Arrow: Fracture Part 3

The Wrong Sort

"Gotta go." Roy said with a smile.

"Going down." Riley added as he activated his evac plan, detonating explosive charges allover the bamboo structure causing it to disconnect from the building. The sudden shift threw everyone to the side as the entire wooden construction platform fell along the side of the building. Grant tried to grab ahold of the nearby railing, only to collide into the bamboo cross sections above him. His body crashed into the wooden structure as the bamboo supports along the building began to tighten and slow the decent. The team was flung around as the skeletal structure bounced against the building, snapping the remaining bamboo struts that Riley left to hopefully slow the fall. The plan seemed to be working as the wooden bent and occasionally snapped under the pressure of the massive structure clinging to it as it collapsed toward the ground below. Roy had lost track of Grant as ground came closer. The people on the street below began to run for cover as the bamboo skeleton skidded alongside the building and prepared to hit the sidewalk. The remaining struts pulled the structure as it neared the street, severely slowing it's decent and stopping it from simply crashing into the ground.

"Get ready!" Riley yelled as he watched the sidewalk get closer. The structure bounced against the building as it gently crashed into the sidewalk.

"Now!" Riley ordered as he and the others disconnected from the structure and fell a few feet to the concrete below them. The rough landing was accompanied with a few grunts as the team stumbled around just as the structure recoiled away from the ground, the remaining bamboo struts pulling it upward. Roy glanced back at the daring and insane escape plan and remarked.

"Did that seriously work?"

"I think so." Thea mumbled as she pushed herself up from the ground.

"How?" Roy asked.

"Easy. It was so stupid that HIVE never expected it." Thea answered as she gave Riley a dirty look.

"Yeah pretty much." Riley replied as he admired the destruction they had just caused. The screech of brakes caught their attention as a industrial van stopped beside them and opened the side door.

"Not bad for a last minute plan." Riley joked as he and the others entered the van with a custodial company logo on the side before it sped off down the street.

The morning crowd at the coffee shop was something Diggle was familiar with, he had spent many similar mornings completing beverage deliveries for himself and the team. This morning however was different, he wasn't interested in the coffee in his hands but instead the contact he was supposed to meet. He kept a diligent watch for anything out of the ordinary, not knowing what to expect after reaching out for the meeting. A familiar face strolled up to Diggle's table and sat down without a word.

"Wouldn't take you as a regular for a hipster coffee joint like this." Rick Flag began as he glanced around for any abnormalities.

"That's kinda the point." Diggle replied as he tried to gauge his guest's intentions via his body language. Rick picked up on his host's uneasiness and said.

"You seem a little tense Sargent." Diggle flinched at his military rank and pushed aside the code of honor that came with the title.

"Says the ARGUS agent." Diggle replied with a sly grin. Rick shrugged as he leaned back in his chair and glanced off for a second.

"Well maybe I'm just out of practice." Rick said with a smile.

"Hopefully not out of the game though?" Diggle prodded, leaning over the small table slightly. Rick turned and leaned forward a bit.

"I got want you asked for if that's what you're worried about." He responded, hoping to cut through the sense of misdirection and unnecessary espionage. Diggle shifted in his seat, feeling an uneasy sting from Rick's tone.

"Is this going to cause problems?" Diggle asked, looking away from a moment as he allowed Flag the time to respond.

"You tell me." Rick answered, his attention fully on his host. Diggle looked across the table and met Rick's challenging glare, knowing it well from his own time in the military. One thing Diggle had anticipated from this interaction was the possible reaction from Flag, but not as an ARGUS agent but as a soldier. From one to another, Flag could possibly understand the struggle within Diggle better than most and that would most likely settle any concerns the man had to whether or not Diggle was sure of his decision.

"I know what I'm doing." Diggle answered. Rick immediately removed his sunglasses and glared into Diggle's eyes as he asked.

"Do you really?" The military experience between the two men was more than either should have had to endure, granting them both a connection that the other would purely understand without question.

"I know what I'm doing." Diggle assured with a dedicated tone and the unforgiving eyes to back it. Rick sighed as he nodded and slid a flash drive across the table top. He nodded and stood to leave. Diggle grabbed the flash drive and asked.

"How's Laurel?" Rick and Laurel had met a few years ago during an incursion with some unsavory characters and the two had started a shaky relationship of sorts.

"Busy. It seems that Chicago has plenty of activities to keep her occupied, but we make it work when we can." Rick answered. Diggle smiled as he asked.

"What the hell kind of deal did you make to get off of the Suicide Squad?" Rick smiled as he put his sunglasses back on and simply replied.

"One with the devil." Diggle wondered for a moment if the statement was actually true, considering the type of person who ran Task Force X.

"Watch yourself Sargent." Rick ended as he patted Diggle on the shoulder and walked off. The flash drive seemed to burn in Diggle's hand as he examined the small device that would forever alter the type of man he was. Without hesitation Diggle stood from the table and threw his untouched coffee in the trash as he exited the area.