Arrow: Reckoning Part 2

Warning Shot

Rustling branches overhead covered the sound of Oliver's approach as he neared the remaining pirates and their captives. The small cave system nestled beside a large rock wall that stretched upward into the night sky. The crackle of the campfire on the outside of the cave entrance masked the sound of Oliver's footsteps as he moved closer under the cover of darkness. The single pirate stood guard near the fire, scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. Oliver stopped beside a large tree and surveyed his surroundings before moving into action.

The apartment complex was smaller than most of the other structures in the area, allowing for easy roof access as the outline of several figures moved across the night sky. Oliver stopped at the edge of the roof and looked out toward their destination, scanning for any noticeable traps. Thea stopped a few steps behind him, wearing a similar style outfit to her brother's. The temporary suit was originally designed as a prototype if they ever needed it for Felicity or Laurel. The black material aided in Thea blending into her environment which she greatly approved of, the hood however was a different story. The open face style that Oliver and Roy were used to felt more like a weakness to Thea, offering little in the way of protection. She preferred something similar to what the League of Assassins used, something she was trained to be comfortable with since her father was a former member of the League after all. The small mask shielding her identity was another addition to the uniform that she wasn't fond of as well, though it had kept her own brother's identity from her the mask seemed almost too unreal for her. Thea understood quite well the need to keep her identity a secret but a mask appeared more as a psychological tool to her as apposed to simply wearing a full hood. She had decided that the current outfit would suffice for her first masked outing, but she would definitely change things more to her liking in the future. Oliver looked over the complex and began.

"Any changes?"

"Other than the dozen heat signatures I'm still picking up scattered throughout the complex no, if Slade's in there he didn't want anyone to see him enter." Felicity said over the comm as she provided over watch from the Keep. Oliver paused and struggled with the idea of leading his team into an obvious trap, but knowing that he had no other choice if he wanted to stop Slade.

"Let's move." Oliver ordered as he and the others caustiously moved toward the building.

A cloud of dirt kicked up into the air as the pirate thrashed his arms and legs around while Oliver violently cutoff his oxygen supply. The look of panic on the man's face caught Oliver's gaze breifly before he turned his attention toward the entrance of the cave and heard footsteps approaching. The pirate clawed at Oliver's massive arms, desperately trying to pry them from his neck. Oliver snapped the man's neck and dropped him to the ground as two more pirates exited the cave and spotted him, prompting them all into action.

A group of hired thugs patrolled the building as the team entered with force, deciding to take their enemies down with speed. Roy moved in from the roof and began to work his way down as he met slight resistance along the way, only slowing his descent. He engaged two thugs after disarming a third, easily avoiding their uncoordinated attacks. Roy side stepped the punches and used the men's eagerness against them, turning there own momentum on them. The first thug was thrown into a wall and disoriented for a moment as Roy dispatched the other with a well placed kick. The thug collapsed to the floor at Roy's feet as the remaining henchman returned to the fight only to assist in his own defeat. Roy managed to maneuver himself around the man and drop him to the floor with his bow in the process. The dirt covered carpet stung as the man slammed against it and quickly looked back to see a red gloved fist strike him firmly in the face.

Gunfire ripped out from the cave as the two pirates attempted to end Oliver's rescue. The night lit up from the muzzle flashes as Oliver evaded the gunfire by rolling away and pulling an arrow to his bow. He fired the arrow into a bottle sitting beside the fire, causing the alcoholic contents to pour into the flames and explode. The fireball shot up into the air and caught both pirates by surprise as they recoiled from the massive surge of heat and light beside them. Oliver used the temporary distraction to close the distance between them and end the battle.