2 days ago
It was almost time; Slade thought to himself. Soon, he'd make his presence known to Oliver. It took him years of careful planning. He never doubted that Oliver would find a way off the island. When he heard of his survival, he was already working on ways to bring him down. He could have reappeared last year, pulling Oliver's life apart shortly after his return. It was tempting, but he fought the urge and waited. He wanted Oliver to get comfortable, feel safe, reconnect with those he loved, then when he thought he had everything under control. He'd take it all away.
The anger felt good. It gave him purpose. He would make Oliver pay for his choices. Sara's return from the dead was just a bonus, she'd be an easy enough kill. He felt no need to toy with her. He would, however, kill her first. It amazed him that Oliver was oblivious to the fact that his life was infiltrated. He had no idea what was waiting for him.
"Mr. Wilson," Robert called out to him, breaking him from his thoughts.
He looked up at the boy, who surprisingly had survived the mirakuru.
"What is it? I asked to not be disturbed."
"I'm sorry, Sir. Michael just called, he said that Oliver Queen's assistant showed up to Laurel Lance's home, and was there for a few hours." Robert explained.
As far as Slade knew, those two women in Oliver's life didn't interact, or at least they hadn't since he's been watching.
"Tell Michael to keep an eye on them, and as soon as Laurel's apartment is empty tell him to bug it. I think I'd better keep a closer eye on Ms. Lance."
Robert nodded in agreement and quickly left the office.
Slade wasn't worried about the two women, what could they possibly do? Nevertheless, it didn't hurt to keep an eye on things.
It didn't take long before Slade realized that these two women were going to be a problem. He wasn't sure how Felicity managed to get as much information as she had, but he had to put a stop to it. He couldn't allow her to tip off Oliver before he was ready to reveal himself.
It was unfortunate; his plans would have to be changed because of the two nosy women. He knew he should have gotten rid of Laurel Lance, but he took Blood's word on her not being a problem anymore.
Felicity Smoak, he expected to be a thorn in his ass, if for no other reason, then her connection to both Oliver and his alter-ego. However, he never expected her to take her case to the Lance girl. Why didn't she just go straight to Oliver? Perhaps she did and he didn't believe her. Oliver wasn't known to have good judgement.
It was a shame. He originally didn't plan on killing either woman, neither of them were high on his list. He really wanted to start with Oliver's family, before moving on to Sara, before finally extinguishing the last living Queen.
The one thing Slade learned in life was to adapt, and adapt he would. He would pay the two women a visit, bring them to his refuge, and keep them for a while. What better distraction for Oliver than to have two women he cares for, missing? He wouldn't kill them immediately - he wasn't a monster. No, he'd keep them alive, maybe he'd send the vigilante proof of life, and watch him tear himself apart. This would also prove entertaining for Sara. How desperate she would be to get her sister back.
Sometimes things in life worked out, and other times things fell into your lap. The longer he thought of it, the more appealing this new angle felt.
Observing the two women from the computer screen in his office. He was surprised; they put up such a fight. He thought he would get in and out in minutes, that they'd be terrified, and come along quietly. He was impressed. The drunk and the ditz had some fire to them.
Laurel was the first to come to. He laughed when she rushed to Felicity's side to make sure she was breathing. He was just waiting for the blond to open her eyes, so he could officially introduce himself.
Laurel had a pounding headache, which she assumed was from getting tased. She had no idea where they were, but she was happy that she and Felicity weren't separated. She checked on the blonde and released a sigh of relief. She was breathing. She looked around the room for anything she could use as a weapon, but besides the bed, and an obvious video camera, there was nothing. The door was locked. It was the first thing she checked, there was another door to the bathroom, but the window was boarded from the outside and there was nothing there she could protect herself with. She knew it wouldn't be long before he came to see them.
It was no coincidence that they were kidnapped right as they discovered who was behind all of this. What she didn't know was how they got caught.
She heard Felicity groan, and stopped pacing the room to run back to her side.
"Hey, are you okay," she asked.
Felicity placed a hand to her head. She felt nauseated and dizzy, on top of that her neck and shoulders felt sore, and stiff. "I'm okay, well, as fine as someone can be after being tasered and kidnapped. Actually, no, I'm not that okay…" She said, getting flustered.
Laurel lightly grabbed onto her shoulders in hopes of calming her down. "Relax, we'll find a way out of this. My father will realize that we're missing." She promised.
Felicity remembered sending the e-mail to Diggle. "I, uh, I sent the information we gathered to one of my partners," she whispered, noticing the camera in the corner. "So he should get it, I just don't know how soon he'll actually see it." She informed Laurel.
Turning her face away from the recorder, "When did you get the chance?" she asked.
"Right before Slade broke in," she told her.
"Good. That's good, hopefully he sees it soon and gets us out of here."
Felicity looked down at her wrist and panicked, "where's my watch?"
"They must have removed it. They took mine too." Laurel said, holding up her arm to show her, her own empty wrist.
"Shit! Mine had a tracker, I was hoping to activate it. Even if he knows who took us, I don't know how he'll find us, without me." She explained, wishing now that she would have taken the time to teach Diggle or Oliver how to use all of her programs.
"Look," Laurel began, "we're not going to wait for him to come and get us. We'll find our own way out of here." She said, hoping that she sounded confident. The truth was she was as terrified as Felicity. They had no idea what Slade wanted, or what he had planned for them. He was a wild card, and without knowing his motives, wildly unpredictable. All Laurel knew, was if she was going to die, she'd go out fighting.
"Laurel, you saw how strong he is, how are we going to get past men like that? It's obvious that there's more than one." Something Felicity stored in her mind. Somehow Blood managed to continue testing the serum, without leaving a trail of bodies. It made sense, everyone thought the man in the mask was dead, he had to cover his tracks now.
"Just because they're strong doesn't mean they're fast." Laurel said, and idea forming. Granted, it wasn't a very good one, but it was the only one she had so far.
"Well hopefully my track years at MIT will pay off at some point soon." Felicity muttered.
Laurel turned to her and whispered, "if we can get someone in here, and subdue him for a moment. I know it's crazy, I know they're strong… but we're smart. If we can just make a run for it…"
It was a terrible plan, Felicity thought. They had nothing to subdue these super soldiers with. What they needed was a distraction. "Laurel, I don't think it's feasible for both of us to just make a run for it. Let's face it, I'm in heels. I think we're better off distracting them, and you run off."
"Absolutely not. We leave here together." Laurel said, vehemently.
"We don't know what's outside that door. It could be one, it could be fifty. Either way the odds are against us, if one of us stays behind, the other has a better chance of survival."
"How exactly are you thinking of distracting them?" Laurel asked.
"I don't know. I was tasered… I could pretend to have some sort of side effect. Are there side effects? Either way, I could pretend to be in pain or spasm, I don't know, just something."
"Or I could be the distraction and you run. You're the one that has the connection to the Arrow." She suggested.
Felicity looked down at her feet again, kicking herself for opting for heels. After becoming Oliver's EA, heels were no longer optional. Now a days, it was just her first instinct to put on a pair. "Like I said, I'm in heels. Plus, you actually have some fighting skills, don't you? You definitely know how to use a gun. Plus, you know how to reach the Arrow, and so does your father."
Laurel looked surprised at Felicity's statement. "You don't have any self-defense training? You work with the vigilante and he never taught you how to protect yourself?"
Felicity cringed a little at Laurel's unbelieving tone. "One of our partners gave me a few lessons, but other than that there just wasn't time. When we're working… well, there just isn't time." She said, knowing it wasn't the actual truth, but not wanting to really think about it.
Shaking her head, "well that's just stupid. If he's going to put you in danger, than the least he can do it teach you how to defend yourself. Who knows, maybe he wants you to need him."
"That makes zero sense. He doesn't want me to need him, why would he. I think it's more of a pain in the ass for him to have to get me every time I'm in trouble." She rationalized.
"Who knows what men think, they're complicated. It just seems like he's comfortable with you in the position you're in, and not looking to change that. You should at the very least, have some fundamental self-defense knowledge."
"Well, if we survive this, I'll make sure to bring it up okay?" Felicity said, annoyed where the conversation went. She didn't know why Oliver and Diggle didn't insist on her learning to fight, and she didn't want to think about it. She knew they cared for her, and didn't want her to be in danger, but the insecurity was sneaking in.
"Hey," Laurel began, sounding upset. "If I don't make it, and you do -"
"That's not going to happen," Felicity interrupted.
"Just let me finish," Laurel requested. "If you survive and I don't, I need you to do me a favor. Tell my sister that I'm sorry… I love her, and I just want for her to be happy. Tell my dad to be strong, keep going to meetings, and that I love him too. He'll know what to tell my mother. And um… tell Oliver, that I forgave him a long time ago, even if it didn't feel like I did, and to be happy. He already knows that he's important to me and that he'll always have a place in my heart. Is there anything you want me to tell your family?"
"Umm… I don't have much family. I guess, ask Oliver to just check on my mom now and then. He doesn't actually have to meet her, or give her a message, it's not like she'd care. Just tell Oliver and John, that they were the family I always wanted, and I have no regrets. Umm… tell him, the Arrow, that it's not his fault, and to keep on fighting. Tell him he's a hero, and this city needs him. Tell him that I loved him, and that I hope one day he finds peace." Felicity said, giving Laurel a small smile.
It didn't escape Laurel that the only people in Felicity's lives are those she worked with. Oliver her day time boss, his bodyguard, and the Arrow, her night time boss – who she apparently was in love with.
Before she could bring herself to ask about her relationship with Starling's vigilante, the door opened and through it walked Slade Wilson.
Quentin stood on the roof top waiting for the Arrow. When he went to check on Laurel, he found her front door caved in. Nothing in the apartment was trashed, except for the broken bedroom door, and the open window. As much as he hoped that she got away, he knew she would have connected him by now. He was also pretty sure that whoever took Laurel also had Felicity. The woman's purse was on the couch untouched, but her computer was nowhere to be found.
Quentin heard a light thud behind him, and turned to face Starling's hero.
The Arrow walked towards him stopping a few feet away. "How can I help you detective?"
"It's Laurel, someone took her. I went to her apartment today and her front door was bashed in, so was her bedroom door. There were shotgun shells on the floor, and her window was open. It seemed like she tried to get away, but she didn't, she would have called me." He said, agitated.
"Calm down. What did the police find? Was she working on anything?" Oliver asked, trying to keep a clear head. He would need Felicity tonight, she'd have to come in to help track down who took Laurel.
"Here's the thing... I think they took Felicity too." Lance told him.
Oliver tensed, why would Felicity be taken too? One had nothing to do with the other. "What makes you think that?"
Quentin knew he shouldn't have listened to them, he should have called the Arrow the moment he found out what they were up to. "They were investigating Blood together; they got some information on him, and Adam Donner. Both men seem to be bank rolled by the same person."
It made sense now, why Felicity needed a few days off. He couldn't believe that she'd be so careless, he couldn't believe that Lance would support them. "Why didn't you tell me that Felicity was investigating something on her own?" Oliver yelled, pissed that he was kept in the dark.
Quentin bristled at the Arrow's tone. "Because she said you didn't believe her. I figured I'd keep an eye on them, I never once thought that they'd be taken in broad daylight. Hell, I never thought they'd be taken. I went straight to Laurel's after my shift ended."
He remembered Felicity trying to convince him Blood was dirty. He didn't believe her. He was positive Blood was clean, that he was what this city needed. "Okay, so they were working together, but maybe they didn't get to Felicity." He reasoned, he didn't know how to even begin looking for Felicity and Laurel, without Felicity.
"Her purse was at Laurel's, and there was a computer charger plugged in but no computer."
Oliver gripped his bow tighter. How could she be so careless, how could she do this behind his back? Did she stop for a moment to think of the potential consequences? If she discovered more information, she should have come to him again.
"I need you to tell me everything you know." He said.
Oliver was angry. He was angry with Felicity, he was angry with Lance, and Laurel. Mostly, he was angry with himself. This was his fault, he couldn't place that blame anywhere else, if he would have just listened.
After his meeting with Lance, he made his way back to the foundry. Lance didn't have much information except for the fact that Donner and Blood were connected, and they were just pawns.
Foolishly he stopped by Felicity's house, hoping Lance was wrong and she was home safe. But her house was dark and her car missing. He wanted to go to Laurel's and see if he could find anything that could help him, but Lance told him that the CSI's would be there. He couldn't even think of anything but getting both women back, he didn't want to entertain the possibility of one of them being seriously hurt or worse.
"Diggle," he shouted, running down the stairs. "We have a problem."
"Yeah, we do." Diggle said. "I don't know what you're referring to, but I just got an interesting e-mail from Felicity."
"What?" he asked, running over to where Diggle was seated. "When did she sent it, where is she?"
"Whoa, calm down. It's about -"
"Someone kidnapped her and Laurel," Oliver explained, cutting him off.
"What? When?" he asked.
"A couple of hours ago, what did she say in the e-mail?"
"She sent it a couple of hours ago. Her program is decrypting the file right now. She didn't write anything, but the file is title Slade Wilson, and the subject line is: Still alive."
"It can't be," Oliver said in disbelief. He killed Slade. There was no way he survived an Arrow to the eye.
If Slade was alive and he had Laurel and Felicity, he needed to find them and fast.
Sorry this chapter took so long. Originally, I wanted to have it up this weekend, but I forgot it was the long weekend and I was at the beach. This chapter feels a little disjointed, and for that I'm sorry. I tried fixing it several times, but it remains the same. Thank you guys for the great feedback, I'm glad our enjoying this fic.
