2130/Lost in Transit

Lost in Transit
Date of Scene:	16 June 2020
Location:	Commercial Shipping Processing Center in Starling City
Synopsis:	Bird and Arrow take down a part of a modern slavery ring in Starling City
Cast of Characters:	Bette Kane, Oliver Queen

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Bette Kane has posed:
Freddie's Commercial Transport - FCT. They're a successful but not big goods transportation company spread across North America. Most cities have a depot. Starling Cities' depot's alarm was triggered, not too long after police were dispatched to the location. But, The Green Arrow heard first. Always first, it's his city.

The eastern corner of the building is on fire, a big rig truck has crashed in to that corner. The side of the trucks cargo container has a large explosion in its side too. There are shell casings all over the ground. Petrol has leaked from the truck and it too is burning in the cool night air. The blue security lights set in to the building are flashing to indicate the alarms have been tripped.

At the side door on the west side of the building, two men are unconscious and tied up with a bola each, wrists behind their back. They were armed with semi-automatic machine guns that have been partly disassembled and left leaning against the wall.

The police have not arrived yet, but they are on their way.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Ollie is always looking out for those who have failed his city, and tonight it does appear he will find it at Freddie's. With the alarm triggered it doesn't take long for him to arrive, knowing all the shortcuts to get around the city, his motobike parking to the side and the man stepping out.

The casings on the ground make him draw out his bow, but a squint of his eyes later and noticing the bolas around the two men makes him mmm thoughtfully. Yes, he can recognize those. Which means there's another vigilante already here.

He makes his way swiftly towards that side of the building, nearing the side door. A moment to listen to what is inside and then he is walking within in that quiet, slow manner of his that has made him a predator to the criminals that prowl the city.

Bette Kane has posed:
Inside the building an alarm is crowing, hrrnn hrrnn, hrrnn hrrnn. I is relentless. There are broken lights on the ground but the mains power seems to be out - just the power going to the alarm system. Out of two double doors a bunch of people burst forth. Dressed in dirty clothing - fathers, mothers, kids, all clinging to each other as they look around wildly trying to find a way out of the place. They look starved.

There are more casings on the ground and against two racks of packages are a few more people unconscious, though they are not restrained. A trail of blood leads back through the double doors the people have run out of. One of the escaping men sees Oliver and says in Cantonese, "Don't shoot don't shoot we were prisoners please help us."

Through the double doors there are stairs leading down in to a basement. The blood trail continues down there.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver never really truly learned cantonese, but he has heard those words spoken, in that exact same manner back when he was stranded on the supposedly 'empty' island on the south China sea. It does bring back memories of a rather horrible time, making the man set his jaw but a moment later he lifts his hand in an appeasing gesture. That universal sign that he is here to help, not to kill them.

He points to the entrance where he just came from. "Go. It is safe right now."

The blood -is- worrying though. From an enemy? The vigilante that is here? He goes past the people and begins walking towards the basement at a quick pace, stairs taken two at a time. Not that he stops paying attention to his surroundings, those long years of training and experience making him keep sharp about what may be danger ahead.

Bette Kane has posed:
The floor below is expose to the outside by flame and part of a truck. Lots of packages are spread out everywhere here. There are people on the ground groaning in pain, disarmed. Some have broken arms. There is more blood down here as well as more foreigners rushing past to flee this place. Another staircase goes lower still and the blood continues down that way.

The pager Oliver gave Bette begins to emit an emergency signal. The sound of a man shouting angrily echos from below. There's more fire here and part of the roofing has collapsed making it awkward to squeeze through the now narrowed pathways. Down here, cages.. busted open, are quite visible even in the low light lit only by flashing emergency lights.

The closer you get, the clearer the angry words can be heard "Come out come out, there's no where to hide you little shit." The sound of a grenade launcher opening, the previous casing falling to the floor, a new grenade being loaded is a distinct sound that can be heard in the darkness.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Oliver lets his masked gaze give a quick sweep of the downed. Broken arms, swiftly disabled. On his way past he gives a kick to one man that was attempting to reach out for a discarded gun, knocking him out. But before he can do anything more he notes the emergency signal. And considering how reckless the young woman seemed when they first met, for her to call out like that does seem as if she is truly in danger.

He rushes closer to that other staircase, sliding down the stairs handrail. His hand is already up on his quiver, selecting an arrow. A sharp one, no chances given. He drops out of the stairs close to silence, his bow up and at the ready in an instant in that practiced manner of someone who can find and shoot at their quarry in a nearly superhuman speed.

Of course that he chose to stay closer to the darkness, using it to cover his own entrance, using his other senses instead to guide him.

Bette Kane has posed:
The place is a mess down here. Shelves askew, packages everywhere, cages everywhere too. This place was up to no good indeed. The sound of someone wearing armor turning and shooting the grenade launcher alerts Ollie instantly, as he shoots his arrow so does the man shoot his grenade launcher. The arrow hits his armored torso, the sharp arrow pierces through the armor and in to his side. The grenade meanwhile lights up the staircase in an explosion that Ollie can surely dive away from expertly.

With the momentary distraction, Firebird tosses another bird-a-rang at the man, clipping his firing hand instead of piercing it as she intended. She lets out a groan of pain as she darts from her current hiding place to another. She slides behind the cover of something thick.

The grenade launcher pops open again, case drops and another is entered. "So you called a friend. That's fine by me you can both burn in hell," he scowls, pressing his wrist to his chest trying to stem the bleeding from the very sharp bird-a-rang. The cocking of a pistol is heard, the man is dual wielding with the grenade launcher now. He is moving swiftly, taking cover too. It's a game of cat and mouse down here.

Oliver Queen has posed:
Really. Bringing a rocket launcher to a nice bow fight. Some people just have no sense of class anymore. But it's damn effective... That's what Ollie is thinking while he jumps out of the way of that grenade, it still singing his armor when he rolls behind a pillar to find cover. He finds himself having a partial look to where Bette is hiding out at, he peeking out towards her and making a gesture. Military-type. But the meaning is clear, surround and pincer the man in, hopefully with a diversion.

And then he is on the move, on the prowl as well. And where it comes to games of cat and mouse he is the expert, specially when he has backup. He gives it a few moments, waiting for Bette to get in place as well and then he follows the voice, moving between a couple of shelves, eyes closing, just guided by sound... He only needs a chance now, and when that distraction comes he lets the arrow fly. By all means it should be close to an impossible shot. In the dark, with just his normal senses... But Ollie is known for being one of the best archers alive. The broadhead arrow he lets fly hits the man squarely on the back of the head, making him fall face first on the floor with a thud, out cold.

Bette Kane has posed:
Not that Ollie knows who Bette is yet, just 'Flamebird'. Certainly not that she's military. Well, now he might know. She glances around her cover and catches his direction, giving him a hand gesture back. She takes out her stun bolas and looks around the room. There, a circuit breaker box - that'll do. She sneaks quietly, biting her mouth shut hard to keep in the pain, wincing as she makes her way there. She opens it up and quietly wraps her bolas about the circuit breakers, then sneaks back to another place of hiding.

The cat and mouse game resulting in the man taking a few pistol shots in her direction - he doesn't know exactly where she is there.. but does start stalking that way. She counts in her head, her lips moving quietly as she times it, then hits the stun button on her belt to make the bolas light up the circuit breaker. Some of the lights in the room flicker on and off suddenly like an unexpected flash bang, followed by a small fire in the circuit breaker box.

Ollie's arrow sings true through the air, striking the man in the back of the head just as he's about to pull the trigger on the grenade launcher. Instead, he stands and shakes on the spot in horror and confusion. The barrel of the grenade launcher dips down before he falls flat on his face.

Bette rises up, gripping her side, blood staining the entire side of her uniform. She has bird-a-rangs in hand, ready to throw.. but the man has dropped. She looks relieved and gives Ollie an exhausted look. Reckless she might be - but she did just rescue several families and actually called for backup when she needed it. She gives him a thumbs up and then slumps against the shelf near her. Hrrnn hrrnn, hrrnn hrrnn... the alarm from upstairs the only sound in the night besides the fires. Hrrnn hrrnn...

Oliver Queen has posed:
The sound of the man dropping down makes Oliver move in quickly, making sure to disarm and then unload the grenade launcher. He checks for the downed man's vitals briefly, out but not dead. Good. And then he begins to zip him up for later retrieval by the police. Quick and efficient to make sure the threat is over before his focus can go the wounded Flamebird.

"Where were you hit?" No bullshit talk, straight to the point. From disarming the situation to checking on the other vigilante's welfare. He will give her a brief look to assess the wounds in that practiced manner of his.

"I have my ride upstairs." He then offers. He knows the police will be down soon. And they would have questions.

Leading the duo up he then goes through the alleys to his motobike to get them out of there.

Bette Kane has posed:
Bette motions to her side. "The roof fell on me when that asshole shot a grenade at me." She motions to the man on the ground, then puts an arm about Ollie to limp with him out of there. She makes small sounds of pain as she moves, though clearly trying to keep it to a minimum. Her bike is well hidden at least, it can keep until she fetches it later.

On his bike, she holds on tight and focuses singularly on the road - no passing out aloud, that was something Kate drilled in to her when she was younger learning to be a vigilante of her older cousin. "Thanks for coming," she says in an almost whisper. She hates needing help, but these criminals escalated things. Then again, modern slavery is vicious.

The dried blood clings to her body as it should, which helps keep the wounds closed until they can be stitched shut properly.

Oliver Queen has posed:
"That's what the pager is for." Though is there a somewhat judgemental touch to his voice? Maybe Ollie believes she should had called on sooner. He drives through the city, taking in the darker streets. Clearly a man that has taken his time learning everything about Starling but eventually he starts getting to a more secluded area on the side of a rocky outcropping. He drives around it and while one could just swear there was nothing there when he clicks on some button on his bike a slow door begins to open up, giving way to a garage.

Maybe a leap of faith, but he knows taking her to a hospital wouldn't do well, and nor does he have what he needs to take care of the wound out here. So the Arrowcave it is.

He drives the bike in, parking it near the rest of the vehicles inside. It's mostly dark in here right now, just the sound of some servers working in the middle of the room, the lights up on a few computers that give little lighting to the rest of the room.

Sliding out of his seat he then helps Flamebird to walk further in. "I will need to take a look at that wound." he informs her. And then he finally turns the lights on, beginning to illuminate the cave, in all it's glory.

Bette Kane has posed:
She hmms quietly to herself as they ride. The sudden hidden entrance in to a secret lair is a trope she's quite familiar with. It's nice to know he trusts her though, to take her there. She accepts his help getting off the bike and limping to a table. "This was my idea of a graduation treat for myself," she says wryly, her attempt at humor.

She glances at him side long, having never had to let someone outside of the Bat team tend to her. Kate drilled in to her that she should always take care of herself.. but the military drilled in to her to trust your team mates. A slightly shakey hand reaches up to take off her mask, revealing the face of the young socialite and tennis professional, as well as part of the newest batch of 2nd lieutenants in the US Military.

She half sits up and starts to undo her armour. Underneath, a sports bra and leggings. The armour comes off like peeling a bandaid from her side, covered in blood, probably a broken rib of two, and exciting rainbow of bruised colors, some split skin too though nothing sticking out of it - they need to be cleaned and sewn up. At least she didn't get hit by the grenade, just the outcome of the grenade.

Half stripped out of her uniform she lays down to look up at the ceiling. "You know when you follow a lead and the whole time you think.. nah, it can't be that bad, this'll just be a dead end, but a niggling feeling," she winces a moment as the blood starts to dribble out on to the table, "that something terrible is going on. I tracked this ring from Gotham to Starling.. the whole time hoping it was nothing. It was something."

Oliver Queen has posed:
The mention of a graduation treat makes Ollie lift a brow under the mask. "Most prefer to just get drunk, or go out with friends." he notes. Though he does understand well that calling to do the right thing. Following leads, dismantling crime. Some people just couldn't help themselves. People like him, and apparently like Flamebird too.

With the mask being taken out there's no visible recognition on Oliver's expression. But then again he is known to have quite the good poker face. He brings out a first aid kit from a cabinet, setting it on the table and begins to sort through it in that practiced manner that tells he has done this countless times.

First comes the alcohol, and he knows it will sting, so he diverts attention from it by saying. "You did well, taking them out. I knew there's a gang trying to encroach into Starling, human trafficking. I am unsure if that was all of them but ..." though it did go towards what he and another member of his team have talked about. The suspicion of a human trafficking ring in Starling. It does make him mad, but now he is focused, starting to clean out those wounds. Swift and efficient.

Bette Kane has posed:
Bette's winces betray just how much it hurts. But she's tough, she is doing her best to keep it in. She breaths out through her clenched teeth and says, "My guess is.. they're national. I'm going to tip off the FBI with what I know, now that I've shone a light on their operations."

Resting her head back on the table, her long blonde hair a bit of tangle after the night of action. "I'm going to have fun trying to hide these injuries over the next few weeks at work." She holds up a hand to Ollie and says, "Bette. Nice to meet you again Arrow."

"I cottoned on to this group at the Gotham docks, but they'd already shipped their cargo and straight to Starling City it went.. so, I came. Seriously, who has a grenade launcher?" She smirks and sighs, "I should have taken my time... but there were hostages in those cages. I felt the pressure to do the thing. I've got to get better at not falling for that litle voice prompting me to immediate action."

Oliver Queen has posed:
With the cleaning done he takes a moment to assess the wounds again. The bruising, the areas that need being sewn up. A nod later he is up on his feet again. "Most likely national, yes. That kind of firepower and manpower wouldn't just be used by a small group." the grenade launcher coming immediately to mind.

The offer of a hand makes him pause though, to consider. It's brief and soon enough he brings one hand up to draw back the hood and take out the mask. "Oliver." he offers in return, the face of the rather prominent Queen family member visible. Not that he normally just shows his face, but considering they are at the Arrowcave it's better to do so now instead of having someone trying to snoop around on who he may be or not. "It is good to meet you, Bette." his voice now normal without the voice modulator.

And then it's back to work, taking care of sewing her up. He is no medical doctor sure, but battlefield wounds like this he knows his way around. Too many members of his team wounded in the past, or even himself.

"The problem with being reckless is that often enough we do not get a second chance, Bette." he tells her.

Bette Kane has posed:
With her wounds sewn up, and coverings in place and taped on, she slowly sits up with another wince. She smiles to Oliver and nods her head, "Oliver." She pays attention. "Queen." The Kane family are fairly well known too. Most rich families are. "If it means anything.. I never would have guessed." She grins and pulls her blood soaked uniform up over her side and shoulders, feeding her arms back in to it. This elicits a small groan of pain from her, putting pressure back on to the wounds.

"That pager might have saved my life. It's a good reminder that vigilante activity in a city without an extended network of support is probably suicide. And they say Gotham is bad.. I think of other cities without any groups like yours watching over things. The criminals just get away with it."

Oliver Queen has posed:
"That's the whole point, Ms. Kane." Oliver replies, the corner of his lips turning up in a brief smirk. But with his work being done he gets back up to his feet. "Optimally this would be at least two days of bed rest, but I know that won't happen most likely. Still, make sure to change the bandages daily. And try to stay out of trouble in the meantime." he folds his arms together, listening and then dips his head. He fully agrees, it had been the basis of how Team Arrow had been created. To have a network of support for those likeminded people like Oliver.

"Not probable suicide. Just simple suicide. People lose themselves in their own rage against criminality and do not look around to know there are other people like them, ready to help. Noone is in this fight alone if they don't want to be." his tone solemn. Very much Oliver.

"You are free to take a rest down here, but then I will bring you back to your ride. I imagine you have some means near the place of the assault."