Original (Roy Harper x OC)

Chapter Eight - Found

"I found him"

I rushed into the hospital, going directly to the real Roy's hospital room. Roy was sitting outside, waiting for the real Roy to wake up. I went over and sat beside him. It was awkward at first, since we hadn't seen each other or spoken in years - well, years for him, only about a year for me.

"So, you and Cheshire-"

"Don't talk about it"

It was right back to the awkward silence, until the doctor stepped out of the room.

"He's awake," he told us.

Roy and Oliver went in first, catching him up on everything that had happened. Then, when I finally got over the nerves, I stood up and went inside.

"So, let me get this straight. While I was on ice, you found another Roy Harper, the sidekicks formed their own team, aliens invaded the Earth, and Ollie grew that dopey goatee?" original Roy asks.

"We try not to call ourselves sidekicks," Roy tells him.

"You don't like the goatee?" Oliver asks.

"So missing the point!" original Roy tells him. "You've both been talking around it all day. Rou, tell me the truth, I want answers, real answers. What happened to me? How can there be another Roy Harper? And what happened to my arm?!"

I opened my mouth, going to explain it to him, but Roy stopped me. "We wanted to wait until you were strong enough, but I guess the moment's here"

"Moment's past, get to it"

"What's the last thing you remember before we found you in Tibet?"

"I've been trying to piece that together. I remember investigating a LexCorp shell company that we suspected of smuggling weapons to Northralaysia. Some LexCorp goons got the drop on me. I remember feeling... embarrassed. Then, nothing"

"That's right," Oliver says. "They grabbed you. Thing is, Roy, that was 8 years ago"

"What?!"

"Lex Luthor and the Light, this criminal organization he works with, abducted you," Roy continues. "They amputated your arm"

"Why? To keep me from using my bow?"

"No. They needed an endless supply of your DNA to perfect their human cloning process"

"So that's what you are, a clone"

"Yeah, they grew me, or rather force grew me. In a matter of months I looked your age. They programmed me with all your memories and skills and... worse"

"Then, they spoon fed me clues to your location," Oliver says. "I thought I was doing detective work, but in hindsight... you'd been missing 3 months, I'd been going crazy so when I found you-him, I didn't question the good fortune. I had no idea it wasn't the real, the original, you. No idea Luthor had stored you on ice all this time"

"So, what you're saying is, you took my place," original Roy said, looking at his clone. "You've been living my life for 8 years"

"And he's been tirelessly searching for you for 5 of those years"

"Huh. But not you, Ollie. You gave up on me"

Roy stood up from the seat he was sitting in. "I don't want to be the cause of more conflict between you two. I'd understand if you never wanted to lay eyes on me again"

"I don't know. Seems to me the clone didn't do anything wrong. He didn't ask to be created. Plus, he found me. I can't blame him for this," he then looked over at Oliver. "But I can totally blame you!"

"Roy, I-"

"We were partners! Friends!" He shouted, cutting Oliver off. "How could you not know I'd been replaced? How could you leave me in Luthor's hands for 8 years?! And how did I not see how useless you are? Get out. Get out!"

Oliver left, his head low.

"Look, uh, Roy. I need some time to process all this"

"I understand," Roy tells him, leaving the room.

The original Roy looked at me, not saying anything. I was waiting for him to start yelling at me too. I sat down in the chair, unable to meet his eye.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't notice it wasn't you," I say quietly.

"But you did"

"What?"

"He told me before you came in. You noticed something different about him. Even though you didn't know it, you knew something was off"

"But I didn't do anything about it like I should've"

"He also told me, when he told you he was a clone, you looked for me with him. You didn't just give up like Ollie. But, why do you look so young? Shouldn't you be older?"

"Well, I was 14 when you got kidnapped. One year after that I got kidnapped, taken back to my home planet to finish my training. Time runs differently there. I came back when I was 16. I would've kept looking but..."

"You stopped looking?"

"I thought you were gone, okay? Jim used to work at Cadmus, he said they wouldn't have kept you alive, they would've gotten rid of you as soon as they didn't need you anymore. If I hadn't been told that, I would've kept looking"

"Hey, could you give me a moment?"

"Sure, yeah"

I left the room, but then I saw Oliver and Roy walking towards me. They went into the hospital room but we found he was no longer there.

We searched all over for him. We first found him in Green Arrow's hideout, but he was too quick, already stepping through the Zeta tube and blowing it up.

We traced his location, where the Zeta tube had taken him, and got there as fast as we could. When we made it to LexCorp we found smoke rising from the top of the building.

"No. We can't be too late. I cannot have failed him again," Oliver said.

"No, wait. Look!" Roy pointed out, a figure walking out the door through clouds of smoke.

"Hey, guys. What took you so long?" Original Roy asks.

I rushed over to him and wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly. He set down the case he was holding and his one arm went around my waist, holding me even tighter than I was holding him.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," I whispered.

"Hey, don't be," he told me.

We let go of each other and Green Arrow spoke up. "Roy, are you alright?"

"I'm good. Well, better than I've been in 8 years, anyway"

"You didn't-"

"Kill Luthor? No. Not tonight"

"What's in the case?" Red Arrow asks.

He smirked, opening the case, revealing a prosthetic arm. "Satisfaction. It's not elegant. Won't fool anyone into thinking it's actual flesh and blood. But it's more powerful and versatile than the model Luthor gave his own bodyguard, and it will literally make me a living weapon. No one's putting me on ice again, ever"

"Speedy..." Green Arrow started. "You sure you're okay?"

Roy removed his mask. "Speedy died 8 years ago. But I kind of like the sound of... Arsenal"