The news told of a unthinkable destruction, and for the first time in months Felicity was glad she was no longer in Starling, although from what she understood the earthquake was unusually limited solemnly to the Glades. Instantly she started to suspect foul play; a side-effect of her time in ARGUS. She now over-analyzed everything, and saw conspiracies everywhere.
The middle-age news anchor talks about a battle between two vigilantes and Felicity instantly turns up the volume. She only knew about one, the green-dressed guy the news named the Hood. He was active before she was recruited in ARGUS, dealing with filthy rich who took advantage of their position to earn even more money on the account of those who struggled to survive another day. She actually admired him.
This other one was is unknown to her.
"Information from a confidential source say the vigilante known as the Dark Archer is none other than Malcolm Merlyn. We are still waiting for comments from the police and the spokesperson of Merlyn Global regarding this claim, but so far none have responded to our questions." Felicity gaped at the woman on the screen in shock. She did not see this one coming.
Sure, she only saw Mr. Merlyn once, and from a distance, but he didn't look like someone who would dress up in black apparently, and shoot arrows at people. He was a billionaire, and she always perceived them as people who didn't like to get their hands dirty. It was so much easier to just hire someone, someone like those she was currently working with.
But not Harley.
Definitely not Harley.
The woman was smart, and could kick ass, but she was also unhinged and unpredictable. Felicity only dealt with her a couple of times, and each time the blonde did something cringe-worthy. Okay, except that one time when she channeled her inner puppy and licked Amanda Waller's cheek, from chin to eyebrow.
Several pencils were sacrificed in an attempt not to burst out in hysterical laughter.
A loud banging on the metal of her doors made the blonde jump, and lower the volume back down, "Sorry." she called out, and returned back to watching the news, not at all surprised she didn't get a response.
When the report switched to weather broadcast she turned the TV off and picked up a book that was tossed carelessly aside previously and sighed.
This was her life now.
Orange jumpsuit, identical to the ones people wore in Iron Heights did nothing to ease the feeling of being a prisoner, rather than an asset as the director always refereed her as. Her once well-maintained blonde hair was now a mixture of washed-out dye and her natural brown tresses, and one of these days she would grab the first pair of scissors she can find and simply cut it off. That is unless she is shot down first by some agent who thinks she plans to use them as a weapon and stab someone; namely Waller.
A few hours here and there on a computer, under high surveillance, and then this tiny room that was basically a glorified cell somewhere in the bowels of an ARGUS facility. And all because Amanda Waller couldn't get the person she wanted.
The Calculator.
The man that abandoned Donna and Felicity Smoak over fifteen years ago, and never looked back. Never contacted them, never offered to help out his ex with raising their only daughter, instead he left Donna to struggle alone with a child that had big dreams.
And look where those dreams led her.
Instead of reading Felicity dropped the book on the floor, heard it hit the hard concrete with a thud, and stretched on the uncomfortable cot. There were so many thoughts, so many questions, swirling inside her mind right now and she wondered briefly is she'll ever get the answers to them.
She stretched again before rolling on her side, so that she was facing the gray wall, Felicity reached down and pulled the blanket over her body. It was only a matter of minutes now.
Somewhere down the hallway a guard pressed a switch and all the rooms were thrown into darkness at the same time, and the lights in the hallway changed from regular white to eery red.
This was her life now.
Life as a member of ARGUS' Task Force X.
They traveled in a military airplane, one of those big bulky ones made for transporting cargo. Felicity didn't know its designation, and she honestly didn't care. All she cared about was finally landing in Markovia, cause she was actually given coffee when she pointed out it was a middle of a night and she worked late the evening before, tracking down some hacker that called himself Brother Eye, and therefore didn't get any sleep. Lyla, the handler of the squad, handed her a paper cup of a crappy coffee, and Felicity thanked the woman. It tasted horrible, but it did the trick.
Unfortunately, it did another trick, and now Felicity really needed to use the bathroom. But cargo planes don't actually have them.
A man sitting opposite of her smiled at her after noticing she was constantly shifting in her designated seat. He looked vaguely familiar, like she had seen him before, but she couldn't place him. He wasn't involved in any of her previous missions, and Felicity briefly wondered if he was ARGUS too, but then pushed the question at the back of her mind. It didn't matter. Not to her and not for the mission.
Next to her Shrapnel apparently started to suffer from restless leg syndrome, and was driving her crazy. He was usually calm and collected when they were on their way to a mission, focused on the plan. Today he was frazzled, and Felicity started to suspect he would try and make a run for it.
Fool. There was no way to leave ARGUS and this team. Not unless she allows it, and they all knew that would never happen. Not to them.
"I do hope you haven't lost your touch, Mr Diggle." Waller said suddenly, interrupting the silence that rules the large area of the plane's belly, "It's been a while since you've been undercover."
"I got in and out of a Gulag, I can handle one ARGUS mission." the man opposite of Felicity responded, and she stored his name for later. It was useful to know these kind of things, even though she wouldn't have the opportunity to use that knowledge anyway. She was always monitored, and she doubted Mr Diggle would agree to spring a complete stranger from a government agency he worked with.
They only had six hours to prepare everything, but that was more then enough for a well oiled machine that they became. The techs were setting up her station and preparing for any possible problem the teams A and B could come across. There were contingencies for everything. That was how ARGUS operates.
The only little hitch happened when Amanda Waller entered the main area and towered over Felicity. Instantly everyone moved out of the room to give them privacy.
"You want to make an adjustment on the getaway car." Waller said coldly, "Why?"
"Just in case."
"There is no time for that." was the cold response Felicity received, and just as the older woman turned around to leave the next words out of the blonde's mouth made her pause.
"So we're repeating Budapest with China White then?"
The glare Felicity received was pretty chilling, and moments later she was informed one of the techs will make requested adjustment, before the doors slammed leaving the hacker alone in the room full of computers. She looked around and sighed, such an opportunity but no time.
That was proven when the doors opened again and the techs entered back inside, giving her looks that varied between curious and suspicious. She ignored them all and continued to tinker with a piece of technology that was the most crucial for this mission.
Floyd Lawton watched the figures through the scope of his high power riffle move through the art gallery. Such a boring gathering, a bunch of people who considered themselves more important than they were, looking at overpriced paintings that looked like a child projectile vomited on a canvas, or sculptures that might have once been a piece of clay that went through a washer and dryer before someone placed a tag on them and a price that had as many digits as a phone number in some Balkan countries.
His intended target was one of them, a philanthropist named Gholem Qadir, who carried his mask well. No one in his inner circle knew he was in fact a terrorist.
Lawton flexed his trigger finger. There won't be another name added on his skin after today. There was a plan and he needed to stick to it, otherwise who knew what that psycho Waller would have do to him. Or worse.
What she would order to happen to his little girl.
The comm in his ear activated and he heard the voice that guided them through missions since the Suicide Squad was created.
"Freelancer has a visual on the target and is moving closer. Deadshot, stand by for clearance."
"Copy that, Overwatch." he muttered back, the cold wind that blew not interfering with the communication system they were using. He heard a rumor that the girl herself designed it after being brought to ARGUS, but he never learned the truth. He didn't care about the truth.
Through the scope he saw Qadir approaching his old acquaintance John Diggle and grinned. It would be so easy to pull the trigger and end his miserable life. But orders were orders, even for someone like him.
"Contact achieved. Fire when ready."
Lawton almost snorted. He wasn't called Deadshot for nothing. He was always ready.
He vaguely heard the sound of glass panel shattering at impact and grinned. His shot was clean, the bullet landing straight into the pillar two inches away from target's head. Close enough to cause fear, but far enough for the bastard to remain alive.
"I hadn't missed a mark since Unidac auction." he muttered under his breath.
Seconds later through the comm unit in his ear he heard a confused, "Pardon?"
"Mission complete. Is the car ready?" the rifle in his hands was already separated in several smaller pieces for easier transport and inside a battered old backpack that hopefully won't fall apart in the middle of the street and spill it's content for everyone to see.
Although it would be rather fun to see how Waller would react to that, which cover story she would weave for the Markovian government.
"Shrapnel is in designated location. Use right staircase to go down, witnesses on left."
There was absolutely no way the police was moving in on his position so fast. They didn't even arrived at the gallery yet, so they had no idea where the shot was fired from. And considering the state of police force in Markovia that won't happen for at least 20 minutes. But he was a curious bastard.
"Nature of witnesses?"
"A guy banging some chick. Wonder where she got those shoes?"
The comm was suddenly cut off and Floyd Lawton actually started to laugh. Overwatch was a unique and didn't belong with them. There was a childlike innocence in her that the rest of them lost years ago with their first kill. The blonde was no killer.
And she proved that when the Shrapnel tried to make a run for it. Instead of an explosion he expected, instead of Waller ordering the chip in his head to be detonated, the car simply died in the middle of an intersection. It was the opportunity he needed to jump in.
"I'm in." he informed the base before turning to look at the man sitting behind the wheel. This was strike one for him. And there was no way in hell Waller would go to strike three before he was out.
He should count his blessings and never do something so stupid again.
"I could have made it. Once I'm out of the range of the transmitter I'm free." Mark Scheffer was an excellent bomb maker, knew them better then an regular bomber. But he underestimated ARGUS.
"The chips are tracked via satellite." Amanda Waller was feeling unusually generous and revealed them that little detail, and at the same time informed them there is no such thing as 'out of range'. Not for her, "Get back to base. You have 15 minutes."
Felicity looked up when the doors opened and a member of Suicide Squad entered, a small testing tube in his hand. Waller informed her she was counting on Felicity to ensure the fingerprint is flawless. The entire mission is relying on Deadshot entering the mansion without a problem.
This wasn't her specialty, but she was the biggest perfectionist in the team. No one really cared about the seemingly irrelevant details like she did.
Lawton placed the test tube into a plastic holder next to a few empty ones and picked up a small plastic container with a piece of technology, the size of a fingernail, inside. It seemed harmless, like a piece of a bigger thing. But it wasn't.
If he knew one thing about the girl in front of him is that she knew how to build tech like no other. She proved that after repairing, and even enhancing, the eyepiece he once got from White China. It could now perform a neat trick of revealing the lasers used as security features by the guys and organizations they were after. He didn't doubt Qadir had a trick like that one guarding the vat.
"This the locator?" he asked, and the blue eyes landed on him for a moment before Felicity got back to work. She nodded in response and he returned it where he found it. Waller didn't like them handling things before mission.
He just turned to leave when Felicity finally spoke. She was arguing with herself if she should ask or not, they weren't friends and didn't talk to each other, and Waller preferred it that way, but she was curious.
"You mentioned Unidac auction. That was your job?"
A single eyes focused on the blonde, but she remained firmly focused on the task in front of her, ignoring the gaze at the back of her head.
After a few moments he responded, "Yeah. Simple thing of getting rid of the competition."
"Did it work?" Felicity asked, despite knowing that no one died that night. Although Walter Steel almost did. The red dot was on his chest, or so she read in the police report, before his stepson pushed him aside.
"Nah, the Hood got his hands on the laptop my contractor gave me and figured out my plan. Probably found the blueprint of the building and connected the dots. Patel wasn't all too pleaded with not getting the company, although considering Unidac produced the earthquake device that destroyed a good part of the Glades he should be happy that kind of shit wasn't linked to his name."
Felicity's hands stilled, and her heart started to beat like crazy. She wasn't sure which part of his answer affected her more. The fact she was right at thinking that the earthquake was somehow artificially produced or the part with the laptop.
The Hood, the vigilante that hunted the criminals among the wealthy of Starling city, was the one who sabotaged Deadshot. With the help of the blueprints for the Exchange building.
The same blueprints she found on the laptop that belonged to Warren Patel, the one with bullet holes in it.
The one Oliver Queen brought to her cubicle.
She did not expect that.
Sometimes later Lawton left the room and Felicity resumed her task. But she was only doing it with half attention. The other half was trying to process the new info she received on the man that walked to her desk that day and said the worst lie she ever heard.
It didn't make much sense. Sure, five years on a deserted island could teach a man a lot, including how to hunt to survive, and a bow and arrow is a perfect weapon for that, and one easily build with just a few resources.
But a careless playboy doesn't just start killing without prejudice unless a damn good reason. Or so she believed.
She didn't know Oliver Queen outside of those ten minutes he was in the IT department. She didn't know how the island changed him.
Just as she didn't know how ARGUS will change her before she is released back to the society, if that ever happens.
Felicity leaned back in the chair and leaned her head back to look at the cracked ceiling. She was tired; of the agency, of Waller, of being a pawn in a game against ghosts, of it all.
But there was no way to escape it all.
This was her life now.
The mission went well up until the point Qadir recognized Lyla from the time in Afghanistan. He knew she was military, and instantly came to a conclusion something was going on because he called for his personal security.
Just a moment later every single light in the house was turned off, throwing the large mansion into complete darkness. The only source of any kind of light was a round red dot that focused on the vat containing the nerve agent.
"Intel was correct. No way to get this out." Deadshot informed mission control through his comm, "I'm planting the locator now."
The assassin had to admit the blonde did a good job with the tech. It magnetically attached to the metal the container was made of, and a miniature led light flashed green. The locator was on and transmitting.
"The location is confirmed. Drones are ready. You need to get out now." Felicity informed him, before adding, "Do not go the same way you came in. One floor up, first door to the left of the stairs."
"Copy that."
Through the earpiece Lyla and Diggle heard Deadshot got is part done, and moved into action. Instead of hiding behind furniture and occasionally shooting at the bodyguards Qadir hired, they went into offensive and shoot their way out. Until then they were intentionally buying time, and making sure their target doesn't leave the manor to hunt them down.
The mansion is meant to become Qadir's tomb. If Waller's profile of the man is correct, and it usually is, the first thing he'll do, once the two of them are out, is go down at the vault to check if his investment is safe.
The explosion that followed shook the ground, and almost threw Lyla on the ground. Only Diggle's quick reflexes saved her from landing in a flowerbed. A snicker told them they were not alone, and a heartbeat later Floyd Lawton found himself with a barrel of a gun pointed at his nose.
"Stand down Johnny." Lyla said firmly.
"Yes, stand down Johnny." Lawton repeated, mockery in his voice. But the former soldier didn't lower his weapon. Instead he glared at the man that years ago killed his brother.
"John." Lyla placed a hand on his outstretched one, and Dig turned his gaze at her, "He's more useful alive than dead."
The audio transmission through the comms they all wore might have caught the sound of a punch and a groan, but no one from mission control commented on it. Not even Waller who always listened in.
She'll possibly inform Diggle later that his little outburst is not acceptable, and he will never again be requested to assist ARGUS on a mission ever again. To be honest he won't be sad about that.
He disliked the agency that used criminals to go on suicide missions, and innocent looking girls as tech support. The blonde with glasses wasn't an agent, that much was clear. And she was a part of Suicide Squad.
And he couldn't wrapped his head around it.
The fact that Lyla didn't know why the girl was brought in didn't sat with him either. As Waller's right hand she was privy of things others in the agency had no idea about. But not even she was told exactly what Overwatch did to end up where she is now. She didn't even know the girl's actual name.
Overwatch was Amanda Waller's personal pet project.
It wasn't until two years later that she learn exactly how far her former boss was willing to go, and that fact she had no problem in forcing the daughters to pay for the sins of their parents.
Lyla Michaels reluctantly accepted the position offered to her; she left ARGUS behind for a reason, and she didn't regret that choice. But after witnessing Amanda's death she knew the agency would need a new leader, someone who already knew ins and outs of the job. So she accepted, and became privy of things she didn't know until then.
One of them was confirmation of a suspicion she had for a while now. That was when she learned about the breach that happened several years ago, and what followed.
Noah Kuttler, aka. Calculator, managed to get through ARGUS firewall and steal sensitive information, which he later sold to the highest bidder and in doing so compromised several missions, and even causing the death of three of the best undercover agents who were well on their way to infiltrate a suspected terrorist group known as HIVE.
The Calculator went underground, leaving not even a single crumb for them to follow. Nothing but his rather fascinating past; an ex-wife who worked as a cocktail waitress and obviously hasn't seen a dime of the millions he got for the information, and a genius daughter who was just as good with computers as her criminal father.
For someone like Waller that was an opportunity of a lifetime. Once the idea for the Task Force X was approved Felicity Smoak was the first one that voluntarily applied.
Lyla slammed the laptop shut, not wanting to read anymore. Her predecessor kept detailed files on all of her assets; and apart of the one of Oliver, one that contained mission reports that made her stomach turn, this one was the worst of them. Now she wished she found the time sooner to review the girl's file, and find out what brought her to ARGUS. But there simply weren't enough hours in the day, especially not with the threat of Damien Darhk looming over them all.
She only took the moment from her overflowing schedule because John asked for help. The team was scrambling to catch the computer specialist, or to be blunt a hacker, that called himself the Calculator. Lyla checked to see what the agency had on him, and his file was linked to that of his daughter. It was rather handy of Amanda to ensure that.
Curtis was ready to grab the keyboard by the end of it and slam it on the desk. Of course it would destroy it, and possibly break the tempered glass surface it was on, but right now he was at his wits end. This guy was good. Well, so was he... but this guy was better. And it was fucking frustrating.
Also, having Oliver pace like a caged tiger behind him, and sighing or asking for progress every ten seconds, wasn't helping either.
"No. No. No. No. No!" Curtic pressed Enter several times, before leaning back in his chair and cursing under his breath. If he didn't know better, he would think this Calculator dude was toying with him, allowing him to almost break through his system's firewall before throwing him out.
Actually, it wouldn't surprise him if the bastard was doing exactly that. He was obviously up to no good, if all the components that were stolen from different tech companies are to be used for what they assumed.
"What now?" Oliver asked, visibly annoyed by the lack of progress.
"Now I try a different approach." Curtis replied right away, not wanting to say he failed, but instead that he would keep trying. Just cause it sounded better. And cause it prevented Oliver from freaking out even more.
He didn't fool anyone, though. Roy kicked the chair sitting by the round glass table they were using for team meetings, knocking it over. He was possibly even angrier than Oliver was that this guy kept evading them. Sure, the scumbag stole some technological wonder from QC, but it was Roy who was there at the time and failed to prevent the theft. No one blamed him for it, it's not like he went down without a fight, but he blamed himself.
"We need more than a different approach. We need help!" Oliver snapped in anger. With every passing minute the Calculator was closer to building this bomb, and they got nothing. Not his location and not his target. Hell, they don't even know his identity.
"Did you spill latte on your laptop again?"
The question took everyone by surprise, but none more than Oliver, who gaped at the woman who asked it in shock. A confused, "What the hell?" came out of his lips without him even realizing it.
"Lyla?" John Diggle called his wife's name, as he moved towards the main section of the bunker. His hair was still wet from the shower he took after a rigorous training he desperately needed to get rid of the tension.
"You said you needed help catching the Calculator, Johnny. So I brought some." she replied calmly.
"Ummm... is she reliable? Cause..." Curtis was looking around, waiting for someone else to react as well. But Dig was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly accepting of his wife's decision to bring someone they don't know down here. And Oliver... well, Oliver was gaping at the woman in shock.
"I was told quit and moved back home."
Felicity frowned at his words, but not surprised Oliver was under the impression she left Queen Consolidated under her own free will. Waller was always good with covering things up; from what she learned, overhearing bits and pieces from different agents, he had personal experience with that particular gift the late ARGUS director possessed.
Lyla made a face at his words, clearly displeased with the way things were run, before ushering Felicity towards the conference table. Others followed without a word, wanting to get a feel of the newcomer. A thud and a curse made everyone turn towards the raised platform, and the sudden attention forced now flustered Curtis into explaining he was pushing the chair cause they don't have enough at the table and hit the fence. Of course it all came out in fragmented sentences, something that made Felicity smile.
She was used to speak that way as well, but years under Waller's thumb forced her to rein in her babbling.
It was Lyla who spoke first, giving them a brief explanation, "John asked me to see what ARGUS had on the Calculator, if anything. Well, I found a file on him, linked to a second one." she turned towards the younger woman sitting next to her, "That led me to Felicity Smoak, or Overwatch, as she is known in the agency."
"You were a part of the Markovia mission." Diggle recognized the handle, even if he didn't recognized the woman. Not at first. Her hair was now dull brown and much shorter than it was last time he saw her, and her glasses frame far too large and ugly mustard color.
"I was." Felicity confirmed with a nod, before turning towards Oliver, "I didn't quit my job at the IT department. I was recruited by ARGUS, to become a part of the Task Force X."
"That sounds cool. Like something out of an action movie." Curtis said with a grin. He looked around when no one agreed with him, getting only weird looks, "Like the A Team and Wild C.A.T.S., with maybe a bit of RRTS. You know... the guys from Doom. Look, I get it the movie wasn't a masterpiece, but surely-"
"Curtis." Dig called his friend's name to get his attention, and also to make him stop talking. When the younger man turned to look at him Diggle revealed a particular nickname those in the team used for themselves, "Task Force X is also known as Suicide Squad."
"Oh..." was the response he got, as Curtis struggled to find something to focus on so he wouldn't have to look at Felicity. He so did not want to know what she thought about him right now.
Luckily for him she didn't hold grudges, and blurted casually, "I liked Doom." and when everyone looked at her she just shrugged, "What? Didn't any of you ever watched something questionable just cause of one particular actor?"
"We are getting off the subject here." Lyla finally pointed out, back in full director Michaels mode.
"Right, sorry." Felicity replied, "As I was saying, I was recruited by ARGUS, but under duress. Well, that's one way to put it. Basically my father did something bad and Amanda Waller threatened to pin it on my mother and have her locked up in a supermax if I didn't do what she wanted."
"Damn." Roy muttered under his breath, his head snapping towards Thea when she grabbed his hand suddenly. He wondered if she was currently remembering the time her own mother was incarcerated, but didn't dared to ask. Even after two years Moira Queen was a painful subject for her.
"And you can help us locate this Calculator?" Oliver asked, earning himself a wry grin.
"I pulled out data from a laptop riddled with bullet holes, and that was before I was forced to develop my skills to the point I could get into systems I can't name cause that would be treason." Felicity took a deep breath before adding, "I won't just help you locate him. I will help you catch him."
"It seems personal for you." Laurel, who's been silent this whole time and just observed her with interest, finally commented.
"It is. The Calculator, or Noah Kuttler, as he is known outside of the cyber world, is my father."
Curtis gladly gave up his seat in front of the central computer to Felicity, and instead stood by her side and watched as her fingers skillfully moved across the keyboard. She knew what she was doing, that much was obvious. Line after line of code on the screen, typed with precision and speed of a world-class hacker, served to breach firewalls already installed to protect the Calculator's precious servers. And even when the man himself got involved, fighting back and trying to prevent her from getting in his system, Felicity didn't even huff in annoyance.
Instead she fought even harder.
His eyes moved from the screen to the woman in front of it a few times; he just couldn't believe she was actually here and he got to meet her. He didn't recognized her, how could he, it wasn't like there was a photo of her hanging in the IT department with them proclaiming their eternal gratitude to her for everything she had done for the company, although that certainly would have been deserving. He heard of her; of the IT genius who rebuilt the QC firewall and beefed it up, before tackling some of the internal system features that were glitching all the time.
She was on a fast-track for a promotion to a project manager, maybe even head of the whole IT department, before she suddenly quit her job to go look after her sick mother.
Her improvements were still being used and worked without a single problem. New stuff coming out of the IT department had a one week warranty.
A sudden fist pump startled Curtis and he jumped in fright, before looking around to see if anyone noticed. A small smile on Diggle's face gave him the answer he was looking for.
"What do you got?" Dig's words attracted everyone's attention, and they all moved to the platform to get info. Earlier they were all there, hovering over Felicity's shoulder, until she snapped at them and sent them packing. Only Curtis was allowed to stay, cause he claimed he was trying to learn some tricks while watching what she was doing.
"I got a location. Two to be precise." she turned in the chair to look at them, "And you're not going to like it."
"The Calculator?" Oliver asks straight out.
"Is at the Flint Hill Data Farm. He knows I got in his system and located him, so he might move, so you can't waste another second." she looks around for a moment, realizing they have all changed into their suits while she was focused on the hacking, "Luckily you all put on your superhero costumes already."
"We're not superheroes." Oliver said with a sigh.
"Speak for yourself." Roy cleared his throat when Oliver turned to look at him, "You said something about two locations."
"The stolen components are being used to build a bomb."
"We already know that." Laurel pointed towards Curtis, "He narrowed down the possibilities they could be used for once the QC power battery was stolen."
Felicity nodded, accepting the words, but she wasn't done explaining, "Or to be more specific, a web nuke. When deployed it could destroy the Internet; when deployed at the right location it would overload Starling's electrical grid and kill everyone in the city."
"The power plant." Diggle and Oliver understood what she meant at the same time, both men already making mental plans about the best course of action. They knew there was a possibility they would have to split, that the bomb was no longer on location wit the Calculator, but on-site where he wanted it to go off.
"Roy. " Oliver turned towards the vigilante in red, "You are with Thea and Laurel. Go to the Data Farm. Once the Calculator is neutralized call Lyla." he looked at the director who observed him closely, "I take it ARGUS still wants him in their custody?"
"Yes." she responded, her eyes following the vigilante's who left in a rush, "I'll call in right away, have a couple of agents deployed as backup. But those three will be there much faster on bikes."
Oliver nodded in thanks, before focusing on Felicity, "Can you deactivate the bomb from here?"
"No. I need to be there." was the response he got, and he didn't like it, if the curse he muttered under his breath was any indication.
"Okay. Just stay close to me."
Felicity frowned at him, "I will be the one disarming the bomb. You stay close to me."
Neither noticed the amused look Diggle and Curtis shared, both obviously finding their bickering funny. The bickering that continued at the area of the bunker that served as a garage for their vehicles. Eventually a consensus was reached, and all three of them piled into a sleek sports car, which to Felicity's chagrin didn't have space for legs in the back, especially when the two people in the front were gargantuan and pushed their seats all the way back.
On the tablet she borrowed from Curtis she managed to follow the other part of the team, and report their movement to the two men in front. They were some five minutes away from the power plant when Felicity raised her head, her gaze catching Diggle's in the rear-view mirror, "They arrived at the Data Farm."
Right away both men turned on their comms, wanting to hear what was going on. Curtis was surprisingly sombre as he led them through the hallways, using the blueprint he tracked down heaven knows where.
"Let's go." Oliver suddenly said, making Felicity look at him in shock before she looked up and realized they arrived at their own destination, "Remember-"
"I'll stay close until we get to the bomb. They you stay close."
He nodded silently, and before she even managed to blink one of his arrows was out of the quiver and notched on the bow he was holding. She didn't get to look him up prior to coming to the secret bunker, so Felicity didn't know if he was still the same kind of vigilante he was before, before Amanda Waller entered her life. If he was still a killer.
Roy will never admit it out loud, but he felt a great pleasure punching the older man, not breaking his nose but making it bleed. The jerk that looked like some college professor, dressed in slacks and a turtleneck, who was sitting in an office chair like it was a throne. The asshole who looked positively shocked that they managed to track him down.
The bastard who let his daughter pay for his sins.
"Director Michaels." Roy used his most serious voice, "The Calculator is ready for transport."
"My agents are eight minutes away. Thank you, Arsenal." Lyla replied over the open comm link, so that John and Oliver would hear the mission progress.
"You can always count on us."
"Just stop." Thea chose to interfere, cutting Roy off before another attempt to tell a joke. He and Curtis have been at it ever since the particular handle became known to them, and they all sucked. All of them.
Oliver muted his comm and then turned towards the woman on his left. She was currently hiding behind the stone pillar, glaring in the direction of the device that was just few feet away, but out of their reach. The damn mercenaries were doing a banged up job at keeping them away from the bomb, shooting at them the moment one of them peeked out, and since it was in the middle of the open space there was nothing to hide behind while working on deactivating it.
Leaning forward Oliver looked at Diggle who caught his gaze and nodded towards the staircase behind him. It was a way to the upper level where the big guns were. After just a few seconds of silent communication Oliver hissed at Felicity to stay put, before both men rushed into action. Diggle was providing cover, while Oliver rushed towards the industrial stairs to get upstairs and deal with the heavy artillery.
Felicity flinched at the brief scream and the sound of the body hitting the concrete floor after going over the fence. Three years in ARGUS, countless missions, and she still couldn't handle the fact that sometimes not everyone survives.
Things were silent for good twenty seconds, which was a good indication Oliver managed to get the shooters neutralized. She didn't want to think to hard about how exactly he had done that, but instead focused on things she could influence. Namely the damn bomb.
It wasn't just controlled remotely, like she had initially presumed. There was a secondary switch, a contingency that allowed the Calculator to have his way even if he was prevented from pressing the button himself. There was a timer, counting down the seconds, that became live when a series of codes wasn't entered into the bomb's system at certain time.
It was something she had seen before, during a mission in Gotham that cost ARGUS several agents, and almost put her in a wheelchair. She wasn't making the same mistake again, this time she knew better.
Felicity connected the tablet to the bomb, she needed to access the programing and trick it into thinking it had already exploded. It was the oldest trick in the book, used in quite a few sci-fi movies, but if it worked why mess with the classic?
"I don't think so, love." a gruff voice startled her, making her realize that while she was focused on the bomb one of the mercenaries her father hired managed to sneak up on her. Not a really big feat on his part, since she was rarely aware of her surroundings when working with something highly sensitive.
In a desperate attempt to protect herself Felicity turned around and punched him, and then watched in shock as the man much larger than her fell to the ground. But then she became aware of the man in green standing there, his stance and the bow in his hand correcting her assumption that it was her who knocked the dude out. She didn't.
"Oh. That makes more sense." her words caused the corner of Oliver's lips to lift into a small smile, before he looked around, assessing the danger around them.
"How much time do you need?" he asked. Felicity shook her head and turned around to get on with her part of the mission.
"Less than the timer is giving me." was her quick response, but one that made Oliver's head snap back in her direction, before he moved closer and looked over her shoulder at the bomb. The seconds were still calmly counting away.
"Need something sharp to cut the red wire?" he asked seriously, and Felicity actually looked over her shoulders at him to see if he was serious. Of course by doing so she realized how close they actually were, and that their faces were inches away from each other. He might have a mask on, and the hood covered half of his face, but his lips were free... and boy were they looking more and more appealing by the second.
"Three, two, one..." Felicity counted under her breath as she realized her thoughts were no longer on her task. She needed to focus. Fingers moved across the tablet screen with ease. She was now familiar with the system her father used, his ways of protecting what's important, and having already broken into it once she didn't have any issue doing it again. In giving the bomb a digital switch, instead of an analog, he shoot himself in the foot.
The green numbers disappeared from the screen just as Diggle was about to ask about the progress, making the man look at her in awe. Sure, he saw her pulling an ace out of the sleeve earlier tonight and hack the network Curtis struggled with, but this was impressive on a whole different level. This was operating under pressure.
"Which wire did you cut?" he asked, earning himself a glare from Felicity.
"Cutting a wire? That is so old-fashioned."
The bomb was dismantled within minutes after deactivation, since it would be disastrous if it ever came in someone's hands as it was. The stolen components could not be returned, since none of them remained in the same condition they were in when they landed in Noah Kuttler's hands. He butchered the technology, something that seemed insane considering he loved tech more than he loved his own daughter, his own flesh and blood.
One thing Felicity chose to salvage, since it was merely attached to the bomb with the intent of powering it's destructive nature. The powerful battery created at Queen Consolidated.
Lyla was waiting for them at the entrance of the garage. They could see Curtis waiving his hands behind her to get their attention, and then he gave them thumbs up. Diggle shook his head at the younger man's antics. How he managed to remain so cheerful when faced with the worst kind of people, and witnessed all the vial things they were willing to do without remorse, night after night he will never understand.
"Noah Kuttler just had thick metal door slammed into his face." he ARGUS director was looking at Felicity as she spoke, "His new neighbor already offered him some counseling, seeing as she is a trained therapist."
Diggle shuddered at the words. He knew right away what his wife was talking about, or rather whom. The crazy blonde in Suicide Squad that creeped him out when she suddenly appeared at the small window of her cell door. He was genuinely shocked when Felicity snorted in amusement. It seemed she didn't shared his opinion on the crazy woman.
"What about me?" she finally asked, her expression changing from amusement to seriousness.
Lyla sighed as she thought about all the ways Felicity had been wronged, and she was so grateful to get the chance to make things right, even if it came three years late, "He was always the primary target. Waller only went after you cause he was underground and untraceable, even for her. We have him now... which means you are free. And I am truly sorry it took so long."
"He'll be taking my place in the Suicide Squad." Felicity mused out loud, before looking at Lyla seriously, "You can't trust him with a computer. Can't leave him with one unattended for even a second, or he will find a way to escape and turn against you."
"There are ways to ensure he complies, ways you are familiar with I'm sure." Diggle gaped at his wife, not believe he was hearing her correctly. She was always against such drastic measures, always claimed Amanda went too far when he had bombs inserted into people's skulls. She noticed his gobsmacked look and smiled at him sadly, "I will not become like her. But I will also not make an exception for the man who allowed his own daughter to take the blame for his actions."
"You got one too?" Dig turned towards Felicity, "The bomb?"
She shook her head in reply, before elaborating, "The threat of my mother being arrested and send to prison was all the initiative I needed not to do something reckless. My father... Noah... threats like that one wouldn't touch him in the least."
"He's access to a computer will be maximally restricted. Just in case." Lyla added in the end, agreeing with Felicity's warning. Noah was far too dangerous, even with the kill-switch in his head.
"So... I'm free." Felicity mused out loud when the couple moved away to discuss something in private, "Now what?"
"You can always come back to work for Queen Consolidated." Oliver offered instantly. She was crazy smart and talented with computers. A chance to hire someone like her comes rarely and missing on the opportunity would be a great loss for the company.
Thea was glad to finally be done with the Calculator. The bastard came to Starling with the intent of causing havoc and killing countless people. Thanks to Lyla, or more correctly thanks to Felicity, the city was safe.
The brunette wiped off the black paint off her eyes that made her look like a raccoon when she wasn't wearing the mask just as the bathroom door opened and Roy stepped in. He was just as tired as her, and couldn't wait to get back home. Or maybe they would just crash down here, the bunker had several rooms for those long nights when no one felt like driving back home.
Grabbing Roy's hand she pulled him after herself, leading him back out in the main area. She needed to discuss something with Ollie, and knew if she left her boyfriend alone he would be face-down on the bed and snoring like a chainsaw by the time she came back.
They were just around the corner when they heard Oliver's voice coming from he garage section, hearing him offer Felicity a job. Frankly, it was possibly the best idea he ever had, but Thea couldn't help it but tease him a bit, "You do remember I am the CEO, Ollie? You don't even work in the company."
Felicity looked at her in surprise, "Really? How did that happened? When I left Mr. Steele was still in change, and I always assumed..." she trailed off upon noticing the pained look on Oliver's face.
Thea snorted, not at all interested in sparing her brother's feelings. But still she chose not to go into details and just summed in all as, "Let's just say Ollie made a lot of questionable choices and straight out mistakes, and leave it at that."
"Got it." Felicity replied with a smile.
The hackers were panicking. Mr. Darhk does not tolerate failure, he has already proven that several times when the vigilantes somehow managed to break into HIVE's network and gather intel that led to police raids and direct attacks on their centers. But all that was nothing.
Right now a mother of all cyber attacks was decimating their firewalls and encription. And they were helpless to stop it.
"Seldon, he's going after the Ark!" the oldest of them, the one in charge of the hackers, yelled at their newest recruit. He had faith in the younger man who was broken out of Iron Heights just weeks ago, after all he managed to stay afloat in NSA for so long and not lose sight of what's important.
"She..." Cooper Seldon whispered under his breath after recognizing a few specific codes.
"What?" the girl on his side asked in confusion.
He turned towards her and after a moment replied, "The hacker that's attacking us is a girl."
"How can you tell?" the young brunette with glasses asked. She was new, just like him, borrowed from another group that marginally supported HIVE's planes.
"Because I knew her. Before." Cooper replied, ignoring his boss yelling at him to get his ass in gear and deal with the damn hacker attack, protect the system.
"Is she really this good?" the girl asked, and he briefly wondered what her name was. Elana, he was certain that is what she introduced herself as when she arrived.
"The best."
Bright red letters appeared on all computer screens simultaneously, all saying the same thing, the one thing they have tried to prevent. System failure.
It was over.
Two floors over them a different battle was happening. The ghosts were struggling to organize the defense against the ongoing attacks from several different sides. A sniper destroyed the electronic lock, preventing them from completely sealing off the compound, giving the vigilantes a chance to enter. Usually they would organize better but with the malfunction of their comm units, that couldn't be turned off and were integral parts of their glasses, the ghosts were left at the mercy of some weird singer who sang about dancing in a mixture of English and German.
A shrill cry made a dozen of the who were the closest clutch their ears in agony, leaving them defenseless against a melee attack. The Green Arrow was leading the assault, this time not using the weapon he was named after, and instead opting to simply strike all those in his ways with his bow. It saved time and allowed him not to waste the limited amount of arrows in his quiver on the foot soldiers.
He was saving them for the generals.
A blue shadowy mountain lion rushes past him and into the compound, causing a small smile to appear on Oliver's face. From all his friends, and allies, Mari McCabe's gifts are by far the strangest. And most amazing. Felicity obviously agreed because he could hear her mutter "Whoa." in awe.
Diggle snorted at her reaction, since he guessed correctly what she would say when seeing how the woman fittingly names Vixen can do.
"Hon, focus." Oliver grumbled at the smug look he was getting from his friend, from behind the helmet.
"Right, sorry..." Felicity was flustered for a second, cause she forgot her task for a moment or maybe cause of the pet name, before sitting up straighter and focusing, "Ghosts are in disarray, take them out at will. Something I don't actually need to tell you. Right. According to the blueprint I dug out the central room is... take second turn left. Staircase at the end of the hallway lead to the upper level. Once there turn right. Second largest electricity use is in the room at the end of the corridor."
"I have the feel of the totem." Vixen's voice was heard over the comm. On one of the computer screens back in the lair Felicity could see the animal spirit that accompanied the woman has changed and was now a wolf. It made sense. It wasn't about the speed anymore, they were inside HIVE's compound, now it was about the stench of the magic the totem was channeling.
"Copy that." Oliver replied, and moments later notched an arrow with the explosive charge in the tip.
"Wait. I can-" Felicity's words wee cut off by an explosion that forced the double door open, taking everyone inside by surprise. They believed in the command center they were untouchable.
A loud cry that stunned the remaining ghosts that were still fighting, a cry that seemed to have come from a wild gorilla, echoed through the hallways, followed by a shockwave of power that ran through everyone before dissipating. It was a battle cry the team of vigilantes have been waiting for, a signal for the final push.
As always Oliver was in front, his eyes scanning left and right for any signs of danger. But the central room was free of armed guards, with only a handful of HIVE's top men and women there. They were all dangerous, int heir own way, but they were also all unarmed.
For all his might Damien Darhk was a paranoid man who didn't trusted any of his people, not even those closest to him, not to stab him in the back at the first opportunity. Everyone wanted the power he had.
An arrow flew next to Oliver's head, shocking him momentarily, until he realized his sister noticed something he has not. And now Malcolm Merlyn sat on the beehive-patterned floor with a ref fletched arrow sticking out of his thigh. The older man was glaring at her, at his own daughter, but that didn't faze her one bit.
He was her father, but he wasn't the one who raised her, only the one who tried to turn her into a killer. And for that she will never forgive him.
Half a dozen screens were showing different people, from all around the world, demanding to know what was going on. They were Darhk's partners, who ensured he had everything he required to complete his plans and in exchange they and their families would join the selected ones in the Ark.
The questions soon became protests and ARGUS agents broke into offices on five different continents, arresting everyone on site and containing them, and all those currently present in their extravagant homes, until further orders arrived from director Michaels.
Darhk watched all this with amusement, to him this was all just a minor setback. There is no prison that could contain him. Soon enough a very helpful group of former special forces members he hired would get him Rubicon, and then Genesis day will arrive and the world will finally get a fresh start.
"It's over." the Green arrow said as he moved closer, a notched arrow pointed at Darhk's heart.
The older man didn't seem like he cared, neither about the sharp object that could kill him within seconds, nor about the fact his carefully laid plans were now null and void.
"You arrogant fool." it was Ruve Adams who chose to speak for her husband, her head held high as she observed them all with disdain in her eyes, "It's not over until we say so."
At her words Darhk striked out, faster than one would expect for the man his age, and grabbed Oliver's arm. His wrist protector left the underside of his forearm bare and therefore exposed to Darhk who only needed a small patch of skin to perform his magic and extract the life-force of a person.
He smiled smugly, "Any last words Mr. Queen?"
"You should have hired better hackers."
The words confused Darhk momentary, causing his eyes to widen for a second, before a look of concentration replaced it. Oliver was familiar with that particular expression, as he was familiar with Darhk's specialty. But he wasn't concerned. None of them were.
Thea and Roy shared an amused look, the young woman still ignoring her father's glare.
Shouts from somewhere outside informed them the cavalry has arrived. For some reason ARGUS agents never led the change, but came in later to pick everyone up and lock them away. At the same time Damien Darhk realized something was wrong. Oliver was supposed to be gasping for breath and becoming weaker and weaker. But instead he just stood there, with his arm outstretched, like a damn statue. He just stood there.
"What have you done?!" Darhk snapped at him, pulling his hands back and stepping away from the man in green suit.
"With the totem or with your little pet project?" Oliver asked back, his voice scrambler not doing a good job in hiding his amusement
He didn't have to say the words, Felicity knew what he wanted her to do. And with just a few clicks the computers screens no longer showed empty chairs but the inside of the giant underground dome. What was once lush green corn within minutes turned into withered unusable plants.
The carefully calculated and programed conditions of the Ark were scrambled beyond repair, the climate inside the place that supposed to be salvation now reminded more of Sahara desert, than of green pastures they were going for, and then seconds later a thin white layer of frost covered the plants as the temperature went from extremely hot to extremely cold. The microorganisms carefully produced under laboratory conditions couldn't stand such temperature fluctuations and died off.
"HIVE should have planted something more durable than corn. Maybe fern. That thing doesn't even need a lot of sun, it thrives in darker places." Felicity couldn't stop herself from commenting, causing Oliver to shake his head at her obvious glee and smile.
That never would have happened prior to sex months ago when she walked into the bunker.
Being a vigilante, operating outside of the law, was a thankless job with far too many risks involved. It wasn't a job for anyone, you have to be a bit crazy to put on a leather suit and go outside in the night knowing you might not come back, go against drug dealers and killers and corrupt cops.
It was a difficult life to lead.
A lonely life.
Some found happiness and somehow managed to keep it. Diggle and Lyla functioned because she too witnessed the worst the humanity had to offer, and now led the army of agents into battle against the criminals that hid behind the facade of prime and proper citizens. Thea and Roy, to his annoyance but also envy, were on their way to a happily ever after. Laurel was dating the man who experienced the worst the Glades had to offer and stood up against it, and almost paid for it with his life. Curtis informed his husband about his nighttime activities shortly after joining the team, and Paul was actually his biggest supporter.
And now Oliver too had someone to lean on. Someone to tell about his day, and not having to hide anything from, having to lie to protect them. Felicity was a part of this world as much as he was.
"Good job Overwatch." Oliver had to praise her efforts, the cyber attack she had preparing for for weeks, since they found out the possible location of the compound.
"You know I really hate that name. I can't explain why. Waller gave it to me." a moment of silence was followed by a conclusion, "That mist be why."
Thea snorted, there is no was she was missing this opportunity to tease her brother's girlfriend. She adored Felicity, and saw he change her presence made in Oliver, "The way things are progressing maybe soon your name will be Mrs. Queen."