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Haylee had been walking around this strange place for what felt like hours but was only a few minutes. "Hello!" Haylee called out with her hands cupped over her mouth. Her voice echoed through the wide environment, she smiled at the echo but quickly frowned realising she had no clue how to escape the new place. "Oh, shit..." Haylee whimpered as she looked around with a sigh. Her heart was pounding within her ears as she continued walking, she looked around in hopes to find anything.

A sudden rumble gained her attention before the walls, floor and ceiling changed from a grid pattern to binary numbers. "I know you..." A robotic voice sounded throughout the room, Haylee turned to it with wide eyes, standing before her was a human form of binary coding. "Uh, this is so weird..." Haylee mumbled before the AI before her took form, the human look startling Haylee. "You are my master, Haylee," The voice spoke with a smile.

"Your master?" Haylee says with furrowed brows. "Yes. You are Haylee Brager. You purchased me from a local store in Starling City on the fifteenth of June in 2013. I was with you when you were cornered and saved by the cities vigilante Arrow," The voice spoke in a monotone voice while Haylee nodded along with the words. "Oh-kay... Well, what is your name?" Haylee asked as she looked around the strange place.

"I do not have one. You are yet to name me... Unless my name is a piece of crap, which is what you called me last Thursday at 3 am when you were watching makeup tutorials online and the videos were buffering. I do apologise that is not in my control," The voice expressed while Haylee stared at her with wide eyes. "Uh, that... Let's forget about that..." Haylee trailed off before clearing her throat, "Let's call you... Lavera. What is this place?"

Lavera nodded with a polite smile, "I do thoroughly enjoy that name, and this is called the Eon Realm. Thank you, master." Haylee coughed before shaking her head, "It's 2014... Let's not do the master thing... We are friends." Lavera furrowed her AI brows before nodding. "I understand, friend," Lavera replied with a smile. "So, uh, how do I get out of here?" Haylee asked with a slow breath. "I assume that you must accept your power... It's what Athena did in that novel you read," Lavera replied.

Haylee closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, she began to overthink in an attempt to force the power to flow through her but nothing happened. Haylee huffed in annoyance before looking up at Lavera who was staring down at her hands. "Why is acceptance so difficult?" Haylee whined out. "Well, according to many studies, any form of acceptance is meant to be difficult. It is a metaphoric mountain that one must climb in order to find their true selves," Lavera answered.

Haylee rested her hands on her hips and stared at Lavera. "That was oddly deep," Haylee muttered before running her fingers through her hair. The distant echo of Ben E. King singing Stand By Me caught Haylee's attention, her eyes widened as she looked around. "Oh... That's Barry calling me! And I'm stuck in here... How do I get back? What if it's an emergency!?" Haylee began to hyperventilate as she panicked. Lavera watched her closely as electricity began to zap over her body.

"What if someone is hurt? I can't be stuck here! No offence, Lavera..." Haylee turned to the AI who shrugged. "Perhaps your abilities are tied to your emotions," Lavera explained as she motioned towards the flowing electricity. Haylee looked down in shock as she raised her arms watching the electric current flow down to her hands, she closed her eyes and took in deep breaths before opening them again to see the electricity fading into nothing. "This is gonna be tiring, but science has many outcomes. Let's get to work!" Haylee smiled at Lavera.

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"This is never gonna work..." Haylee breathed out as she lay on the ground staring up at the ceiling, she had spent almost two hours - according to Lavera - trying to control the electricity and form a ball of energy in her hand. "You seem to misunderstand the information about your emotions controlling your power, plus you are yet to accept the power," Lavera explained, still standing in the same place she was earlier.

"I do understand the emotions part... but accepting the power. I've accepted I'm a metahuman, I think it's awesome but to actually accept the power... I just..." Haylee trailed off as she sat up and looked at Lavera. "How could I do that?" Haylee asked the AI with a frown on her face. "Maybe... Accepting the power is about accepting that it's more than just a weapon in battle," Lavera explained before flickering. "What's wrong?" Haylee asked.

Lavera smiled, "It seems that I am running low on power." Haylee facepalmed. "Of course, the one time I leave my laptop off charge, I'm trapped in it with a potential chance of being completely stuck," Haylee whined before standing up. She began pacing as Lavera watched her before researching and studying. Haylee turned in time for Lavera to kick her in the side sending her to the ground. "Ouch!" Haylee held her side as she looked at the AI.

"You are thinking too much. You need to let it happen naturally," Lavera explained as Haylee stood back up. "Fine," Haylee rolled her shoulders before running forward and throwing a punch towards Lavera, the AI dodged the hit and threw a punch into Haylee's side. Haylee groaned before stumbling back, she shook her head before roundhouse kicking Lavera, the AI stumbled back from her. Haylee rushed forward again in an attempt to kick Lavera down again, but instead, she is sent to the ground.

"I thought you were trained by Oliver Queen? Shouldn't you be a better fighter?" Lavera asked with a genuinely confused tone. "I can't... That side of me, I pushed away..." Haylee trailed off trying her hardest not to let those memories flash through her mind. "I see. Perhaps, that is the part you must accept," Lavera offered. Haylee looked down as she closed her eyes, the phantom ache in her right shoulder flared which she instantly began to rub in hopes to ease the pain.

"What happened that changed? Why did you return to Central City?" Lavera asked. Haylee looked up to Lavera with a sigh, a single tear trailed down her face. "You don't need to share this but maybe... you must face it," Lavera expressed. "Working with Team Arrow... The darkness of Starling City... it doesn't take long for its shadows to prey on you..." Haylee turned away from Lavera as she closed her eyes remembering that night, "It wasn't supposed to end that way..."

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Haylee was perched on the roof of the building, it was early March in 2012. She was in all black with a hood covering her face, her bow gripped tight in her hand. She was waiting for Oliver's signal, they were there to take down a powerful drug lord who allegedly worked in trafficking. Her heart was steady as she looked around to make sure no one snuck into the scene, to ensure no innocents would be harmed in the ambush.

"Raven... now!" Oliver spoke through the comms, Haylee raised her bow and nocked an arrow, letting out a quick breath she let go, sending it across the alleyway allowing her to swing from the rope into the glass window. Haylee rolled across the ground after smashing through the window, she landed on one knee, nocking an arrow and pointing at their secondary target. Oliver held his bow at their main target.

"Like I said... Who said I was alone?" Oliver asked them in his deeper tone, masking his natural voice. "As fun as this is, Arrow. Maybe we could get this over with," Haylee teased as she watched the targets closely. "Patience, Raven. They'll pay once we have what we need," Oliver turned back to the two men, "Where's the ledger?" Haylee watched closely as the secondary target kept his eyes on her, though his hand was in his pocket.

One movement was all it took, Haylee looked to Oliver who nodded and the two vigilante's rushed forward. Haylee broke into a fight with the secondary target as Oliver fought their main target. Haylee dodged the man's punch, swiping his legs before jumping back as he attempted to grab her ankle. She quickly moved to the side once he got up and rushed towards her, she kicked the back of his leg and flicked her bow to compact into a straight line.

Haylee stood behind the man and held the bow against his throat, keeping a firm grip on him as Oliver held their main target in place. "Now, about that ledger?" Oliver asked, looking between the two men. "Second drawer," The main target stuttered out. Oliver held the man as they walked to the desk, they all watched as the man pulled the USB from the drawer before handing it to Oliver.

A distant echo of gunshots sounded outside the room, Haylee and Oliver looked at each other as Haylee loosened her hold on the man. He smirked before pushing back, elbowing her in the side before kicking her to the ground. Oliver moved to help but the other guy made a run for it. "Get him Arrow! I'll be fine," Haylee turned back to her opponent, rolling her shoulders and cracking her neck. "You are so done for," Haylee whispered harshly.

They both rushed forward, Haylee threw a right hook towards him but he was quick to dodge it before attempting to kick her side, which she managed to block. The man threw a powerful punch into her left jaw before kneeing her in the stomach, Haylee doubled over as she gasped. Angered, Haylee growls under her breath before rushing towards him, she raises her fists and collides against his nose with a powerful crack.

The man instantly cringed at the pain, his nose clearly broken but before he could do anything further, Haylee charges again and kicks him harshly in the side before punching him in the stomach. She shoves him down and straddles him, laying punch after punch into him without realising her hood had fallen back revealing her face, not that she cared to notice. The man, struggling to breathe from the impacts and blood, frantically looks around in search of something to help him.

He lifts one of Haylee's arrows and shoves it into her shoulder before throwing her off of him, he twists the arrow deeper into her shoulder. "I know you..." He spoke before spitting blood to the side. Haylee kicked him off of her and jumped up, she picked up her bow, nocking an arrow before turning and letting it go. Her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her, instead of hitting the man, she had sent an arrow into a boy. The man's eyes widened as he rushed to the boy, holding him as he fell back.

"Luka!? No, why!?" The man cried out, Haylee stood frozen in place as she watched the man. "My boy?! Not my son!" The man wailed as hands grabbed Haylee's shoulders. "We need to go!" Oliver screamed before the two rushed towards the door. Haylee turned back to the man and his son, tears streaming down her face. "This isn't over, Raven!" The man bellowed as Haylee was dragged from the room by Oliver, the two disappearing into the night.

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"Ever since... I haven't been the same person," Haylee finished off her story, looking up at Lavera as tears streamed down her face. Lavera looked down as a sob left Haylee's lips, she had been holding this guilt in for so long that she needed to return home, it was her safety bubble where she could pretend it never happened but it did and nothing would ever change that. "What was his name?" Lavera asked softly. "Luka Mitchell, son of Trevor Mitchell and Martha Hartfell. He was barely twelve years old, just wanted to save his father," Haylee explained.

"Luka's death was a mistake, that boy should not have been in the room. You acted on your anger, but you've learnt to control it since. This power will not make you a villain, Haylee. It will give you the ability to save others and though you'll never truly forget the boy, you must forgive yourself," Lavera explained before resting her hand on Haylee's shoulder. "I may be an AI system powered by a laptop, but even I know that you are only hurting yourself," Lavera finished off before stepping back, moving into a fighting stance. "Now, try again!"

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Author Note
So you've learned more about Haylee's time on Team Arrow. Were you expecting that?

I almost lost this whole chapter due to losing wifi but thankfully my laptop has other apps I saved it on. So, that's good!

Random question; But where are you from? I'm interested to know.
I'm from Australia, born and raised.

-Rose <3
{2260}

Lavera AI Portrayed By Meg Donnelly