nanda Parbat directly. There was several operating satellite phones there, and the League used phones in the field all the time, but Laurel had no idea how to connect to any of them.

"Carrier pigeon?" Sara suggested, and Laurel shook her head.

"They have a people all over the world. People that someone who knows about them can contact, to report word on the kind of person the League targets. I know who that person is for North America. Reaching out to him is a little more complicated than just a single phone call, but I can ask him to pass a message on to Nyssa. And then we wait."

"We'll figure something out, even if the League can't or won't help." Oliver assured Laurel.

Oliver and Laurel's Apartment, Starling City

December 11th, 2013

Oliver was, by necessity, a light sleeper.

He did tend to sleep heavier, relatively speaking here, with Laurel next to him, in a place they could be reasonably sure they were safe. The Count's attempted attack had proven that 'reasonably sure' was hardly a guarantee, but some improvements to security and the fact they could only sleep so heavily no matter what meant Oliver was...

Well, less worried, anyway.

He opened his eyes, and realized Laurel wasn't next to him. She was standing by the window, a loose robe on, looking out on the city. He sat up a little, and Laurel turned.

"Did you even sleep?" Oliver asked her quietly, and Laurel raised an eyebrow. "Or just woke up a bit ago?"

"I slept... but I've been up a while," Laurel admitted. She walked back away from the window, sitting on the bed. "Worrying. Wondering. Wishing for answers. That sort of thing."

Oliver didn't need to ask what she was worrying and wondering about. What she wanted answers about.

"We could start trying to vet doctors, ones that we could trust to ask?" Oliver murmured. They had a list of potential doctors, if they found themselves in need of emergency care they couldn't get at the base, from anyone already in on the secret. It was a small list, and they still weren't entirely sure about any of them.

Felicity, Diggle and Sara hadn't known about that list, which was why they'd figured the choices were Barry or the hospital, after Oliver had been dosed by that mystery drug at the ARGUS stockpile. They'd fixed that since, but still. Barry was probably the better choice, as it had turned out.

At some point, after all, you could only be so sure. Sometimes, you just had to find out if you were right about someone, the hard way. And making that call in that sort of emergency was a lot to ask of anyone.

Of course, asking one of those doctors, who could probably be trusted to keep a secret about a vigilante to keep secret about Laurel's new superpowers...

"Even if we could be sure about the doctor, they'd need a lot more equipment than we can feasibly keep in the base." Laurel countered. "It's... more philosophical than important for right now." Oliver raised an eyebrow, trailing a hand along her side gently.

"Just... I'm some sort of mutant. I mean, how else do you describe it?" Laurel chuckled grimly. There was no moral weight attached to 'mutant' in her voice.

"I suppose that's simpler than saying 'someone with superpowers'." Oliver agreed. "But I don't know if that is the best word, given what people think of when they hear mutant."

"You mean third arms and grotesque transformations like in a B-horror film?" Laurel offered, and Oliver nodded. "True. But... normal people, normal humans... they can't scream so loud that they break concrete. Which of course, raises the question: Am I human?"

"Yes." Oliver nodded firmly.

"I don't know if we can actually be that sure. It doesn't matter in a lot of ways. I'm still me. I'm still a person. But... am I human? How much can someone change, and still be human. Ship of Theseus, but for humanity." Laurel shrugged. Oliver frowned, not recognizing the reference - he knew Theseus was a Greek Mythological hero, but not what his ship had to do with this. But he followed the question.

"Well, if it doesn't matter then... it doesn't matter?" Oliver offered. "You have an ability most humans -"

"No other human can do what I can do, with that scream."

"Out of the billions of humans alive today, and have been alive, are you sure?" Oliver pointed out, and Laurel nodded slowly. "And even if you are the first, 'most' can cover 'everyone but you'." Oliver had not done well in the logic course he'd taken at the second college he'd flunked out of, but dating someone who had been angling for law school had eventually rubbed off on him. Somewhat.

"Maybe it doesn't matter, but I'm still curious. What does it mean? How does it work? If anyone else was affected by that explosion, how? In what ways? And why... screaming?" Laurel shook her head. "I didn't even have my sonic device on me at the time."

Oliver chuckled, "You know, I had wondered about that. Given how quiet you can be in bed, screaming powers did seem a little strange." Oliver moved that hand that had been on Laurel's side across her torso, caressing her chest a moment before it reached the back of Laurel's neck and kissed her on the lips.

He'd meant it to be something quick, but Laurel's hand found the back of his head and held him close, deepening the kiss until they both pulled back several seconds later.

"Somehow, I don't think that has anything to do with why I have this particular power either way," Laurel offered with a soft smile, chuckling. She moved her hand down along Oliver's side. She let out a breath. "I'm not going to get any answers right now. And I'm not going to get back to sleep until I can move these questions out of my head for now." She ran her hand up his chest, smirking.

"Care to distract me?" Laurel offered. After answering in the affirmative, Oliver grabbed her hips and pulled her close, and proceeded to do just that.

The Glades, Starling City

December 15th, 2013

Laurel had made sure that she kept busy, over the last week. She'd gotten back into her work for the Queen Family Charitable Trust - with the holidays closing fast, the need for charity was even greater than normal, and Laurel was busy vetting programs for getting gifts for needy families across Starling and Bludhaven. Filtering out not just the obvious scams, but the ones that would let the trust get the most bang for its buck - help the most people the best ways possible for the least cost.

Freeing up more money to help more people.

There was still more to do, but so far at least a two hundred children in Starling City and Bludhaven would have some toys for Christmas when they wouldn't have any.

Of course, with her days busy with that, her nights as the Black City were busy on the streets. With the weather getting colder as it was, crime was down in the Glades, but she needed to make her appearances, check in with Sin, and search for Brickwell, for China White, get a better feel for what the local gangs were up to...

She'd also been looking for any sign of Vanch rebuilding his little gang and criminal empire, but so far, there was no sign of him. He was hiding well. She'd followed some of his old associates - and taken out a few of them, leaving them with clear evidence of their cocaine dealing and illegal arms possession.

But so far, nobody seemed to be linked to Vanch. He was hiding, not recruiting muscle, not getting back into business.

Her absence for a few weeks from the streets between going to Central, and losing her voice, had emboldened a few idiots. Brickwell had come out of the woodwork with his closest goons, robbed a number of stores and started mugging and murdering again. She hadn't been able to find him, but she'd tracked down and dealt with two of his closest lieutenants. One was in a cell awaiting trial, the other was in a hospital but had no current crimes on him anyone could prove.

Yet.

And muggings had gone up, a little.

Every criminal thinks they're the one that will get away with it, rather than get caught by the Arrow, or the Black Canary.

She'd found Roy, apologized for her absence, and thanked him for the helping the Arrow. And teased him about the 'second favorite' comment he'd made.

Oliver was right though. He was chomping at the bit for more, and Laurel didn't think she could hold him off that for much longer.

And she wasn't sure she wanted to.

Because there were too many criminals who got away. Two people just wasn't enough. They couldn't cover the entire city every night. Three wouldn't be enough either, but... it would help.

And, once Roy was ready, three people would make dealing with larger forces of criminals easier. Safer. Faster.

Roy had proven he could take direction, and that he was serious. He'd taken training seriously.

The only thing holding her back, apart from the simple issue of how many hours in the day, was Thea.

Because training Roy would require revealing their identities to him. And even if it didn't, telling Roy that he had to keep it a secret from Thea...

That wasn't fair to him. It wasn't fair to Thea.

And so, if they brought Roy in, they needed to tell Thea.

Oliver was still being... stubborn, about that part. He knew she was right, he knew asking Roy to keep it secret from Thea... it might work, but it was all too likely to go wrong, for him, or for Thea.

As for her powers... Laurel had managed to avoid using them. Finding somewhere safe to practice them - she could hardly keep doing it in the Foundry - was easier said than done. She had felt... an itch, for lack of a better word, in her throat, during one heated encounter with one of Brick's lieutenants. She hadn't been angry, but the man, Alec, was a particularly odious bastard, and leaving him hospitalized with a month or more recovery had been profoundly satisfying.

So far, there were no hard signs of any other people who had gotten powers from the Particle Accelerator Explosion. Diggle had an ex-army buddy who worked in the CCPD, and Felicity was checking crime data from the city (Laurel made a mental note to get the woman a gift card or a dozen. She was going well above and beyond, and they kept piling more requests on her.)

It had only been a week though. And Laurel could only assume that people were, like her, staying under the radar, or getting lost in the chaos after the particle accelerator explosion, the mess it had made of the city.

Barry Allen had been transferred to Star Labs custody, according to Felicity, which... struck Laurel as... odd. Apparently he was flatlining with alarming frequency, and somehow, the now wheelchair-bound Harrison Wells had figured out a way to stop that, even if Barry was still in a coma. Barry's family, the one that had raised him after his father's imprisonment, had accepted the pariah doctor's offer of help out of desperation.

I want to trust that this Dr. Wells is just trying to make up for his mistake in what little way he can, but... knowing that I have powers... It made her wonder. Was Dr. Wells just trying to help? Or was something else going on?

Did that mean Barry had powers now? Or would, if he woke up? Oliver's own suspicions had been raised the same way hers had, but there was little to be done, yet. Laurel still needed to thank Barry for saving Oliver's life, so they had to keep an eye on that, even if less of one.

As for Nyssa... she'd reached out to the League's point of contact, with the message for Nyssa. He'd sent word she would be on her way as soon as she could, but...

She wasn't here yet.

Laurel dropped down from the building she'd been perched on, landing easily in the alley below. She'd tracked a street-level heroin dealer, and she was quite certain this now abandoned warehouse was where he was meeting his supplier. She had made a bet with herself that it was probably Triad, but it could be Vanch, could be another, smaller-scale cartel or dealer.

She doubted this was where whoever was supplying actually kept the heroin. The drug trade in Starling had had to adapt to the vigilantes. There was more going on inside clubs, behind closed doors, places it was harder for the vigilantes to see, find out about. And the ones still dealing through dealers on the streets were putting more and more removes, keeping the cash and the drugs separate, keeping the street-level dealers away from the main stashes of both, so they couldn't spill to the vigilantes, or get tracked to them...

"Were you followed?" Laurel heard a voice, as she crouched under a window.

"I don't think so," the dealer shot back.

"You don't think so?" There was a deadly emphasis on think, and she heard a gun being cocked, and from the way the dealer suddenly went 'woah', it was probably being pointed at him too.

"You show me someone who knows they ain't being followed by the fucking archer or the Bitch Canary, and I'' show you someone who's about to land themselves in the hospital or prison. I was careful, but thinking that you're safe for sure is just gonna get you beat down, fast."

Bitch Canary? She'd heard a lot of derogatory nicknames from the criminals she took down, or was about to take down, streets, but that one was new. And not even that creative.

Laurel looked into the window. There were four people there. The dealer was a white guy with a shaved head, and there were the people he was meeting.

Triad. All three were clearly Asian, either recent immigrants or born here, it was impossible to say. And the guns that two of them had out were the Triad's preferred model. The third one, the one speaking with the dealer, didn't have a weapon out.

"The Triad has ways to deal with the vigilantes when they cause us problems." The man said, and the dealer scoffed.

"Yeah, and that's why we're meeting here like this rather than doing business the way we used to." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick roll of bills, which he held out to the man. "I want my product. One kilo, like usual."

The man accepted the money, gesturing to one of his guards, who lowered his gun and pulled a kilo of heroin out of his coat. The guard counted the money quickly.

"It's all here." He gestured to the guard again, and he handed the dealer the heroin. Laurel would have to deal with him another night. She watched the Triad members go out the back, into an alley, following behind carefully. She watched them get into a normal looking car. Laurel noted the license plates - she could use one of Felicity's programs to run the plates and find out a registration. Probably a fake identity or otherwise useless for finding the stash in case tonight went wrong, but you never knew.

But she did stay behind a corner as the car started up, pulling out, towards her direction... Laurel removed the tracking dart from her pocket as she dropped to the ground and threw it at the wheel, connecting with the rim, sticking in. It was a very small dart, but there was every chance they'd see it once they stopped the car. Which meant Laurel would have to move quickly, but at least she had some lee time.

The car sped off down the streets of the Glades, and Laurel heard movement as someone dropped from a rooftop behind her. Laurel spun, not sure how she'd missed someone even getting that close, hands on her tonfa...

Only to relax when she saw that it was Nyssa. There was a time when I wouldn't even have heard her drop down behind me. Her first sign that Nyssa was present would have been the woman speaking behind her, or maybe just standing there when Laurel turned anyway. But Laurel wasn't one to let any skill idle or lie fallow.

"I had wondered why you were so content to watch the exchange happen without interference." Nyssa murmured lightly. She smiled softly. "But I knew you had a greater purpose in mind."

"Nyssa." Laurel laughed softly, wanting to hug her friend, but holding back, for now.

"Are you well?" Nyssa asked quietly. "Your message spoke of... your new abilities. But such abilities rarely come without cost, in the experience of the League."

"I'm as well as I can be, under the circumstances." Laurel shrugged. She hadn't noticed any adverse effects - no third arm, no strange mutations, not even a discolored patch of skin anywhere. Of course, it was stressful, especially wondering if she could lose control, or if she could be found out. Was her DNA different? If she ever went to the hospital, would a doctor tell she was... changed?

And while she wasn't an expert on the human body, she also had to wonder... how exactly did it work? She felt no different, so how could she actually, physically, scream that loud.

"It's good to see you again," Laurel said softly.

"And you as well," Nyssa nodded. "Ra's al Ghul did not deny me permission to come and see this new... ability you have gained. Nor did he deny me to provide you aid. Before we see to that... do you want to see where these criminals went?"

"It would be better to deal with it first, yeah." Laurel nodded. "Is the League familiar with China White?" She was a pretty notorious woman in the criminal underworld, but Laurel hadn't heard of her while in the League.

"...the name is not familiar to me."

"She's one of the most dangerous woman I've met, outside the League. And she's an enforcer for the Triad. I have no idea if she'll be there, but if she is, we need to be careful."

"I will bear that in mind."

The Foundry, Starling City

December 15th, 2013

Oliver and Sara were waiting at the Foundry by the time Laurel got back, with Nyssa in tow. Tracking the Triad members in their car had been simple enough, following them out of the Glades and into another neighborhood that had been hit with gentrification a few decades ago.

The Triad was not storing their drugs there, because as it tuned out, the Triad had gotten even more clever than Laurel was willing to give them credit for. The middle-men who delivered product to the dealers on the street were actually getting them directly from the Triad's front companies that got them from the Port of Starling.

Somers was in prison, and good riddance, but the Triad was still moving product into the city through the port. The people who owned and ran the port now were about as clean as people in their position could be, but the same couldn't be said for every worker and guard, and the Triad's front businesses had all sorts of legitimate purchases coming through.

From what a few pointed questions and what they'd overheard before attacking could reveal, it sounded like the Triad didn't have a heroin stash. They got a kilo or two at a time, packaged in with other things, and then resold them to street dealers quickly. It cost more, and was slower, but it kept them better insulated from customs, the DEA and of course, the vigilantes.

Before leaving them for the police - Nyssa hadn't needed prompting to leave them alive and mostly unharmed - one of them had said that it was China White's idea, and that she ran the Triad in Starling now, free and clear. If any of them knew where their boss was hiding, none had talked.

The police might have better luck, but I doubt it.

Still, they had left a half-dozen triad goons for the police and a large pile of drug money for them to seize, and enough illegal weapons to see them off the streets for a while, in most cases. It was better than nothing.

Intercepting their drugs, if they're really coming in piecemeal like that, is not going to be very doable.

"Nyssa," Oliver greeted her as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "Thank you for coming." Sara didn't say anything, though she did nod at Nyssa. Laurel watched a small smile form on Sara's face as Nyssa stepped into her full view. There was an appraising, attentive look in her eye, and Laurel held back a groan.

Oh no...

"I would not turn down a request for help from Laurel that I could provide," Nyssa agreed. She looked Oliver over. He was in costume as well, quiver still on his back, while his bow was resting in its holder. "You look well. If there is time while I am here, I would like to test my archery against yours."

For Nyssa, that was about as friendly as it got, in most cases, in Laurel's experience. Her whole life was the League, training to serve it, training to fight, and learning to kill. Insofar as she had any hobbies, combat was one of them. And it wasn't like Nyssa knew Oliver, except what Laurel had told her of him.

Oliver blinked, then nodded slowly. "That's possible. How long will you be here?"

"Not as long as I would wish." Nyssa explained. "I have a mission I must see to in Mexico, and I cannot linger long here, no matter the need to see to Laurel's new abilities, no matter the need to help her learn to control and use them safely."

"So, what?" Sara snapped, "You came all this way to tell Laurel you couldn't help her? Just came to make sure your precious League knew how to kill her easier?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest, glaring daggers at Nyssa. "Why waste your time doing that, wasting her time, wasting our time? I feel like that could have just been sent in an email. Or maybe carrier pigeon." Sara's words were delivered in a sharp, biting tone.

"Sara," Laurel cut in, before her sister could say more, because she could tell that she wanted to. Sara was inhaling sharply, chest rising and falling, and she looked ready to go on a rant, bracing herself, squaring her shoulders-

"Your concerns for your sister are understandable, and admirable," Nyssa commented. Then she turned to Laurel, speaking Arabic now in a quiet tone. "Your sister is... striking, when she is angry." Laurel knew Nyssa well enough to know what was meant by that pause before 'striking'. The appreciative look in her eye left no chance Laurel was imagining it.

Laurel closed her eyes a second, resisting the urge to drop her head into her hands.

Oh no... she repeated in her head, for the exact same reasons, in reverse. Now I'm glad Nyssa's not going to be here long. Well, no, not glad, but at least she didn't feel as bad about it. She'd rather have Nyssa around than not, but...

There were upsides, such as they were, to Nyssa not sticking around in Starling for long.

Laurel bit back the warning she wanted to give Nyssa, to keep away from Sara. There would be no point, and she didn't want Sara to be wondering what their conversation was about, if Nyssa responded to her warning...

"But," Nyssa returned to English, a strange look on her face at Laurel's lack of response, looking back over to Sara and Oliver, "though I cannot stay long, that does not mean I cannot help. Laurel needs to learn total control of her new power, as the League taught her total control of her body. That can be done by others, including one who is not of the League, and thus free to stay as long as is necessary." Nyssa paused. "One who would be willing to help Laurel, at my request."

"Oh." Sara let out softly. Her shoulders sagged. "Right."

"Who is it?" Oliver asked, and she could catch the concern in his voice. He trusted Laurel's trust of Nyssa, but trusting Nyssa's trust of someone else?"

"She goes by several names, but the one I know her by is Shiva. Lady Shiva." Laurel blinked, the name sounding familiar.

"...she knows your sister?" Laurel murmured softly, thinking she remembered hearing about the two of them in some context... vague rumors, whispers, stories.

"Lady Shiva knows many in the League, including my sister," Nyssa nodded. "She is one of the most formidable combatants, with any weapon, I have ever known or known of. Even Ra's al Ghul would be cautious about challenging her."

Laurel hadn't heard that. But then, it made sense Ra's wouldn't want to have it be known that there was someone he was afraid of. Or at least, someone who could beat him. Not something you can let people talk about freely.

"I've heard of her... once." Oliver admitted. "Only in passing. You think she'll help Laurel?"

"She will, at my request." Nyssa nodded. She reached into her League outfit, a hidden pocket, and pulled out a sat phone. "I will need to go back outside to contact her, but it will not be long."

"Wait, you have a phone?!" Sara nearly shouted the words out, sounding stunned. Laurel looked at her sister, baffled by Sara's confusion, and from the blank look on Oliver's face, he was too. Nyssa merely arched an eyebrow, looking at Sara appraisingly.

Sara flushed and looked down at the ground. "It's just - with your insistence on bows and arrows and swords and thinking guns are bad, and being a cu-" Sara cut off, cleared her throat, "And everything else, I figured you guys were more like... the Amish, you know? Just with murder."

Laurel stared at Sara for a moment, the mental image her words creating forming in her head. She imagined one of the Amish, in their stereotypical outfits, and (in the case of the men) their beards, running around killing large numbers of people with their farm implements.

Then she imagined someone like al-Owal wearing that stereotypical Amish clothing.

Then she laughed, covering her mouth with a closed fist to try and muffle it. "Sorry," She managed to get out, taking a breath - and failing, due to laughing. "I just... just imagining some of the people in the League, dressed like the Amish." She forced herself to take a breath. "I can see why you would think that, but no. The League's choice of weaponry aside, they're perfectly capable of using and content to use modern technology that serves the needs of their mission." Though only as far as it served their mission, and no further.

"Right." Sara muttered. She cleared her throat and looked away, cheeks still red. Laurel looked over at Nyssa, who looked at Sara like she was looking at some strange, bizarre species she'd never seen before.

"Do you really think the League would fail to avail itself of such a useful technology as the phone, if doing so could be done in a way that did not jeopardize our case?" Nyssa asked.

"Well, you seem to have a pathological hatred for any weapon more modern than what, 1300?" Sara pointed out after taking a deep breath. "You're still wrong about guns being a crutch for the unskilled. You might be able to kick my ass or outftight me with any one of god knows how many weapons,"

Sixty-one, as far as I know, Laurel mused as Sara went on.

"But," the detective continued, "I could outshoot you with a gun every fucking day of the week, because I have the skill, and you don't."

"You are quite confidence in your skills with your weapon of choice."

"I saw how you shoot. You're good. I'm better." Sara shrugged confidently. Laurel blinked.

"When did you see her shoot a gun?" She knew Nyssa knew how to use a gun and was pretty good with one, but she had seen her sister shoot, so she wouldn't be entirely surprised if Sara was better with firearms, at least in a competition or something.

Sara, thankfully, doesn't have the killer instinct. Nyssa, much as Laurel hated it, did.

"Back when she visited, before the Undertaking. I was at the SCSC," Starling City Shooting Club. Dad had taken them both there to show them the basics of guns, gun safety and gun use. "And she dropped in for a chat."

Laurel looked over at Nyssa. That... didn't sound like Nyssa at all. Not with someone she barely knew.

"I would not call it an idle chat," Nyssa explained. "Your sister did not trust me, and I had hoped to assuage her concerns... I did not succeed. And then..." Nyssa inhaled in a brief, sharp way that almost seemed like a very short, suppressed chuckle. "We had a short discussion on the merits of firearms relative to the weapons preferred by the League."

"Where you told Sara that guns are a crutch?" Oliver frowned. "That's... is that really how the League sees it?" Slowly, Nyssa nodded.

"Your choice of weapon is a bow and arrow as well."

"Because I know how to use one better than a gun, and I have more control over the lethality." Oliver countered. "Learning to use a bow takes discipline, but learning how to be good with a gun takes discipline too." He shook his head. "We're getting sidetracked."

"...so we are." Nyssa nodded. "I will contact Lady Shiva." She looked to Laurel, "I would ask, if it is possible that I might see your new ability for myself, afterwards?"

Laurel was hit with a bit of whiplash by the sudden change in topic, and she was still grappling with the idea that Nyssa had sought Sara out for a conversation, and then actually debated guns with her. I suppose I can see her wanting to see if she could make my sister trust her, and maybe... maybe she felt a little like she knew Sara, since I told her so much about her?

There was a third option, but Laurel was not going to think about that, because it wasn't actually an option.

She shook her head slightly, forcing the thoughts from her head. Here and now, here and now.

"It should be, yeah, though... not here." They were in the Glades, and there should be an abandoned building they could use safely. She could think of several promising possibilities offhand.

"Thank you," Nyssa smiled, again a soft, slight gesture, but there it was. Every time she saw Nyssa smile, it did Laurel's heart good. To know that even after she'd left the League, left Nyssa, the woman continued to hold onto that spark in herself.

Laurel went with Nyssa outside, watching Nyssa dial a number on the sat phone, then bringing it up to her ear. She waited a few moments, then spoke in Cantonese. "Shiva. It is time that the debt you owe me be repaid." There was a pause. "I do not presume to dictate to you, but you are a woman of honor, and you honor your debts. You promised to aid me when I called. I am calling now." Another pause.

Laurel wondered what Lady Shiva was saying on the other side, but Nyssa looked relaxed and unconcerned - or as relaxed as she got - and so Laurel wasn't worried.

"There is a woman. My dearest companion and friend." A long pause, "Yes, she was once of the League, but she is no longer, released by Ra's for a service paid. She is known as the Black Canary." Lady Shiva spoke for a longer time on the other end, with Nyssa occasionally interjecting a 'yes' or a 'no'. Finally Nyssa spoke more fully again, "She has need of your skills as a teacher. She has discovered, acquired a strange power, and would not use it in battle until she understands it fully, controls it fully."

"There is no better teacher to teach such control that I can think of but you." Nyssa added. Knowing Nyssa, Laurel doubted that was her laying it on thick. "Yes. Starling City. She will not abandon her responsibilities here." Pause. "Very well." Nyssa hung up the phone without a goodbye and slipped it back into a pocket, looking back at Laurel, speaking English again, though Laurel could have carried on fluently in Cantonese with her.

"She will be here in two days. I will leave it to you if you wish to reveal your identity to her." Nyssa explained. "Lady Shiva is not a woman who concerns herself with justice, or with protecting of the innocent. I cannot say she is likely to become your enemy - she is an assassin for hire, selling her skills to many evil people, but she is most often hired to kill men and women as evil as her clients. And even if you were to cross blades in the future, she would not reveal your identity." Nyssa hesitated, then, "But, if she were hired to kill the Black Canary, and knew your identity, she would attack as easily during the day as night."

"Is she likely to be?" Laurel didn't relish the prospect of fighting Shiva, given what she was hearing about her. "I know the League does not operate in countries like the United States, given..."

"The presence of organizations like ARGUS, Département Gamma and their equivalents in other nations?" Nyssa interjected, and Laurel nodded. "Lady Shiva is one woman, and does not share the League's need for secrecy. She would demand a kingly sum to kill a warrior as formidable as you, but if she was paid to do such in the future, she would."

"Then probably best to keep my mask on when dealing with her." It might also be a good idea to train somewhere other than the Foundry. They had a number of backup locations, much less well stocked than the Foundry, but they had the essentials. All much harder to connect to her or Oliver than the Foundry.

"Understandable." Nyssa nodded.

"Now, why don't I find somewhere I can show you what I can do?" Laurel offered, and they did find a warehouse. From what they had been able to tell from the couple of times she'd done it a week ago, the sound of her scream didn't actually travel that far in any direction she wasn't aiming it.

In the end, in an apartment building that had yet to be rebuilt and was still surrounded by hazard tape, Laurel ended up screaming a large hole in an already damaged drywall and plaster of one of the ground floor apartments. It was sobering once more.

Even if she found ways to tone it down, she wanted to be careful about using it where she could damage people's homes, or businesses. Especially individually owned ones and other small enterprises. Ones where the owners couldn't just pay an insurance premium and rebuild.

And Laurel saw another small smile on Nyssa's face as she watched what Laurel could do. Only for a moment, but the expression on her face was - for that moment - almost one of childlike delight and wonder.

Alley behind Verdant, Starling City

December 15th, 2013

Nyssa and Laurel returned about half an hour after they left, with the news that 'Lady Shiva' would be coming two days, and Nyssa would be remaining in Starling until then. She claimed she could delay her mission for that long, but no longer.

Laurel and Oliver then offered to let Nyssa use their guest room, but Nyssa demurred, not wanting to intrude. She would see to her own accommodations. And then - much to Sara's amusement - she repeated her interest in testing her skill with a bow against Oliver's.

Sara found herself hoping Oliver beat her, though she had no idea how likely that was. She really couldn't say much about how capable Oliver actually was, with a bow, relative to anyone else. From what Laurel had said, Laurel would lose in a hand-to-hand fight against Nyssa, which made some sense, since the assassin had apparently taught Laurel all she knew, but was that true for Oliver and a bow?

I just want to see that smugness fall off her stupid, gorgeous face. Sara slapped herself mentally as she registered her thought.

Yes, Nyssa was gorgeous and sexy and beautiful and Sara couldn't help but notice that, but that did not have to come up every time she thought about the woman, did it? I'm not a teenager fresh out of puberty, damnit!

And yet, as Nyssa took her leave and left the Foundry for the evening - after arranging to have her competition with Oliver tomorrow night - Sara found herself going after the other woman.

For a perfectly legitimate reason, mind you!

"Nyssa, wait," Sara called out, before the assassin could vanish off to who knew where, and do god knew what. I mean, she won't kill anyone in Starling...probably. This is Laurel's city, and she seems to respect that. Nyssa turned to look at her, and Sara walked closer. "I wanted to apologize." Sara explained. "You know, for the whole..." she felt her cheeks heat, and she cursed herself mentally. I'm an adult woman, not a fucking teenager! She repeated the thought, emphatically. "The whole... getting angry at you for not staying to help Laurel yourself, and then the whole... Amish, but with murder, comment."

It really had been stupid. Of course the League would have some modern technology. She doubted they had wi-fi at their super secret clubhouse in the Hindu Kush or anything like that. Try as she might, even with the sight of Nyssa holding a phone, she just couldn't imagine a member of the League unwinding by getting on social media or watching a funny video on youtube.

But still. Modern communication. Probably, if they needed it, modern gear to get past security systems. Sure, they probably needed that kind of stuff less than normal assassins since they were this weird cult with ancient techniques and all that, but still.

"An apology is unnecessary." Nyssa said, in what Sara thought was meant to be reassuring. Maybe. Or maybe just patronizing. It was hard to tell, the woman's expression was pretty unreadable. "For the former, you should never apologize for anger on your sister's behalf. She is your sister, and you want what is best for her. So do I."

"Yeah, but that's the point. I know you're close to Laurel, that you care about her, and that you've taken risks for her. And I still got pissy without giving you a chance to explain yourself." She ran a hand through her hair, rubbing the back of her neck. "So like I said... I'm sorry."

Nyssa nodded slowly. "If you insist."

"I do."

"Very well." Nyssa considered her a moment, her hands by her side. "As for your latter comment... such misunderstandings about the League are not uncommon, and understandable." She paused, and then leaned forward, as if sharing a secret, in a lower tone, "And, as did your sister, I must admit, the image of the Amish or other Anabaptist groups of similar nature serving as assassins is a humorous one."

Sara blinked. She wasn't so much stunned that Nyssa had a sense of humor, but she was stunned Nyssa was admitting it to her.

"Okay, that's true," Sara smiled, unable to hold back a chuckle, though it felt more incredulous than really about the humor of it. "Well - there's another reason I -" Sara cut herself off and cleared her throat. "I know you're only here for two days, but is there any chance you could spare an hour or two during that time?" Nyssa said nothing for a long moment, and Sara cleared her throat again, then explained, quickly, "You're Laurel's friend... and it seems like you're going to keep being part of her life. Which is good. But given that, I'd like to get to know you better." Sara snorted. "There's not a lot of people who I can talk about the whole... Black Canary thing with, after all. And Felicity - she doesn't know Laurel as well as you clearly do, so it's different."

This was just about getting to know Nyssa, get a feel for her. There was still every chance that Nyssa might be ordered to come after Laurel. From everything Laurel had said about her father, the bastard would probably send Laurel to do the deed, if he ever decided Laurel had to die.

So she wanted to get a better feel for her, how she acted, how she thought, for that.

And yeah. She did want to understand this person who was so important to her sister. Who was probably the only reason her sister had survived those three years in the League.

"I am not sure if I would have such a chance, but it is certainly possible." Nyssa said after a long moment, sounding... unsure? Awkward? It was hard to say - it wasn't that Nyssa's face and tone lacked expression or inflection or whatever, but she was so guarded and careful, it was hard to know what meant what, from her.

Even with Sara's experience as a cop.

"I will call you, if such an occasion arises." There was a sparkle in Nyssa's eyes that Sara could only call mischievous as she said that, and Sara pinched the bridge of her nose, as much for the excuse to run her hand down her face and partially cover what she was pretty sure was another flush in her cheeks.

"I suppose I set myself up for that one." She pulled out one of her detective business cards she handed to witnesses on the scene to call if they recalled anything else, and wrote a number on the back.

"Probably best if you didn't call my phone at the precinct." Sara explained. Because that was all it was, obviously.

Even if this could be counted as sort of setting up a date, which it wasn't, it wasn't like anything, even a one-night-stand could happen with Nyssa. The woman was a murderer. And a member of a crazy cult of murders. And even if the whole 'being a murderer' thing was because she had been raised in that cult and knew nothing else -

No. It just wasn't possible. Or even a good idea. A recipe for disaster.

Nyssa accepted the card. "Reasonable." She slipped it into a pocket, and started to turn.

"Wait," Sara called out. "One last question - how do you take your coffee?" It was just the polite thing to do. "If you drink it, I mean." Sara added. "I figure... if we do meet up, I should - be polite, bring you something."

Probably just black coffee without anything else. Sugar or milk or whatever would be a frippery or whatever she'd say. You know. An unnecessary luxury distracting from the mission.

Thought you were wrong about the lack of technology thing, so...

"I don't drink coffee," Nyssa shook her head. "I drink tea, preferably masala chai, though in all the times I have passed through this country, I have yet to find one worthy of the name here."

Okay, so masala chai makes sense, and the tea snobbery also makes sense too, I mean, the Hindu Kush mountains are called the Hindu Kush because they're near India, right? She'd have to actually check a map, but it made sense she would have access to 'authentic' masala chai.

But still. Yeah, America had all kinds of adulterated and americanized stuff - and she would say that's usually fine, because the Americanized version was usually fatty, deep fried and crispy so what was the problem? - but you could get something authentic if you knew where to look.

Such as that little spice and tea shop on that little side street in the South End. Mister Bagchi, a genuinely lovely old Indian man who had had the misfortune of once being a witness to a murder in front of his shop, would probably have something up to Nyssa's standards.

"I'll bear that in mind." Sara nodded, holding back a smirk. Again, it would be nice to see a bit of that smugness get wiped off Nyssa's face. "Guess I'll see you around then."

"Indeed." Nyssa nodded, and then turned around, walking out of the alley and down a side street.

Out of curiosity, Sara gave it five seconds, and then walked down to the end of the alley, looking the way Nyssa had gone.

No sign of her.

Okay, now that's just showing off, right?

The Foundry, Starling City

December 16th, 2013

Oliver did not tend to think of himself - these days - as a competitive person. Ego didn't belong out in the field, and getting caught up in being too proud of your skills was an easy way to make mistakes.

So he was a little surprised at how annoyed he felt that Nyssa was beating him in this contest. It wasn't that he'd gone into this expecting to win handily - Nyssa had been training to fight since she was a child, and the bow was apparently her primary weapon, for all that he'd never seen her use it - but being faced with just how much better she was than him was proving to be... humbling. Just a little.

And apparently, it was not an enjoyable experience.

The wall was now studded with punctured tennis balls and the arrows holding them against the concrete. As well as even more arrows that had missed their targets.

Over half -almost six out of ten, actually - of the tennis balls were punctured by Nyssa's red-fletched arrows, with the rest Oliver's. And more of Oliver's arrows had missed. Nyssa had been more accurate, and faster firing the entire time.

"Impressively done so far, Oliver," Nyssa said, despite the fact that she was winning. She walked over towards the wall to pull her arrows out of it, and Oliver joined her. Most of them were going to be salvageable with a bit of sharpening - no sense in wasting arrows, after all.

"Not as impressive as you." Back when the prospect of actually fighting Nyssa had been a thing, last year, Oliver hadn't had high hopes for his chances, though he would have been prepared to fight to the death and use every advantage and trick he could to save Laurel.

But the finesse Nyssa had shown here...

Very good that she found another option, then.

"Even more impressive is that I can't even figure out exactly what you're doing better." Nyssa's form was excellent, but Oliver knew - without being arrogant about it - his own was too, and they both had a perfect feel for their weapons and their arrows, treating both as practically extensions of themselves, but she'd been able to fire faster and aim better than him. "Beyond just having years more experience then I've had." Oliver added.

"You breathe too much while firing," Nyssa explained. "It slows you down, ever so slightly." She examined the tip of one arrow, gently tracing her finger against the point, then flipped it over in her hand. "But you nearly split my arrow here, and here," she gestured to two. "If we were using arrows of wood and feather, you might actually have."

Oliver looked at the arrows in question, where hers had hit the tennis ball head on, and his had indeed scraped along the shaft, damaging the fletching to the point of making the arrows in question unsalvageable and pressed up against the tip of her arrow as it was embedded in the concrete.

"So you don't breathe when you're shooting at all?"

"Not when I need to shoot at a contained number of targets in a short span." Nyssa explained. "In the field, rarely is it so simple."

"In the field, you're also shooting bigger targets than tennis balls though," Oliver pointed out, and Nyssa nodded.

"There are many in the League who have failed to do as well as you have, and I can think of very few outside of it who would have come as close as you did. Laurel remains in good hands."

Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Was that what this was? To see if I was worthy of Laurel in your eyes?"

"Laurel decides who is worthy of her." Nyssa countered, which Oliver could only agree with. Nyssa collected the last of her arrows, damaged or otherwise, and stepped away. "I admit, her tales of your... younger antics did not impress me. But her love for you was evident then, despite that."

"I can't blame you for not being impressed by that version of me." Oliver wasn't all that impressed with his past self either. In moments of quiet, self-reflective honesty, he could admit that even then he had some good traits, but they were buried under the layers of stupidity he'd let dictate his actions. But Oliver didn't spend those moments pondering his past failings all that much.

"But if I cannot be here to fight alongside Laurel's side, that someone who is as skilled as you can be here..." Nyssa nodded, then shrugged. "And, I admit, I was curious, simply to see how our abilities compared. Even allowing for your experiences, what I know of them, your talents with the bow are impressive."

"...this was fun for you, wasn't it?" Oliver realized. I can't imagine Nyssa has a lot of conventional hobbies. Not that Oliver could really criticize. He did read, but apart from spending time with Laurel, there wasn't much else he did that wasn't his day job or his night job.

"Of course. It was not for you?"

"...I don't do this for the joy of it." Oliver admitted. "It's necessary, but that's all." He could take satisfaction in it, it wasn't as though he hated archery, but it wasn't fun.

Nyssa's expression - if he was reading her right - was one of mild confusion at his words. "Strange." She turned, putting her intact arrows back into her quiver, and marking the ones where the tips were too damaged to be worth salvaging before putting those back in as well.

I'm strange? Oliver wanted to roll his eyes.

Secondary Base Number 1, Starling City

December 17th, 2013

A call from Nyssa that Shiva was in the city several hours earlier than Nyssa had expected - it was still mid-afternoon - and was ready for her had seen Laurel tell Nyssa to bring Nyssa to here, one of their backup bases. It wasn't in the Glades, but the surrounding neighborhood wasn't all that well-off regardless, and as a result, the fact that the convenience store above it had been out of business for four years and nothing had replaced it was not entirely surprising. Oliver had bought it through a series of fake names and shell companies nearly a year ago, and the owners had been more than happy to unload the place at a bargain price.

The basement was much smaller than the foundry, and sparsely prepared - emergency supplies, some basic training gear, a cot, medical supplies, extra equipment, and backup masks and protective gear. Not a full replacement for their suits, but in a pinch, they would do.

Laurel was herself in her full suit, having changed once she got here (it would have been conspicuous during the day) waiting for Nyssa and Shiva to arrive. She didn't hear them enter the upstairs, to her complete lack of surprise, but she did see them coming down the stairs.

Nyssa first, wearing not her League uniform - again, conspicuous - but black jeans, a dark blue shirt, and a black jacket. An outfit she'd seen Nyssa wear before, when going out in civilian garb. Nyssa was never going to be one for bright colors, when she had a choice.

Behind her, was the woman Laurel could only assume was Lady Shiva. She wore a red shirt, a black long coat, and white pants, with black boots that went up nearly to her knees. Shiva herself was an Asian woman with long black hair and brown eyes. On the surface, nothing in her face suggested that she was an assassin deadly enough to scare Ra's al Ghul, but there was a hint, in her eyes, if you knew what to look for, of that killer instinct.

And the way she walked. That was really hit. Every step she took, prowling down the stairs like a panther on the hunt, commanding total control of her surroundings. Laurel actually braced herself for the other woman to pounce at her in attack, so apt was the predatory cat metaphor for the way she carried herself and moved.

There was nothing stilted, or even careful about her movements. No caution - not that Laurel though Shiva was reckless, but that she didn't need to move with caution, because she had full control of herself in a way Laurel could only dream of.

"Nyssa." Laurel greeted her, as they reached the base of the stairs.

"Black Canary," Nyssa nodded. "This is Lady Shiva. And this, Shiva, is the Black Canary."

"Caution about your real identity. A fair precaution." Shiva considered. She spoke English without an accent. She looked over at Nyssa. "I will aid her, as you request, and then all debts between us are wiped clean."

"Indeed." Nyssa nodded.

Shiva approached Laurel, an appraising look in her eye. "I am called Shiva. And you are the Black Canary. You were once a member of the League?"

"I was." Laurel nodded. "Were you? Is that how Talia and Nyssa know you?"

"My relationship with the League of Assassins is... complicated." Shiva answered. "But I have never been a member. Nyssa did me a great service once, several years ago, and so, I have owed her since. And now I am here to help you control your new ability."

"That's the idea," Laurel nodded. "I can't use it in a battle if I can't be absolutely sure what it will do to my enemy. How much damage. Especially not if it might kill them."

Shiva scoffed, "Your concern for the lives of your foes is a weakness no warrior can afford."

"I wouldn't consider not wanting to commit murder a weakness." Laurel countered, cooly. "I do what I do to help the people of this city, to serve as an example to them. I can't do that while killing people left and right."

Shiva shook her head, "Typical, of one who found a place within the League." Laurel stared, unsure of what to make of that. She didn't really see how what she said would be 'typical' of the League, but from what Nyssa had said, Shiva didn't even have the League's sense of morality so...

"But, we are not here to debate philosophy." Shiva stepped onto the training mat in the center of the room, and gestured for Laurel to join her. "If I am to teach you anything, I will need to gauge your skill personally."

You don't want to see my scream first, since that's what this is all about? Laurel supposed she could follow the logic though. Shiva was very direct and to the point about it. Laurel stepped onto the mat, and looked over at Nyssa.

"Would you prefer if I remained, Black Canary?" Nyssa asked softly, and Laurel shook her head.

"It's not necessary. You have your mission." She didn't want to be responsible for Nyssa failing to complete her assignment, for what her father might do or say if she did fail, or if she succeeded. "I'll see you again soon, I hope."

"I hope so as well." Nyssa nodded. She looked to Shiva, "Good fortune to you, Lady Shiva."

"And you, Nyssa al Ghul." Shiva replied. Nyssa left the basement, and Laurel turned her focus to Shiva.

"So, how exactly is this going to work?" Laurel asked. "You want to fight, first, but beyond that..." She trailed off, unsure. She trusted Nyssa's assurance that Shiva would keep her word, but still. What exactly were they about to do? Learning the level of control she had now, that she'd learned from the League, had required nearly destroying her and rebuilding from there. That was hardly an acceptable option now.

"Beyond that will have to wait until I have seen how you fight. But the principle will be the same: this new ability of yours is merely another extension of yourself. Control yourself, and you control your ability." Shiva started to circle to the left, and Laurel mirrored her movement, keeping the woman in front of her. "You learned much from the League. I will show you how to use those same skills in ways the followers of the Demon's Head do not consider."

"Nyssa tells me Ra's al Ghul is scared of you. Is it true?" Laurel really hoped it was.

"I doubt those were Nyssa's words." Shiva shook her head. "She would never speak against her father that way."

"...she said he would be cautious about challenging you. But that seems like the same thing." Laurel countered.

"Not at all. I would be cautious about challenging Ra's al Ghul. I believe it far more likely than not that I could defeat him, but he is formidable, and the risk of defeat exists. A risk great enough to be worth considering with care. It has been many years since I last spoke to him, but I imagine he feels the same, but in reverse."

That 'many years' comment raised questions. How old was Shiva anyway? She looked sort of... ageless? Laurel would palace her age as 'between her twenties and her forties' but beyond that...

"I take your point." Laurel chuckled. "If you do decide to fight Ra's al Ghul, any chance you'd be willing to sell tickets. I'd love to see him get his ass kicked."

Shiva laughed, then grinned, "He is a man quite possessed of himself," She nodded. "I will bear your request in mind. But we are not here to discuss the failings of the Demon's Head as a man, and as a father." I never said anything about his qualities as a father. Then again, Shiva knew she was friends with Nyssa, and anyone who knew both Ra's and Nyssa would know Ra's quality as a parent was...

Shit.

"Attack me." Shiva beckoned her to attack. Laurel complied, moving towards Shiva, feinting a punch and instead kicking at her side - Shiva didn't fall for it, and she sidestepped the kick easily, grabbing at Laurel's leg.

Laurel pulled her leg back just in time and ducked under a punch, the speed of Shiva's reactions, the way she changed course mid-movement almost dizzying. Laurel jumped back as Shiva lashed out again, a flurry of blows that Laurel wasn't even sure how she was managing to stay one inch away from, if that -

Laurel slid to the left, interdicted one of the punches with her arm, putting a blow in at the inside of Shiva's elbow -

Or trying to, anyway. As she made the punch in what seemed like the smallest and slightest of openings, Shiva grabbed onto her arm and twisted, pulling her around to her side, spinning - and then leveraging the arm to flip Laurel over, sending her careening away, landing on the edge of the mat.

All the wind was knocked of Laurel by the blow, and she felt like her arm had been - nearly - dislocated, and then some. A quick test as she struggled onto her knees showed it wasn't actually, but...

"I have observed your career with interest since you emerged as the Black Canary." Shiva commented. "Mild interest, but interest nonetheless. You are skilled."

Laurel picked herself up off the mat, rubbing at her arm. "You dropped me in less than a minute. I don't feel skilled just now." It wasn't that she'd been expecting to beat Shiva, not even close, but she hadn't expected to get thrown so damn easily.

Then again, who did?

"Your arm isn't broken. Compared to many I have done that too..." Shiva trailed off, and Laurel got the idea. "I do not offer praise lightly. I am here because the favor I owe Nyssa has called me here, but given your progress and conduct thus far, I may have come a few years from now regardless, to test your skills and offer you training, had you continued as you already have."

Laurel's brow furrowed. From what little Nyssa had said about Lady Shiva, what little she remembered having heard, and what she was getting from the woman now, she didn't exactly offer to train people lightly. "Thank you. I think?"

"Few I offer such training to thank me as it happens." Shiva observed. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving Laurel a pointed look. "I am not here to improve your skills with the martial arts directly, though any training I give you to improve your control will doubtless do that. But I am not a forgiving teacher, and I do not offer my services freely."

"...but since this is a favor to Nyssa, you won't be asking anything of me, right?" Laurel hoped that was the case. Because she doubted Shiva would request something Laurel could easily agree to.

"Not this time. If I come again, then things will be quite different. Shall we begin again?" Shiva gestured for Laurel to try to attack her once more.

Laurel grimaced. This is going to be a long day.