Alliance {The Flash/Arrow}

Eight

My fingers carefully marked the unique minutiae points on the fingerprint, making sure that I didn't miss anything that would help me run it through IAFIS. I was investigating a breaking and entering case from early this morning, and I'd managed to come up with a few prints in my search for evidence. I'd gotten a shoe print and a half, half a dozen fingerprints, and a few specs of blood that I was going to run as soon as I finished the fingerprints. Barry's shift didn't start for a few hours, so I was completely alone in the lab with my work. I had my pop-punk pandora station playing so that I wouldn't be sitting in complete silence, and it was very soothing to listen to it softly as I went through the motions of the work that I'd been doing for years. Over the years, this had become a relaxing process for me. It allowed me to shut my brain off of for a little bit and take a break from reality. It was one of the dozens of reasons that I loved my job, and I honestly wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

I was brought out of my own little world when my phone started ringing. I reached over and unlocked it and put it on speaker phone without taking my eyes off of the print. "Hey, you're on speakerphone." I answered.

There was a chuckle. "You're the only person who actually announces that." Oliver stated.

I smiled. "Nice of you to call, Ollie."

"Well, I figured that I would call and see how things were going over there."

"They're going pretty well." I said honestly, finishing labeling all of the points. "I've been working a lot more than I expected, but at least I'm not bored."

"And your other job?"

I chuckled, scratching the side of my head. "It's been really interesting thus far. Meta humans are definitely a step up from the bad guys in Star City."

"That's true, but don't underestimate some of the guys here. They can be pretty hardcore if they want to be."

"Yeah, but I'm sure that they're no match for The Green Arrow." I chuckled, glad that no one was around to hear our conversation.

"You would be surprised." He chuckled.

"I have faith that you'll kick their butt when you need to."

He chuckled softly. "So, have you made contact with the team at S.T.A.R. Labs yet?"

I nodded even though he couldn't see it. "I did the other night. Turns out that Barry was so determined to find out who I was that he ended up getting his foster dad to shoot me with a tracker."

"Really? That doesn't sound like Barry at all."

I shrugged slightly. "Well, he did it. And it still hurts if I lift my arm up too high."

"That's so weird that he would do something like that. But, other than getting shot, did the team accept you pretty well?"

"Yeah. Cisco asked me to come in after work to kind of test out my powers for him, and he seems pretty excited about it."

"Cisco gets like that." He chuckled. "He really means the best, though."

"I can tell. He seems like a nice guy. Everyone there was pretty nice."

"I'm sure that you'll feel safe there, Ash. Barry and his team know how to help metas like you, and I know that they'll help turn you into a superb hero."

"I really hope so. It'd be nice to go up against some of these guys actually knowing what to do instead of winging it like I have been."

"I hope that you're at least being smart while winging it, Ashton."

"I am. I always come prepared. Like, the other night, there was this meta who could light himself on fire, and I brought a fire extinguisher, so I am being smart."