Chapter Text
The world is insanely large again.
It's the first thing she thinks to herself when she comes to, and her little head is pounding like bullets are ricocheting off the inside walls.
The second thing she thinks to herself is how weird it is that she feels more comfortable in her kitten form than her adult form - despite her lack of vision. It's as blurry as it is dark, so it's not surprising that she can't make anything out from her viewpoint on the floor. She's in a cage, which she thinks is ridiculous because that didn't bode well for anyone last time.
Still, her haughty attitude she displays is only a cover for how truly terrified she is. She knows -- knows who took her, no questions asked.
Felicity wonders how much time has passed since she went missing - has the team realized that she's gone yet? Are they looking for her? Or have they just ruled it out as her being oddly radio silent? It's impossible to tell the time of day when the shutters are closed and no light seeps in whatsoever - whether it be from nightfall or lack of openings within the space she's in, she can't tell.
Woodrow must have learned his lesson though, because the bars are less spaced out than before.
Felicity lifts a hesitant paw up to the iron metal of the poles, and bats at it, hoping with some stroke of luck, it'll budge.
It doesn't. The warehouse seems to empty, save for a few other animals. Her ears prick up, and she can hear the muffled cries of a neighboring dog, and the steady rhythm of clanking on the metal pipes, almost as if the drainage doesn't work well. It doesn't help that the air seems to have a metallic tang to it, like copper and blood.
Mewling softly through her calico mouth, she can only hope that her boys are coming for her.
--><--
"What the fuck is taking so long, Diggle?" Oliver snaps rudely at his partner whose sitting in the rolling chair in front of the monitors. The man in question is running searches and facial recognition softwares in hopes of pinging their blonde genius - who had disappeared off the face of the earth since the previous day.
"I'm sorry I'm not Felicity, manning the computers." Diggle says just as rudely, his temper flying off the handle for the first time in ever.
"Obviously not." Oliver crosses his arms. "If she were here then maybe we'd be getting somewhere."
"You want to try then?" Diggle snarls. "Be my guest." Roy watches nervously between the two, unsure if he should step in. Diggle and Oliver are his friends, sure, (okay, maybe Oliver was like his acquaintance) but that doesn't mean they can't knock him on his ass if they want to. He's still just training.
"Guys!" Roy blurts out, surprising both himself and the other two. "Let's not fight, okay? We don't have the time for it. Blondie might be in trouble and we can't afford to have pissing contests when her life is on the line." He holds his breath as Diggle and Oliver stare him down with glares. The boy in red is almost half sure that he'll limp out of here with yet another arrow in his leg.
Perks of the job.
He hopes his sigh of relief isn’t audible when their faces soften considerably. Mainly because he’s right.
If Felicity were here she’d be trying to keep the peace. They needed all hands on deck.
“I think we should check out the warehouse that Felicity had me to recon on.” Oliver mutters. “It seems likely that he would go back there.”
”I thought you said you weren’t able to do a full scope of the place.” Said Diggle.
"I wasn't", Oliver shrugs a bit impatiently, getting a little agitated that his partners don't see the need to move at full steam right now. Instead of discussing the matter, they should already be out there. "But it's our best bet. The trackers I placed on her led us to the parking lot, which she is as we can see, not there."
"That's not creepy at all." Roy mutters, who receives the emerald archer's 10 billion watt glare.
"You won't be pleased to know that he has trackers on all of us," Diggle can't help but snort in amusement.
"What?" Roy asks scandalized. "Where?" Diggle looks on in pleasure as the young man starts to pat himself down for it.
"It's in the pocket of your hoodie. You never take it off so it seemed like an easy solution." Oliver answers irritably. It's almost like poking a bear.
Roy prods at the plastic square that's been sewn into the seam of his pocket. "I did not consent to this," is his weak argument.
"You did when you decided to join the team." Oliver corrects. "My first priority outside of saving my city is making sure my team is protected at all costs. Which means we need to get a move on so we can bring Felicity home." There's a pause as they all come to terms with the gravity of the situation. There's a chance that... Felicity isn't even alive anymore. But still, they have to make that effort.
"You shouldn't go charging into that warehouse guns blazing, Oliver." The ex - military man warns. "When your heads not in the game, the plan always goes off rails."
But no. Fuck that. They don't have time to scope out the warehouse. Not with Felicity's life hanging on line with that psychotic murderer.
"Good thing I don't have a gun then." Oliver deadpans, uncaring of how ignorant he must sound.
"Oliver." Diggle's tone is desperate now. "Be rational, man. If you don't plan this out then you might end up not only hurting yourself, but Felicity as well."
"She could be hurting right now, John." He argues. "Woodrow's sick! He could be slicing and dicing right now for all we know! We can't be taking those chances. We don't even know what he does to the animals that escape."
"Don't say that!" Diggle pleads. "We have to believe she's okay, or we're going to drive ourselves crazy."
Oliver sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look," He tries as calmly as possible. "Let's just go. There's no way the three of us can't take him down."
"Yeah, unless he turns us into three little golden retrievers." Roy quips realistically. When the two men turn to stare at him incredulously, he can only shrug. "What? It's true. He could do it. Maybe our best course of option would be to call in Team Flash."
"Do you know how long it would take for Barry to get here?" Oliver asks.
"He's the freakin Flash." Roy throws up his hands in disbelief. "It would take him like three minutes tops to get to Starling. And another second or two to drop us all to the warehouse. Which is less time than it would take us to hop on our bikes and get there."
Diggle's head swivels to look at Oliver expectantly as if to say; what you gonna do now?
Oliver huffs in displeasure. "Barry's always late." He says lamely, as if it's supposed to prove that Team Flash shouldn't show up.
"What do you have against Team Flash?" Roy asks, a knowing smirk lighting his face up. Oliver is tempted to clock him in the face but -
"Obviously he doesn't want Felicity and Barry getting too friendly." Diggle says, making Oliver think that he should be redirecting his fist towards him instead.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Oliver's blue eyes flash.
"Uh huh. Sure."
"I don't!"
"Either way," Oliver breaks it up, "I say we stick to us three. Too many unknown variables make the situation a lot more dangerous."
"Dear god," Roy groans. "You're talking as if this whole mission isn't an unknown variable."
"I'm calling Barry." Diggle said. "And you can't stop me. You're outnumbered here."
"I'm practically team leader!" The billionare protests.
"Oh, should I tell Felicity you said that?" Roy asks smugly. "Because all I hear these days is you preaching partnership and equal standing to her."
Oliver hisses, his fingers twitching by his sides. "I- Fine!" He snaps. "Call Barry. But -" He points at Diggle. "Don't expect me to hold your hair when you throw up from his fast running.
"Diggle doesn't have long hair." Roy says.
"Point." Diggle agrees, his biceps bulging as he crosses his arms.
"I hate both of you." Oliver mutters.
"No, you love us!" Roy corrects.
"Yeah, well, stay away from my sister!"
--><--
Barry is late. It's something that Oliver can't help but point out when they're all huddled togehter on the roof of the nearest building to the warehouse. Roy is still in his red hoodie, Cisco having not finished his red and black leather - kevlar suit. Diggle is in his standar leather jacket and black combat pants, and Oliver is standing there with his mask in place underneath his green house, itching to go in there and wallop Woodrow.
"Cisco pulled up footage from last night, and said that Woodrow was last seen with a blonde coming in by the alleyway exit." Barry says, his finger pressed to the comm link in his ear that keeps him connected to Caitlin and Cisco. His suit looks abnormally tight, Oliver has no idea how he's even able to move.
"So this is definitely the place."
"Yup. I'm gonna do a quick runaround." Barry said.
He zips off then, a trail of yellow and orange lightning trailing behind his speedy figure. Diggle stares after the sparks. his eyes widening almost comically.
"Doesn't that freak you out?" He splutters to Oliver and Roy.
Oliver decides that this doesn't dignify a response, and instead pulls out an arrow from his quiver and nocking it. "I'm going down there. The line pulls from the tip and shaft as he releases the arrow through his fingers. As soon as the arrow is embedded in the tree bark, he's ziplining himself down.
Diggle and Roy follow shortly, and Barry is already there. "I see Felicity, and there's a lot of other animals in there too. She's in kitten form again."
"Is she hurt? Bleeding? Scratched or anything?" Oliver demands, his voice extremely gruff under the modulator.
"She looks relatively unharmed to me. But.. ah.." Barry turns a little green under his cowel. "There's a spliced open rabbit on the operating table. Just a heads up in case you're a little squeamish."
"You're looking a little squeamish, yourself." Roy notes.
Barry hums back, his eyes closed like he can feel a headache coming on.
"Try phasing through the door. So that way you can unlock it from the inside." Diggle suggests.
Barry steps in front of the door, and begins to vibrate his hand through the lock. The way his hand is barely there one moment and in sight another makes Oliver feel a little queasy, but when the lock breaks open, he knows it's worth it. The emerald archer takes it upon himself to bust the door open with his foot. And then all hell breaks loose.
--><--
Woodrow is just finishing up with the rabbit when Felicity hears muted voices coming from outside the warehouse.
The psychopath is too invested in the task in front of him to notice, but it gives Felicity hope because she can vaguely make out the deep timber that is Oliver's voice when he's using the modulator.
She knew he would come for her.
That they all would.
Still, she jumps when the door flies off it's hinges and four figures emerge through the hole in the wall. Woodrow's looking up, a sneer overtaking his figures.
Diggle is cocking his gun, and Oliver is nocking his bow, and Woodrow is aiming his hand at them, no doubt trying to turn them into little furry and adorable creatures (and really, Felicity doesn't know how anyone could ever want to intentionally hurt something as cute as a puppy but-). But Barry's there and he's running and he's doing that thing where he runs around super fast before throwing a lightning bolt and he's throwing it and - oh.
Now he's a hamster. Well. That did not go according to plan at all. Felicity hears herself meow in confusion, as Barry's gray hamster form rushes towards her after bleeting in panic. The lightning bolt crashes into the metal gurney, lightning the room up in flames. The floor is slick with animal blood, and it’s a whole chase as they slide over the wetness. The tools and contraptions on the gurney are dumped onto the floor as arrows and bullets and streaks of light are thrown back and forth.
Oliver, Roy, and Diggle shout profanities, and Woodrow is backing up, still throwing blue streaks of light at them. Barry slips his small body through the bars and greets Felicity in a strange squeak.
"What... the... HELL?" Roy yells. "The Flash is a freakin hamster! He was like our only advanatage."
If Felicity were human, she'd be yelling at him right now. Because way to give away their positions.
"Shut up, Arsenal!" Oliver barks as he fires off another arrow at Woodrow. He dodges, and throws back a streak of light at Oliver, narrowly missing.
Felicity isn't even sure what Roy is doing, because he hasn't been training enough to properly use his bow. But even then, she has to admit he's doing a good job firing off his arrows, even if they are slightly wobbly while in the air.
Diggle shoots, and she barely sees the bullet make it's mark, but then Woodrow's legs are buckling and he's hitting the ground with an agonized groan.
Felicity is not one for revenge but she can't help but think he deserves worse for his multiple accounts of animal cruelty. A bullet to the leg seems almost like an easy way out.
Woodrow is scrunched in a ball on the floor, his skin glistening with perspiration. He's clutching his wound, and Oliver and Roy are moving towards him. The emerald archer fires a binding arrow, effectively tying him together.
Oliver takings a menacing step in his direction, and Woodrow is holding a hand up.
"Don't hurt me!" Woodrow pleads, his eyes wide and manic. "I'll do anything!"
"Turn them back." Oliver growls, motioning to the rows of animals behind them with a green glove. "I want every single one of them turnt back into humans."
"I -" He trembles against the wall.
"NOW!" Oliver snarls.
Woodrow whimpers before lifting a shaky hand. He takes aim at the cages, and a white flash hits each of the animals.
One by one, the animals begin to transform into their human counterparts. When Felicity and Barry turn back, Oliver sighs in relief before motioning to Diggle, who nods back and then clocks Woodrow in the head, knocking him out.
And then he hears Roy. "Felicity and Barry are both naked." He says rather bluntly.
"WHAT?" Oliver whips around so fast he's afraid his neck will crack. And then he realizes- oh, yes, it'll make sense that they're both naked. In fact, there are roughly seven other people that are also naked. All of whom are shivering and looking slightly traumatized.
Barry looks around embarrassed, a flush creeping up on his cheeks from his lack of clothes. "I'm going to go... get some clothes for everyone." And then he's off, lightning zipping behind him, the other people silent in awe and terror.
But Oliver... Oliver only has eyes for Felicity. He keeps his eyes respectfully on her face, but the relief is evident on both of their faces.
"Oliver," The blonde breathes out, her arms crossed over her chest in a protective manner. He's moving to her then, already zipping off his green leather jacket to throw over her small frame. He can only hope his mask is enough to hide his identity, although if he's really being honest, it's the last thing on his mind.
The jacket enfluges her body entirely, and it falls past her knees so innocently that Oliver just wants to melt in her arms and fall asleep in her warmth.
"Are you okay?" He asks softly, pressing the little button on his chest to turn off the modulator.
"I'm fine," She says shakily.
"Did he hurt you?" Oliver takes her hand, running his thumb over the back of her hand.
"No." Felicity promises. She glances around, only to see the other victims and Diggle and Roy staring at them. "We'll talk later, yeah?"
"Yeah." He agrees readily.
Barry returns then, a gust of wind flying in after him, and he's back in his Flash suit (thank god). There's a pile of clothes in his hands, and he begins handing them out to the other people.
"I called the police." His voice sounds a bit distorted. "They should be on their way soon to take statements and take care of the ones affected.
"Thank you, Flash." Oliver says, holding out a hand gratefully. "We couldn't have done it without you."
"I turned into a hamster." Barry says with a smile, but he's taking Oliver's hand anyways and shaking it before pulling him into a hug.
"You know I don't like hugs." Oliver grumbles as Barry clamps his arms around him.
"I don't care." Then he's turning to Diggle and Roy, shaking their hands. And then he's hugging Felicity. "Call me whenever you need, Lis." He says with a huge grin.
"She won't." Oliver steps in. Barry only smiles knowingly.
Ignoring Oliver's grumpiness, she takes a hold of Barry's hand. "Thank you, Flash. We'll see you soon."
"Soon." The scarlet speedster agrees. Then he's gone.
--><--