Speed Dial

[run_barry]

Initially Barry is pretty bummed when Cisco and Caitlin head off to Starling City and he has to hang behind. With a backlog of work and no vacation days left to speak of, Barry stays in Central City while they go ahead.

He's up in his lab working through another banker's box worth of busy work Captain Singh shoved on him when his phone rings.

It's Caitlin, and apparently there is a situation going down at A.R.G.U.S. It's the boomerang guy Oliver and his team have been hunting and both Diggle and Lyla are there while A.R.G.U.S. is under attack.

Decades old rap sheets can certainly wait and Barry leaves in a rush.

He arrives as the Flash just in time. It takes less than a second to take in the scene, but that's all that the Flash needs to tell things are bad. Diggle and Lyla are pinned down, there are dead A.R.G.U.S. agents on the ground, Oliver's partner Speedy is out of the fight and the boomerang assassin is about to slice and dice the Arrow with a pair of lethal looking boomerangs which are already in mid-flight.

It's a little tricky but Barry manages, snagging the boomerangs out of the air to save Oliver, then whooshing out of the way to let Oliver take on the bad guy. Oliver doesn't get the chance though as the assassin makes a flash bang exit and gets away.

Figuring it's better to let Oliver and Diggle sort things out with Lyla, Barry heads out.

It's about time he gets to see the improvements Team Arrow has made on the Arrowcave since the last time Barry was in town.

*****

Team Arrow's digs are even more awesome than they were before and Barry takes the chance to check things out with Cisco and GP and try some of Oliver's equipment.

As excited as Barry is to be back with his friends again, Felicity seems a little reluctant about them being there.

"I'm not sure she should have called you," Felicity says about Caitlin's emergency dial-in to Barry. "Oliver doesn't play well with others."

Cisco puts in an argument that the last team-up against Prism went great and the situation tonight has Barry fully confident that Felicity is worried for nothing.

"The dude was tossing around exploding boomerangs," Barry says, certain that's not a sentence that gets said a lot. "They needed some back-up."

And Barry needs something to eat. Figuring there's time before Oliver and the others arrive he speeds off to grab some dinner.

He gets back just as Oliver, Diggle and Lyla are arriving and Barry claims a rolling chair for himself as he prepares to dig into some sushi. Preoccupied with eating, Barry doesn't think anything about taking off his mask and doesn't even notice Lyla's stunned expression from across the room.

Caitlin is the one who speaks up, chiding Barry, "Hey! Secret identity?"

Barry waves her off, using chopsticks to point between Diggle and Lyla, "They're married."

That gets an instant response from both Diggle and Lyla who speak up in unison to proclaim, "We're not married."

Barry amends his statement, keeping the same argument, "Or together. Whatever. He told her about me."

Diggle gives Barry a disapproving head shake and Barry shrinks a little.

"You didn't?"

"I keep secrets for a living, man," Diggle replies and Barry realises that he's slipped up.

"Ah. My bad," Barry says contritely.

GP leaves Cisco's shoulder to come over and squawk for sushi and Barry hands over a piece while Lyla tries to grasp the situation.

"You're--you're-- " she says, to which Barry nods and finishes her sentence for her.

"The Flash," he confirms, then offers brightly, "Sushi?"

Lyla looks at GP who is scarfing down a sushi roll and shakes her head to decline.

Introductions made, Oliver takes over and drags things back to business.

"We need a location on the man who's after Lyla," he says in his clipped voice. "His name is Digger Harkness."

Eager to help and get things going Barry jumps in with the most obvious place to start.

"The first step is to work the evidence-- " he says, not getting any further than that before Oliver interrupts.

"Barry, can I speak to you for a moment, please?" Oliver asks, making the question a non-request as he steps away from the group and Barry is left no choice but to follow him.

"I appreciate your help back at A.R.G.U.S., but we have this handled," Oliver says, which is disappointing for Barry to hear.

"You don't want to team up again?" Barry asks, searching Oliver's expression for a reason why.

"Things work differently here," Oliver tries to explain. "Starling City is meaner."

Barry shakes his head to that, and instead of arguing he points out, "I seem to remember helping you pretty good last year, and that was without powers."

Trying to make his case, Barry goes on, "I've been practicing everything you taught me. I'm casing new environments; I'm not running in blind."

Oliver holds his ground for a moment before giving a resigned sigh.

"We do this my way," he says firmly.

Oliver might still be stern faced, but Barry breaks out a grin.

"Yes! This is going to be awesome."


[ooc: dialogue taken from Arrow 3.8: The Brave and the Bold]