Red Herring

[run_barry]

Things are weird with Oliver, but Barry's trip to Milliways has helped him deal with the situation a bit and, with Harkness still on the loose, Barry doesn't hesitate to rejoin Oliver back out on the streets of Starling City as the team tracks down their bad guy.

Cisco and the guys in the van pinpoint a location and Barry and Oliver race there.

Arriving ahead of Oliver, Barry takes in the scene.

Bunch of mean looking dudes, all probably armed, and in a setting that could explode quickly.

Zipping around the room to dispatch each one before any of them have a chance to draw a weapon or leave their seats, Barry tells himself he's doing it to avoid a big messy fight, not because he's saving these guys from what Oliver might do to them when he arrives.

Everyone is tied up and either unconscious or at least subdued by the time Oliver arrives, bow drawn, and Barry is pretty proud of himself. He can't help ribbing Oliver just a little with a teasing, "You're late."

To Barry's surprise Oliver points the bow at him and Barry twists sideways as Oliver fires and the arrow goes whistling past.

Behind Barry a man lets out a pained shout and hits the ground and Barry turns around to look at him.

"I knew he was there," Barry says lamely to Oliver who doesn't actually roll his eyes, but still gives the general impression of doing it.

Barry doesn't necessarily want to ask, but he has to ask and does. "He's not dead… right?"

"Tranq arrow. Same thing I used on you in Central City," Oliver replies.

Barry winces for the guy, but better that than being run through with an actual arrow and so Barry moves on.

Oliver puts up his bow and starts picking his way through the downed men in the room just as Diggle and Roy arrive to join them.

"Cisco has the van running," Diggle says, surveying the room.

"I see you met Harkness' hired muscle," Roy notes, toeing one of the unconscious men with his boot.

"Harkness isn't here," Oliver growls. Zeroing in on a man, Oliver barks, "Hey! Where's Digger Harkness?"

"Never met 'em," the man snorts at the costumed heroes, then holds up a cell phone held between his zip-tied hands, "but he paid us 10 G's to give you this."

Diggle sighs and says, "Ten'll get you twenty this belongs to Harkness."

"What does that mean?" Roy asks, but Barry already knows.

With images of Oliver's earlier 'interrogation' playing in the back of his mind, Barry looks up at Oliver and shakes his head while answering Roy's question, "That Harkness played you."

As bad as things are in that moment, they get much worse in the next.

Harkness isn't here, and a frantic call from the bunker lets the team know that he's tracked Lyla there.

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