The Emerald

Chapter 31 - Playground

The Team quickly made their way to the lair where Oliver, Sara, Roy, and Diggle each suited up. When Diggle walked out in full Overwatch gear he was met with cheering from his Team and Lyla.

"Johnny, you look amazing!" Lyla commented as she walked up to Diggle. She smiled as she slid her hands under his hood and around his neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss. "I've always wanted to kiss a hero." She commented under her breath, where only she and John could hear.

"Guys! Get a room!" Roy teased as the rest of the Team laughed.

"Oh, we already did!" Diggle commented with a smirk, causing the Team to laugh even more.

"Alright Team, let's finish getting our gear and head out." Oliver commented as he strapped on his quiver, the motion reminding him about something. "Roy, why don't you bring your quiver for target practice, but don't strap it on. You can use your other weapons for any other training we do." He told his young protégé, remembering the angry bruising on the kid's back and not wanting to aggravate it further.

Roy was thankful that Oliver had commented about not wearing his quiver. He had been slightly dreading putting it on as he knew that it would cause his back to hurt more. He gave a brief nod of thanks to Oliver as he checked to make sure his quiver was full and that all of his other weapons were secure.

"I think everyone's ready." Felicity commented as she picked up her laptop bag and her tablet. "Shall we go?"

"Digg, you drive the SUV and take Lyla, Felicity, and Thea." Oliver replied as the group headed outside. "Sara, Roy, and I will take our bikes."

Everyone moved to their respective modes of transportation. However, just before Thea climbed into the back of the SUV with Felicity she turned to where Roy was mounting his Ducati.

"Why don't you let me take these so you don't have to strap them down to your bike?" Thea asked as the gestured to Roy's bow and quiver. She knew she had done something right when Roy gave her the smile that was obviously meant only for her.

"Thanks Thea." Roy responded in answer to Thea's offer. He smiled at her and his heart skipped a beat when she returned the smile, the one meant only for him. It was only a second later when she reached up and pulled him in for a kiss.

It was the sound of her brother clearing his throat mere feet away from them that caused Thea to finally pull back from kissing Roy. She had already decided that she would take every opportunity to show Roy just how much he meant to her, this was simply following up on that promise to herself.

"Race you there." Roy challenged Oliver and Sara after Thea had turned to climb into the SUV.

"You're on kid!" Oliver answered as he turned to Roy with a wicked grin on his face, matching Sara's.

Suddenly all three Ducatis peeled out at breakneck speeds towards the Queen Training Compound.

"Will they ever grow up?" Lyla asked Diggle as she watched the trio in leather speed away.

"I hope not!" Diggle answered with a smile. "That would take all the fun out of it."

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Once they all arrived at the Training Compound, Felicity and Thea quickly set to work setting up the computers that they had brought with them, and Felicity set the computers to begin uploading the changes to the security protocols on the current system. While they were working they couldn't help but laugh at the argument over who had won the race here.

"Okay Team, stop bickering and get to work!" Felicity ordered with authority, a smile on her face and laughter still evident in her voice. "I already have the security protocols updating, I need you guys to check all the cameras and make sure every inch of this place is covered."

"On it." Oliver responded to Felicity's orders without so much as a hint of hesitation. "Roy, John, Sara, with me. Let's cover every inch of this place!"

"I'll stay here with the girls and help them keep track of you all." Lyla commented, knowing that her A.R.G.U.S. training would come in handy for the next while.

The Team worked seamlessly together checking over every inch of the compound. Felicity, Thea, and Lyla made sure that the camera feeds covered everything, while the rest of the Team worked to make minor adjustments to camera angles, as well as check the security on the perimeter to ensure that the compound couldn't be breached easily.

Once the security of the compound was thoroughly checked the Team switched into training mode. Oliver and Diggle teamed up against Sara and Roy in a mock mission. Felicity provided tech support for Oliver and Diggle while Thea did her best to do the same for Roy and Sara. Even though she didn't know as much as Felicity did, Thea was a quick study and was learning very quickly.

The Team stayed out until after two in the morning working, training, and playing at the compound. By the end of the night Oliver and Diggle were sure that they had made the right decision in purchasing the compound as they could already see the benefits of its use for Team Arrow. Not to mention the benefits it would give the Queen Security Team as well.

Even though it was a weary Team that headed home and to bed hours later it had been a good day. The Team had gotten in some much needed training, Diggle had enjoyed a nice Birthday, and for once the Team could enjoy some peace and quiet. However, as Oliver lay in bed he couldn't help but wonder if this was the calm before the storm.

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"GOT IT!" Andrew exclaimed excitedly as his pumped his fist in the air.

"What do you have Andrew?" The Dealer asked from his desk chair. Andrew had been spending countless hours at his computer since they had gotten to Starling City, mostly in an effort to track down the Arrow and his base of operations. He could only hope that his young IT genius finally had some results for him.

"I found him." Andrew said excitedly as he spun in his chair to face his boss. "I found the Arrow's base of operations."

"Show me." The Dealer ordered as he stood and walked over to where Andrew was yet again typing furiously at his computer. He bent over to look at the screen as Andrew pulled up a map of Starling City.

"Okay, so I finally had a thought on how to track him." Andrew commented as he continued to type. "I accessed all the Police records and pulled all the cases involving the Arrow, as well as any sightings I could find and noted their locations on the map. Andrew clicked and dots appeared on the screen indicating where the different incidents occurred. "I then took into account the amount of time it took for the Arrow and Team to show up to each incident. Based off of that information I calculated the approximate distance that the Arrow would have had to travel." A circle appeared on the screen over a section of the Glades. "This is the approximate location of where the Arrow's base would be located based on distance to the incidents and travel time." Andrew said as he pointed to the screen before then turning to face his boss once again.

"I then checked the records for all the buildings in this five block radius. Most of the buildings are abandoned due to the earthquake. However, there is one owned by Oliver and Thea Queen, Verdant. It's a nightclub but it's the only building in the area that pulls the amount of electricity that I would expect to see from a vigilante's base of operations."

"I've finally found you." The Dealer whispered menacingly, sending shivers down Andrew's spine. "Can you verify that this is indeed the location?" The Dealer asked Andrew.

"No." Andrew admitted. "I've tried accessing cameras in the area but they are closed circuit. I can't access them without being on property."

"Not a problem. We'll just case the joint like we did before all this high tech gadgetry." The Dealer commented as he stepped away from the computer. "David!" He called.

"Yes sir?" David answered as he walked quickly into the room.

"It's time to get down to business." The Dealer said with a smile. "Tonight we catch an Arrow!"