Arrow The Cat and the Canary

Chapter Eight

Swinging her leg off of her motorbike, she adjusted her domino mask and making sure her tonfa was secure on her best. Her heart pounded like a horse's hooves against a beaten track. She watched as Luke, with his Black Cat costume on, dismounted his bike. The two of them looked up at the large looming building before them. Somewhere inside, it held the final piece of an impossibly powerful weapon. One which they could not allow to fall into the hands of a monster like Damian Darkh. God only knows what he would do with a weapon like that, she thought to herself, setting her helmet down on the seat of her bike.
"Right, I'll take the front entrance, you take the side one. We'll meet inside and go from there. Be careful of any Ghosts that may have found out that Kord Industries was keeping the last piece of the puzzle here. And keep an eye out for your team too. If I was able to find this, they definitely will." Luke said in a cool, calculating voice. She looked him in the eye and replied.
"They're not my team." The bitterness in her voice was poisonous. Luke nodded silently in agreement. He grabbed her by her forearm, pulling her in to him. He kissed her, gently but passionately, igniting explosions inside her but dropping her heart rate down to a slow pace. He grounded her, held her in the moment and blocked out the rest of the world. He pulled away form her, looking lovingly into her eyes.
"See you on the other side, partner." She said cheekily, giving him a quick grin before taking off towards the side entrance to the warehouse.

.....

Her boot slammed against the hard metal door, swinging it open and sending a deafening echo throughout the empty warehouse. She took her tonfa out of her belt, knowing that it wouldn't be long until Oliver and the others showed up, as well as Darkh's Ghosts. She crept her way around the vast shelving units housed in the warehouse. Somewhere with the countless tech inventions was  one third of a chemical weapon which could be used to cripple and economy or destroy a nation, all depending on who it was that was using it. The chemical weapon had been created as part of a research project to see if it was possible to harness the chemicals released in the brain when a human experiences fear, but it wasn't until testing of the final product began that it was discovered that the effects it had could be fatal in some cases. Laurel shuddered at the thought. It would be a horrible way to go. She tried not to think about it as she made her way down one of the long, daunting aisles, checking the reference label on each shelf she passed.
"It has to be here somewhere." she  muttered aloud to herself. Out of nowhere, a voice from behind her responded, causing her to physically jump from fright.
"It's right here." Thea said, holding the vial of pale yellow liquid in one of her hands, he bow in the other. She stood across from Laurel, dressed fully in her Speedy costume. The moonlight trickled through one of the skylights above them, shining its pale light through the translucent substance, causing it to glow mystically.
"Thea, just give it to me and let me go. Please. I don't want to have to fight you." Laurel pleaded with her. She genuinely meant it. As angry as she was with Thea for falsely accusing Luke of being a liar and a traitor; she still didn't want to have to fight her. She was still the Thea that Laurel had grown up knowing and loving. She didn't want to have to hurt her, but would if it was necessary.
"You know that I can't do that, Laurel." Thea responded sternly. The two women eyes locked, full of fury yet apprehension, neither wanting to harm the other. Before either of them made a move on the other, a body came tumbling across the top of the shelving unit beside them. The black clad torso thudded against the ground with a spine chilling sound. Laurel stepped back involuntarily and gasped. The body rolled onto its side and they saw that it was Luke, his domino mask askew from the fall. He groaned as he struggled to get himself back to his feet. Before he even had the chance to straighten himself out properly, Green Arrow and Spartan leapt from onto of the same shelving unit, landing beside Speedy. Both Speedy and Green Arrow drew arrows from their quivers and loaded their bows, directing them at Luke and Laurel, while Spartan had his pistol trained on the two.
"There's no need for anyone to get hurt here, okay?" Luke argued, still slightly winded from the heavy fall he was still recovering from.
"That's where you're wrong, I'm afraid." A deep booming voice replied from behind the splintered remains of Team Arrow. They all turned and looked to see Damian Darkh standing there, six of his ghosts standing silently behind him, awaiting his orders.Their sudden appearance sent a shock of terror through Laurel's heart. He stood staring at them all, a creepy grim painted across his face, his dark suit and blonde hair contrasting against the dark clothing of the Ghosts. Without even trying he had an aura of authority and power. It was intimidating. Just his unsettling grin was enough to make her uncomfortable. Unnecessarily loudly, he cleared his throat and in response, all of the Ghosts loaded their guns, taking aim on the five vigilantes standing there in shock. Before they had a chance to open fire, Green Arrow quickly fired an arrow into the ground between them, releasing a thick cloud of smoke, enclosing them all in its thick smog. Laurel coughed as the smoke filled her lungs. She had seen this happen before, when they had been back into a corner, it was Oliver's go-to move. Thinking on her feet, she grabbed Lukes hand and raced back the way she had come, exiting the blanket of smoke and taking cover behind the large shelving unit. Looking around the other side of the large shelf, Laurel saw the crimson red of Thea's costume racing across the warehouse, taking refuge behind a large shipping crate. Nearby, Spartan and Green Arrow hid behind another crate. She watched as Darkh strode out of the white-grey abyss of smoke , followed by the six Ghosts, all splitting out and looking for the hidden heroes. Two of them crept towards where Luke and Laurel crouched, their heavy duty guns help up ay the ready. Thinking on her feet, Laurel leapt our from where she was hiding and released a sonic wave of sound on them, screeching at the top of her lungs until her throat burned, as the two men crumpled to their knees, unable to withstand the ear-shattering sound of her Canary Cry. Black Cat jumped out from behind her, throwing his knee into the jaw of one of them before planting his fist into the nose of the other Ghost. The two of them dropped lifelessly to the ground in a heap. She watched as Thea used her bow as a bat with one hand while still holding the chemical weapon in the other. The Ghost was beginning to tire her out as the to of them duelled. Behind her, Oliver swung his leg up high enough to be able to wrap it around the neck of one of the Ghosts, the two of them rolling onto the floor before Olivers elbow collided with the Ghosts nose with a disturbing crunch. He got back to his feet in a swift movement to begin battle with another one of them, while Spartan engaged in a fist fight with the final Ghost. Luke and Laurel watched on from the shadows, both feeling like they should do something. Like they should help, but neither could bring themselves to do it. Not after how they had treated the two of them. The two watched in horror as one of the Ghosts struck Speedy across the face with the butt of his gun, knocking her to the floor and sending the cylindrical glass vial rolling across the floor towards them. Laurel took her opportunity and raced forward, her heart in her mouth, snatching it up off the floor and skidding to a halt before turning back around and racing at full speed towards the door she had entered through. She had it. Now it was time to get out of there before any of them noticed.
Black Cat and Black Canary burst out of the warehouse and into the pale light of the moon, hand-in-hand, both gleeful despite the horror they had felt moments before. However the smiles were wiped from their faces when they saw him standing between them and their bikes. In his black suit and bleach blonde hair, Damian Darkh was the only thing between them and their freedom. He was blocking their chance to be free and to prove that they did not need Team Arrow, that they were able to do it on their own. He chuckled lightly to himself as he saw the horror plaster itself across their faces once more. In a way that was meant to be nothing but condescending, he clapped slowly, the noise echoing off of the surrounding buildings and getting lost in the night as the sound travelled further and further.
"You were so close." He said smugly, as he walked slowly towards them, neither of them sure what to do. "So close but so far." His eyes moved between the two of them as though he were observing them fro a nature documentary, studying them, profiling them, dissecting them. "Now, Luke, be a good little soldier and bring me the chemical." Darkh ordered, his voice switching from lighthearted mocking to extreme seriousness. Horror struck through Laurels heart as the words left his mouth. Anger and confusion took up residence in her mind while hot tears began to take their place in the corners of her eyes, all the while, her mouth was unable to think of the right words to use, all she could do is stare, dumbfounded at Luke, who wasn't Abel to look her in the eye. He walked over to her, his head hung in shame and placed his hand on the vial. She tightened her grip and looked him dead in the eye.
"Tell me this isn't real. Tell me you weren't actually working for him all along. Tell me you meant it when you said you wanted to rid the world of people like him. Tell me!" She screamed at him, begging him to tell her what she wanted to hear, but instead he just looked away and muttered.
"I'm sorry."
Darkh looked on at this, a smile painted on his face.
"Oh this is rich. He didn't tell you he's been working for me? Can't say that I'm surprised." Laurel tried her best to block him out, looking up at Lukes face, the moonlight reflecting off of the side of his face, making him look more like a ghost than a man. After a few seconds of silence, he lifted his head and met her gaze, looking deep into her eyes, his own filled with nothing but guilt and shame.
"Yes I was working for him. But I didn't want to. He threatened to go after my father and then when we started dating... you. I couldn't let him hurt you, so I decided it was best to give him what he wanted. He told me that if I gave him all three parts of the weapon that he wouldn't harm you. As soon as I gave him this, I was going to get the two of us out of town. I wanted a life with you, a future, away from this crazy city. I wanted to be with you, that's why I did this." By now, Laurel wasn't able to fight it any more and tears streamed down her face. She let go of the vial and watched in pain as Luke took t and walked towards Darkh, placing it in his waiting hand. Darkh smiled uncontrollably as he looked lovingly into the vial. He placed it into his pocket before looking back to the two of them.
"Thank you very much for your help Mr Keller. You too, Ms Lance. But I regret to inform you, I am no longer in need of either of your services." He said menacingly, brandishing a knife and flinging it, without a seconds thought at Laurel. She flinched instinctively, closing her eyes and lifting her arms up to protect her face. She waited for the sharp piercing of the steel blade to slice into her, but it never came. In its place, she heard a loud grunt and a thud to the ground. Opening her eyes and lowering her arms, she saw Luke laying on the ground, the handle of the knife protruding from his chest.
"Noooooooo!" She bellowed. She looked Darkh dead in the eyes, her own filled with nothing but pure rage. She felt her throat rumble as a sonic screech exited her lips, sending Darkh flying back. Into the shipping container behind him, landing hard on the ground. She charged forward, using one hand to lift his head up off of the ground, trying to make it more comfortable for him. In hindsight, it may have seemed pointless, but to her there and then, it felt right. A small stream of blood ran from his mouth, down the side of his face like a crimson river finding its way to the sea. A small pool of blood began to form from the wound in his chest. His breathing was becoming increasingly laboured and erratic. She realised that knife must have punctured one of his lungs. She looked deep into his eyes, willing them to stop from slowly rolling back in his head. He spluttered suddenly, sending droplets of blood onto his chest, which blended with the ever-growing pool of blood.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, barely staying conscious. All Laurel could do in response was weep uncontrollably. She was not ready to lose him. Not yet. She cried aloud, unable to think of what else to do. Her breath shuddered as she watched in utter horror and despair as Luke fought back the urge to close his eyes. She stroked the side of his face with her thumb and realised that for him, she had to be strong. In a reassuring whisper, she spoke to him.
"Hey. Hey, you're going to be okay. You're not done yet. We still have a lot to do. Just stay with me? You're going to be okay, you just need to stay with me for a bit more. Please, just stay with me." Her voice began to trail off, unable to get the words she wanted to out. Though he was fighting against the urge as hard as he could, he could help but let his heavy eyelids get the better of them and closed them, his breathing becoming more and more shallow until a gut wrenching rattle escaped from his lips, his heartbeat getting weaker and weaker until it gave one final, defiant beat before stopping. Laurel buried her head in the crook of his neck, whispering begs for him to come back to her, to not go, not yet. But it was all in vain. He was gone, and she lay there, cradling the corpse of the first person she had been able to truly love in three years.

.....

Leaving the unconscious bodies of the Ghosts behind in the warehouse, Green Arrow, Speedy and Spartan stopped dead in their tracks, seeing their friend laying her head on the chest of Black Cat, the handle of a knife protruding from his chest. It struck them all at once what had happened. Green Arrow walked slowly towards her, kneeling down beside her and placing his hand on her shoulder. Feeling the touch of her friend, she threw her arms around his neck and wept softly into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. Standing there watching them embracing, something dawned on Thea.
"Oh no." she whispered. Diggle turned and looked at her.
"What is it?" He asked, worried about what she might be thinking.
"Darkh. He has all of the components of the hallucinogen."
"Shit."