Man Behind the Mask

Chapter 3 - Damsel to the rescue

Chapter 3 - Damsel to the rescue 

STANDARD LEGAL JARGON DISCLAIMER: Not mine despite my wishing upon a star!

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With one last look to Queen, Felicity Smoak pulled her hands from Queen then turned away quickly and walked back into the building. Lance was startled from his own horror when he heard the scuffle of Queen's bodyguard and Roy Harper struggling to hold Queen back. 

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"Oliver, no! There's another way-" Diggle tried reasoning which didn't seem to have any impact on the struggle. Both men were fighting to keep Queen back even as he pulled away slightly and tried to move forward. 

"Listen, we'll get her out, we just need-" Queen managed to throw Diggle off but before Lance could even move toward him he noticed in surprise that the boy Harper seemed to be able to hold his own against the man who could be the Arrow. Queen's bodyguard still rejoined the fight quickly enough and continued to try and reason with Queen to no avail when Thea Queen jumped in front of her brother. 

He paused instinctively it seemed before meeting her eyes. She gently touched her face and spoke too low for Lance to hear but it apparently worked as Queen stopped struggling. It was just too much for Lance though, his anger, confusion and fear surrounding Queen/ Arrow conspiracy and Ms. Smoak took over and he lunged forward. He met Queen's eyes briefly before his fist connected with the younger man's jaw. 

Lance found himself pulled back by Harper even as police joined to stand between the men. The group was ushered into a nearby vacant building which had been commandeered by police for a better headquarters. 

"You guys cool off in here. This is not helping us with the situation." A uniformed officer delivered that message and pulled the door shut leaving all five standing in a small dingy office. 

Lance saw the accusation in Thea Queen's eyes even as he dropped his head and scrubbed a hand over his face and fought to calm down. Get a grip, he thought, furious with his lack of control. Lance was startled from his own reverie when he heard the loud metallic bang. He looked up to see a large dent in a file cabinet in front of Oliver Queen. The other man now gripped the cabinet as if holding on for dear life. He dropped his head and simply stood there, not moving and barely seeming to breathe. 

Lance looked around and saw the other three watching him but making no effort to intervene just yet. After another moment Diggle approached and put a hand on Queen's shoulder. Thea Queen and Roy Harper both moved closer and the trio seemed to surround Queen in support without actually verbalizing anything. Even as Lance watched Queen released the cabinet and raised his head, briefly making eye contact with each of the other three before giving a single nod. 

It was Thea who spoke. "So how do we get her out? I know she said it would be okay but we have no idea-". 

"Yes, we do. It's Felicity we are talking about here. Didn't anyone find her conversation stilted?" Diggle asked with a smug tone. 

"Yeah" Harper drew out the single word in confusion before catching on and grinning. "That's not Felicity at all." 

"Guys, she's stressed due to the bomb on her-" Thea cut off her own words with a gasp and a look of concern at her brother. 

Queen actually smiled at her, a real smile Lance noted in shock. 

"It's okay. They're right, Thea. This is Felicity and she's giving us clues." Queen's voice contained no small amount of wonder at the realization.