7397/Busted, Bro.

Busted, Bro.
Date of Scene:	16 August 2021
Location:	The Glades
Synopsis:	With Oliver reverting to his old ways, Thea has her work cut out, doesn't she? When she interrupts him taking on members of the Triad in an alleyway in The Glades, it leads to a rooftop chase for the siblings - only Oliver's the chased. At the end of it, she may have won the battle, but the war's far from over.
Cast of Characters:	Oliver Queen, Thea Queen

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Oliver Queen has posed:
    It's 'round about the witching hour, three in the morning or so, when Thea gets a message from Felicity in whatever manner it is she'd deliver such. Now Lil' Sis might already be on it, but seems someone else wasn't clueless as to what's going on either. <His suit's gone! Not the bright green one either. I put a tracker on it day before yesterday, don't tell him please, current location is in the Glades seven blocks from Verdant.>

    The truly frightening part, he's missing over a decade. How much worse has it gotten out here in that decade, how unprepared might he be for it? Who's his target? Maybe it's someone already dead? That would be nice; but what're the odds of things actually falling in their favor on that?

Thea Queen has posed:
<I won't. And good job, keep me posted if he moves places.> Thea had already been on the lookout for trouble indeed. So much so that she had made sure to not tell Oliver about the trackers their suits have. At least the new ones. It was all about safety for team arrow, and to prevent situations when one was captured. Of course she hadn't counted on Oliver going back to -that- suit, the original one. The one without all the fancy tech that made it easy for her to track her.

"I should had known." Thea is angry, but also worried while she slips into her own suit, the black and red, sword on the back and bow collapsed down to hang on her back as well while she moves out.

It's close to the Verdant, a place she knows very very well so it doesn't take long for her to start converging on where Oliver is reported to be, landing on a nearby rooftop and moving to the ledge to scout the area, careful, eyes narrowed and her ears perked while she tries to figure out where he may be. Another look down at the communicator.

<I am in place, Fel.>

Oliver Queen has posed:
    <In an alley, isn't it always an alley, when it's not a rooftop. Why?>

    By the time Thea arrives, the situation has already devolved into close quarters for Oliver. How long has it been since Felicity found the suit missing. Surely the girl doesn't stay in the cave all day and all night. Likely had something in it to trigger when it was being taken, moved, to alert her?

    It's been a little while though, because Ollie's looking tired. He's absolutely no slouch hand to hand, but it's not where he shines one hundred and ten. It's also six, no wait, seven... eight on one, well two of them are down, it started at eight. It actually started at ten, two more down a block ago. Gang, Asian from the looks of it, but nothing really visible for ID from a distance.

    So six left and while no single one of them is his equal, all of them combined might wind up being his better. He takes a kick to the chest and flies backward to slam into the wall of the building behind him; staggers, doesn't fall though, not this time.

Thea Queen has posed:
It's a classic case of follow the blood trail. Literally. Being up there she notes the two bodies. She really hopes those are still alive. But it's a matter of following it up, checking the alleys and soon enough she is listening to the sounds of battle going on, glancing over the edge to see that kick that makes Ollie fly backward.

It makes Thea frown, reaching behind her in a smooth motion to draw out an arrow, knocking it and pointing towards the melee. She holds the bow steady a moment before releasing the arrow, it shooting across the alley to 'explode' in a cloud of smoke where half of the men were at. Divide and conquer it seems. Or perhaps levelling the playing field.

Another arrow is shot almost immediately after, finding purchase on the wall before a red-dressed vigilante starts swinging down to join the fray.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    Friend or foe? Barely catches glimpse of a black and red figure descending. Red Arrow? Not something that happened in the years he actually remembers. A first, the smoke distracts him enough that he takes a blow to the jaw, very near where that bruise was peeking through the stubble just yesterday.

    Head rocked to one side, he stays standing, of course he does, it's sheer Oliver determination and stubbornness.

    There's the glint of a blade in the hand of the next one that comes at him, but he's quick despite the stars floating in his peripheral from that blow. The one coming from another angle is snagged, turned, stabbed center mass by an ally's blade. One thing's clear, he's not pulling punches or worrying about leaving anyone alive.

    And he's still not entirely certain Thea's friend. Especially if she lands in or on the other side of that smoke cloud. "Stealing my schtick! Not cool!" he calls out. "Nice choice of color though! Hides the blood better!"

Thea Queen has posed:
The blow to the jaw makes Thea wince. Yes, Ollie clearly isn't used to teamwork, or the tactics they use. And all the tech they perfected over the years with the trick arrows? Uff, at least she hopes it comes to him by instinct or this might just hurt. Regardless, no time for such thoughts now while she descends on the zipline, one long leg stretching out to catch one of the men on the side of the head, sending him to sleepy land.

She lands on a roll, doing a leg sweep on another gang member before an arrow shot on point blank range puts him out. It's a blunt arrow! So no killing. But it hurts like hell.. Yes, Thea was never the 'nice' kind of vigilante. Even if apparently she is the nicer of the two of them here right now.

"Yea, you are not stealing my thunder, Arrow." she quips back. Perhaps it will help him remember. "And don't kill them." she tells over her shoulder at Oliver. Bossy!

Of course that's right when one of the members moves in and catches her in his arms, hands wrapping over her neck and starting to squeeze.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    The one that snatches Thea? He's not so lucky as the others. Oliver's eyes widen when Thea gets snatched. He's still no one hundred percent. Is that a familiar voice? Regardless, it's clear they're on the same side. In almost one motion, not enough time between them to be considered two, he slams the head of the one he just used as a meatshield into the nearby wall with enough force to, at the very least, cause brain damage before he spins, nocks his own arrow and nails Thea's attacker right... through the eye.

    Don't kill them? Bwah?! Why. Up close and personal, it is clear that they're Triad. Not home a week and already reviving old wars, burning them brighter than they may have been recently, but he doesn't know that.

    He's just here to deal with a criminal element that's been making it more difficult for the few legitimate businesses in the neighborhood to operate. He's acting on information found out just yesterday. A text from a number he didn't remember, a name he was unfamiliar with; a plea for help and he answered.

    One remains standing, the one forced to stab his own... he turns to flee. Oliver spins, nocks another, aiming to shoot the fleeing gang member right in the back as he runs, if not stopped.

Thea Queen has posed:
Rookie mistake almost. Thea's hands move up to the man's when he starts trying to strangle her. Of course that she has trained time and time ago for this, with many masters, some more ruthless than others. And sure, she has killed. And she still does. But her brother? Not so much. And in the balance of things he was the one keeping her on the straight and narrow. Ironic on how the tables have turned. Still, she is about to spin her body, use her weight to throw the man off when --

An arrow through the eye? So much for not killing them... Is this how Oliver felt when his advice was falling on empty ears when it was Thea on his steps?

Still, she falls down on one knee, looking at the rest of the fight, how it's near to an end. Just one straggler. Who will be murdered with the rest... She wouldn't particularly care, she probably still doesn't. But she knows her brother wouldn't want this. So she draws her own bow too but instead of pointing it to the gang banger she points it to Oliver's bow and arrow, attempting to at least make the shot go wide enough to not hit.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    When his shot gets knocked wide, Oliver might run to follow and finish it, but his rage over the shot being knocked wide has him turning toward Thea instead. "What the hell? I *had* him!" he snarls, the voice modulation making him sound ... well, much more sinister than he might without it.

    He takes a stalking step forward, then one more. For a moment it seems as if he might just attack his sister. But in the end, he just growls out, "Never do that again."

    And then he's off, not after the straggler but to the nearest fire escape. A running start has him snagging the bottom rung of a much to high for 'just average' human to manage, up... up... up he goes into the dark.

    Chase or not Lil' Sis, better make up your mind quick, or risk tripping him up, knocking him off balance and causing a potentially harmful, perhaps even fatal fall should he land right. That old suit, it's no where near as protective of soft human flesh and breakable human bone as the newer models.

Thea Queen has posed:
Does Thea expects Ollie to strike at her? Instinct has her taking a step back, a protective one, shoulders set in tension, domino mask not hiding the angry eyes underneath. She doesn't reach to draw out a weapon though, watching and telling him. "This is not you." her tone near pleading.

But then the man is off again. Up and over to that fire escape. Oh, great. Parkour at this hour of the night. Sure..., she can cope. So she runs over and ..., ok, that's a very long jump that Oliver just did. So she cheats since she has nowhere close to that athletic capacity. No salmon ladder for her! She shoots an arrows up to the building Oliver escaped to, it being stuck up there atop before she starts to grappel her way up swiftly.

"Don't run away from me. Where are you going?" she calls out, then a tap on her comm device.

<Overwatch, I am on pursuit. Can you give me a direction on where the Arrow is going?> That's the second cheat.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    <North. I don't know, he's not slowing down though!> The amount of panic from the return makes one wonder if somehow Felicity is watching all of it, with popcorn, on the edge of her seat. More like, this long without word has her on edge.

    One roof to the next, just free jumping it until he hits one that's a little two wide. Shit, he's going to fall! He's not going to...

    But he does, just barely, he snags the ledge of the building with a fingertip grip. That has to hurt. He plants both feet against the wall, no panic, no flailing, and pushes up so he can at least get a two *handed* grip. Now he's up and over and onward again.

    ...it was a slowdown though, one that might give Thea an advantage, the opportunity to catch up with her wayward sibling. He *has* to be tired and even hurting, for now he's ignoring it all.

Thea Queen has posed:
North is good enough. So Thea shifts and goes that way once she gets into the rooftop, over a railing in a smooth jump and at full speed towards the other building. She lands on a fire escape, pushing herself up and then resuming pursuit in a swift motion, her litheness being put to work, along with her cardio considering the rhythm that Oliver is imposing right now. And it's not one she will be able to maintain for *too* long. Yes, she had gotten a lot better over time but she wasn't exactly Ollie.

She was still Speedy though, so speed it up she does! She spots Oliver when he's climbing back up from that jump. Can she make the jump? She doesn't find out, one arrow being shot and landing next to Ollie with Thea starting to zipline across.

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be." She shouts out to the escaping Arrow, "You are not on the island anymore, and we are here to help you." she lands on the rooftop, breathing heavily. "Stop before you hurt yourself."

Oliver Queen has posed:
    One more building, one more... another... and then a leap that's even longer than the one he almost missed. He pauses, middle of the rooftop, indecision. He does know his own limits. Yet he back steps to the far side from the gap as if he's trying to regain his running momentum. He's not going to try that is he? For a scary second or five, maybe ten, it seems he might.

    In the end though, he doesn't. He turns, head bowed, face hidden in the shadows of his hood. "Go. Home." Oliver doesn't speak Thea's name, he's aware enough not to, knows it's not a good idea, reveal her secret to all that might be listening. But it's clear from the tone of his voice that he knows who she is now. "Now."

Thea Queen has posed:
The young sister runs to catch up with Oliver, seeing that indecision and eventually the turn towards her. She comes to a stop not far from him, hands on her hips as she catches on her breath, taking a few seconds before she actually replies...

And do you know what they both inherited from Moira Queen? Stubborness! So at the request for her to go home she answers with a solid, "No." the kind of no that leaves no room for doubt that she ain't going anywhere. "I know where you are right now. I *lived* through it, all the secrets, all the ..., killing. I am not going to do so again." a shake of her head given.

"You are better than this. Of all of us you are the best. I can't let you just go back .. I can't." her jaw set in a determined manner.

She takes a step forward towards Oliver.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    "Why do they deserve mercy?" Oliver asks, right to the heart of it. He obviously doesn't believe that they do. "They were extorting money from the few businesses left here, hard earned money from decent people."

    He glances over his shoulder as if he's contemplating that jump again rather than standing here having this conversation.

    "They failed our city."

    Oh, isn't that a blast from the past? Aimed at gang members rather than corporate Big Wigs, but still.

    "Go. Home." He repeats. "I'll be there before morning."

Thea Queen has posed:
"Because you are a hero." Thea replies to her brother, opening her arms to the side, "That's what you chose to be." a beat, "For us, for Starling. You figured there was a better way to do this than revenge. You chose Justice." it also meant saving those closer to him from going on a downward spiral of darkness and violence too. But that's details.

She doesn't dispute that they failed the city. They did. But what is Oliver doing now? "How are you going to save this city if you are doing the same they do?" She then asks Oliver, arms continuing open to her sides, to signal she means no harm. But also somewhat open to being attacked.

"Overwatch is worried sick, and so is Spartan. Come home with me." Is the sister's counteroffer.

Oliver Queen has posed:
    Overwatch? Spartan? What the... it means nothing to him. But his sister does, even if she's different, older than she should be, wearing a suit that mirrors his own in different colors. It's still Thea and that alone is why Oliver relents.

    There likely aren't many that know him better than Thea. Even with their differences and fights and periods of distance from one another. He isn't going because he wants to or because he's buying what she's selling, he's going because it's his duty to keep her safe and she's not leaving without him.

    "Fine," he snips. "Let's go home then."