Arrow: Reckoning Part 2

Business Ethics

Following the unbelievable escape that had perfectly worked and amazingly resulted in no injuries, Team Arrow had returned to Starling soon after touching down at the small airport outside of Metropolis. The information they had gathered from their last encounter with this unknown organization had lead them to the remote facility far on the outskirts of Metropolis, where they had hoped to attain enough data to learn more about their new enemy. Unfortunately the only thing they were able to learn was that their new foe was a step ahead of them, as they had been from the beginning. After months of tracking and intelligence gathering, the team was no closer to learning more about this mysterious organization other than the name they went by.

HIVE

This group was first put on the team's radar once Deadshot had informed Diggle that the assassination of his brother had been orchestrated by HIVE, further deepening the mystery of this group and their actions. In secret, Diggle had spent the past two years combing for any shred of information that could help him track down those responsible for his loss. Keeping his hidden mission from the team for as long as he could was his only way of protecting them from the seemingly endless reach of this organization. After two bodies were discovered in the Glades five months ago and the cause of death was a result of a very rare illusive poision, Diggle made the connections following Felicity's post-crime investigation. He reluctantly informed his teammates of the similarities between the case and several others that he had connected to HIVE, spanning back nearly the past twenty years. Felicity's lack of knowledge surrounding the poision used was extremely disconcerning to Oliver, in addition to Diggle's announcement he decided that HIVE was a threat that they needed to learn more about. Months of research, undercover work, and failed raids had lead them to this point. This recent failure only added to the evergrowing concern which Oliver held for this organization, that they were indeed aware of his team's knowledge of their existance and that they were merely studying the team. Combined with the fact that Slade was out there and hunting him, this new threat's overwhelming ability to out think the team was only adding to heavy weight already on Oliver's shoulders. The black and orange mask from the island that had been waiting on Felicity's desk for him when he entered the Foundry that night still haunted him as much as the promise that Slade had made him. He may be human again but Slade's mind was still warped from the Mirakuru and from his unquinchable thirst for revenge. The man would never stop until either he had achieved his goal and taken away everything from Oliver or death came for him before his enemies misery could be complete.

Oliver was the first down the stairs, an act of protection that he had forced himself to repeat everytime they entered the Foundry. In that chance that Slade was once again waiting for them, Oliver would be his first target and would give his team enough time to react while he distracted their enemy. His eyes scanned the room, leaving no corner or shadow overlooked as he moved down the steps and trained his ears to pick up anything that didn't belong. The Foundry had several unique senses to it, the most noticeable being it's telltale hum of the servers combined with the rattle of the pipes surrounding the walls of the room. The smell changed from day to day thankfully so, especially after all the training and sweating that took place on a regular schedule. Felicity had taken to bringing different candles down to counter the foul odors, successfully creating a blended bouquet of scents that overtook the previous smell of earth and sweat. Oliver completed his mental sweep of the room and lowered his guard, satisfied that their home of operations was safe for the moment. He moved over to his case and dropped his duffle bag on the table beside him and began unpacking his gear, as did the others. The team didn't venture out of Starling too often, and as a result they hadn't discovered an easier way to travel with their gear. The fact that Felicity was the CEO of Queen Technologies and had enough financial backing to support their nightly operations for the foreseeable future helped immensely, especially when she could attain an aircraft for an assignment without drawing any unwated attention to them. Money wasn't important to any of them, but it did have it's benefits when it came to helping them protect the city and it's people. Felicity went to work on scrapping the USB drive for any bit of information that they could use against HIVE, hoping that their system purge wasn't as thorough as they intended it to be. The clicking of her keyboard acted as music to her teammates' ears, helping them settle back into their home as if they have never left. Roy checked over his outfit, inspecting the scuffs and tears that it had recieved from the incounter with the guards at the facility. The red leather felt natural and calming under his touch as he suited the mannequin with his jacket, making sure to throw the hood over it's head. He paused to take in the suit's glory and hope that it had given him every since he first put it on and joined Oliver in his fight against evil. Diggle had been quiet ever since they had left the Metropolis area, internally struggling with yet another failure and trying not to get his hopes up with the data they might have collected. He unloaded the spare magazines for his sidearm that he ended up not needing this time, since he had spent the majority of the mission in the cockpit. The duffle bag was quickly emptied and placed underneath the table while he searched his thoughts for any logical conclusion as to how HIVE was always a step ahead of them. He knew that his research into their organization hadn't been covered as well as it could have been, but he couldn't believe that they were this smart and advanced. Not even ARGUS could stay off everyones' radar forever or atleast conceal themselves this well while continuing to operate at full capacity. The team remained quiet while they worked, each member tired and frustrated by the operation and it's less-than-promising results. It wasn't until Felicity had finally broke away from her nonstop work that the first words were spoken.