Working With Red

Gearing Up for a Showdown

Updated: Please enjoy this original drawing of (myself as) Tiger Lily (took me 9.6 hours, holy shit, and yes, her side is supposed to be blurred) 

"Eat up and come down to the Arrowcave when you're finished."

"What, another day of training?" you muttered, scoffing as you shoved you cereal-filled spoon into your mouth. "In case you didn't notice, my good eye would prefer to remain untouched."

"Just do it," Roy replied, running his hand though his messy bedhead hair as he turned and headed toward the living room. You rolled your eyes, taking another bite as your eyes trailed after Roy. As soon as he disappeared from the kitchen, you groaned, resting your forehead against the bar's countertop.

Because you were so used to waking up around 4:30 every morning for training with Roy, you had gotten up much earlier than Dinah, and rather than try and force yourself back to sleep, you decided to enjoy the peace and quiet and have a nice breakfast by yourself.

Little did you know you'd be greeted by your shirtless partner, who'd been lounging around in the kitchen since 4.

You took the next few minutes to finish off your cereal before throwing the bowl and spoon in the sink and heading to the lounge. You weren't surprised to see the vault door open, revealing the stairway leading to the Arrowcave. As you began descending the staircase, you could already hear Roy's muffled grunts and the sound of weight plates clanking together.

"Alright, I'm here," you announced upon entering the training room, folding your arms over your chest. "What do you want?" Roy groaned as he lifted the barbell and rested it back on the stand, sitting up on the bench.

"We need to get you geared up for tonight's mission," he replied, using the towel strung around his neck to wipe down his sweat-covered face. "Your ACP may be efficient, but it'll do close to nothing against a team of weapons experts."

"Great," you answered monotonously. "So where do we begin?" Roy stood and walked across the room, motioning for you to follow as he exited the room and headed over to the firing range.

"Choose your weapon," he said, gesturing to the glass cases loaded with firearms. Your gaze trailed from Roy to the case, and you hesitated, your fingers lightly drumming along your biceps.

"If it's just a simple recon mission, then I don't want to bring something so heavy that it'll weigh me down."

"Then stick to handguns," Roy replied, opening the case and pulling out the 9 Mil. "Light machine guns wouldn't be a bad idea either, but since this is your first mission, I'd stick to handguns." You slowly nodded and took the 9 Mil from Roy's hands, laying it on the table beside her.

"Okay, so the 9 Mil, plus my ACP--"

"Not even close to enough firepower," Roy interrupted, turning back to the case. His eyes darted along the racks until they landed on an SPS Pantera, which he quickly snatched from the case and handed to you. You inspected the gun for a brief moment before placing it on the table beside the 9 Mil.

"Do you want to try a light machine gun? Or. . ." Roy trailed off, moving over to the other side of the case. You shrugged.

"I don't care," you murmured. "Do you think it'll be necessary?"

"Honestly, I don't know what's going to happen out there," Roy replied, scratching at the back of his head, "but no, I don't think you'll need one."

"Alright then," you breathed, letting out a sigh, "I guess I'm ready to go."

"One more," Roy mumbled as he knelt down to snatch a pair of pistols from the bottom of the case. You couldn't help but smile as Roy rose to his feet, revealing the Glock 22s in his hands. "You think these will work?"