Lost Under The Stars

[Batman]

Lost Under The Stars

Story By: Batman and Black Canary
Heroes: Green Arrow, Black Canary, Felicity Smoak, John Diggle
Supporting:
Villains: Star City Yakuza

Star City. She hadn't been here since she was a kid with her dad. And she read the papers like everyone else. It had been getting worse. It had been worse. It was the reports of a string of missing people which had gotten her attention and had brought her to town. And now there was a new vigilante in town helping clean things up. An archer, with deadly precision. But that was the least of the blonde's concerns. What was more pressing was figuring out how to write up these reports! Three reports having to be written up on each account transaction, duplicated, and put in the appropriate boxes. Why couldn't they give her something easy to do, like rebuild an engine or something?! and then her phone rang. "First national Bank, Lisa Robbins. How can I? Oh, Mr Harden... Yes, sir. Right now, sir? Right away." and with that she hung the phone up with more force than necessary. She nodded to Connie her manager, with an exasperated look. Connie knew what she was saying and gave a smile as if to say, better you than me. Once outside the Bank, she gave a growl of frustration. "Hey sweetheart, can you go get me a coffee? I"m stuck in a meeting and need a pick me up..." she said mockingly in a mutter to herself as she went around the corner to the coffee shop. It was a lousy job. But it did get her bank records, and some interesting account transfers. She fussed with smoothing out her blouse and smart looking jacket and skirt. Business professional. Gotta be professional Dinah, even though you want to knock some wind out of that guy's sails! She groaned as she noticed the line for the coffee shop going out the door! It was gonna be one of those days.

“♪She stood there bright as the sun on that California coast. He was a Midwestern boy on his own ♫” Were the loud musical words from Bob Seger shouting over the motorcycle radio as a man clad in a brown coat, brown khaki pants with brown dress shoes and black aviator sunglasses on his face as his blonde hair blew in the wind, following the winding highway as it snaked around the hills of California’s coast towards the glory of Star City, like a film reel his gaze could see white lines upon the road lapping the blacktop as though wrestling each other for the finish line. The breeze blew past him to give the sense of a flying arrow racing to reach its mark as the wind carried it to its destination. Oliver Queen had returned from the dead after being lost at sea for 3 years when he was rescued and brought back into a society changed in all but three years. The party boy that everyone had remembered and thought to be a wayward had changed inside and made him into a man wild and barbaric.

A blonde beard and goatee was forming upon his face groomed to curve his moustache around his pink lips and the bulb of his chin. The news had deemed ‘The Arrow’ as a potential menace and threat to the city officials, terrorizing them for conspiracy and while killing some there were few who survived and went to jail with the attempts of conspiracy. Green Arrow would expose a plot by Malcolm Merlyn to destroy Star City - almost succeeding too. An Earthquake machine had devastated Star City but, Green Arrow had successfully stopped Merlyn and the saved the city from a much worse fate. It placed him into a brighter light which Oliver was grateful for and with the vow on the death bed of his best friend, Oliver swore to never kill again, if he could help it. He snapped to reality after his flashback of the past and saw the shambles of Star City at the bottom of the highway hill he was riding. Chunks of cement and brick lying about the sidewalk and streets, stray cats held a wealthier appearance than the homeless. The tents of medical crosses and refuge were pathetically more depressing than the sight of homeless sitting upon crates on the street corner like before. Newspapers used for bedding were replaced with scarlet gauze for disposed of after treating wounded people. In such after math the clean-up phase and the calmness would still cause accidents as children fell or a building collapsed.

As he entered the area he slowed the motorcycle down to look over and see multiple dirty faced kids admiring him in awe and the chrome polish of his motorcycle it was then the roar of multiple motorcycles caught everyone’s attention as multiple Suzuki GZ250’s rolled past Oliver causing his attention to shift between each as he felt those wild instincts burn within him. The cyclists drove into a blood bank to begin snatching packets of blood and place them into their vehicle pouches. Oliver gritted his teeth before reaching to his side to unclip his motorcycle helmet and throwing it a clear distance of thirty feet to strike a black helmet man in the head dazing the man before he armed a micro-uzi to shoot at Oliver Queen. Following instincts the playboy released the brakes and twisted the throttle to move forward with ease and agility while tilting his bike, the curb would catch him by surprise as the tire bumped it and threw Oliver off the cycle as it rode forward and crashed into the broken side of a building while Oliver tumbled and rolled into a pile of broken cement. Hissing out the pain he pushed his scraped gloves against the rocky surface beneath him to lift his head as the gang of motorcycles stormed off and out of the scene. “Ohh…damn…” Oliver’s face was tainted with black soot and white cement powder along with scrapes of his skin and torn khaki’s.

“Nice crash and burn…Props for the heroic effort.” Spoke a man observing the scene from a crate. Oliver looked at the man and scoffed. “Yeah, well…It wasn’t good enough. Who were those jerks?” “No one knows for sure…but rumors say they’re apart of an underground racing ring, some say they speak Japanese.” “Yakuza.” Oliver replied as he walked over to his bike to inspect its damage. “Give me a hand?” “Sure.” The two men would begin moving the motorcycle out of the wreckage and to the street. “So, underground street racing huh? I guess an amateur like me wouldn’t be into something like that.” “Well, you look pretty fancy with your outfit…You should have enough cash to get in.” “Cash to get in? Right…Almost forgot the racing part. Of course there’s an entrance fee and prizes. The thing I don’t understand is why a blood bank here helping the poor? As if these people aren’t suffering enough? Well thank you for your help Mister…?” “Sebastian…Don’t mention it…I just wish more people wouldn’t forget about us little people down here in the glades. All we have are each other, you know? People think throwing money at this problem will fix it, but they need to know people care.” Oliver agreed. “Well, see you around, Sebastian.” Riding the bike to retrieve his helmet before taking off to return to his home to begin planning.

After waiting in line for half an hour, and hearing at least 20 pretentious drink orders. grande skinny mocha latte with foam. Whatever happened to Large Coffee with double sugar? she stood in the alley by the bank and let out a long slow breath, forcing her posture to relax. Her martial arts and meditation training showing a bit as she regained focus. She was here at First National for a reason. Several of the missing people had family with accounts in this bank, money was being drained from these accounts, on a neat schedule, while their family member is still missing. Insurance money for survival of the kidnapped? There appeared to be several bogus accounts that money was being transferred through. Money Laundering? A lot of donation money for the clean up effort and medical aid in the Glades and medical aid was channeled through this bank too. Findings she was surprised with. She just needed one more day before she could tell her boss what she thought of him! She strode into the bank with purpose, heels clicking on the tile. She gave a quick knock on her boss' door before letting herself in. She froze as she saw an odd panicked look on the man's face. "What? You wanted whipped cream on yours?"

Harden’s gaze would be upon a green hooded man with a domino mask upon his face and a primitive bow pointed directly at the man’s chest. Swiftly he turned the arrow towards Dinah and growled with a voice modifier giving him a deep and intimidating tone. “If you want to avoid a trip to the hospital I suggest you sit down! And keep your hands on the tray!” Green Arrow changed his targets again and aimed it at Harden. “There are SEVERAL criminal ties to your bank and several financial documents that can confirm payments from the mob and other criminal interests.” “I don’t recall what you’re--“ Green Arrow gritted his teeth and shot an arrow into the man’s cuff pinning his right hand into the wall behind him. Swiftly he armed another arrow and aimed again as Harden pleaded. “I don’t know!” Another shot went into the man’s arm pit. The next arrow was exotic looking - it had a silver device with a glowing blue window upon it. “This is an explosive arrow head. When it fires, all that was left in your world will be shattered.” Harden shook his head pleading. “I…I only do work with clients who need to deposit money, it’s not my business to know what they do outside the bank! I mean some have defining tattoo’s or symbols but, they all look alike…I don’t kno--…” The arrow shot and struck next to the man’s neck where a recording began from the device.{ Harden: “Ohh~ baby, who’s a naughty secretary?” Secretary: “Ohh! Me! Me Daddy! Spank me! Ohh!” Harden: “You like it, don’t you baby? Damn you’re so tight!”} Harden’s heart seemed to sink as he looked at Green Arrow would horror in his eyes. “This recording will go to your wife and her lawyer if you don’t start to remember names and their information!” Harden would clear his throat and point towards his desk “I…I keep an address book - a-uhh…a BLACK book meant for my-uh, associates!” Green Arrow aimed his bow back at Dinah and spoke. “Go get it and give it to me. I suggest you look for another job or look forward to a promotion.”

The blonde's eyes widened as her body flowed into a fighting stance still holding the tray like box of coffee and overpriced pastries. It was that Arrow vigilante she had heard about! What the hell was he doing here?! She sized him up in her head and found herself going over strategies. But in the end, curiosity and not wanting to blow her cover got the best of her. There was no way he could kill in bank still teeming with people. And if he tried she could stop him. She sat down with the tray in her lap. She frowned as the scene played out, getting to her conclusions a little sooner than she did with intimidation. As he went to fire the third shot and claimed it was explosive, her hands crumpled the edges of the box. As it was fired ashe was on her feet the coffee thrown down. And then she heard the recording. She looked at her boss with contempt. That filthy slime! It was a clever ploy of the arrow. But this was sure to cause ripples and alert Hardens associates! Almost three days of working here wasted! And now he was having her help him steal the address book! Without having to ask where the book was she went over to the desk and pulled out the top and bottom drawers. There was a click and she pulled out the middle drawer, it went out farther than the other two and in a little compartment was the book! She gave a cheeky smirk at her boss, who was shocked. "Im better than you thought." She gave the book to the Archer. "I was quitting soon anyhow." She said dryly.

Green Arrow looked smiled at Dinah and then Harden. “If I should fail to meet your associates or if they are expecting me…Then I WILL release this recording.” Taking the book with a single hand he placed it inside his vest and lowered his bow from aiming it at either of them and tapped his earpiece as Felicity spoke. “Don’t forget to get his contact’s name!” “I got it.” He raised his arrow towards Harden’s head and growled. “What’s the name of your Yakuza contact?” “Hiroto Takkanami, he runs the races and 9th and Grover.” Green Arrow lowered his bow and gave Dinah a charmed smirk. “Ma’am.” And with swiftness he moved out the door and through a back entrance into the alleyway where he would hear Felicity speaking to him. “I just want to say, we should totally release that recording of the scumbag after we’re done dealing with the Yakuza.”

The blonde watched as the Archer gave demands mirroring what she was thinking. Instead of stealth this guy used force and blackmail. And while Harden was a liar and a criminal and would deserve being outed, this wasnt heroic. And was he smiling and flirting with her while doing all this? And she saw the archer tapped his ear, an earpiece? someone was helping him. She looked quizzically at her 'boss' and the Archer exchanged information. Yakuza and an illegal race? Just a race sounded fun! But all this money and criminal acts tied together. Things were getting interesting. And another charming smirk and he rushed out the backdoor! She stood there alone with her trapped boss. He gave her a 'come on, help me' look. She frowned. "Lisa?" He asked impatiently. And she was off! Running after that damned Arrow! Kicking off her heels as she chased him.


When she reached the alleyway she would see him leap off the ground and slide his gloved fingers onto a sloped niche of a brick building, bending his knees for the tips of his boots to plant themselves firmly against the brick for leverage and with acrobatic skill he pushed off the wall and twisted his torso and legs so his arms could grab onto a rust colored drain spout that he began climbing up towards the room tops. His bow was slung around his torso and barely hindered him. Once at the top of the pipe he jumped off it again and swung his legs to kick and force his body to fly backwards and complete a somersault onto the roof directly above the spout. Rolling onto his hands and knees he pushed himself up to his feet and then jumped across the alleyway gap to the next building. Calmly he crouched and kept a fast pace while dodging the ventilation ducts and antenna on the rooftops, his boots would cfrush sharps of beer bottle glass while stepping around the upright bottles that had been abandoned on the roof for so long they had collected rain water inside them. To the next alley Green Arrow leapt and began making his way down the fire escape by leaping over the railing and dropping from one level to the next with amazing stealth and silence even as his hands grabbed onto the iron fencing of the fire escape. Once upon the ground he opened an enclosed dumpster space and stepped inside to mount his green motorcycle that took no effort to even jump start.

She saw the hooded man climb a building, leaping from a vantage point to a drain pipe which didn't meet the ground, then flip on to the rooftop. She had to admit,the man was good at parkour. But she didn't have time to admire his evident skill. She was still pissed that his thug tactics had interrupted her infilitration work at the bank. She had won her boss' trust. And while the pig obviously had one thing on his mind, she would have been able to coerce all kinds of things out of him, before leaving him out to dry for the police, tied up with a nice bow! While the archer was able to get what he wanted quickly, it left a bad taste in her mouth, after having to kiss that windbag's ass for a couple days. And she was going to share that bad taste with this brute! She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and tucked it into her bra so it wouldn't fall as she moved. She easily scaled the sloped niche, taking full advantage of her bare feet. Twisting and bending to get to the pipe and shimmying up it in a manner that made monkeys do a double take. Performing her own backwards summersault onto the edge of the building. But she heard it before she could see it. The archer's boots crushing glass. She frowned. Glass. What kind of frat party was this city? leaving glass bottles on rooftops?! She could see the archer stealthly and quickly go across the rooftop, dodging obsticals and using some for cover. He was used to having to make tactical retreats... She took a deep breath and calmed herself letting it out slowly, centering herself. she walked back along the ledge a bit, then spun about. she ran across the ledge as far as she could, like it was a balance beam, before quick stepping across the bottle tops! Leaping to grab an attennae, pumping her legs to spin about it, using her momentum to fling herself off it. she tucked her head in as she came down on the rooftop, just at the edge of the glass, rolling as she came down to help with the impact and to get closer to that far ledge. She shook off the remains of glass on her business suit jacket and perched on the rooftop edge looking down as the archer dropped off the fire escape to the ground. She couldn't drop from this high up. And while she was quick at climbing down, he was already climbing onto a motorcycle, she would be just a bit a late! The glass had slowed her down. She noted how nicely cared for the bike was, as it started up so smootly. And then her eyes caught it. It was scraped up on one side and was banged up in the front. She gave a smile as she noted the make and model of the bike.She looked down at her now dingy and scraped up business dress. It looked like it was time to find a new part time job! she pulled out the cellphone she had tucked away, and started looking up bike repair and auto finishing places. Especially ones in the glades, who would keep their mouths shut if paid enough. Asking leading questions about mechanic's expertise with certain modles of motorcycles. Narrowing things down. Noting the pride and shiftyness in the voices as she queried. She grinned as she slowly went down the fire escape. It looked like a mechanic was going to be looking for work in the Glades.

Her search for a motorcycle would be similar to a street sports bike that would appear all-terrain and custom designed for stealth as the muffler gave off a low purr but the design and engine would indicate a usually loud design. In her hunt for finding the man, no doubt Black Canary was subtle - asking if the dealers could fix her own bike and prodding their ‘knowledge’ based on their past experiences. The first mechanic would tell her “Yeah, I’ve fixed up plenty of bikes from 81’s to 08’s, my last job was in still in yesterday - hot rod red with a chrome polish.” The next mechanic would appreciate Dinah’s knowledge, but refused to work on motorcycles anymore. The third mechanic would brag and boast how great he was that Dinah was able to coax him into seeing the engineering bay - along with taking his phone number. “I’ll show you my bikes - Here’s a Suzuki 650 Cruiser, MV Augusta F4 with a nice platinum polish, she runs like a charm. I’ve done some work on them for local sportsman.” She would see no sign of Green Arrow’s motorcycle, however…It was likely he used a personal mechanic or did the work himself. Dinah was sure about one thing - the vehicle she was looking for was a Ducati model and that’s where the 4th Mechanic came in. “A Ducati? No we don’t work on that kind of stuff down here in this neighborhood. You’d do better to go out towards the dealers on the upper side of Town. Garden street and Oakmont you’d see our mechanic shop up there - usually do custom jobs and fittings for nicer stuff.”


Most likely Dinah followed that lead where she would see a handful of Ducati but none of which were dark forest green in shade. As she was scrolling through the bikes she heard a voice speaking. “Oh! Good, my girlfriend’s been hounding me to get this thing fixed for a while now. Oliver Queen smiled as his black and silver Ducati Diavel sat perfectly polished and fitted. He may have looked different with short hair cut close to his scalp almost European military-esque. His posture was different too from what she would remember years ago - he stood tall and no longer slouched his shoulders. He took the keys from the mechanic and walked over to his bike to inspect it a bit before preparing to take off, it was on the news only a year ago that Oliver Queen had returned from three years thought dead when he was stranded on the ocean, somehow the man had survived. “I took the liberty to adjust the clutch a bit, it felt like it was sticking, and I gave the engine a small tune-up.” Spoke the mechanic to Oliver while the playboy looked over the controls. “Ohh, very nice. So she’s as good as new?” “Yes, definitely. So long as you don’t go and crash yourself into that debris anymore, she’ll take good care of you.” Oliver would slide his hand along the gas tank and then smile trading a glance with the mechanic. “What can I say? I like girls who are into danger and a rough rides. Can’t promise I’ll stay out of the glades, though.” Oliver grinned prompting the mechanic to shake his head as he spoke to Oliver. “Terrible thing going on down there, missing people, blood bank thieves, drugs…This city is going to hell fast. We even have some vigilante’s, what is this? Gotham city where every nutcases is wearing a costume?”



Black Canary: Dinah had to give the Arrow credit for having good taste in bikes, he had a street sports bike like hers, it was good for chases and jumps, things they often encountered. Her trained eye picked up on the powerful engine, as her ears noted the quieting muffler. It was a bit of a gamble looking to see where the Arrow got his bike work done. He may be a good mechanic out of necessity or had interest in bikes too. But with the scraped up damage on it, he might at least need some parts or service, so it was worth looking into that sniping vigilante.

To be honest it was a bit of a self indulgent pleasure to get to talk shop with the mechanics. They were people she could relate to. And once she started to talk about her Triumph Street Triple and the amount of customization she had done on it, hinting she wanted a gearhead who knew his stuff since she could talk their language, she definetly got their attention. As well as their bragging! Just what she wanted! The first mechanic had a good repetiore, and the cherry bike sounded like a beauty, but nope he too involved in that job to be doing much else.

The second mechanic reminded Dinah a little bit of Rick. He was fun to talk to, but his focus was more on sports cars anymore. And with Star City's elite set, he did get some amazing cars into his shop.

The third mechanic had a lot going on in his shop. And he was very proud and loved to brag, so it was easy to get an invite to check out his bay full of bikes. She showed up in skinny jeans, a black leather jacket, and grey t-shirt which had the Quantum Mechanic's logo on it. It was her casual wear, but it showed off her biker side and legs, all good things to keep this guy's interest. Looking at his bikes she could see he was well skilled. But no the Arrow's bike was not here either. But as they talked about some of the street sports bikes that their conversation did help her narrow down the kind of bike she was looking for, a Ducati. She hadn't seen much of them herself, not many high performance Italian bikes going through Rick's shop, but now she was sure that was what she was looking for.

As she was leaving, she asked the mechanic, Tony, if he wanted to check out her bike. He did and the reaction she got from him was priceless as he checked out the purple and black bike. "Damn girl! Are you into stunting?!" he asked as crouched down to check out the custom crash cage she had made to protect the fine tuned engine in it. As well as the 12 bar she had made for it, to protect the rear end and exhaust of the bike for any catwalking she did on it. She nodded and grinned. "Yeah, a girl's gotta have her hobbies." she teased. With some of the chases and stunts she did while trailing thugs and their agression towards her, yeah, she did her share of 'stunting', so not too much of a stretch. Tony grinned as he checked out the huge rear brake disc and three piston calipers she had mounted on it, leading up to an additional break lever on her wide flat handlebars. "Heh, you like a lotta feel and control on your brakes huh?" she nodded with a smirk. "You need lots of control when you're making quick changes at the speeds I'm going. I've been known to carve a few canyons." she teased. The seat was a custom made job she had ordered with high density foam in the front and around the side and back tabs, making it durable and rugged in case she standing or moving about on the bike, but had a soft pocket in the center for Dinah to sit in which cradled her and kept her close to the bike. The gas tank had been reshaped, making it sleek. It had been indented in so it was contoured to fit her body as she leaned into it. It also had grip, thick textile, wrapped about the tank, to keep her in place. She got a 'Damn' from the mechanic as he could see the money and care she had put into her bike, it was obviously hers and well cared for. "You would be fun to go riding with! I'd love to see what you can do on that beast!" she smirked. "Maybe I'll see you around." she teased as she hopped on her bike, revved the engine and cut a wicked turn as she came out of Tony's parking lot.

Knowing what kind of bike she was looking for, made things a lot easier. And the last mechanic she spoke to on the phone gave her, her missing piece. High end dealers and a shop that did a lot of custom jobs and fittings. Perfect. She sped over that way and was checking out their Ducatis, but none were the that dark forest green. And seeing the quality of work here, it was hard to know which had work done recently. Maybe the arrow had his own private mechanic... and then she heard the voice. No way... she turned and saw him. A bit older, stronger build, and having such a tall confident posture. Oliver Queen? He no longer looked like the party boy she had met on that yacht, which seemed like ages ago now. She got a flashback to the moment when she had Rick crank up the radio to hear about the Queen's Gambit which had gotten lost in storm, the speculation of all on board not surviving. Feeling sorry for the kid who was mystified by her engine work. And the surprise she heard a year ago that he had survived! Everyone had thought he was dead, herself included, not that she gave him a lot of thought. But she was pleasntly surprised that Ollie was made of sterner stuff and had made it. But the news recounted of his losses and she couldn't imagine the trials he had faced. Being stranded on an island for all those years. It was no surprise he had changed since then. But that charisma of his... she could steel hear it as he talked about his bike with the mechanic who handed the keys to him. That teasing of liking girls and bikes into danger and rough rides... hehe, maybe he hadn't changed that much! And he had a Ducati... It was black and silver, but it was easy to replace fairings. and it had repair work from crashing into debris? that did sound like it fit bill of the repair work she was seeking... No way... there was no way possible that Ollie was the... she found herself staring as her mind worked things over. She knew the guy, briefly, but... and he was different... he was the same height and build... her detective mind couldn't rule out the possibility... but she would have to see for herself! she made her way over to the mechanic and Queen and checked out the Ducati. Letting her fingertips trace over the paint job. "Mm, nice bike." she said as she looked up with her blue eyes at him, eyes flicking to check him out briefly. "You got good taste." she said before turning to the mechanic with a smirk. "You didn't find anything caught in his air filter did you? It's the first place I'd check. I hear panties and bikini bottoms can get caught in those." she teased, wondering if he would remember.’

Oliver would feel a two-fold sense as the hearts upon the back of his neck rose at the detection of a threat prompting his gaze to harden strangely and the other sense was the uplifting in his chest, his heart suddenly felt as if it was going to explode in his chest as those blue eyes met his equally mystic hues. The framing of her locks around her face, the strong jaw and soft but pronounced chin she held indicated she wasn’t some sweet talker - no. The hairs on the back of his neck indicated this woman was a predator not unlike himself, she was different - a bird of prey. She looked familiar, but the familiarity was forgotten as the woman’s captivating gaze held onto him in what he interpreted as seductive like a black widow. It was almost high time for him to put his money where his mouth was - dangerous women and high stakes. He wanted to fall head over heels and could probably get the woman in bed tonight if he wanted to! But a smack from a quarterstaff to his head along with the flash back of the island.

Slade spoke. ‘Never allow a pretty face or beautiful figure of a woman deceive you!’ Oliver held his head ‘I wasn’t--…’ Oliver pleaded as he felt the throbbing pain and Slade interrupted him. “You’ve been doing nothing but staring at the girl since you’ve laid eyes on her! Get control of your instincts or your instincts will be the stroke of death for you.’
Oliver smiled charmingly at Dinah even as a flashback only yesterday came to him - [→)The secretary! That’s the secretary; I guess she does owe me thanks for saving her butt! Or maybe she’s the criminal mastermind?] As she joked about the bikes problem he was confused and didn’t understand and proceeded to explain. “Actually, I had an accident in the glades yesterday; I was shot at by some gangsters wielding machine guns.” It was then compounded further when he finally realized the bikini reference. He pointed at her from the hip. “How did-…Who are you? Have we met?” Oliver started to smile genuinely and felt completely caught in the headlights. “I don’t even remember, I feel like it’s a long time ago and I’m so sorry I don’t remember who you are.” Oliver’s eyebrows would knit together and with an inquisitive look he would cast it upon her. “You’re not going to surprise me with news of a little one, are you?”

The blonde fighter, could read an opponent's body langauge, telepgraphing their movements. Something she had learned from Ted. Anticipate your opponent's next blow! And over time, the last few years, blowing through cities, infilitrating companies, wait staff, hospitals, and even a military base, she had honed that lesson. She reapplied it. Playing a role was only as good as knowing what others expected, knowing how they will react. And Oliver was fascinating to watch as he noticed her as he thought about her. He was studying her as she studied him. She could almost see the gears turning as she gazed into his eyes, her sky blues, shrouded a bit by her lashes. She bit her plush lower lip playfully, before teasing Oliver as she saw a look of recognition. As he started to remember. As she teased him by pulling up a moment that she found she wouldn't forget easily. When she had gotten a blessing from the Queens... when she met a couple of goofy boys enjoying a lifestyle she couldn't understand fully. And for a moment she thought he was remembering with her, until his look of recognition got clouded by confusion as he remembered the boat and the bikini, but clearly not everything...

Noting his posture shift a bit, as if anticipating her to make some kind of move or strike. Her smile got a little brighter with a playful smirk in it, as Oliver tried to cover himself with his charm. "I think we may have met a couple of times..." she said casually, starting to enjoy that she had the upper hand with Queen for once, getting ideas... "Don't worry, I think it was a long time ago too. Well, until today." she teased. Her eyebrows shot up as he caught her a bit off guard with his comment about having a little one! She started to laugh and shook her head. "Hehe, don't worry, nothing ever got that far." she looked over the motorcycle again walking about it, circling, not unlike a predator, looking it over and it's owner. "Although, I must say. YOu do have good taste. In bikes... are you any good on it?" she wet her lips a little with her tongue before smiling again. "I've got some time, wanna go for a ride? I have my bike just around the corner." she brushed him as she passed him, going towards the corner where her bike was. Touching the corner as she paused. Waiting for his next move.

Oliver was an incredible actor or perhaps a very lucky man as his alibi, personality, lack of attention to detail, and sometimes not -so-keen intellect blended together and made him an unsuspected interest. As she examined his bike and him, he would convey through telegraphing that he was more interested in Dinah’s body. “As I said, I’m drawing a blank on your name.” He took note that she didn’t seem to care that he was in a gunfight just yesterday and crashed and burned - but perhaps that was her endgame, to learn more about how he survived? Having him prove himself on a bike would give her some openings to questions - but this thought eluded Oliver, he lacked the foresight to see into Dinah’s agenda. “I think I’m pretty good, not saying I’m better than you or anyone special but, I know a thing or two about riding. I was just--caught off guard by the gunshots, startled me, actually. I wasn’t sure if I was shot or if the bike was…So maybe I’m not as good as I think.” Oliver stated with a hint of resignation. “And as much as I’d love to go riding with you, I have to meet my girlfriend for lunch. But, hey! It was nice meeting you again.” Oliver offered to shake her hand.

Despite what he said, she could tell, he was interested in her. Or at least her figure. Now that was the Ollie she had met so long ago! Some things didn't change. Her posture changed slightly as he spoke, as she paused by the corner, her back arching slightly, her weight shifting to one leg, pushing out her hip. She simply smiled as he admitted he didn't know her name, probing for her to offer it. "It's Dinah." deciding not to go with the name badge calling her 'Lisa', which she had worn that morning in the bank. Maybe she could see how observant he really was, see if that raised any red flag. To see if he really was the archer. She smiled as he bragged a little in that casual, yet self checking manner that he had. Laughing at his little joke, that he wasn't the best if he got into an accident. Hearing him mention his excuse for the wreck again, she wondered if he was trying make it more credible. Or if it was true. Like the time before she reacted little to the thought of him being shot at. With how rough this city was, espeically in the glades, she wasn't surprised. She had seen it before in other struggling big cities. If he was the archer, he would definetly go into the glades. as a pretty rich boy, he may just be seeking cheap thrills and risks. The mechanic hadn't mentioned any bullet holes on the bike, but that could be an oversight. As he mentioned his girlfriend, she didn't show any dissapointment. She heard him mention her earlier to the mechanic. And she wasn't too surprised that he would find someone. But that didn't mean she had to stop teasing him... not yet. "You're missing out on a great ride... but, I understand. I just hope your girlfriend is more into burgers, than avacado and sprout salads." she teased, recounting one of the rater bohemian menu selections she had seen in Star City. "Yeah, nice meeting you for the first time again." she said as she took his hand, giving it a surprisingly firm and confident handshake, fingers trailing over his as it ended. "See you around." she said with a little wave as she dissappeared behind a corner. He would soon hear her bike fire up and give a throaty purr as it idled before she took off, jacket billowing behind her.

The mechanic observed the scene before him, remaining silent for the most part and felt a little awkward as Dinah began to posture verbally and physically, as though the mechanic wasn’t even there. Oliver took note of the mechanic after Dinah left and gave a shameless smile as his eyes would follow Dinah and as she moved to her bike around the corner. “You know us rich boys have a thing for bad women and black leather.” The mechanic shook his head and began walking away allowing Oliver to continue his own investigation.

Oliver drove home to promptly meet with his Mother and sister - where a crisis of their own was going on, Thea was dabbling with drugs - it was a long ordeal that Oliver was hoping wasn’t true. Needless to say after dealing with that crisis his intelligence network picked up word from the street of a Yakuza street race planned for tonight. After the planning phase of the mission Oliver set out to arrive at the race dressed in a pair of black jeans and a black leather motorcycle jacket that was zipped up to his throat. Parking his black motorcycle on the street corner Oliver’s black helmet visor would allow him to see the dark lit streets of the glades lined with women in scandalous dresses and men dressed in outfits matching whatever gangs supported them. The man leading the entire event seemed to be a balding white man with a tiger tattoo upon his neck that was concealed. The appearance of a white man wasn’t shocking to Oliver, Yakuza didn’t want to be the face of the event and only sought the profit, by having such a generic man servicing them gave them a “pleasant” front. He would shout out to everyone announcing. “Alright listen up, first place will receive an invitation to Desu rēsu along with their prize money. Second place prize? Heh, this is America, we don’t accept anything but winners here. Start placing your bets, the race is three laps. Hell or highwater.”

Oliver stepped off his motorcycle and began to approach ‘The House’ as they called the Yakuza man coordinating the event. “How long does the race go for?” “It goes until I say it doesn’t.” was their first exchange and then Oliver continued. “What are the rules?” “Rules are simple. Win and no guns allowed.” Oliver interjected. “What if someone does bring a gun?” The House would shake his head. “No one does that. If any of the racers are shot the entire race is forfeit, The House keeps the money and all racers are banned. It keeps things legit and clean.” “Are people using drugs and modified vehicles?” The House would glare at Oliver. “Who are you? Are you a fucking cop?” the loud voice prompted security to close in around Oliver when he threw his hands up to reveal his wallet. “I’m just a rich kid looking for a new hobby to spend money, I swear!” The House snatched the wallet and opened it to read it. “Oliver Queen. Pft, shit is hardcore - spend three years fighting for your ass and here you want to throw it away? Not happening here.” Oliver would reach into his pocket to reveal $2,000 cash “You’re going to tell me that my friends here and I can’t join?” The House smirked and gave a submitting and forced frown. “Alright. You’re in but it’ll be 5 grand.” Oliver grinned as his wallet was returned to him. “Sure, I’ll get the rest.” Oliver gave the two thousand and then walked over to his motorcycle to pull off a brief case to begin shuffling the money - to pull out three thousand dollars before leaving the briefcase on the motorcycle attached by a chain and combination lock.

Dinah spent the afternoon following up some leads on what she had learned from the Arrow's 'work' with the bank manager. She went to a little biker bar on the outskrits of town, The Eagles Nest. It was a bit of a rough place, and it fit her like a glove. She hung out with the guys, and after some flirting and a couple drinks, it was as if she was a regular. Mike, the bartender, a big guy and kind of a leader to the bikers, knowing she wasn't a fake, from just how she talked shop, took a liking to her. He also enjoyed roleplaying games! But after asking for some excitment and to see if there were any races, she was able to learn more about the illegal race on 9th and Grover. And that there was a hefty entry fee. Mike seemed less than enthused about her interest, telling her that it wasn't dangerous and wasn't a fair race That it had Yakuza running and controlling the show. The cocky blonde didn't seem to mind, and kissed his cheek, thanking him for his concern. And with her bike giving a purr which made cougar's jealous she was off again.

From a short distance away, a Blonde watched the scene of the street race begin. Watching as Oliver Queen himself appeared. 'Oh god, he is gonna get himself killed!'. Sure, there were no guns, but bikers didn't need those to be dangerous. wrenches, pipes, could be hidden or stowed on a bike. A rider could get slammed or forced off the road. But, her suspicions, that Ollie may be the Arrow, helped give her some confidence in him. Some. The insistent questions, and being a new face, prompted security, obviously yakuza members, by their tattoos, to close about him. Dinah gripped the handles of her bike, as she watched, waiting for a fight. Only to see the tension defused, and Ollie greasing the House's hand with over twice the enterance fee. Still the pretty rich boy...

A rev of an engine and the crowd parted. A blonde, with her hair loose and about her shoulders, walked her purple and black bike through the parting crowd of gangs in full colors, and women wearing outfits more silky and revealing than some lingere shoppes. The blonde herself was clad in a black leather bustier, matching jacket, fishnets, and a killer pair of black boots. She wore a black domino mask and a sassy smirking grin. She went up to the House ignoring Ollie. "Got room for one more?" she asked. pulling open her saddle bag and chucking the bundled two thou at the House in a casual manner. Like she did this all the time.

Oliver took note of the blonde diva clad in black leather and a bustier and fishnets that made him almost completely forget about the race. The house bit his lip eyeing over Black Canary though it was an illusion that Dinah, Oliver, and House could see through - He was clearly playing up Black Canary’s entrance to gain more money. “Yeah, baby, that’ll do.” Oliver would then allow his mouth to hang open while pointing at her. “Do I get my money back?” The House waved Oliver off. “She’ll bring the extra 3 just by being here. If people wanted to see a rich white guy get stomped they’d watch Football.” Oliver was apparently dumb founded by all of this, though he moved to his bike as The House went to collect his money. Oliver was tempted to confront Black Canary to warn her, but he wasn’t quite sure if she was trustworthy or not.

In the moments following the race the Motorcycles would be aligned in a pack of 9 with the best having the lead following a 2 by 2 formation with Oliver and Black Canary in the back as new entries. Oliver’s helmet was black with red stripes around its visor that wrapped around the entire helmet to create a reflective response to headlights. He notched the throttle and awaited a loud POP from a firecracker pistol and suddenly the motorcycles were off with no discretion to each other’s proximity or well being. Oliver would seemingly hesitate allowing Dinah to blow past him when suddenly his motorcycle stalled out on him prompting everyone to laugh. [→) Don’t want to make things too suspicious! And at least this way I can make sure the girl is safe.]

There was a tense moment as the House bit his lip seeming to contemplate allowing the blonde race, but as she looked into his eyes, she could almost read his decision before he gave it. She was so in! She gave a bright smile as he let her in, winking at him with those dark lashes, and making a little kiss with her lips at him. "Thanks." she walked her bike off to join the others, smirking at Ollie with his mouth gaping like a fish. A soft laugh hitting his ear, as she heard the House said he was keeping Ollie's money, and the jab of watching rich white guys getting stomped being a common past time.

She was already in position by the time Ollie rolled over to join the formation of bikers. She put on her helmet, a glossy black with metallic purple matching her bike accenting it. It had an air brushed canary in flight on it, beak open, seemingly screaming toward the visor. She gave a glance at ollie through her periphrieal vision. Her cougar purring bike, giving a throaty growl as she revved it. Rick would have been proud of her tune up job on that engine! And when the starting shot went off, she did with it! She didn't think much of Ollie's bike stalling to the crowd's amusement, and was soon gaining on those ahead of her. Waiting until they got to the first turn to make her move, leaning into turn and nearly brushing the ground as she cut in sharpely cutting off a biker or two, passing them on the turn, showing off that she had more balls than some of the toughs she was competing against.

Oliver cranked his bike and revved its engine before taking off to follow in pursuit, his attention passing one of the bikers who had seemingly fell into a pot hole and flipped over. He came flying up behind the racers spotting Black Canary and three other racers competing for 4th, 5th, and 6th place, with Oliver still in the back, brambles and rocks from broken down buildings would liter the road ahead of the track as the race entered into the glades where the aftermath of the earthquake machines was very evident, homeless people were running to dodge the motorcycles while others were fleeing in fear, it was when the biker in front of Oliver was about to strike a woman and her child that Oliver twisted his controls and smashed into the racer forcing both of them to fly off the road. Their bikes rode towards a pile of cement and rocks while Oliver had tackled the racer with the appearance of falling over the two crashed into the street and tumbled onto each other with the racer punching and flailing at Oliver. “What the FUCK! What is wrong with you?!” Oliver would begin stuttering and holding his hands up. “I-I-I…I panicked! I saw the lady and the kid and I-I thought I was going to hit them!” “They in in MY way, not yours asshole!” The racer shoved Oliver aside and ran to his bike to get on it and take off quickly. Oliver looked around and saw everyone appeared safe and then he took off his helmet and hopped onto his bike to drive it a few blocks ahead before pulling into a dark underpass where he suited up into the Green Arrow.

By this time, Black Canary and the remaining racers would be arriving at the junkyard driving through a curve and streets that wrapped around the junkyard and went through it with rust and mud sliding over the once asphalt streets to make them slippery and difficult for street engineered racing bikes. She would be able to see the bike in front of her spin out and take off into the air throwing the rider ten feet clean from his bike before crashing into a chain linked fence. Upon contact with the mud it would feel more like oil and practically demanded an experienced driver to slow down and carefully tread through it or risk being thrown out of control. The conditions would also have a paradoxical effect where if the rider went too slowly they would get stuck and lose all forms of traction as their tires picked up grease and oil. From her left flank Black Canary had an approaching racer would attempt to swing a steel chain with a concrete rebar attached to it. Aiming to strike her in the back of the head, it if missed it was likely to strike her front mirrors or windshield or possibly her left hand depending on her maneuver.


Black Canary's chest nestled softly against the indent she had made into the gas tank of her bike, it fit flushly against her. The grip on the tank holding her on as she manuvered through the ruined streets of the glade. Her hips were raised, her rear above the seat, as she gripped the bike with her strong thighs, using her knees to help guide and navigate the bike around brambles and debris. It looked like she was making love to her bike. She did have an intimate relationship with her machine. She knew it. she knew every little way it acted, how it handled the road, how it spoke to her as she felt the grip of the road through it. feeling the cracks, feeling the gravel. passing around the other riders as they fought for their standings in the race, feeling their eyes on her shapely bottom.

She checked her rear-view mirror Ollie was behind by a bit. and then... and then a mother with her child dashed across the road, and... by the time she checked the mirror again, she could see Ollie and the other rider spinning out, rolling as they wiped out together! oh god... she couldn't see them anymore! she hoped he was okay... but she had to focus... she had to keep her head in the race!

And then they were barreling into the junkyard. and she could feel the change in the terrain. She could feel the slippery mess of mud and rust on the road. it was slick and rough at the same time. she easedd up on her accellerator. but she didn't dare slow too much. she had to keep her momentum going, or she would lose her grip on the road! but she couldn't keep going at her fastest or she would spin out! she could feel the mud spray and coat her thighs, as she hung on, going about the bend. She slowly let out the breath she was holding. finding her center, finding her focus. letting her 'listen' to her bike, to help guide it through the mess. hitting her hand brake so she could drift about the corners. taking advantage of the slickness beneath her. this was it. this was that thrill of living she always sought, working with her bike, using it as an extension of herself. scanning for debris, while checking the position of the rider who tried to stay in her blind spot.

And then she saw it! a mace of the streets! rebar and chain, coming at her in her mirror. she was so low on her bike she couldn't duck! but she could shift her center of gravity while slipping to the side of the bike! peforming a crazy stunt which saved her skull! riding on the side of her bike! as the chain took off her windshield and her left mirror! thank god her wide handles gave her something to hang onto as she clung to her bike, keeping her speed constant, keeping her self going so she didn't skid out! oh god, she was wobbling, her balance was slipping with this slick road! she rolled back onto her bike. Okay, you thug, you wanna play dirty?! she looked for a deep puddle up ahead, to come in at an angle and coat the guy's visor and windshield with it. she had to give her an advantage so she could keep this guy off her tail so she could put some distance on between them!

The cyclist dodged and backed off from Black Canary’s attempt to spray him with mud only having a bit of slag strike his bike. He revved his engine and went to close in on Black Canary as they left the junkyard and began to enter street traffic while the racer approached attempt to strike Black Canary on the back of her tire aiming to send her bike spinning out with the roar of a lion echoing from his engine as the racer had no helmet but a curled snarl upon his face with his masculine arm swinging the chain and rebar. He would swing to strike at her again, Green Arrow would observe the scene and force his lips to seal from the rooftops pronouncing his chin as he aimed his bow and gripped the string to fire an arrow that shot out and disarmed the man of the rebar causing the chain to attach to the gastank forcing the rebar to crash down onto the street dragging it. The racer struggled to pull the chain from the arrow as he didn’t have enough hands to navigate, pull the arrow, and hold onto the heavy chain. The rebar would swing and strike the racer in his own back tire prompting the vehicle to spin out and crash into a bush. Green Arrow wrapped his bow around himself and took off to continue following Black Canary from a distance.

Black Canary missed coating her assailant in mjud, but that didn't stop the blonde from grinning within her helmet, it did get him to back off of her! But that didn't seem to deter the thug any! she followed the few ahead of her, out of the junk yard and into the street again. the street traffic was more active here. requiring the fishnetted racer to dodge cars as she tried to keep up with the race.

She could hear him before she could see him. her missing mirror making it more difficult. That roar, that angry gutteral roar of a beast perusing her as she dodged a car. finding the cars boxing her in a bit, keeping him closer to the thug. Peeking over her shoulder to see that ugly snarl on his face and his swinging street mace, trying to keep her head down on her gas tank while looking forward. she urged her steel horse to go faster, to try to dodge him, but he kept right behind her like a shadow. Canary heard the cry of an arrow! she heard a clang and risked taking a glance back. The chain had gotten caught by the arrow! it was pinned to the thug's gastank. he tried to tug on it, he struggled with it. but he couldn't free the chain from the arrow, he needed both hands! she pulled ahead of him a bit. she heard an awful clank and skidding sound. Followed by a crash! she glanced to see the thug end up in a bush. She searched briefly at the rooftops. the arrow... he slipped out of her view as she raced. Was... was he protecting her? she shook her head, to lose the thought, she had other things to focus on. She cut a corner on the next turn, jumping the curb and gaining just a bit more on the third place racer.

He tailed Black Canary and followed through as the only four racers remained and they began the final turn for the first lap - the lead racer had already passed it while the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (Black Canary) were practically in the rear view mirror at a significant distance. 2nd and 3rd racers were dueling with cutting maneuvers and daredevil tactics each taking high risks high reward tactics that Black Canary was employing most of the race. On Dinah’s level the trio would seem to be equal in skill and required each of them to fight tooth and nail for the slightest advantage. Their vehicles edged closer to each other creating increasing their mortality risk with unpredictable variables. All it took was one cop to spot them, or a car to break down in their path. A bird to swoop in their way, a pedestrian walking through the streets…Anything could set them on tilt and create a very bad accident.

Green Arrow watched as the racers zoomed past people on the side walk, maneuvering through narrow streets reckless and chasing the only thing that mattered - money. It was sickening to his stomach, already 6 lives were affected by this race and who knows how many more through gambling debts, alcohol abuse, guns being purchased with the filthy profits earned. It was just an engine that Green Arrow was going to shut down and there was no doubt about it. As he came to the starting line Green Arrow pulled out a small camera and took pictures of The House and his associates wheeling and dealing money as racers and their crew teams stood about watching and waiting for the results.


Dinah Lance: Black Canary, let a slow breath out through her nose as he rode, catching up to the racer's ahead of her. She was able to see three bikes ahead of her, one farther up, noting they were finally getting to the starting point. 'End of first lap, so he must be the first', she deduced. she checked her remaining mirror, and no one behind her... this really was an elimination competition. and from that street flail she had faced, she knew why. But there was something about the speed, something about the danger, something about the competition, which called to her, which gave her an unparraled thrill! She knew these toughs were in it for the money and street cred, she had her own reasons.Even without the desire to meet the yakuza and find her missing girl, the call of the race was a lure on it's own.

Dinah Lance: Getting close to 2 and 3, they would hear the distinctive purring growl of her bike before she was on top of them. She could see how neck to neck they were, how they took every risk, every daredevil tactic to get just a little bit of an edge. Riding on sidewalks, going around pedestrians, snaking through traffic, cutting through corners and neck breaking speeds! And the risk, that seductive risk of putting your ability and your life on the line, made it frightening and thrilling at the same time! She flipped up her visor alittle, so it covered her eyes, but left lips exposed, just in case...

Dinah Lance: These two were good, real good. They were as good as she was. And to see that she caught up to them meant to things, either they fought so much of the way it kept them in place for her to catch up. Or... her bike was just a little faster. she didn't have time to think about it. She couldn't think, she could only ride and react. Rocking her knees and hips to sashay her bike about signs and mail boxes like a skier through a Salolm. She could hear the buzz of the crowd at the stating line, and it quickly faded away. She cut the corner tight, right up close with the other two. Her little stunt wouldn't give an edge with these two, they were doing it too! she bit her lip. She attempted to pass them on the outside on the next straight away, if that failed, she had a back up option. Drift past them when they the hit the junk yard. Her elbows up defensively to block pot shots, since they were within hand to hand fighting range. weaving and dodging obsticals and debris with them as they fought for the second position.

The racers were sweating and feel the wind and their bodies taxing themselves with each second passing upon reaching the first curve the 2nd place racer would slide around the bend and cut to full speed with a short curve directly ahead - his alignment was meant to cut straight through the sidewalk and scathe past the front of a few houses. This gave him an immediate leap forward ahead of 3rd and 4th, but as soon as he hit the curve his bike flipped and plunged the man into the air with the racer being flung into the side of a bush that crackled and broke his fall while his bike spun out and crashed in front of the other two racers that would swiftly be able to maneuver past it. Form this maneuver it placed Black Canary in 2nd due to her positioning contrast to the other racer who had to make a dramatic adjustment due to the racer ahead of him crashing.

As if this wasn’t enough ahead they would see a tractor trailer pull in front of them on the highway past the curves and as they arrived in the Glades. It would begin to speed up as its rear doors began to open revealing a ramp with five motorcycle riders on it, each dressed in black digital camouflage with machine guns strapped around their shoulders. The group would roll down the ramp and block passage from the trailer while from the sides more motorcycles closed in to surround Black Canary and the remaining racer. With their guns pointed at the racers, they would see a clear path leading directly into the back of the trailer, which was where the shadowy figures wanted them to go.

Green Arrow observed and kicked his motorcycle into gear to intercept. [→) What the hell is going on? Is this some kind of heist or kidnapping?] The combatants behind Black Canary would shoot at the area surrounding her tires but, clearly they didn’t hit her as they were in close range and could easily kill her if they wanted to. Her and Green Arrow would both be able to note the motorcycles weren’t racing bikes but sports bikes meant for off road competition and rock climbing, Oliver would note as well that they were the same bikes he saw robbing the blood bank. Unsure of what this all was about, it was suddenly becoming too complex for Oliver to follow, he did understand that these men were committing some kind of heist at this point and time and had to be stopped. As it stood, Black Canary didn’t know what their motives were but, it was clear these guys wanted her and the other racer alive. She could also examine that each of the black camo heisters around them were very skilled even in closed quarters and difficult terrain to navigate. What started out as a simple underground race got things a lot more complex and different.

As the bikes began to usher them closer an arrow would shoot past all of the bikers and strike one bike that seemed to be in the lead. With a green button blinking it would erupt into an explosion that caused the rear end of the bike to pop up and force the front tire to spin like a dreidel before smashing down. Two more arrows flung from behind and stabbed to cyclists to Black Canary’s right aiming to give her an escape. But the window would close as the cyclists aimed behind themselves to shoot at Green Arrow and if Black Canary tried to go through the opening she would have to dodge a lot of bullets - She wasn’t the invisible man, after all.

As Black Canary pulled out of the first turn, taking it hard, she could feel the cool breeze of the wind on her hot sweat dappled skin. It had been a hard race and it felt nice to get a little relief. As she eased off the accelerator to pull out of the bend and coast around the following short bend she noticed number 3 was with her, but... What the hell?! Oh god, number two wasn't slowing down! Was he going blow past the houses by cutting it short across the sidewalk?! If he made this he would get a nice lead, but he was going in too hot! How was he going to make it around the bend?! The answer was he wasn't! The maniac flipped his bike! The rider went one way and bike the other! Spinning and rolling it crashed in front of them coming right at 3! Black Canary dashed her bike to the side to avoid it, but not as bad as 3! It nearly took him out and he had to slow down and make a hard turn to dodge it. Canary found herself suddenly in second and built up her speed to keep it. She glanced in her remaining mirror to see two had been flung into a bush in front of one of the houses. That was better than the street for taking such a bad spill, but not much... All she had to do was hit a piece of debris or miscalculate a turn. And she could end up like him! Her heart was racing and not just from the thrill of the race. Maybe Mike from the Eagle's Nest was right... This race was too risky...

The blonde saw a semi with a big trailer enter the highway that made of this leg of the race, the section right before the Glades. She was already planning on which side to pass it, but... It was coming in so fast! As if... As if joining the race! What the... Then the rear door of the trailer dropped down as a ramp, screeching on the cement as it was dragged. And the next thing Canary knew five bikes came barreling out going on either side of her and Three, they were surrounded! It happened so quick that she found herself scrambling to process what was going on! These thugs were in digitial camo and toted machine guns! What the hell?! And they were closing in on them! Black canary tried to go around one and found him suddenly beside her and nearly in her face! Making her steer towards the middle of the road, towards the truck! She tried to get around him again and had to turn out of it as a piece of crumbled building lept up on her! The thug easily spoun around it and was beside her again! Nearly crashing into her to get to go towards that slowing down truck, which was... Trying to swallow them up! There was no out maneuvering these guys, their sports bikes gave them a big advantage on this uneven and rubble strewn road.

Canary hit her hand brake, like hell she was going into that truck! She had no idea who these guys were, but they were coordinated and were closing in to push them in to that trailer! She was having no part in that! But as she tried to slow down hard to break away, she heard gunfire and the road about her suddenly tore up! She had to maintain her speed or get her rear tire shot out! These goons weren't trying to shoot out her tire as they kept a spray of bullets about her. They could take her and three out easy, they wanted them alive! They were guiding her to the truck, if she slowed down or veered out, her tire would take a bullet and she would spin out! She felt like a pig being guided into the slaughter house as the ramp on the trailer loomed closer.

Her lungs burned. She suddenly realized that she had taken a deep breath and had been holding it. It was instinct, it was a reflex to a threat she couldn't fight! The air ached to shriek up through her tightening throat. To wail, to cry, to destroy! Canary slowly let the breath out.
No, she couldn't use it here. Sure she throw the truck off the road with her cry. But she had no control where it would go. And the structural damage of the buildings was bad enough that even the shock waves from her sonic scream would make them crumble, let alone a flying truck. No, the Canary cry was not an option.

She heard it before she saw anything, that now familair whine of an arrow seeking its mark. She looked toward the sound, the apparent leader of these bikers, to see the rear of his bike explode, twirling the bike before it and its rider crashed, his men steering about him to avoid collision, leaving him behind as they continued their mission to drive the two racers onto the truck. Two more arrow shrieks and the thugs near Canary lost control and veered off. Leaving… Leaving her a way out! He was watching her back! He didn't even know her, not really… The fishnetted blonde was about to take that opening when the thugs turned and opened fire on the Archer and his bike behind them. The spray of bullets cut her off. She thought of a bike stunt to slide under the bullets, but the ground was too uneven and opened her up to letting the thugs dip their machine gun muzzles to pick her off!

She smirked as she got a better idea. She looked at three who was also trying to keep off the ramp of the truck. She gave him a look and a nod to the preoccupied thugs, who were not keeping them in check with those guns. She did a hard brake, making a thug rush up up into a well timed right jab to his chin. Hoping to knock him off his bike or at least lose control! No one cages this bird!

Bullets began to rain around Green Arrow like he was in the center of a god damn hale storm. Shots struck the front of his bike but, with adrenaline pumping Green Arrow wasn’t sure if he was hit or not. He knew he wasn’t dead and that’s all that mattered for now as he gripped the vehicle with his knees and thighs and fired another arrow at a thug striking them in the rear tire engine causing engine to growl before shutting off and forcing the rider to lose speed as the bike coasted to a stop. By now Green Arrow would see their numbers were dwindling but, still shrinking. The 3rd place racer would drive up the ramp and park his bike and then turned to look and see what was happening. Immediately two thugs drove up behind the racer and aimed their guns at the racer while one went to the console to close the ramp. The man would wave for Black Canary to climb up the ramp as the remaining heisters tried to surround the best they could. By now she had escapes to the left and right sides of her and even her backside was available for an escape allowing her to retreat towards Green Arrow.

Her major concern would be the racer they had successfully corralled into the truck, the machine guns around her, and uncertainty of Green Arrow’s ability to protect her from the machine guns. It was then the man in the ramp gave a nod to a man right next to Black Canary, it prompted the biker to raise his gun towards her to shoot, if she was glancing at the man she would see the gun locked on her head prepared to shoot her with an automatic when his mortality struck him. An arrow struck him dead in the back and the man’s eyes lit up like a christmas tree as he was dead almost instantly and with that fading light the man fell off the bike while the vehicle crashed. The remaining bikers raced to climb up the ramp while one of the thugs inside the truck pulled a Light machinegun from a container inside the truck. To ward off Arrow and Canary he began spraying heavy bullets towards them - a loud roar from the 200 round magazine came towards them. Green Arrow would ride up beside Canary allowing his bow to rest upon the handle bars he pulled a dart from his wrist and threw it back handed and seemed to have missed striking the gunner prompting Arrow to immediately break off to avoid being shot.

He cut down an alley way where ahead of him was a dumpster forcing him jump up and plant his boots onto the seat before jumping off the bike and leaping into a front flip as the bike crashed Green Arrow landed feet first onto the top of the dumpster and landed in a crouch with his gloved hands catching his weight.

Bullets and arrows were flying and Black Canary found herself in the middle.The numbers of the thugs on the sports bikes were thinning and she found herself able to stay out of the firefight. And give a few choice strikes! With all the chaos the thugs were able to 'lead' the third place rider up into the truck. The sound of the ramp striking the street as the racer went onto the ramp got the blonde's attention, finding guns drawn on the confused man. He was being abducted! It was a little bit harder to convince the blonde who was striking anyone who got close enough. This wasn't right and her concern about the fate in store for the other racer took more and more of Canary’s attention. She was appreciative to have the Arrow’s support for aiding with these gunmen. If she was in an alley or not on her bike she was sure she could handle these thugs on her own. But being at a loss from these range attacks and not able to use her own cry, she for once did need support! Even the proud bird could admit that!

And then she saw the motion in her peripheral vision. And found herself looking down the barrel of a machine gun. Crap. She had been distracted by staying out of the firefight and what was going on with the other racer. She left herself open! Ted would kill her for making such a mistake! It looks like he wasn't going to get the chance. At this close of range... she couldn't dodge, she couldn't canary cry. She let out a slow breath and gave a jab to knock the gun away, just in case the goon hesitated. Staring the guy down as his finger flexed. When she saw a change in his eyes. Pain and struggle as the light of his life dimmed and he suddenly slumped and fell off his bike. The bike tumbling and crashing. The gun falling away from canary as she realized what had happened. Canary looked over to see the archer, still holding his bow. He had saved her...

The archer was pulling up beside her, she whispered a thank you and gave a nod, before revving her bike and chasing the truck. The blonde getting ready to jump her bike onto the ramp as the remaining thugs scrambled up. It was then when she heard the roar from the on board machine gun made her hit her hand brake hard as a spray of bullets made her swerve and back off.

The archer threw a dart of some sort, gaining the attention of the gunfire as he swerved the other way to an alley for protection and she heard a crash of metal onto metal. Part of the blonde wanted to check on him. Part of the heroine wanted to chase down the truck and rescue the abducted man. But the lady racer had other goals, getting that invite, without getting abducted. To be enough of this racing scene to get others to talk. And to do that was to finish his hellish race!

She revved her engine and was off going down an alley to try and bypass the truck to get out of its gunfire and get back onto the road which was the route for the race.

Green Arrow pulled off his hood and tapped his ear piece. “They got away but, I did manage to plant a tracking beacon.” Within the container of the eighteen wheeler, the leader stepped forward to find the dart picking it up he looked at it with a small blinking light. “Something wrong, Ryan?” was the call of one of the gunners, to which Ryan shook his head and explained. “No. Just a dart aiming for your head that missed. I think I’ll keep it.” Ryan would pocket the dart.

Meanwhile the police sirens would begin to echo around the neighborhood prompting everyone to scatter. Black Canary would have no sign of the first place racer and when she arrived at the starting line again people were scrambling to leave. However, a man dressed in a gray business suit and asian features waved for her to come to him as he began walking. She would hear police sirens in every direction as the man walked into an alleyway he calmly pulled out a cigarette and waited by a brown sedan that didn’t look like anything special. If she followed him he would begin to explain. “The House wants to speak with you about your game. I am Kensen, if you follow me, I will take you to him. Hopefully without incidence from the police department.”

Black Canary was unable to catch up with, let alone find the lead racer. And when she got back to the starting line, people were scattering like rats. She could hear the police sirens, she was sure they helped break this party up. Apparently the semi and the gunfire definitely got law enforcements attention. It was then a casual looking asian business man waved at her and got her attention. She walked her bike into the alley joining him. He was so casual and nondescript, especially with his sedan, that he seemed to just blend into the background of things. Something many Yakuza loved, hiding in plain sight. She smiled at the man and gave a 'sure'. It sounded a bit ominous meeting the House by herself. But if she could gain his trust she might be able to get into things a bit easier. And it wasn't the biggest risk she took that night! Lose ends were nagging at her. Was the race a setup for abducting people? Was it too thin out the racers for their skill? They had done this illegal race before, what had changed? Was the lead racer in all this as well? All these thoughts rattled in her headBlack Canary followed kensen at a polite distance away from the police and chaos. She hoped the arrow was doing okay. She never saw Ollie after he wiped out at the beginning, but that didn't shake her suspicions of him.

He would lead her into a mansion of sorts that held a modern flare of beauty and ancient mysticism with stone dragon fountains and cherry blossom plants in the garden. Men in business suits walked around on patrol with gun holsters inside their jackets. He lead her bike around a round-about parking at the front door he got out of his vehicle and awaited her arrival as he buttoned up his suit jacket and used his hand to groom his sharp cut goatee. “He’s inside waiting for us.” He began walking to the door and opened it awaiting for her to enter and see the red polished wooden floors and the serenity that filled the halls as the soft voices of people talking could be heard. The House stood before a room of racers sitting in their seats, racer three was even in the room and as he saw Black Canary and Kensen enter the room he smiled. “Good, everyone is here. You’re all here because I wanted to give you all a proposition. A chance to work for me and my employers to do some rather dangerous stunts that will push all of you to your limits. If I have pegged any of you wrongly and I am mistaken, you may leave at this time. However, given the circumstances of our meeting, I’m sure no one here is restricted by the laws governing common citizens.” The House began to walk around the room gesturing and boldly talking to all of them. “No, you’re all here because you want to live by your own code. But to do what you will need to, we can’t have any self-righteous, glory seeking pricks among you. And make no mistake if there is one, this conversation will change it or you will be eliminated. Under my supervision you play by House Rules and not any rule you feel like making up.”

Black Canary found herself guided to a rather stylish mansion. And it did seem to have a bit of that old world sense of beauty mingled in. It would be a nice place with its cherry blossoms, fountains, and gardens; if not for it being an obvious yakuza stronghold. As the blonde followed Kensen she sized up the security and all the suited men with guns bulging their suit jackets. Her heeled boots clipped on the well polished floor, eyeing how expensive the decor was. An obvious display of wealth, power, and attention to detail. She looked rather out of place in her leather and fishnets, behind the suited man.

As Kensen guided her into a conference room, she was surprised how many bikers were there including Racer Three. Apparently getting abducted at gunpoint was part of the invitation here. Then again since when did she take a normal invitation?

Canary watched as the House started his pitch. Striding and gesturing as he gave his offer. And the small veiled threats. She was in a room full of law breakers and thrill seekers, and that is what the yakuza wanted to pull heists. And obviously not heroes, with the tone the House used. Likely his frustration with the Arrow. She reclined back in her chair a bit, showing her causalness as she nodded at what she heard.

House snapped his fingers and three men walked into the room dressed in digital camouflage. “These men will be take one of you into a private room and offer you what you need to know. He gestured for one of them to approach Black Canary, and two other racers, immediately Ryan took the opportunity to stand before Black Canary - she would tell by his uniform he was the one on board the tractor that signaled to have her killed at point blank range. “This way.” His voice was clearly English and held no accent unlike Kensen whom held a japanese accent. Ryan would seem unarmed except for a leatherman utility tool on his belt contained in a pouch. If she followed him they would enter into a room with a candle and paper walls framed by wood. “Take off your shirt. And turn let me see your back.” He stated firmly as he stared at her while standing at attention. “It’s my job to inspect you for tattoo’s of allegiance or a wire. It’s nothing personal.” The later sentence seemed like he was trying to be gentle, maybe a bit of crush given how fast he rose to get Dinah, but perhaps it was too early to tell.

Dinah Lance: Black Canary was a bit surprised by the one on one question and answer session that was about to happen, especially since it was with one of the riders and not the House, the mouthpiece of the Yakuza, himself. She was quickly learning the man’s love of showing his power and delegating. Canary was a bit surprised to see on of the men get up kind of fast to rush over to her, picking her, to lead to one of the rooms. As they walked, she got a good look at the pattern on his digital cameoflage as well as his build and head shape. He… he was the leader of the biker thugs. He was the one who had ordered his man to kill her point blank! She silently gave Rick a thank you for teaching her how to focus on attention to detail, with his little games of glance at an engine then tell him the problem. It enabled her to identify the man as being dangerous. Potentially wanting to finish the job! This man… was unarmed, except for a utility knife, she could take him she wanted to. Which would be stupid with how protected and armed this place was! But she didn’t let any of those thoughts affect her body language or posture. Following him casually, as if she didn’t care she was in this yakuza stronghold or not. She found herself led into a room lit by candle light and having wood framed paper walls like a few dojos and temples she had stayed in, during her travels. It would have been pretty, if it had been under other circumstances.

Dinah Lance: She stood waiting in the room as the man closed the door. And then he made his request. Take her top off… She just stared at him with a ‘yeah, right, you just want to see breasts’ look, “At least the boys at the Eagle’s Nest have the decency to buy me a drink before cutting to the chase.” she quipped with a smirk.

Dinah Lance: He started to explain himself, trying to offer her a little gentleness. Afterall, she may have been as tough as the other bikers in the race, but she was still a woman, the only one she had seen since, she entered this place. Maybe he liked her a little. Kind of funny to show that now, after he gave a command to shoot her… but she only smirked at him and rolled her eyes as she turned around. She started to undo the lacing at the back of her leather bustier,with one hand, the other remained in the front. She then zipped it down. It showed that it wasn’t just leather, but had some kind of tough fabric inside it. A microweave teflon like fabric, lining the bustier.

“I hope you don’t mind me not showing both hands, but if I don’t hold this, I”m going to fall out of it.” she said, this time the smirk was in her voice. Indeed the way the bustier was shaped, without the support from the back the top would fall down, spilling her bust out.

The bustier parted and revealed her back, inbetween her shoulder blades, at the nape of her neck was a single tattoo. It depicted the bird on her helmet, a canary in flight, beak open, screeching as it flew.

Ryan observed her for a moment and looked over her back and then nodded. “Alright, zip up…If you were wearing a wire, we wouldn’t detected it when you came in. So, what’s your name and why were you in the race?” He allowed her to answer the first two questions before going to a third one. “Does the opportunity here interest you at all or is it not your kind of thrill?” He wouldn’t reveal that he knew her outfit had armor layering to it - some biker’s preferred Kevlar because of its impact resistance when they crashed. “You wouldn’t happen to know that Green Arrow man would you? I doubt you’d admit it, if you did but, I still have to ask. I’m Ryan, by the way.”

Green Arrow returned to the Arrow hideout where began to assemble his equipment as he stood before John and Felicity. “Do we have a full trace yet?” Felicity would shake her head. “Yes, we’re tracking it, it seems to be on someone as it keeps moving and going from one location to another into houses. Hey, we keep this up, we’ll know all of the Yakuza’s dirty hiding places, right?” John would roll his shoulders and neck. “Yea, provided they don’t decide to kill us first.” Oliver would brush off Diggle’s concern. “I’m not worried about the Yakuza. My concern is why are they targeting innocent people. When we have an answer to that, then I’ll be more considerate of what blow-back we might get from them.”

Dinah Lance: She smirked, looking over her shoulder as she tugged her bustier to start to zip it up. "I take it you liked what you see?" she said with a hint of a warm tone to her voice as she fininshed lacing up her top. "Hhey call me Canary. As you can tell." All tied up she turned around, shifting her weight a bit to rest one leg a bit, her hip pushing out a bit from it.
"I like a good thrill. I like to see how I measure up to the rest. I like to think I have skills, and my bike can outperform most of 'em out there. And winning that pot would have been nice too. I don't anyone will be seeing that now... But feeling that moment when you are one with the bike, speaking to each other. Going down the street and hitting a turn hard. You feel it. It's like flying." she said smiling a bit lost in her own thoughts.

Dinah Lance: She refocused as he mentioned the offer. "It is a tempting thrill. And I'm tired of how often I fly solo. I would be willing as long as it fits my code. I don't kill and I don't do guns." she lifted up her hands showing off her rider's gloves. The palm's and finger tips had a thick rubber for gripping and would naturally not leave prints. "Guns are messy and leave too much trace. Other than those two rules. I'm game. Sounds fun. And I"m curious if you have a uniform in my size." she teased.

Dinah Lance: Her teasing smile melted into a scowl as he mentioned the green arrow. "No. But he keeps getting into my business. I think he considers me some damsel in distress or some poor waif who needs saving." her voice giving a girly mocking tone. soft lies, unnoticle under the real annoyance she had from him lately. Even though he did save her life.

Dinah Lance: "Hey Ryan." she said casually as he finally gave his name. "Let me ask a question. Do you want me on your team?"

Ryan watched her and listened to her stories and did seem a bit confused about no guns policy she held. “No guns?” He tilted his head and kind of forced a smirk as if being modest. “Well, I guess in an outfit like that doesn’t really have much space to carry.” Black Canary wouldn’t be able to put her finger on it, but that statement would seem odd to her. “Well, Green Arrow has been a problem for many people in this city and the Yakuza aren’t going to tolerate him for long. You won’t have to worry about that problem No doubt by now it should be obvious to someone as intelligent as you - we’re looking for the best damn riders we can find consider the cash you fronted to be a deposit for joining. And if you want my honest opinion? You don’t belong mixed up in something like this, you’re too smart, beautiful…but you’re also old enough to know what you want to do with your life…So if you’re gonna be here, I’d rather you on my side than anyone else’s. Come on, follow me.” Ryan would lead her into a room where he would show her a map of Star City. “We’re doing a coordinated effort with the other teams to simultaneously strike multiple parts of the city - this way Green Arrow can’t stop us. Our team is going to be focused here…” Ryan pointed to a car dealer shop. “This is our target, is a Lamborghini 2009 model. We’ll have to break into the managers office and download the activation key for the vehicle. Where we come in is the GPS locators on the vehicles have to be duplicated onto a burner phone via managers office. We’ll have you guys leading cops around the city in a confused state while we move the car. These cars are about the price of a house in Jersey or Malibu, so the cops won’t think twice about checking back at the dealer, they’ll go straight for the signals. Think you can handle out maneuvering some cops for a while?”

Dinah Lance: She smirked and shook her head at his confused question. Nope, no guns. She smirked along with him as he teased her about her outfit. The statement seemed a bit off, a bit odd. Was he teasing with how tight it was? Had he been checking her out that much? Or had the gun to her head been a test to see if she carried a piece? She smiled and nodded as he talked about the Green Arrow. She figured with his brash tactics that he probably was making himself a big target. She knew he had back up, that had been clear with his earpiece, but were they enough to protect him, despite his ability and skill?

Dinah Lance: She gave a little tight lipped as he took a moment to explain his own opinion of her. It was flattering to hear he thought she was beautiful and smart, and gave her a wide opening out of this mess. Not something your average thug or yakuza member would say. He did have an air of leader, a hint of military know how, with how he viewed a person's potential. She smirked at him. "Flattery will get you everywhere." she teased.

Dinah Lance: She was a bit surprised when he guided her to see the plans, going over them with her. She did like knowing what she was getting into and he picked up on that. And it was a great way to stop the Arrow and cops. So many trackers flooding the street, hard to follow them all. and by the time they realize it, it would be hard to pick the real one.

Dinah Lance: "Sounds like a well thought out plan. It's a high profile car, so definetly they will go after the bait. And a good distraction will be needed to steal it. Barring that it's not some obnxious color like 'Verde Ithaca'." she teased. she bit her lip as if she was thinking. "Some joy riding and high speed chases sound like a lot of fun. I should probably say no, but it's such a unique offer, I have trouble wanting to say 'no' to it. I just have... one more question..." she licked her lips and got a bit closer to him, her chest almost touching him. "Why did you give the command to have me offed? am I that dangerous?" she smirked, although her eyes for once weren't playful.

He looked over the plans nodding firmly to understand the whole heist and then she stepped closer and licked her lips prompting him to gaze into her blue eyes with his own brown gaze. The temptation to kiss her was there before but, now he was something else and not just a common thug. “I’m…just doing my job. It was nothing personal. People have to eat, they have to do things to keep order in this chaotic world and it forces men like me to do things that most would find evil. For what it’s worth…” Ryan grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m glad Mitchel is lying in a ditch and not you. And I hope…beneath all of this you’ll understand that I’m not a bad person, I just know that people are counting on me to do what I have to…” She could feel his warm breathing upon her, when The House entered the room and spoke. “Is she in, Ryan?” Ryan looked over to the man and nodded. “Yes…” The House’s gaze stared between the two of them skeptically and then smiled deviously. “We move out at 500 hours. You two-uhh…should get some sleep. Show her to a room.”

Ryan would nod and then turn away from Canary to begin leading her into a hallway. “I hope in time, I’ll be able to earn your real name sometime, ‘Canary’.” He said without losing his professional composure.