Chapter 11: Overlook
Present Day - September 14, 2016
"I understand that the 'Starling Grand Opera' has hosted the Soiree for the past twenty years – that said, we are looking to make this event accessible to a younger crowd." Oliver couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth listening to Thea's best business voice on the phone. It was polite but pointed, exuding confidence - it reminded him so strongly of his mother. "If we can't reach terms on the use of the lawn and balcony access in addition to the grand hall, the Fall Soiree may need to find a new home." Thea paused to listen. "Okay, I appreciate you being willing to check. Please let me know."
Thea hung up the phone and for the first time seemed to notice that the jingle from the front door was caused by her brother. "Ollie!" she said happily, hopping up from her seat and sweeping across the room to give him a hug.
"Hey Speedy," Oliver said accepting her hug.
"What are you doing here?"
Olive shrugged a little. The truth was that Thea's sudden move out of Laurel's apartment the week prior, combined with her hitting the streets as a solo vigilante had made Oliver feel like his sister was pulling away. He had this persistent thought that she was intentionally keeping them at arm's length. But telling Thea that was a sure way to start a fight.
Instead he said, "I haven't come your way for awhile. I don't get the opportunity to see you at work anymore." He paused as Thea inspected him incredulously. He added slowly, "Plus, I wanted to invite you to a dinner party Felicity and I are hosting on Friday."
Thea raised an eyebrow. "A dinner party?"
Oliver felt just a little hurt by the implication that throwing a dinner party was wildly unexpected. "Yes," he defended quickly. "I don't know what's so strange about it. Felicity and I used to throw them in Ivytown. And, to be honest, we like everyone here in Star better than we liked our neighbors in Ivytown, so-"
Thea laughed a clear, happy laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she raised her hands to stop his rant. "I didn't realize you were so passionate. I would be delighted to join you."
"Good," Oliver said, surprised by the relief he felt that Thea had agreed. Had their relationship changed so much in the past few months that he really thought she wouldn't come? "This is a really big deal to Felicity – she's been obsessively planning the menu."
"Can I bring something?"
"Just yourself," Oliver said with a pleasant smile. He flicked his eyes around Queen's Jubilee and back to Thea, "The place looks great. You've really outdone yourself."
Thea waved him off, saying, "This is just an office. The really exciting stuff is some of the events we've been engaged to plan. Just this week we landed a big account – Mick Portier's annual Fall Soiree!"
Oliver immediately recognized the name: the Fall Soiree was a Star institution and had drawn city residents since his own mother was a young woman. "Are you serious?" Oliver enthused, impressed that Thea had managed to book such a high-profile event in such a short amount of time. "That's incredible news! Congratulations!"
Thea smiled, pleased with her brother's praise. Seeing her looking so at ease in this business she had started herself, Oliver could feel some of his concern for his sister abating. So, she was sometimes going out as a vigilante – that wasn't great, but she was finding a way to build something of her own. And he knew from their occasional texts and calls that she was spending more time with Sin, McKenzie, and Shanique. Maybe her new life didn't overlap with his in the same way as it had when she was his campaign manager and a member of Team Arrow - but Thea was clearly doing well.
Unable to keep the sentiment to himself, Oliver said, "I'm so happy to see how well you're doing, Thea. I am proud of you."
"Ollie," Thea deflected, her cheeks flaming with an embarrassed smile on her lips. An alert sounded from Thea's desk and she reached over to grab her phone. She darted a look across the room and said, "Sin, we have that location scouting meeting downtown!"
Sin said abruptly, "Oh, shit, yeah!" and jumped up from her desk, scrambling to grab up items off her desk to tuck into her pockets.
"I'm so sorry, Ollie, but we are going to have to cut and run," Thea said. "But I will absolutely see you on Friday for your party. And please, ask Felicity to just text me if there is something I can make or bring."
"Of course," Oliver said quickly. "You need to handle your business. I will see you on Friday." He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and then gave quick nods to McKenzie and Shanique as he strode out the door. Oliver paused again, glancing back over his shoulder to take in the storefront. He turned away, feeling better for having seen for himself where Thea was putting her time and energy.
Thea watched Oliver slip out the door and hail a cab. She did her best to appear like she was carefully packing manila folders and her tablet into a large bag, but she was just ensuring that Oliver was fully out of the way.
Confident his prying eyes were gone, Thea turned to Shanique and McKenzie and instructed, "Sin and I are scouting several locations for multiple holiday parties, so we will likely be out for awhile. Can you lock up at 4:30 if we're not back?"
Thea slipped out the door with Sin, both heading purposefully in the direction of the bus stop. Once they were several storefronts down, they dodged into an alley and slipped between buildings, retracing their steps, until they reached the resident door of the clocktower building they had just left. Thea pushed open the door for Sin, and they took the rickety elevator to the top floor, climbed the metal shelf, crawled through the vent, and dropped into the Overlook.
"You got an alert from that trafficking ring, huh?" Sin asked, quickly logging onto her tablet.
Thea nodded as she dropped her pants to the ground and began pulling on her Arae leggings. "Yup." She looked out through the dirty clock window as the sun shone in and noted, "It's lighter out than I'd like, but opportunity rarely knocks twice."
Past – August 2, 2016 – 6 weeks ago
Thea, wearing her Arae jacket and leggings, peered out through the Overlook's clock-face at the narrowed view of the Glades. The neighborhood thrummed with tension – the darkness always felt a little sinister, even in the peace – like violence was just waiting around the corner for its prey.
"Hey," a voice broke into her thoughts. Thea turned to see Sin carrying in a Big Belly Burger bag. "Stop brooding for a minute and grab some dinner."
Thea snorted at Sin's casual irreverence and walked over to where Sin was settling onto the bedroll on the ground. Thea settled into a camp chair next to Sin and accepted a wrapped sandwich.
"I'm going to be real with you," Sin said. "It really worked out well that Sara chose a hideout on a street and in a building where no one wants to be. I like that we're a one-stop shop with Queen's Jubilee downstairs."
Thea snorted, amused. "It's all well and good until our customers are too scared to come in the door," she cautioned, thinking about the clientele from her parents' social world.
"Do you think they will be?" Sin asked sincerely, popping two fries into her mouth.
Thea shrugged as she pulled open the waxy paper around her wrap. "Eh, I think that some of our higher-end clientele would expect their party planner to come to them anyway. But I hope the location won't keep people away."
"Well, I think it's cool," Sin insisted, unimpressed that anyone would be put off by coming to the Glades. She added, "If you had a downtown office or something, there's no way Shanique or McKenzie could have commuted there every day."
Thea smiled, thinking about the women who made her business possible. They oozed loyalty and enthusiasm and Thea was well aware that she was blessed to have them. "Yeah, you're right. It's worth it." She gave Sin a little side-eye. "It also means your commute is really short!" she said, nodding at Sin's bedding on the ground.
Sin grinned, nonplussed by Thea's light-hearted dig at her preferred sleeping space. Sin nodded at the clock windows overlooking the city. "So, what's our plan for tonight?"
Thea's mind immediately returned to the case she had been reading through. She said seriously, "I've been looking over Sara's notes. She was tracking a serial rapist who has hunting grounds near 23rd and Preston." Sin's eyes became serious at Thea's description. "Sara thought she tied numerous assaults to him, but there have been periods of inactivity. I compared her notes with a few recent news briefings and I think he's active again. And I think he's escalated – his most recent victims were killed."
Sin's eyes went wide. "That's kind of a heavy one, Thea – do you think this is one for the police?" Thea met Sin's eyes for a moment in silence.
Their eyes turned merry and they guffawed joyfully at Sin's joke. "Sorry, sorry!" Sin apologized, wiping a tear from the heat of her laughter from her eye. Firmly Sin said, "Yeah, let's do it. So, what's your plan?"
"I've been studying his MO," Thea said. "The survivors described a large man, close to six feet tall. He wears dark clothing which hides him in the shadows until he strikes. Multiple witnesses state that the first time they became aware they were in danger was when they had a hand over their mouths. He strikes their heads into whatever surface is at hand – a wall, a car, a street sign – then finds someplace dark nearby."
"So, how do you find a ghost?" Sin asked rhetorically.
"I've actually had some experience with ghosts," Thea said, thinking about her entrance into the world of vigilantism tracking down Damien Darhk's Ghosts.
Sin peered at Thea for a moment. "When you talk like that – like you've got some kind of secret knowledge and experience from a shady past – you sound just like Sara."
Thea ignored the comparison Sin made and instead distracted her. "And we are lucky we have this," Thea added, tossing Sin her PalmerTech prototype tablet.
"It's crazy that you get test tech from your sister-in-law," Sin noted as she tapped open the screen with her fingerprint. "Is it cool if I, like, stream things on this bad boy when we're off the clock?" Sin asked sheepishly.
Thea grinned, "It's yours, Sin. You're free to use it for recreation so long as it's charged when I'm patrolling."
"Shit, Thea, I would never leave you hanging like that!" Sin cried out, feeling her honor was in question.
Thea laid a hand on Sin's shoulder, reassuring quickly, "I know that Sin – I know you have my back." Sin finally nodded, believing Thea hadn't meant to dig at her integrity. "Here – can I see the tablet?" Thea asked.
Sin handed Thea the tablet. Thea tapped a few times and pulled up a screen. "Here's our plan," she said. From the cluttered table, a faint buzz grew in volume until a little disc no bigger than a saltine cracker rose into view.
"Woah!" Sin cried out, jumping up off her bed to see the little aircraft. "What is this?"
"It's a PalmerTech minidrone," Thea said excitedly. "Felicity gave me one to test out. She's got it hooked up with infrared, so you can scan for heat signatures. It's a lot harder to hide in the shadows if the shadows have eyes!"
"That's so dope!" Sin said as Thea directed the minidrone to drop into Sin's open hands.
"So what do you think?" Thea asked. "You scan the area and send me to check out anything suspicious in our perp's hunting grounds?"
"Yeah, that's fine," Sin said, turning back to Thea like she had something more on her mind. "Look – I've been thinking. I don't need to be here to direct you, right? I mean – we're wireless! It's not like I need to be stuck behind a computer. That tablet can go with me anywhere." Thea nodded to show she was following, but was nervous to see where Sin's idea was going.
Sin's voice became quicker as she continued earnestly, "I just have been thinking that sometimes the women you help are in a pretty bad way. And you can't stay with them until help comes in order to protect your identity." Thea nodded again. "I just wondered if I could take the tablet out and be on standby to help out with that part – you know, calling a victim advocate for them, giving them some resources to call, or calling a support person for them."
Thea looked surprised. "You know what? I actually really love that." She thought for a moment and admitted, "You're pretty quick, too, and you know these streets. You'd be okay out there."
Sin looked indignant. "I was raised on these streets. I can watch my own back."
"I know," Thea hedged. "But sometimes knowing the Glades isn't enough to stay safe…" Thea drifted off.
Sin's eyes went wide. "Shit, Thea, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about Roy …"
Thea knew Sin was feeling guilty for reminding Thea of Roy's death. Thea and Sin were getting closer but there was still something creating a barrier between them. Thea suddenly knew it was time. Sin needed to know. Sin could keep Roy's secret, but – she had to know.
"Sin," Thea said slowly. "I need to tell you something … about Roy."
"You don't have to explain," Sin said quickly. "I just wasn't thinking."
"Roy's alive."
It looked like Sin had stopped breathing. "What?"
Thea continued quickly, her eyes darting over Sin trying to read her expressions, "This is a secret to protect his life, so you can't tell anyone, but – he faked his death with the help of the real Arrow and the Arrow's people. Roy is safe, and alive, and on the run."
"Are you kidding me?" Sin asked, eyes huge. She turned away and Thea was terrified. She didn't know how Sin would react, either to the news or to the fact that Thea had hidden it from her.
Thea pushed up and out of the camp chair, stepping towards Sin's form, saying, "I am so sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't know what to do – it wasn't my secret to tell." Thea began to speak quickly, trying to explain, "I didn't even find out until he was already out of the city and I was knees deep in grief. And you and I weren't close at the time and then we reconnected, and I just didn't know what to do -"
Suddenly Thea felt Sin's arms gripping her around the middle. Thea shook in a sharp intake of air at the sudden gesture.
Sin pulled back and swiped at her nose with her sleeve. "Hey, I lied to you about what was wrong with Roy when he was injected with that stuff, and he almost killed you because of it. Consider us even." She wiped at one eye, then the other. "I'm just happy he's okay. Today kind of rules." Sin sniffled. "Just, no more secrets, okay? We're a team now."
Thea's stomach immediately felt leaden. She still had a few more secrets on her chest. But there was at least one more she could do now. "Um – so Sara's alive too."
Sin's eyebrows shot up. "Oh my god!"
"Um yeah, she really was dead. Like really, for like … a year. But … I helped her sister take her body to some guys who did some magic and they … restored her. It was like a one-time thing though, we can't just raise dead people willy-nilly, but … yeah."
"Where is she now?"
"Um … she's formed a team of superheroes. She travels around with them … saving people."
"I LOVE THIS DAY!" Sin yelled.
Thea grinned, but the guilt gnawed at her. Thea just wasn't ready to let Sin on her own health issues – hopefully Sin would forgive her whenever the time came.