Chapter 17:

Green Arrows

"Wells?"

Bette nodded. "He can't be trusted. He needs to be stopped. Before he destroys everything. He—"

Bette's words trailed off and she looked over her shoulder. Her lips formed a thin line and she took off down the hall, rounding the corner in an instant. Sage watched her go only to turn back around and come face to face with Cisco.

"Who were you talking to?" Cisco asked, looking pat her.

Sage twisted, her wide eyes searching every inch of the hallway but there was no sign of Bette. No trail of water left behind. No scent of river water, nothing. It was like she hadn't been there at all. Her chest heaved as she slowly turned back around to look at Cisco, feeling like she was certainly losing her mind. She could have told him about Bette but…would he believe her? It was hard to tell. Their lives were weird but this was a bit too weird. "N-no one," she finally replied, doing her best to ease her breathing. "Just…no one. I was, um, thinking out loud."

"Oh." He took on a defensive stance. "You're not going to go all Hulk on me, are you?"

She shook her head and then kicked at the ground. Any sense of raging anger she felt before had drained out of her, now she was drained. "Listen…I'm sorry. About what I said. I…I couldn't control myself. Not that that's an excuse, it's just…" she blew a breath out of the side of her mouth and used a hand to push her hair out of her face. "I'm…frustrated, if you couldn't tell. That's all. It's like…I take two steps forward only to take a thousand back in the next second. I see Barry being able to do so much good with his abilities. I want to do that too but I feel like I keep getting stop signs in my face. But I don't know who's holding them, you guys or me in some roundabout way."

Cisco shoved his hands into his pockets. "I understand that," he said slowly, "but…if Dr. Wells says you're not ready—"

Sage threw her arms in the air. "I get that, but how can he say that when I haven't done anything to make myself ready? All I've done around here is run on a treadmill and have electrodes rip hair out of my skin and help you deliver food and hobby things to Nimbus and eat my weight in candy. It's like some sort of Catch-22 or double standard or something."

Cisco bit his lip and studied her. He brought his hands together, pressing the tips of a few fingers to his mouth before pulling them away. "May I ask you something?" She shrugged her shoulders in a noncommittal way. "Why do you want to do this?" she gave him a blank look. "Dr. Wells, Caitlin, and me…we feel responsible. For what happened. For what happened to you and to Barry and to the metas. Barry is helping us fix a wrong and trying to find a way to get his dad out of jail. When it comes to you, well…" his words trailed off. "I guess I just can't figure you out."

Sage clicked her tongue, buying herself some time. She rolled the words around in her mind, carefully picking and choosing the right combination she wanted. "You're not the only ones…who feel like you need to do good to make up for something," she finally replied. Her mind flashed back to that man from months ago and then the one from a few weeks ago. Her stomach turned and she clamped her lips together, just in case. When the wave of sickening guilt passed she spoke again. "Figured this was the best start. I have a lot to make up for, in my past and especially...after what I said about you all. To you all. It was wrong. And I thought, with my abilities, I could help somewhere or help someone." She kicked at the ground with the tip of her boot. "So I could make a difference. So I wouldn't be so much of a burden but an asset." So I could be in control of something in my life.

Cisco smiled and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Hey, you're not a burden."

Sage gave him a look. "Remember our last foray into the field?" Her stomach lurched painfully at the memory but she pushed it aside. Now wasn't the time to worry about that.

"You're just a bit…eager." Lowering his voice he added, "I mean, who could blame you? All this stuff is so sick."He cleared his throat and continued. "We said we'd help you and we will." He held up his free hand. "I swear on my last pack of Twizzlers."

Sage gasped. "Your last pack? That's some promise."

"Twizzlers are serious business," Cisco stated, his words solemn. "Look, why don't you come back with me? I'm sure if you talk everything out with Dr. Wells we can clear the air and start on a new foot. Hey, if we're allowed to have a second chance, you are too."

Sage tried to smile but it was weak. She had a feeling that Caitlin and Harrison wouldn't be so forthcoming with forgiving her. Maybe she shouldn't return to S.T.A.R. Labs; if Cisco was the only one who wanted her there what was the point? But then she nixed that idea a second later. No, she was going to see this through, one way or another. She was in on the secret, supported their contributions to cleaning up their mess of sorts. Running away wouldn't help matters. Nor would it keep her alive.

"I think I have a better idea, actually," Sage said. "I just need to make a call. I'll be right back." Cisco gave her shoulder another squeeze and started to walk away. "Cisco?" she called after him.

"Yeah?" he turned around.

"…Thanks."

He shrugged. "Anytime."

Sage settled against the wall and took out her phone only to spend more time spinning it in her hands than actually placing the call. It took some time to remove the anxiety that hunched her shoulders due to thinking that Bette would pop up again somewhere, somehow. And besides, she wasn't sure the person on the other end would pick up. She wouldn't blame them. She'd been nothing but evil since she was found two weeks ago but then it made everything easier, keeping them at arm's length. She could process what happened better, readjust. With help her fall would be cushioned, without it the fall would end in a rough jolt that she'd need to dust off her knees from.

But maybe it was time to stop dusting.

With a gulp, she jabbed the call button on the contact she had selected and held her phone up to her ear. It rang three times and just when she was about to lower her arm she heard the line get picked up. A greeting sounded two times before she forced herself to lift her phone to her ear. "Uncle Joe? I need your help."

She hung up right after briefly explaining what she needed. Her words started to thicken and become garbled the longer she spoke, as if her vocal chords didn't want to comply with her request. But she worked though it, she needed to. It was the first step she was taking in the right direction and one that didn't prepare her muscles to help her run away. No, that was over, she vowed. Her legs needed the break.

Joe arrived a short fifteen minutes later, carrying the bags she had asked him to get along the way. The scene of grease and salt wafted past her nose as she checked the orders, barely looking him in the eye as she thanked him. The elevator ride back up to the sixth floor of the laboratory was quiet save for the hum of the working mechanics. And even though they stood a mere few inches apart a cavern had grown between them and both were afraid to take the leap to cross. As they walked into the lab they caught the tail end of Felicity's phone conversation.

"That was the Arrow, he said Barry's been acting strangely," Felicity reported.

"Strangely how?" Harrison asked. Sage's eyebrows crinkled. Surely he would've figured out what was going on by now but she bit her tongue.

"He's been whammied," Joe announced as they walked in. Sage took their surprise as the opportunity to go around doling out the Big Belly Burger orders to each of them, double checking that the right one went to the right person. Not that she needed to, Harrison, Caitlin, and Cisco all ordered the same things each time. She just didn't want to face Joe. "He was acting angry, it was scary. And his eyes, they glowed."

"Yeah, same thing happened to me," Sage informed. She removed a wrapped burger from the bag and held it out to her uncle. His eyebrows furrowed as he took the sandwich. "I'm fine," she added before he could ask and moved away.

"It's possible that his body was fighting off the affects so it's hitting him slower," Caitlin theorized.

"But why wouldn't it move faster?" Sage couldn't help but ask. She mentally slapped herself when she grabbed everyone's attention. "I-I mean…his metabolism moves faster, right? Why didn't this just…flicker out in a second?" she muttered.

"The longer you suppress your emotions—" Harrison started.

"—The bigger the explosion," Felicity finished for him, her words wrapped in a foreboding tone. It was enough to make them all squirm beneath the weight of it.

"Considering what he can do, how do we even stop him?" Joe asked.

"A cold gun would come in real handy right about now," Cisco mused aloud, twisting and turning in his chair. He had begun to lean back in it when he gasped and sat up straight, his eyes wide. A smile slowly started to form on his face and he stood with one finger extended towards the ceiling. "But since we don't have one…we can use the next best thing!"

Harrison regarded Cisco and then, a second later, nodded his head. "If there is one of us that can stop Barry…." He turned in his chair and looked across the room. Joe, Caitlin, and Felicity followed his gaze over to Sage who was curled up in one chair; a box of French fries perched on her legs. Noticing the quiet room, she froze with a fry halfway to her mouth and looked at them all in turn.

"….What?" she asked.

"You wanted training, now you got it," Harrison replied as if he were speaking about the temperature. "We need you to go out there and stop Barry."

"Wait, me!?" she pointed towards herself. "Bu-but, I can't even control…I mean, not that well. I don't—is this a good idea?" A shiver rolled down her spine, almost as if someone had blown on her neck. It was a cool breeze, enough to lift the little hairs on her skin. She couldn't help but wonder, could she trust him?

"Yeah, is this a good idea?" Joe echoed.

"Cisco created the cold gun specifically to stop Barry in the event something like this came along," Harrison stated. "He used good judgment and foresight for such a predicament"—Cisco beamed with pride in his seat—"though we certainly never anticipated a theft as the means of which to keep us from using the specific tool. Truth of the matter is, we don't need it now. All we need is for someone to slow Barry down enough for us to work out a way to reverse Bivolo's affects. Ms. Moreaux is the only one with the abilities to do it." He swung his blue eyes over to her. "But you won't be going in alone." He turned to address Felicity. "You may want to call back Oliver Queen. We're going to need the Arrow's help."

Wait, what? They all whipped their heads around to stare at a shocked Felicity. Her fingers hovered over her cell phone and, behind her glasses, her eyes widened. Her lips parted but no sound came out and the longer the silence stretched in the room the higher Joe's eyebrows seemed to climb.

"I-I…" Felicity tried a few times to speak, succeeding on her last one. "I'll just…give him a heads up on what's going on." The sound of her heels hitting the floor faded as she rushed out of the room for quiet.

"Do that. In the mean time, you need to suit up," Harrison told Sage who scrambled to her feet. All traces of surprise form the Arrow reveal left her face and was replaced with one of hard focus.

"Hold on, I have just the thing!" Cisco said, rushing out of the room. Sage moved in the opposite direction, walking into the separate room that held her suit. It stood tall and proud on the mannequin, waiting for her.

She brushed her fingers over the surface as she looked up at it. Her heart pounded against her chest as her mind flashed back to its first use. Her first encounter with Leonard Snart. She thought she had been ready for this, ready to be masked and run out into the night to protect people but she was wrong. So wrong. But it wasn't just a citizen that needed help. It was Barry Allen. She squeezed her eyes shut. She'd do anything for him. She needed to do this. She needed to help him. Because what sort of life was there to live if Barry wasn't in it?

She changed into her suit and tied her hair back, nerves tumbling around in her stomach all the while. They didn't have much time to get to him. Who knows what he could do with that much rage pumping through his body. She could still hear him yelling at her; still feel his fingers curling around the collar of her jacket as he slammed her against the wall. It was those reasons that she wanted to snap him out of it. That was Barry. That wasn't her Barry. "Okay, anything I need to know?" she asked as she walked back into the room.

"The less damage you can cause the better," Harrison said. "If you can get his legs to stop moving, that'd be the best course of action to take."

"Got it." A second later Sage faltered. "How am I going to catch him if he's faster than me?"

"That's where these babies come in!" Cisco announced. He came back into the room carrying a pair of shoes in his hands. "I've been tinkering with this for a while. They're jet propulsion shoes. Ever place Sonic Adventure?" Everyone in the room shook their heads. "No? Aw, c'mon guys you're missing out on a good game."

"Cisco," Harrison grunted.

"Right. " He handed the boots over and Sage plopped down on the ground to swap them out. "Anyway, these shoes are made with a pattern of small jets in the bottom releasing air, causing less friction on the ground. Like an air hockey table. They will help propel you forward and, with less friction, the more you'll glide on the surface. So, essentially, it'll be like you're—"

"Ice skating," Joe filled in.

Cisco snapped his fingers. "Exactly. The fastest an Olympic speed skater has traveled is over 30 miles per hour. With these babies, they could go much faster. They'll make you faster. Not to Barry's levels but enough to get you wherever he is in time without anyone on the streets seeing anything other than, well, a blur."

"How do they work?"

"Press the buttons on the side."

Sage did as she was instructed and waited. For a moment it seemed as if nothing happened but soon she shot her arms out to keep her balance as her legs flailed beneath her. In her attempts, she somehow flew across the room and crashed into a wall, falling to the ground in a heap.

"Are those things safe?" Joe asked as Caitlin rushed over to help her up.

"Yeah, she'll get the hang of it," Cisco said with a flippant wave of his hand as he moved over to the computers. A series of keyboard taps and clicking filled the room until Cisco leaned back. "Okay, we got him. Heading towards…5th street and Main." Standing straight, Cisco clapped and rubbed his hands together. "Alright Shiver; it's time to see you in action!"

It took Sage a moment to register what he said but once it did she perked up and one could almost see a light bulb popping up above he head. "….Oh! You're talking to me?" She pointed to herself. "I'm 'Shiver'?"

"Yeah, you're going with that rather than, say, Icecube?" Caitlin suggested.

"It's not as menacing and besides the name's already taken," Cisco said. Adding beneath his breath, "This is why I come up with the names."

"Better get going," Harrison spoke.

"Yeah." Sage nodded and made a beeline for the door, stopping only when Joe cleared his throat. She regarded her uncle, studying his face for a moment. "Don't worry, Uncle Joe, I'll be fine," she said firmly. "It's just Barry. How hard can this be?"

# # #

Night had fallen and Oliver was ready to pack up and head back to Starling City. He knew coming to Central City was a risk, hell his entire life revolved around them nowadays, but now he was getting antsy. The longer they were in Central City the longer they were away from Starling and he wasn't sure that Roy could handle everything by himself.

He was going to have a firm talk with Felicity later. He still wasn't sure how she was able to talk him into these things. Going to Central City was one thing but putting aside their mission to take on one that wasn't their own? As he suspected, it was proving to be a waste of his time. Barry didn't want his help and yet here he was dealing with…metahumans were they called? Such a stupid name. A dehumanizing name.

Did they think this was a game? Something they could just hit the restart button on when something went wrong? No, this was life and the sooner they realized that the better. After five years on Lian Yu and two more as a vigilante, it was a lesson that echoed in the back of his mind. Especially now as he was faced with the task of trying to stop Barry's rampage around the city. Being as fast as he is who knew what he was capable of? The outcome was the only reason he was coming back to help. That and Felicity nearly bit his ear off when he tied to object. "He would do the same thing for you," she reasoned, "and you know it." He did know it. And, deep down, he appreciated that Barry stood up for him against Detective West and Dr. Wells. It felt nice to have someone on his side.

"Hey!" The single word had barely been uttered when Oliver reached for a bow, drew it back, and pointed it at the new arrival. "Whoa! Watch where you're pointing that thing!" they cried out while holding up their hands. "I admire your reflexes but I'm here to help."

"How can you help?" Oliver asked, his voice taking on deeper tones due to activating his voice modulator.

"Like this." They wiggled off a glove, turned and lifted their hand, holding it in the direction of a nearby trashcan. Oliver watched, arrow still drawn, as a snowflake shape appeared on the palm. A second later a beam shot out from the snowflake and struck the garbage can, coating it in a thick layer of ice. As Oliver blinked rapidly the other person muttered, "Huh, that's new," while looking at their hand. "Anyway, I can slow him down."

His heart had pumped so hard he almost didn't recognize their voice over the blood rushing in his ears but even when he placed it he didn't lower his bow. "You're from the coffee shop. That Sage girl."

"Well, I go by Shiver out here now," she said. "But that's not important. We have to stop Barry before he does something stupid."

Silently agreeing, Oliver began walking down the street. He could hear her having to increase her speed to keep up with him. He finally lowered his bow, returning an arrow to his quiver as he kept his eyes on a constant swivel, looking out for Barry and for any obstacles that could get in his way.

"So what's the plan?" she spoke up after some moments of quiet.

"Stop Barry," Oliver replied shortly.

"Seriously? That's the sort of plan I would come up with," she muttered.

Oliver's mouth opened to retort but stopped when he heard shouting. He flung out his arm, stopping her in her tracks. He stood still, squinting in the distance. He thought he heard…yes! He blinked and saw a streak of yellow light followed by more shouting.

"That's Barry," Sage informed.

He'd figured that out but kept his comment to himself. He motioned for her to stay where she was as he approached. Barry was standing over someone, yelling at them. Oliver recognized Iris. Her words towards Barry held him where he was, hitting him in a nerve he thought he had covered. Here Barry was, running on some sort of rampage but she still believed in him, believed in the Flash. Just like Barry still believed in him after all that was said against him. He briefly closed his eyes and felt his muscles tense up as they always did whenever he was about to get into a fight. He grabbed one of his trick arrows, a bola arrow, and shot it before Barry could hurt the guy on the ground.

"Iris, run," Sage ordered, doing her best to alter her voice Olive noted. She ended up sounding like a woman deepening her voice to try and emulate a man. He made a mental note to speak to Barry and his team about how a secret identity works.

Iris hesitated. "How…how do you know my name?"

"…I read your blog, just go. We'll handle this."

Iris didn't move, surveying the scene. Only when Olive grunted a deep "Run" command did she take off. The other guy wasn't far behind, moving at a slower pace due to a limp. "You need to calm down," Oliver told him. There were a few things he expected as a response but being taken for a ride wasn't one of them. Before he could blink his feet were yanked off the ground and he traveled through the city on his stomach. Rocks and other debris snagged against his Kevlar as he was dragged behind Barry, only stopping when Barry gave his cable a hard yank.

Barry began to advance, taking long confident strides. His gait was stopped short when Sage, skidded around the corner, surged forward, and slammed into Barry's back, knocking him over. "Woops. Didn't mean to do that," she mumbled, scrambling to keep her balance. "Oh well. Now, Barry, hold still. This may get a little cold." She extended her hands, snowflakes appearing near the palms once more as she advanced.

"Stay out of my way!" Barry shouted. He used his speed to pop up from the ground. Sage flinched, giving him enough time to send a hard kick to her stomach. Her grunt from hitting a nearby wall soon followed and Oliver grabbed two more trick arrows.

Barry turned around, continuing his beeline for Oliver. He shot the two arrows and they struck a dumpster behind him. He could see the condescension in Barry's eyes as he mocked Oliver's aim, right before the trick arrows detonated. With Barry stunned and on the ground, Oliver took the opportunity to circle around him and shoot him with a tranquilizer arrow. Sage, having gotten back to her feet, followed up Oliver's attack with ice beams pointed at his knee and feet, binding him down to the cement.

"Barry, cool it!" Sage ordered.

"Please tell me you don't always speak in puns," Oliver muttered.

"That one was unfortunate. What was that stuff?"

"2000mg of horse tranquilizer."

"Damn."

Damn indeed, though her utter was premature as Barry's body began to vibrate. Before their eyes he cracked the ice around his legs, the shattered pieces falling to the ground and scattering in different directions. He got to his feet, yanking the arrow from his shoulder and vibrated again. Green wisps floated from his body and rose into the cool night air. Barry turned to face them, smirking at their identical looks of pure 'oh shit' dread.

He took care of Sage first, throwing rapid punches her way. She did her best to keep up, firing ice blasts whenever she could. She was fast but he was faster. He landed a punch across her face, making her stagger before he grabbed her, ran, and slammed her into a wall, making her crumple to a heap. With her out of the way he turned his attention back to Oliver, circling him until Oliver tried to escape with a grappling bow but Barry stopped that idea in his tracks. Once back on the ground the two stared at one another.

"Is that all you got?" Barry taunted.

Oliver gave a little shake of his head. He'd been holding back, not wanting to hurt Barry but now he saw that he'd have to be a little bit tougher on him. Barry rushed at him and, despite him having speed on his side, Oliver could still hold his own; predicting the strikes that Barry would send his way. Oliver began to have the upperhand, that is until a punch straight to Barry's face pushed him over the edge. He rained punches and kicks down on Oliver, coming in such rapid succession that he couldn't get his arms up high enough to fight back. He was a sitting duck.

A hard punch to Oliver's face sent him straight to the ground. He landed with a hard thud, rolling over until he came to a complete stop. "Man, this is just too easy," Barry sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Big bad Oliver Queen; saves Starling City on a daily basis but can't even stop a metahuman. How pathetic. If only you were as fast as me, you might even stand a chance. You know, I don't get why so many people find you so interesting. Why does everyone like you, huh? Why does everyone chase after you like you're some saint? Felicity, Sage, Iris…you're not worth the admiration. You're not worth the praise. You're not worth—"

Thunk! Barry's words cut off as something smashed against the back of his head. He whirled around to see Sage tossing and catching a snowball in her hand. A dried smear of blood sat below her nose and a cut split her lower lip. A fire burned in her eyes as she gritted her teeth. "You're not exactly one to make comments right now," she pointed out.

"You just don't know when to quit don't you?"

She shrugged. "I'll quit once I've destroyed you." She lobbed another snowball at him. He dodged it but it was enough time for he to skate forward and send a kick to his chest. "Bette was right, you need to be removed. You're in the way. In my way. And I can't take it anymore." She lifted her hands to fire off another ice blast only to falter when nothing happened. "Fuck! Why do you have to stop working now?" she growled, curling her fingers inwards. She didn't let the temporary setback stop her; instead she swung at him. He easily blocked it and soon they were locked in a fist-to-fist fight. Her movements were graceful with dance elements thrown in—high kicks, splits, and kip-ups—but she left herself wide open allowing Barry to land plenty of hits.

"Can't stand it when the attention isn't on you, huh?" Barry grunted, grabbing her ankle. He gave it a sharp twist, sending her to the ground with a thud.

"How would you know?" Sage strained, using her legs to knock him off balance. She jumped back to her feet and gave him a good kick to the side. "You have everyone wrapped around your finger. Especially Iris and Joe. They're my family, not yours! You'll never belong!"

Barry zoomed away from her other kick only to grab her and throw her down to the ground. She steadily got to her feet but he noted the slight sway to her body on her way up. "And yet you take them for granted. I'd never do that. You see, I don't go around playing the victim. I'm not self-centered and act like the world owes me some favor. I'm not the one who stomps their feet like a child when things don't go their way."

The two raced for one another only to stop inches away when the sound of clapping echoed in the alleyway. They turned their blazing eyes over to Bivolo who took slow steps until he was standing only a few feet away. "Wow. Didn't see how well this was going to go but even I have to say I'm impressed with myself," he mused aloud. "I'm loving this outcome. I wish I had the foresight to get popcorn. Foresight. Get it?" He laughed at his own joke.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something there?" Sage growled, turning away from Barry. This guy was going to pay for getting in her way. Barry could wait for now. Utilizing her new boots, she skated over to Bivolo, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and slammed him into the ground. She repeatedly shook him by the collar, making his head lift and slam against the hard ground beneath him. But through it all he kept a smile on his face which resorted in her punching him across the face over and over again, until blood filled the cracks between his teeth and made her glove slippery. And yet, though it all, he kept laughing.

"Are you angry enough?" Bivolo taunted, looking her in the eye. "How about some more?"

"Why don't you mind your own business?" Sage demanded.

As Bivolo's eyes began to light up Sage felt a peculiar prickling sensation behind hers. Though it wasn't the same as the crying sort, that prickling burned. This one felt more like the icy winds on a snowy day brushing past her face. She closed her eyes, feeling the pressure build. Only when it felt as if flames burst inside her skull, she opened them and beams shot out, hitting Bivolo straight in his own eyes. His screams were drowned out by the blood rushing in her ears. The ice beams stopped when she shut her eyes and blinked rapidly, letting go of him. She briefly saw a layer of ice stretched across the eye region of his face, sloping over the arch of his nose as she got to her feet. "Now, Flash, where were we?"

But her question went unanswered for, at that moment, an arrow shot into her shoulder causing her to stagger forward. She reached back and grasped the arrow, bringing it over her shoulder as she felt all of her energy drain from her body. Her arms fell limp, the arrow clacked against the ground, and she crumpled in a heap.

"Ha, too slow to see that coming?" Barry taunted, standing over her. A second later he stood, turned, and grabbed two arrows that were shot at him. "Fool me once!"

His boasting was short lived as Oliver threw a knife at him and it sunk into his calf. It harmed Barry enough for him to fall to his knee but he got right back up to face Oliver. He threw a punch, of which Oliver caught, and turned him around, disarming him to allow Joe and Harrison to slip in with their van and flash colors in his face to reverse Bivolo's effect.

Barry swayed, nearly falling to his knees but Oliver grabbed him and kept him on his feet. "You okay?" he asked, his voice losing its gruffness.

"Yeah," Barry wheezed, "yeah. Just…feel like I've been run over by a truck." He laughed a little bit but his smile disappeared a second later. "Oliver…I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Barry," Oliver sighed, "you're not the first to crack under this…vigilante pressure." His attention shifted from his injured friend and over to Joe who was kneeling by Sage's still body. He could almost feel the waves of anger and concern radiating off of his body.

"What did you do to her?" Joe demanded.

"Knocked her out," Oliver replied, straight to the point. There was no sense in making Joe anymore angry with him by beating around the bush. "With a tranquilizer. She's fine; she'll come around in about a half hour."

"Don't be mad with him, Joe, she was…unstable," Barry told him, limping over.

"So were you," Joe pointed out. "You both were whammied."

"Yeah, but hers wore off faster than mine and she wasn't hit by red but green."

"Green? What's green?"

"Envy," Harrison supplied. He eased himself out of the passenger seat of the van and into his wheelchair. Once situated, he propelled himself forward, coming to a rest a few feet away with his palms folded on his stomach. "Envy is a…powerful emotion. It can turn even the meekest sort into a monster, something so despicable that it fills the resulting empty spaces with shame. Y'see, with envy, it's not just the one emotion. Envy is influenced by…resentment, betrayal, anger, sadness, a plethora of things that twists and contorts until 'the green-eyed monster' lets loose."

"Dr. Wells, did you see what she did to Bivolo?" Barry asked, motioning to the metahuman that lay still on the ground nearby. "If Oliver hadn't stopped her who knows what she would've done to me. And I don't think Bivolo has anything to do with it. She's been…weird."

"Weird how?" Oliver spoke up, his words sharp.

"Let's get back to S.T.A.R. Labs and discuss it there, huh?" Joe asked while lifting Sage into his arms. "Don't want this one to get away." He used his head to motion towards Bivolo. "Who knows what else he can do?"

# # #

Harrison reclined in his chair, his fingers laced behind his head and one leg crossed over the other. A twinkle lay in his eye and a smile so wide sat upon his face he could have caught flies. It was a fate he would have welcomed, along with a tall glass of champagne to celebrate with but that would be going overboard a tad. No, that could wait until everything came to fruition and he had Barry Allen on his knees. Instead, this would do. The sight of his little friend banging against the glass of the pipeline, screaming like a caged animal to be let out filled him with unbridled glee.

He couldn't have dreamed this up; everything was coming together so swimmingly! A little on the slow side for his taste but he's waited nearly fifteen years to get this far, he could wait a little longer. And things were finally starting to get interesting! The Arrow showing up threw a little wrench in his plans but then everything got right back on course.

And he hardly had to lift a finger. Sure, it took him some time to track down the Mirakuru and the Vitura but that was the beauty of having time travel on his side, he just had to think back about past events and obtain them in different ways. He made a mental note to thank Malcolm Merlyn sometime.

Harrison leaned forward, reaching out to his keyboard to hit a button to turn the sound on one of the video projections on his computer. A second later the loud, screams of Sage's rage reached his ears accompanied with her pounding her hands on the glass of her Pipeline cell, "Barry Allen, I swear to God if you don't get me out of here! Let. Me. Out! Barry! Barry! Where do you get off putting me in here? You'll pay for this! You hear me? Barry! You'll regret putting—" Harrison pressed the button again, cutting off her rant. They all had assumed after Oliver's tranquilizer wore off she'd be groggy and placid but, much to Harrison's joy, her rage picked up right where it left off. That was perfectly fine with him, the more strained their ties became the better.

He sat up straighter in his chair as his attention shifted over to another video projection, this one of Oliver and Barry speaking to one another in a random room. A brief frown pulled the joy off of Harrison's face as his eyes narrowed. He all but jabbed at a button to turn on the sound in their conversation.

"Sorry you came all the way out here for nothing," Barry said.

"It wasn't entirely for nothing," Oliver replied. "As I've said to you before, it pays to case every location and gather intel on our enemies. Now, in the case that something should happen to repeat this…interesting night, I'll know how to take you down."

Barry rolled his eyes. "You got lucky. I was just going easy on you."

Oliver lifted an eyebrow. "I was going easy on you. You may have the speed on your side but your moves are predictable."

"Oh yeah? Is that why I kicked your ass?" Barry asked, cracking a smile.

"Barry, I stopped you if you've forgotten."

"You caught me by surprise. You got lucky." Oliver slowly shook his head as Barry laughed. His smile slowly slid from his face as his body seemed to wilt along with his sigh. "I know you came to get some information on Digger Harkness. I only wish we could have been more help."

"It was a long shot; we knew that going into this. Better to take the risks than not try," Oliver stated. "Besides, should any of your"—Oliver pulled a face as if he were having difficulty uttering his words—"metahumans arrive in Starling City, I believe we can handle any situation that arises."

Barry studied him. "Why do I get the feeling that you're about to drop some bad news?"

Oliver grunted and took some time before he responded. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and sighed. "Barry, you have to keep your friends close. What we do…it doesn't get easier. It gets harder, tougher. The stakes will only rise from here and if you're not careful, if you let too much darkness in…all of this will be for nothing. What you do will be for nothing." He paused; his eyes turning to the ceiling as if what he was going to say next was written there and then locked eyes with Barry again. "I know you're trying to find the man that killed your mother. But don't let this mission blind you, don't forget that you have others to fall back on. Don't take them for granted. …And don't make the same mistakes I did. You can do better than me, Barry. Be better in a way that I can never achieve."

"Ugh," Harrison grunted, turning off the sound. He almost puked all over his keyboard. Since when was Oliver Queen so uplifting? What made him so fun to watch was how dark he was, how…how lost he was. What was the point if Barry fucking Allen was going to turn him around? Someone had to take care of the Man in Green. He heaved a sigh, it seemed as if it was going to have to take care of everything around here.

But Barry Allen came first. He had already cut one string; killing his mother was an accident, it was the little Barry he was going really going for but that ended up being a blessing in disguise. Now, thanks to Bivolo, another chord was steadily being severed: that of Barry's personal life. Iris was beginning to be disillusioned; the police force not only saw him as a competitor but a threat, and Sage…. Well, she was already frustrated with him, of which Harrison took full responsibility for, buffing his fingers on his shirt. Just one little shove over the edge by her and that thread would be cut completely and Barry's little island of support would get weaker.

His yellow inclined self would be greatly satisfied in the meantime; Barry wasn't crushed beneath his boot but that would be enough for now.

Harrison's eyes jumped up from the screen in front of him to the doorway where Oliver had appeared. He eased away from the computer; the last thing he wanted was for a reflection to appear on his glasses. Harrison's eyebrow quirked. "Yes, Mr. Queen?"

"I'm looking for Caitlin," Oliver replied.

"Four doors on your right," Harrison replied, tilting his head in the direction for Oliver to take. "This isn't anything like your lair, I presume. Find anything interesting?"

Oliver briefly squinted at Harrison before adopting a stoic expression. "The entire place is…interesting," he said evenly before walking off.

In the hall Oliver looked back over his shoulder at the office Harrison was holed up in and shook his head. The hair on his arms had stood up beneath his suit all because of the way Dr. Wells was looking at him. Something was off about the man, he could feel it in the air but he couldn't pinpoint what it was.

His silent inquiries fell to the wayside once he finally found Caitlin. She, too, was sitting behind a computer screen but she didn't look as tense as Dr. Wells did. She was more relaxed, in a world weary sort of way. He knocked on the doorframe and she looked up at the sound, straightening up as he stepped into the room.

"I'm not interrupting you, am I?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I was just going over the, uh, hospital data that Joe secured for me. We used it to see what effect Bivolo's abilities had on his victims," Caitlin explained, turning the screen for him to see. Oliver barely glanced at it. Caitlin turned the computer back around and then looked past him. "Where's Barry?"

"He, Cisco, and Detective West are checking on Sage."

"Felicity and Diggle?"

"Getting some food." Oliver cleared his throat. "Listen, I need you to do me…a favor."

Caitlin's eyebrows rose. "Oh? What can I do for you?"

"I need you to take a blood sample," Oliver replied, getting straight to the point, "from Sage. I have…let's call it a hunch. Something is off. I just want to be sure. Before someone gets hurt."

"Barry?" Caitlin asked.

"All of you," Oliver replied.

A/N - And here's the second part! What did you think of the Flash vs Arrow vs Shiver fight? Her abilities are escalating faster than anyone can anticipate. Locking Sage in the Pipeline afterwards to quell her rage, let's see how good of an idea that is at the end of the line :). Okay, I won't let this author's note get as long as the last one so please, tell me what you thought! I can't wait for you all to see what I have in store for the next few chapters! Let's just say the holiday season will be one the gang won't ever forget; relatives tend to leave a lasting impression don't they? :P

Review replies:

Ethan - I agree what Joe and Oliver do what it takes to protect the city but where I disagree is the lengths they go to fit that mantra. Joe tends to rely on the law to help with that whereas Oliver doesn't have a problem with killing those without a second thought to stop them. As a police officer I do understand that there are times where they have to make the decision to stop any danger by using force if necessary but he would try to diffuse a situation before it gets to that point. That was Sage and Oliver's first meeting, I had mentioned that Sage told Oliver her name when Barry was dragging her away but with you pointing out your confusion I could have made it clearer. At the end of the day, she just needs someone to really believe in her and while Barry does he's still hesitant of her being in his world since he doesn't want his family hurt, as for S.T.A.R. Labs, well, they're following Wells's chain of command and he has his own reasons for doing what he's doing. Thanks for the review!

Crimson Comet - You were so close! Green meant envy. Jealousy and envy are similar emotions though jealousy is more fear of someone taking what you already have and envy is wanting what someone else has. In this case, Sage wants Barry's support system and sense of purpose. Now, how she goes about getting them is the question. Thanks for your review!