Post by adrini on Apr 30, 2014 23:47:10 GMT -5
With much thanks to Drake for his help with the crossover. It was wonderful to work with you!
"Alright, thank you. I'll see it's taken care of." Oliver was leaning forward in his chair, holding his pen so tightly his fingers were white. "And thank you again for coming through, I can't tell you how terrified we were."
Across the room Roy was watching the conversation. His friend rubbed his temples for a moment as he nodded again and took more notes. Once he repeated them back he said goodbye and hung up.
"What did he say?" Oliver looked up and centered himself. He was pale from the exhaustion the roller coaster of the last two weeks had been.
"It came close, too close. We're on full bed rest, nothing more then is absolutely unavoidable." The father to be closed his eyes. "But we made it. Robby is still with us. They're sending her home today."
Roy was at a loss for words, for the last two weeks the entire house had been in limbo. The hospital trying every trick they knew to save the unborn heir, but complications had kept cropping up.
"We're all here. Just let us know and we'll take care of it." Roy had known the owner of Queen Industries since junior high, and Roy knew he was nearing even his well tested limits. It was time the house organized to step up. "Focus on your family."
"I appreciate it, thanks. Just do the market review and I can get off in time to meet Adrien at the hospital." Ollie nodded gratefully at his friend as Roy pulled up the files. "I mean it, thank you."
"I got your back, you know that. Just let me know. You're o'clock?" Roy looked up the meeting. "A Mr. Cameron Snow of MaxPower is here."
Oliver collected himself and took out the meeting notes he and Adrien had prepared. The door opened.
"Mr. Snow, a pleasure to have you with us today." Oliver had stood up to greet his guest. "I hope your trip was enjoyable."
"It was fine, Mr. Queen. Thank you for having me." Cameron Snow was a young African American young man, military in his movements. "Have you received the environmental reports?"
Roy got a cup of coffee and placed it next to his friend, motioning to the cup to ask the guest if he wanted one as well. Mr. Snow had caught a glimpse at the hospital list and his eyes softened in understanding. He nodded declining the offer and Roy removed the list and slipped it into Oliver's work bag.
"Very promising. The mayor called yesterday on the matter as well. I believe we could move on to the next phase, if you agree."
Roy went back to his desk and started the market review.
>-)->
"Four of a kind, all deuces. Read em and weep." A gruff voice filled the dark hallway. "My kind of night."
Slade smiled at the noise and saw the smaller man fade into the left hall. Jansen was gathering data, he was checking out the armory. The guards were half drunk and he passed into the back lawn easily.
The concrete bunker was a short walk and Jansen's daughter had hit the security systems for the next twenty minutes. He didn't know what had gone down but the young woman had a serious hang up for the married heir. She seemed to understand her chances were nil, which made her sticking around even more confusing.
Data gathered.
The room opened and lights began to turn on. A warehouse was in front of him, even having learned of Mr. King's desperation he was shocked. This was a stockpile, enough for an army. Small arms, large arms, area grenades, and large crates in the back.
The boxes were unmarked except for a series of numbers. It was easy to take a picture and send it to his companion.
-Those are low grade nukes. See if you can open a box.-
There was one with the lid a jar, under the straw were four warheads, they were labeled. They were going to blow the Queen properties; manor, outreach, tower and loading docks. This was war.
>--)->
"You look nervous, Thea." Bowstring said behind her. "Anything I can do?"
Thea looked over and smiled weakly, Bowstring was too good at reading people, Cissie wasn't far behind.
"She's worried about Dinah and the baby. They've lost too many already." Her friend smiled and sat next to her. "She has the best doctors in the region, if not the country."
"You're not losing this one just yet." The man sighed. "You just keep an eye out and make sure Mrs. Queen gets the help she needs." Thea nodded, then perked up at the sound of the door opening.
"They're home!" She cried, feeling tears form as she rushed to the front hall. Adrien was holding open the door as Oliver backed into the house pulling a wheelchair.
Pale and tired Dinah seemed lost in her thoughts, slowly fingering the shawl on her legs as her husband got her fully inside. Bowstring saw Thea stand at the foot of the stairs next to Mia as the two carefully wondered if they were welcome.
"So good to see you well, my dear. Glad to have you back with us." He gently kissed her hand and she smiled. "We're here for whatever you need, don't be shy."
"Thank you, Bowstring." She sighed. "I'm glad Cissie is safe."
"And we're glad you both are." He stood and looked at Oliver. Roy had been very clear in informing the house that Operation Robby was activated. "I'm told you got directions. We're here to help."
"Thank you, Bowstring. What would you like to do, love?" He softly asked his better half.
"I'm told the girls got a game for me." Dinah smiled at the stairs where the four were now waiting. "I think that's allowed."
Bowstring smiled as Thea, Mia, Rose, and Cissie hurried to get the game going after grabbing hugs, Thea taking her brothers place pushing her sister-in-law to the game room. She took a second hug along the way, convincing herself to calm down.
"She seems better then I expected." Bowstring grinned as the four hurried to get refreshments ready as well.
"It's partly an act, but the doctor had a therapist help her work through some of it." Oliver said, grinning slightly at the excitement. "You seem chipper yourself."
"The paperwork, isn't it?" Adrien said. "It must be a weight off."
"I don't remember being single. What is it even like?" Oliver laughed.
"Lonely after a time, but there is excitement." He grinned. "If you want help I know some real babes-"
"Married men expecting their first child know nothing about such things." Adrien interrupted. "Take what time you need, spend time with Cissie, go from there."
"And learn to take a support role." Slade appeared in the hall. "They're going to need it."
"Mr. Wilson, you radioed." Adrien said and nodded to Jansen behind him. Ted was walking past them to the game room to check on his old student.
"Our hunter friend is planning a full offensive. We'll need at least three supports for three teams." Slade said then grinned as he heard Rose's laugh.
"His defenses are not what he thinks." Jansen added. "But the targets are dangerous, high population. Nukes, grenades, area bombs, he has a warehouse. He wants you gone."
"Where did he get-." Adrien was white. "Oh god, you mean the house, the kids, Di."
"The house, the tower, the harbor, the outreach, he's trying to wipe us out. What can arrows do against that?" Diggle was looking over the file on his phone, he paled.
"Teams we have. Support is just you." Oliver said, thinking. There was panic in his voice and his hands were shaking. "But we could set up separate feeds, advanced codes-"
"Or she could have a co-workers." Ted said, pushing Dinah into the room as an argument exploded. Diggle watched.
"No, she just got back. I am not putting her or Robby at risk-"
"I am not going to sacrifice my son or the woman I love to for some madman-
"With last time being so close, is that really a good idea?"
A shrill scream shattered the air and the five bent over to protect their ears. When Bowstring opened his eyes Mrs. Queen was panting slightly and holding her stomach.
"I really don't have the lungs for that anymore." She said to herself before looking sternly at the others.
"The Black Canary has something to say." Ted glared at them.
"I'm touched that everyone is so worried, but I was told not to walk. It mentioned nothing about manning a station." She looked at the four. "He did stress blood pressure. I'm far more likely to keep that down if I know I'm helping my family then if I have no idea if they're still alive. Also if I nuke goes off in the house we're pretty much done. I'll see the control room is stocked with emergency supplies. If it gets to be too much l'll take a break. But I'm helping. Between Adrien, Bowstring or Cissie and myself we have who we need."
"No need to bring in rookies. Leave this to the birds." Kate slowly walked into the circle, Renee and Jade behind her. "We've been running ops for years. Might need to update your control room. Canary?" Adrien moved to the two, but Di held up a hand to stop her. Diggle stopped Oliver and Bowstring from following. "No, just canary. We need to talk. Renee, the chair?"
Jade lifted her friend from the chair and carried her to the second story entrance to the control room. Renee carried the wheel chair and Kate followed.
"Is this really a good idea?" Adrien was struggling to contain herself. The severity of her concern conflicting with what she knew Di had endured while in the company of the birds before.
"Tell me this is a good idea, Ted." Oliver was leaning on a wall to try to hide that he was shaking. "Tell me it won't just kill my wife and son."
"Those girls have flown missions like this before, kid." Ted said in his gruff tone. He was proud. "Hold your end and it'll be fine."
>--)->
The glimmering moon bled golden light over the opaque armored suit of one Cameron Snow as he leapt from roof to roof, allowing a quiet clatter to echo across Star City’s worst ghettos. He’d been in the vigilante business for less than a month. In that time he’d defeated a super criminal, stopped a nuclear bomb from going off in Detroit, and befriended a rather obnoxious teenage girl. Before then…well, Cam didn’t like to think back on his past. The past held memories Cam would rather not focus upon while jumping across yards of empty space in a heavy suit of armor
Still, the past had its benefits. It had brought him here. Brought him back to the city where he’d begun his training long before he had actually begun training. Star City. Home of the vigilante Arrow Clan. Home of a rising supervillain population. In other words, the perfect spot for Cameron to take a little ‘vacation’ from training Harper.
Before Cameron knew it, he’d stopped two muggings and a possible supervillain origin, all while taking in the sights of the city he’d left so long ago. First the apartment he’d lived in, then the boxing ring where he’d been trained, and lastly…
Queen Mansion. The last thing he’d seen in Star City before he’d left.
As Cameron perched atop a building fairly close to the mansion, he pondered the sight before him. A mansion known for its kindly family and peaceful surroundings now found itself quite…chaotic. On the side of the estate, the vigilantes Green Arrow, Arsenal and Cheshire were locked in combat with a couple villains from a group Cameron could only hypothesize as the Aryan Brigade. They were real?
Now wasn’t time to ponder the myths of old, Cam thought, leaping towards the mansion. He had a job to do. But it did come with a few questions…like why the Aryan Brigade would be attacking Queen Mansion, and why Team Arrow had been able to so quickly intercept them? Despite the adrenaline and focus on the battle ahead, it wasn’t hard for Cameron to realize the truth. First odd, random disappearances and no-shows, then the Black Canary mysteriously disappeared from her partner, Green Arrow’s, side just as Mrs. Dinah Queen disappeared from her husband’s side because of pregnancy complications, and now this. The Queen clan had a secret.
Cameron, or rather Batwing as he preferred to be known while in costume, activated his jet boots, rocketing into the battle with a whoosh. His entrance did not go unnoticed. The nearest Aryan villain, a flier by the name of Golden Eagle, unleashed a hail of bullets towards the shadowed avenger.
“Another of you?” Golden Eagle roared. Batwing dodged the bullets and tackled the villain into the ground.
“Right now I’m wishing I could claim him,” Green Arrow commented whimsically, firing an arrow while dodging one of Whiplash’s six metallic tentacles.
“The name’s Batwing, not ‘him,’” Batwing slugged Golden Eagle with an electrically charged punch, seemingly knocking him out, “You can thank me later.”
“After we kick these guys’ asses?” Green Arrow asked.
“Of course,” Batwing nodded.
“ENOUGH!” Whiplash struck Arsenal and Cheshire to the ground with two of his tentacles, “You can not defeat the almighty power of the Aryan Brigade!”
“Actually,” Green Arrow fired a net arrow that exploded over Whiplash, “We can.” The villain tore the net to shreds.
Green Arrow fired two arrows, which exploded into a set of three mini-arrows each, totaling at six. The arrows punctured Whiplash’s tentacles, nailing the villain to the ground while Batwing simultaneously finished with a rocket-propelled kick to the face.
Suddenly, Golden Eagle burst from the ground and pulled Whiplash from the ground, tearing bits of his tentacles off, “We’ll be back, Arrow, just you wait!” He carried off Whiplash into the night. Batwing began to run after them, but was stopped by Arrow.
“Leave them.”
“Why?” Batwing demanded, a frown forming under his helmet.
“They’ll be back,” Arrow replied.
“That’s a reason to get them, not let them go!”
“Batwing, right?” Cam nodded, “This is my territory. I’m the vet. Trust me, we…I’ve got bigger problems right now.”
“Fine,” Batwing reluctantly agreed. The two began to walk towards Arrow’s fallen comrades.
“Nice fighting, by the way,” Green Arrow praised, patting Batwing on the back.
“I could say the same about your shooting,” Batwing replied earnestly.
“Boys, please, can you stop flirting?” Cheshire sarcastically said, walking between the two vigilantes, “We’ve got work to do, right, Arrow? Let’s go.” And the cat-masked hero ran off into the night.
“Right, I should be going then,” Green Arrow held out his hand, “Until next time.”
Batwing shook Arrow’s hand, “Til then.”
“Arrow!” Arsenal bugged, running past Arrow towards where Cheshire had disappeared.
“Coming!” Green Arrow cried back wearily, “Coming…”
And the last of the Star City vigilantes fired a grappling arrow and disappeared, leaving Batwing alone to think over what had just happened.
Oliver Queen, huh? He never would have guessed.
>--)->
Arsenal and Cheshire are in position, and the feeds are active. Meeting time in just under a minute. How are you holding up, love?
"Better when this is over. He said center court yard, where is he?" Oliver and Roy were in the shadows of the Outreach courtyard awaiting their visitors. It was a last ditch effort to avoid full war between the families, Star City didn't need nukes in its future.
in the shadows like you, I guess. One of you will have to walk out first. Be careful, Ollie. He's not a good man. Can't be trusted.
"Very rude to keep us waiting, Mr. Arrow. Do you intend to accept my invitation in the end?"
Merlyn's voice rang in the air. Roy saw his wife nod at him as the two men walked into the clearing, two men walked from the other side.
"You've repaired the art, couldn't have been cheap." He had to be Count Vertigo. "But then that isn't an issue, is it?"
"You said you wanted to talk terms. We're here." Oliver and Roy reached the center and stood mere feet from the two men they had been fighting. "Speak."
"A billionaire can afford manners." Merlyn scolded. "Just think of the example you'll be to your son, you really can do better."
Don't let him get to you. Focus.
"There is too much at stake to waste time. This war has gone far enough." Di's voice was directing cameras and stake out positions. Two more men had been spotted on the roof. The birds did know what they were doing. "Are a few tons of cocaine and LSD really worth this to you?"
"It's worth it if I win." Merlyn smirked. "You know what I can do, will do. Get in my way again and the blood of the city will be on your hands." He stepped to face the Emerald Archer as Vertigo smirked. "Women and children included. Like your Pretty Bird and little Robby, shame to loose them now."
He felt heat rise to his head, suddenly wanting nothing more then to strangle the smirking man in front of him. Roy seemed the same.
Nothing will happen to us, we have back ups. He has too many tentacles, he can't keep it all. Appeal to something.
"This isn't the man your wife knew." His instincts said to talk to the man. "I know what it is to worry about loved ones, and loose them. We can help you, don't take this road."
Merlyn stiffened, the words hitting some nerve. Without looking back he nodded to Count Vertigo behind him. Negotiations were over.
>--)->
"They escaped, but no wounds." Di leaned back in the padded chair. "Incoming now. Now we just have to pull this off."
"Nice work on those feeds, you guys are well trained. Kate was all over those side angles." Adrien smiled as Di soothed her kicking little one. "Where is she?"
"Bathroom break. It's a fact of life, as it were." Di smirked as Renee rolled her eyes and went after her mate. "I want to gets some snacks going, get me back in the chair?"
Adrien hurried to transfer the fragile Mrs. Queen, who quickly rolled in the direction of the elevator to the ground floor. She didn't get there.
"Di, Mrs. Rivers. It's time." Renee called from the hall, soon appearing with a panting Kate. "We need to go."
"Di." Kate said and grabbed her hand when they walked over. "Come with me, please. I need you there."
"Adrien?" Di looked at the family keeper, this hadn't been covered in her release. She nodded and opened the elevator door.
"Go. Be safe. I got the house covered." Kate's breath caught again as Renee moved to hold her close. "Good luck. And Di, if you need to take a break, do."
"I will, tell the others. And send over Jade when you can." Di pressed the button to close the door. "Hope we're ready for this."