Post by adrini on May 24, 2013 14:11:30 GMT -5
Thea finished putting her boots back on, thankful the scanning part of the day was over. While she understood the need, standing in ones underwear while a computer mapped every inch of oneself was not an enjoyable experience. She had been made very aware of just how much take-out she had eaten in the past week.
She saw Dinah, the last of them, step out of the scanner and slip back into her summer dress and sandals looking unfazed by the experience. Dinah was easy going enough that it was easy to forget who she was, or really who she had been. She was stepping out as Black Canary one last time to help ensure this mess was cleaned up, but had also been quite clear that she didn’t intend to take it up again after, unless she was pressed to. Thea wasn’t sure, they hadn’t said anything, but she suspected that Dinah and her brother had plans for after the wedding that made cloak and daggers more then a little unwelcome.
“Have you chosen a name yet?” Dinah asked. She pulled her blond hair back with a headband. “Something easy to hear over noise is best.”
Thea looked down as she stamped her feet to adjust the fit of her shoes and to hide a smile. “Mom would call me ‘Speedy’ after she went to one of my martial art meets. I thought I might go with that.”
Dinah tried the name out using a mock scream. “Speedy! Behind you!” She tilted her head to the side. “I like it. Not something likely to be used in other conversation.”
She followed Thea into the center room again where the men were talking nearby. Thea looked back and rolled her eyes when she noticed that the lovebirds were doing the staring thing again.
“Were you called ‘Black Canary’ or was it shortened?” she asked. She laughed as Ollie took a moment to realize she and Dinah were in the middle of a conversation.
Dinah easily shifted back to the conversation, she was good at shifting gears. If only her brother would develop the skill. “Normally it was just ‘Canary’, if only to save time.”
They reached the others, who were also talking about code names. Ollie and Roy were having a heated conversation. They both had had the same idea for a code name,’The Arrow’, unsurprising given their similar skill sets. The women leaned on the table and watched them argue it out.
Dinah got an evil look in her eyes after a few more seconds of the argument.
“You know Thea,” She said just loud enough to be heard over the tense voices. “In the business we have ways of dealing with something like this. It’s cheap, of course, but we throw a color in the name. Tends to work.”
Thea smiled at the teasing look, she loved this side of Dinah. “You can even use favorite colors like, say, green and red.” She said matching her soon to be sister’s volume, referencing the colors the two men wore most often.
The two men looked up from their discussion, and laughed.
“Settles the costume color to, thanks Di,” Roy said. He put the finishing touches on the final design for submission.
Diggle walked out of the store room carrying a large storage tub . “Ladies, do use the dressing room on the right,” He said placing it on the table, “Your gowns are ready.”
Dinah and Thea grabbed the bin on both sides and carried it into the dressing room. Dinah laughed at the excitement on Thea’s face. Hero work had once held the same promise for her as well.
>--)->
Having made sure his gear fit already, Diggle sat down next to Oliver. Oliver looked at the older man. “You ready for this?” He asked.
Diggle looked at the blond man. “ I have to be, so I will be. I owe you for stepping up on this one man. Above and beyond.”
Ollie shook his head. “You’re family, Digs. We’re taking this guy down together or not at all. No one left behind.”
“And none too soon.” Diggle said.
Oliver shook his head, remembering the meeting. “They were literally in the final stages of getting ready to destroy us and we just move now.”
“We had to give the feds time to try to take care of it. We’re not costumed super heros.” Diggle pulled out his phone and finalized travel arraignments.
“Until we are.” Oliver said. He didn’t look entirely angry at the thought, in fact he was grinning.
Diggle rolled his eyes. “You have no filter, man. We’re going into harms way and you’re day dreaming about your fiancee in fishnets.”
“Focus on the positive, right?” Oliver tried unsuccessfully to dodge a punch. “Adrien didn’t say who this guy Gaynor was at the meeting. Care to fill me in?”
Diggle stiffened but agreed that it was time. “We served together in the Gulf, army unit. Special ops, classified. We were taking out a behind the lines target. We were split into two groups, the ground troop and the air troop. I ran with these guys.” Oliver could almost hear the older man recite the names in his head. “They were the ground crew, cool as hell. I was the pilot of the black hawk. Gaynor was our radio operator. The guy was crooked, you could smell it off him. Command didn’t seem to think it was a problem. I tried talking to the CO but I couldn’t get anything to happen.”
Oliver waited during the pause.
“Ground went in first, everything seemed fine till they got about five miles out of the target. Then we got radio silence. Gaynor put on a good show, seemed to panic and everything. I could tell something wasn’t right. We weren’t airborne yet so while he went back to ‘check’ for a part, I looked at the console. It was off. When I turned it back on I heard the ground crew being taken out, calling for help and medics. None of them made it.”
Oliver had no idea what to say. “I’m sorry.” Was all he could think of.
“Gaynor came back with this spring thing acting all worried and shit. Pushed his ass out onto the pavement. Took three MP’s to pull me off him. MP’s checked the radio and proved my story. When they investigated it turned out that a local warlord had bought him off. They were just never able to find the money. He went off grid on the way to Leavenworth.”
“Are we giving him to the feds?” The young man asked.
Diggle flexed his fists. “We should. But I don’t think so.”
>--)->
Inside the dressing room Thea threw open the box from the constructor and pulled out the red and yellow suit on top. Quickly striping down she pulled on the pants and top before wondering how the cape was supposed to attach. She heard a laugh from behind her.
Dinah was watching Thea in her eagerness before putting on her own outfit. “The clips work with the top, let me show you.”
She unbuttoned Thea’s high collar and pulled the rivets though to fasten it tightly. “I would do the same with the pants to make sure they don’t pull out as well. It’s cute, very you. Just remember to always wear the mask. More then anything else it will keep you safe.”
Thea finished the clips and mask and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a teen super hero. This trip was going to be awesome. She ran out of the room to show the costume to her brother.
Oliver and Diggle were talking when she walked into the room.
“Do I look like a super hero now?” She struck a pose.
Oliver looked over and laughed. “Perfectly like one. Is Dinah ready?”
“I needed help, so she’ll be a minute. When are we heading out?” She struck a few poses to see which looked coolest.
Diggle applauded the performance. “After the contest. One last normal day before we head out.”
“Something to remind us what we’re fighting for.” Dinah said.
Dinah sauntered, seemingly taking on an old habit, into the room and leaned on the door. “Last showing of the Canary. What do we think?”
Thea looked over and in the process saw the others’ surprised expressions. Oliver seemed to be paralyzed. “Lookin’ good Di!”
Dinah normally dressed rather nicely if modestly, but the fishnets and black leather worked for her.
Dinah smiled and pulled the gloves on to complete the look, covering the engagement ring, and removing the last visual evidence she was anything more then what she had been a year ago. “The costume hasn’t changed much, black leather really is always in style.” Dinah smiled. “The boots used to be just ankle high, of course, but mmmph-”
Thea doubled over and the rest of the room laughed as Ollie seemed to have found the ability to move.
>--)->
“Quickly, we’ll be late.” Roy put his phone back in his jerkin and pointed to the entrance to the grounds. Diggle and Thea were right behind him, followed by Ollie and Dinah. They were in street cloths again after sorting out their costumes.
Preping the plane with supplies had taken longer then they thought, in part because Dinah had insisted on a good amount of medical supplies. As a result they we’re hurrying to get to the yearly Star City Archery Contest in time. It was hard to be angry with her, everyone liked the idea of staying alive and well, but they were expected at the contest.
Roy pulled the final entrance forms out of his belt pocket and handed them to the woman at the table. “Queens, three for the Masters.” He said somewhat out of breath.
The woman laughed. “Wouldn’t be the Faire without you. Mr. Queen, I hear congratulations are in order.” She laughed as Oliver grabbed the ringed hand and beamed. “I’ll send a runner with the forms. Master’s start in an hour and a half, promptly at four.”
The others had caught up by now. The archers were in faire garb while Dinah and Diggle remained in street cloths. Roy turned to the others.
“We’re in. We have ninety minutes to walk around.” He said as Dinah’s eyes went wide at the sights and sounds of the faire. Roy had forgotten that she hadn’t been to one before.
Oliver quickly grabbed her hand. “Then we’ll see you then.” He said and they walked off, Dinah waved quickly as they left before they wrapped their arms around the others waist.
Roy smiled. A last date before the storm was a good idea. Thea walked between he and Diggle hooking their arms with hers. “Go shopping with me?”
>--)->
Ollie pulled his other half away from the others eagerly. This was a day he had been dreaming of for months. Dinah pulled her hand out of his and wrapped it around his waist instead, he liked that idea better.
“A date.” She said and looked at him and he pulled her close. “I heard about these.”
“I’m told that they commonly take place before engagement.” He responded.
Dinah chuckled. “Why be normal?” She kissed his cheek as they walked.
The moment was surreal. For once he wasn’t on call at the office and she wasn’t busy setting up her office at the environmental building. There wasn’t some emergency or outing to see to. As much as he loved his family he was beginning to understand why couples moved into homes of their own.
He looked at her as she gazed wide eyed at the stalls. When he had first seen her in Africa he barely believed it, the Canary at long last. He was giving yet another interview for the fair trade wing but it had taken most of his control not to walk off camera and ask out the curvy blond with the sweat soaked khakis. He only stuck around after about half the time but that day it had been guaranteed. Whatever it took, he needed to talk to her. From the moment he had fallen into her ocean blue eyes he had known she was the one, he had just needed to convince her. He finally had.
The Queen family didn’t have a huge problem with the press but they were known in the city. Oliver knew that appearing in public like this were would be a few blogs and a few inches in the local rag about them. For once he found that he didn’t care. We wanted the world to know.
There was one thing that did worry him. “Pretty bird?’” She turned and looked at him. Her smile almost made him forget his question. "That tattoo, the window, what happened?"
Dinah’s smile grew smaller, but he knew she would tell him what she wouldn’t tell Adrien. “Now it's my turn to have something you need to know."
Ollie winced. "Whatever it is."
"There are these things called the meta brawls. My Mom always told not to go there." Dinah said softly.
"I've heard of them.' Oliver pulled them into a clearing, it was more private.
"After Mom passed things happened and I was forced into going anyway, I though it would only be for a few weeks but-" She paused, taking a breath. "It turned out not to be the case. Most of the other fighters there were people I had beaten up or put in jail. I wasn't exactly liked. That I was also the crowd favorite didn't help."
Oliver didn't say anything but nodded, she continued.
"The tattoo was about two months in, I woke up to it being half done already. They had drugged me. Thought it was hilarious, the righteous Black Canary with the dark mark." She sighed. " Thank you again for removing it."
"Glad to help." He really didn't like this feeling.
"Once they found out that I could be drugged a number of them decided to make it a thing, at first for embarrassing photographs-" She stopped talking, looking at her she had curled into the corner of the bench. "Then to knock me out so I could be -passed around-." She swallowed, the hardest part over. "That I could take any of them out in the ring didn't mean anything when I was out cold."
He couldn't think of words at first but instead pulled her close, angrier then ever that he hadn't tracked her down sooner. She clung tightly, his presence seeming to calm her down. He began to calm down as well.
"How long were you there?" She settled into his shoulder.
"Too long, far too long. An old friend had been looking for me and found out what had been happening. She got me out, then made sure I was okay." He nodded, glad someone had stepped in. "Got me on the boat to you. I owe her."
"We both do. I'll find some therapy for us, we don't need to live with this." She smiled but shook her head.
"I can't. They can tolerate me getting out, but no one speaks about the circle and lives. It would rain hellfire on all of us, and I can't do that. I can't do that to you." She centered herself. "I'll be fine, it gets easier with time. Plus I'm safe now, we're moving on."
"I don't like it, you need help after that." He pulled her close. "Let me find someone."
"I have you, and we have today. Then we have a mission. Let's just make the most of what we have, please." His better half gazed at him imploringly.
"We aren't done talking about this, but for today." He gripped her hand tightly before they walked back into the crowd.
>--)->
It was just under ninety minutes when Thea waved at the lovebirds. She and the others saved a place on the bleachers. Dinah waved back, though Ollie was still too distracted by his date to notice them. It occurred to her that between the investigation, the flux within the company, Dinah getting ready for her job, and the Deleon situation they hadn’t been on an official date before today. Aside from a moment or two in Africa they had been kept fairly busy.
Thea saw Oliver help Dinah onto the bench before taking a seat himself and accepting the bow and quiver from Roy.
He put the quiver on while looking over the field. “They seem to be running a little late.” He said.
Roy checked his watch. “Just a couple minutes. Dinah, what will this job be like?”
Dinah looked over. “It’s a job, each one is different. The more we can get behind the line the easier this one will be.”
Thea looked over at her. “That’s you right?”
Diggle nodded and spoke first. “Her and Roy. You and Ollie take out the perimeter and I go for the big man himself. Like Canary said, so long as they shut down systems first it should be easy.”
Diggle’s attention was pulled away when several horns blared, causing the stress of the discussion to wane. The archers cheered and moved to the field. Dinah and Diggle moved to sit closer while they watched. With close to twenty archers this was going to take a while.
Dinah’s face lost it’s happy mask and Diggle was at last able to see the worry under it. “Do you think they’re ready?” She asked. “I know they have good training but this is combat.”
Diggle leaned over and took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I’m almost certain Roy is, him I’m not worried about.”
"I haven't gotten you're opinion on the plans." She looked at him as the three walked to the field.
"It's solid, you've done this before." He smiled as the three took their place at the line up. "You were a little pale last night, anything I should know?"
"Adrien was just filling in her file on me, I passed." She laughed at Oliver tying one of her scarves to his bow, they both did as Thea pulled out another one and did the same. "I'm popular."
"You find her that scary?" Diggle looked at her.
"A little. Ollie trusts her, you all do. If she ordered me out-" Diggle cut her off.
"Ollie, Roy and Thea would grab you in group hug in defiance. You've agreed to stay, no changing that now. They play for keeps."
"And you?" She looked at the man.
"Locking the doors to stop you from leaving. You got Ollie to come back to us, no escaping now." He applauded as the three advanced to the next round.
"I can tell you were left behind." Dinah looked at him, startled. "Didn't peek, just know the signs. I had them to for awhile. You'll be fine here, we're good at making that better. In a month you'll be begging for some time to yourself."
"Hard to believe, but sounds promising. They are good." The three were now part of the next to last group.
"She's impressed by you, you know, Adrien. So am I." Digs smiled. "We know you've been through hell, and you keep kickin'. Prime First Lady Of Star City material."
>--)->
Oliver hugged Thea close as she pouted. She had never liked to loose. Roy seemed to be taking it better. The two had made it into the semifinals, effectively placing them in the top five archers in Star City. In a city were strict gun control laws meant nearly every other person was an archer it meant a lot.
In reality he had barely won himself, Dinah's admission still bothering him. Speaking of he walked over to the hooded man who had very much held his own.
The black clad man wore a black robin hood suit, but this wasn’t irregular. There were color coded groups at the renn faire every year, black was just one of the newer colors. The man met him half way.
“A pleasure young man.” He said as they shook hands. “Auther King. King’s Mutual.”
Oliver smiled graciously. “Oliver Queen, Queen Industries.” He said. “I’m somewhat certain you let me win back there.”
Mr. King laughed. “So I did, I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.” The man nodded to the stands, Oliver looked to see his family cheering and waving at him. “I had the misfortune of loosing my wife a few years ago, and I remembered that she hated to see me loose. I thought your better half might be the same way.”
Oliver nodded in respect for the loss. “My sympathies.” He had always said the words but now understood them. It was a terrible loss. He smiled at the stand where Dinah was giving Thea a hug. “This was Dinah’s first Renn Faire, so I don’t know. She might have.”
“Ah, well, better to be safe. Congratulations, by the way. I still remember those first days with Joy.” The man got a soft look in his eyes but shook the moment away. “We’ll try this again next year Mr. Queen. I expect to see that you have improved.”
Oliver nodded and laughed. It was hard to nurse a bruised ego when the reason was so sentimental. “I’ll do my best sir.”