The Rise of Artemis

Chapter 5

A few weeks later, Thea and Laurel met up after Laurel got off of work and decided to stop at a food truck to get something to eat before they went to train. It just so happened that this was the same food truck that they ate at when Roy stole her purse in the old timeline. As they got their food they both paid the man and then walked to the side so that they could sit down and enjoy their meal.

"You know, this reminds me of old times. We used to do this all the time after I moved in with you." Thea said.

"You moved in with me? Why would you want to do that?" Laurel asked.

"I was just about killed in Ollie and my apartment and I couldn't live there anymore knowing what about happened there." Thea said.

"That makes sense. What happened to this guy that hurt you?" Laurel asked.

"He wanted Ollie to be his heir, so he used me as leverage. Ollie did join his group for a time just so that he could be trained by one of the best fighters in the world. Little did the man know that Ollie was working against him from the inside. They fought each other for a second time and this time Ollie killed him." Thea said.

"What happened the first time they fought?" Laurel asked.

"Ollie was stabbed and kicked off of a cliff. None of us know how he survived, but he did." Thea said.

"Damn! It sounds like Ollie even had a hard time after he got back from the island that he is on." Laurel said.

"We all did. It is the life of a vigilante. You better get used to it as well." Thea said and Laurel nodded as they ate their food in silence until they were done.

Once they were done with their food and had cleaned up, something happened that Thea was happy about. A boy in a red hoodie ran by and stole her purse. Laurel started to take off after the boy, but Thea grabbed her arm to stop her and Laurel looked back at her like she was crazy. She then saw the smile on Thea's face and knew what was going on.

"Let me guess, that was your fiance?" Laurel asked.

"Yep. So, how do you feel about going out in the field tonight? I think if we go in our vigilante suits he might be more interested in joining us." Thea said and Laurel nodded in agreement.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go and get my training done for the day so we don't have to do it after we talk to Roy." Laurel said and Thea nodded as they both took off to Verdant to train.

. . .

Diggle showed up after the girls had been training for a while and he was impressed with how well Laurel was coming along. He thought that she would be good to go in the field now, but there were still a couple of things that she needed to work on.

"So, what is the plan for tonight?" Diggle asked.

"Laurel and I are going to talk to Roy as our vigilante personas. He stole my purse today." Thea said.

"So, it looks like everything is working to plan." Diggle said.

"So far so good. What will you do while we are gone?" Thea asked.

"I will be working on my aim on the shooting range. You don't think you need me to come with you do you?" Diggle asked.

"No. Laurel and I can take care of this." Thea said as she and Laurel went to get dressed in their gear for the first time and then left to go and convince Roy to join them.

. . .

The two heroes stuck to the rooftops as they made their way deeper into the Glades. They didn't want anyone to know about them yet, so that was the easiest way to stay out of view. Soon Thea knew where she was and she showed Laurel where they would be going.

Thea shot an arrow with a zipline hooked to it and she slid down it using her bow. Laurel followed closely, using her bo staff to slide down. Thea looked around and saw that Roy was not home yet. She went and picked Roy's lock and then she and Laurel entered the young man's home and waited in the dark for him to get home.

About ten minutes later the heroes heard the door being unlocked and then Roy entered the home and turned on the lights. When he turned around he saw the two vigilantes waiting for him. Roy pulled his gun and Thea pulled one of her mini arrows out of her sleeve and threw it at the gun knocking it out of Roy's hand.

"We are not here to hurt you. We are here to offer you a proposition." Artemis said through her voice modifier.

"What do you have to offer me? I am sorry that I stole the girl's purse earlier, but I need that money to pay for shit." Roy said.

"Ms. Queen doesn't care about the purse. She doesn't need it anyways. I want to give you a better way to channel your energy than stealing things. I want to offer you a place on the team that we are setting up." Artemis said.

"So, you want me to help you stop crime in the Glades?" Roy asked.

"Yeah. That is why we are here. Also, I know that you need the money. It will be about another month, but I know a place that will offer you a job, if you are interested." Artemis said.

"Why would you want to help me?" Roy asked.

"Because I see a lot of me in you, and I think it would be good for you to take this chance and possibly straighten out your life." Artemis said.

"Ok, so what do you need from me?" Roy said.

"First thing first. Meet us at the new club that is being built. Verdant. When you get there and we see that you are serious about this, we will see what training you need and also possibly talk to you about that job as well." Artemis said.

"Why would I meet you at a club if you are a vigilante? Wouldn't you need a lair or something like that?" Roy asked.

Thea then looked at Laurel and nodded her head. Thea then looked back at Roy and removed her hood and mask. Laurel did the same. When Roy saw who they were his mouth dropped to the floor. He couldn't believe that Thea Queen was a vigilante.

"Why would you be fighting to make the Glades better when you can just live your life in the security of your company and not have to worry about what happens to us here?" Roy asked.

"I know that the people in the Glades are hurting and I want to help them because I don't think that it is right that people like me take advantage of the people in this area of the city. So, what do you say? Are you in?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, I am in. Sorry about your purse." Roy said, looking at the floor.

"Like I said earlier. It is not a problem. It's not like I need the money. So, meet us at Verdant tomorrow and we will show you around. Come ready to train as well. We need to see what you know." Thea said and Roy nodded.

"Wait! Who are you two supposed to be?" Roy asked.

"I am Artemis, and this is Laurel Lance aka Black Canary." Thea said and Roy nodded.

"Remember, be at Verdant at 6:00 tomorrow night. We will see you then." Thea said as she and Laurel left the home to return to the bunker.

"Well, this is sure going to be interesting and it looks like my life might finally turn around." Roy thought to himself as he went back into his house and locked up after himself.