A/N: Apologies for taking so long to update. No good excuses, really. I've known for some time where I want to go with this, I just got distracted with a couple of other stories and couldn't seem to get my butt in the seat to write. Anyway, if you're reading this and you've stuck with it, I really appreciate it.
It took John Diggle five minutes to decide that putting Palmer Technologies' board of directors together in one room was pretty much like following a recipe for asshole soup. There were eleven directors – ten men and one woman (so much for diversity), and each one was its own, unique flavor of asshole. He'd guarded a number of corporate titans during his years in private security, and directors were always the people he'd had the least patience with; they got paid an exorbitant amount of money for attending a handful of meetings, talking about market share and return on sales without ever being responsible for either. But Palmer's board had to be the absolute worst. Between the directors who thought they were tech geniuses, the stodgy accountants, and the cover-your-ass lawyers, there wasn't a decent person among them. And today's meeting really did not bode well - he was certain the board had convened to tell Felicity Smoak that she was being ousted as CEO of Palmer Technologies before she'd even had a chance to start.
In the end, however, it didn't work out that way. And that was entirely due to one very blonde IT expert.
Digg was sure that Felicity had too much on her plate without this lousy meeting. Over the last four days she'd been kidnapped, reunited with her long lost father, and informed that her grandfather had been a psychopathic megalomaniac who, incidentally, had been killed by her boyfriend. Not your average week. Most women – hell, most CIA operatives with twenty years' experience withstanding interrogation techniques – would be blubbering idiots. He counseled Felicity to blow off the meeting until they'd taken care of their League of Assassins problem.
But Felicity had insisted on going ahead with it. To execute her mission, she'd said - to keep the League of Assassins at bay - she needed resources available only at Palmer Tech. So that meant becoming CEO of Palmer Tech, which also meant facing the board. Thus, she had agreed to this meeting and stood in front of the directors now, at least twenty years younger than each and every one of them. She and Oliver had both agreed that it would be best if Mr. Queen didn't attend, given the sticky relationship between Queen Consolidated and Palmer Technologies. She had conceded, however, to have Diggle come as her bodyguard.
The meeting started out well enough. The board thanked Felicity for her service and dedication as vice president and Felicity told them how grateful she was for the opportunities she'd had at Palmer. The directors noted that there were several very interesting projects in the pipeline and Felicity agreed that, yes, she and Ray had been working on some groundbreaking tech. Palmer's sales and share price should skyrocket when those projects came to fruition. Everyone smiled at each other.
The meeting went downhill from there.
With chilly politeness the board Chairman observed that few Fortune 500 companies had 25year old CEO's, and at those that did, the CEO did not attain the position by sleeping with her predecessor. The Chairman also commented that, degree from MIT notwithstanding, the qualifications Mr. Palmer had clearly appreciated in Ms. Smoak – namely her short, form-fitting dresses accompanied by a killer pair of legs – were not sufficient to lead a company. As attractive as her…qualifications… were, the board was really looking for something more in their next CEO. So they'd engaged a search firm and hoped that Ms. Smoak would save everyone embarrassment by resigning.
Felicity listened to all of this patiently, looking at each director in turn with a politeness that equaled theirs. Diggle thought the board's comments would have at least caused her to blush, but instead she looked remarkably composed. She waited until the Chairman finished speaking and allowed a little time for an uncomfortable silence as his words sunk in. Then she stepped up to the plate.
She started by noting that she and Ray had worked very closely on those new projects the directors had mentioned. She reminded them that, given the complete destruction of his lab and records following the explosion, most of that groundbreaking technology now resided only in her head. If the directors really believed Ray's appreciation was chiefly for her legs and not her mind, she'd be happy to take that mind elsewhere – and they could kiss the profits and share price goodbye. And she stated that, degrees from Harvard and Wharton notwithstanding, a bunch of MBA's and lawyers were hardly good judges of technical qualifications. The directors' polite smiles faded to thoughtful frowns.
Her coup de grace, however, was her recitation of the perils of the internet- with an emphasis on how nothing was ever really private, including director email and a certain Chairman's use of websites such as Ashley Madison. Any hacker worth her salt could uncover all sorts of information; if it was online, she could find it. She threw in enough ugly detail to make a number of board members squirm in their seats, and implied that their spouses would be in for some unpleasant surprises should Ms. Smoak be required to resign. The thoughtful frowns were replaced by worried expressions.
She then said that she was going to step out to powder her nose and would be back in ten minutes. She thought those minutes might offer the board a good opportunity to reassess their opinion of her qualifications. She smiled modestly as she left the boardroom, giving every director a very good view of those killer legs.
Digg followed her down the hallway. When they were out of earshot he said, "Really, Felicity? Do you think it was a good idea to blackmail Palmer's board into keeping you as CEO?"
She shrugged, "Blackmail is such an ugly word, John. They questioned my technical ability and I gave them a short demonstration of what I can do with a computer. I prefer to think of it as a job interview." When he didn't smile she added, "Look, normally I would have liked to have handled it differently, but we don't have a lot of time. I'm going to have more leverage with Malcolm Merlyn if he thinks I have money and other resources at my disposal. What better than being the CEO of a high-tech company?"
"Other resources such as?"
"I'm not sure yet. A plane, Ray's tech…"
Diggle shook his head, slightly bewildered. "Well, all I can say is that was quite a show you put on in there. Remind me to never get on your bad side."
She laughed, "I'll do that from time to time. Do you think it's been ten minutes?"
Digg looked at his watch, "It's only been five."
"Close enough, let's go back."
It was his turn to laugh. "You're very confident. Who are you and what have you done with Felicity Smoak?"
She grinned up at him. "I'm not sure, but for some reason I'm feeling powerful today. Let's not waste it."
They stepped back into the boardroom and the Chairman rose from his seat. He'd squirmed more than most when Felicity had listed the information she'd found online. The smile he pasted on his face now didn't look the least bit genuine. Nevertheless, he held out his hand.
"Welcome aboard, Ms. Smoak, let me be the first to congratulate you on your new role as CEO. The board is looking forward to Palmer's growth under your leadership."
She shook his hand. "Thank you very much. I can assure you I will do everything in my power to take Palmer Technologies to the next level. I am overwhelmed by the board's confidence." Diggle was impressed - she managed to say it with a perfectly straight face.
Perhaps the Chairman was a little impressed too. Still holding her hand, he looked Felicity directly in the eye and said, "It's clear to me, Ms. Smoak, that we all will benefit from your success as CEO. I'm sure my fellow directors are with me on this. If there is ever anything we can do to help, please be sure to let us know." He started to step away.
"Actually, there is."
He turned back, surprised. "Yes?"
"Can you issue a press release about my appointment? I have some…business travel…coming up and I think it would be helpful if the people I'm meeting have no doubts about my role at Palmer."
The Chairman frowned, "I suppose we can do that. Who exactly are you meeting with?"
"Oh, just a potential customer for some of that new technology you mentioned. I'd really like to make an impression." Felicity smiled and gathered up her purse, signaling that the meeting was over. "Thank you again gentlemen…and …lady. It's been a pleasure meeting you all. And now I really have to run. I hope you don't mind, but I'm taking the corporate jet for a few days. I need to arrive at my…meetings… well rested. Flying commercial isn't going to get me there." She nodded at everyone in the room, "It's been very nice talking with you. Thank you again for confirming Ray's decision to appoint me as CEO. I know he would be pleased."
And with that, she darted out of the boardroom and headed down the hallway. Diggle found he had to move quickly to catch up to her. As they stepped into the elevator, he looked down at her blonde head and thought about the Felicity Smoak who had just taken on Palmer's board of directors. She was a very different woman from the one he'd met three years ago, or even worked with six months ago. The Felicity he'd first met had been confident about her technical skills, but that confidence hadn't extended to other areas of her life. The Felicity who had just handled the board had been one very self-assured young woman. She'd come into her own.
It was funny, he thought, the way things worked out. For a long time he'd believed that Felicity Smoak would be good for Oliver Queen. It had never occurred to him that Oliver Queen might be just as good for Felicity Smoak.
Oliver had suggested they try to sleep on the flight to Nanda Parbat but no one, himself included, was taking that suggestion. They were too wired – all four of them – and talking was the only outlet for their tension. In the comfort of the corporate jet, they sat in large leather seats around a small table and covered a list of random subjects, mostly catching each other up on their lives. He and Felicity told Thea and John about their time in the bungalow south of Coast City and John provided some baby Sara stories that made them smile. They behaved like any four friends who hadn't seen each other in a while, and their conversation included just about anything - anything, that is, except what might happen when the plane landed. At some point, Thea managed to nod off.
She had insisted on coming, despite Oliver's protests. She maintained that Merlyn, even as the new Ra's, still cared enough about his daughter's approval to think twice before doing something that could lead to her estrangement. Oliver thought she was giving Malcolm too much paternal credit and, based on Felicity's frown, he was pretty sure she felt the same. However, he couldn't argue with Thea's second assertion – that she could kick ass with the best of them. His sister's skills were impressive and growing all the time. For all he disliked and distrusted Merlyn, Oliver had to give him credit for one thing; he had helped his sister grow from a petulant adolescent to one very tough young woman. He hoped they wouldn't need her fighting skills, but it couldn't hurt to have them.
With Thea asleep, the three of them fell into their usual pattern of talk interrupted by spells of comfortable silence. Oliver found he couldn't stop watching Felicity. With their barriers finally lowered these last few months, they had grown incredibly close – closer than he'd been with anyone in his life. He was aware that if things went south in Nanda Parbat they might never spend another night together, and he wanted to hang onto every opportunity for connection. At one point, she got up for a drink of water and he couldn't help but catch her around the waist and pull her into his seat, burying his nose in her hair. Trying to lighten the mood, he grinned apologetically at Diggle for the display and said loud enough for John to hear, "Felicity, you're sure you don't want to go with Plan B? It's not too late. We could tell the pilot to head south and just keep flying."
Diggle raised his eyebrows. "Plan B?" he asked. "You mean you guys had another option besides this hair-brained scheme and you didn't share it?"
Felicity smiled, "It wasn't a serious option. Plan B was we take on new identities and run away to New Zealand to run a vineyard."
Digg considered it for a moment. "Sounds like a pretty damn good idea to me," he said.
She shrugged, "Yeah, well, unfortunately, neither Oliver nor I know much about wine besides how to drink it. We'd probably be broke in a couple of years."
"Maybe. But it would be a good couple of years."
"True."
They grew quiet again. Felicity made no effort to get out of Oliver's seat. Her back rested comfortably against his chest and one hand held onto his wrist as if it were her lifeline. It felt good. He decided that if things worked out, they were going to spend at least 30 minutes a day like this, no matter how busy their lives got.
"Seriously, guys," he said more soberly, "we're all straight on what we have to do?"
Felicity and Digg both nodded. "How far do you think we'll get," she asked, "before they find us?"
Oliver frowned, "Ra's showed me a couple of different routes under the mountain, but he didn't trust me enough to share his most secret tunnels. Some of the routes are more heavily guarded than others, but they all have some level of surveillance. Someone will grab us before we make it to Merlyn or Nyssa. I'm just hoping we get a good twenty minutes before they do."
Felicity squeezed his hand. "Twenty minutes should be plenty for me. If they catch us right at the plane it's going to be harder."
"I know. We'll hope for the best."
Felicity played nervously with the cuff of his shirt, keeping her eyes down. "I love you both," she said suddenly, "you know that, right?"
Oliver looked over her head at Diggle. John's eyes met Oliver's and he smiled slightly. "We know that, Felicity."
"Good."
They arrived in the evening, the fading twilight giving them a little cover as they left the plane. They entered the mountain by way of the catacombs, but Oliver quickly diverted them through a narrow side tunnel to a passage that he knew was little used. It took them past a number of storage rooms filled with surplus armor and weaponry, as well as more mundane items like candles, linens and clothing. There were even a couple of well-stocked wine cellars. Felicity raised her eyebrows when she saw them and murmured softly, "Wow. Is it too late to reconsider my inheritance?" Oliver grinned despite his worries.
They got their twenty minutes plus a few more before the League found them. One instant they were moving silently in the semi-darkness and the next they were surrounded by a dozen League soldiers. A few of the soldiers hesitated when they saw their Al-Sah-him, but only briefly; allegiance to the Ra's was too ingrained for any single Assassin to break ranks. Looking into their almost lifeless eyes, Oliver wondered if any of them were among the group mentioned by James Smoak – the Assassins who didn't like Merlyn as their new Ra's. If they were, there was no way to know it. The men (and, for all he knew with their faces covered, women) who circled them now showed no emotion.
There was no fight. Oliver and Diggle had agreed previously they would surrender at once. After all, the plan was to talk to Merlyn and Nyssa, not physically threaten them. Thea, whose memories of Nanda Parbat were muddled from her revival in the pit, stared at the Assassins with wide eyes. Oliver couldn't tell if it was fear or a desire to test her skills. She had been very quiet as they moved through the tunnels, but he could sense the energy pulsing in her. Felicity, on the other hand, was surprisingly calm. She stood close to him, her hand resting on the small of his back. The only indication she gave of nerves was occasionally clutching his shirt.
Apparently the return of Al-Sah-him was sufficient news for the Assassins to bring the four of them immediately to their Ra's. One of Oliver's many worries had been that they might not get the chance to talk to Merlyn or Nyssa – that they would be thrown into a cell and forgotten - but that turned out not to be the case. They were quickly herded through the tunnels, and emerged to find Merlyn seated in the large hall watching some of his Assassins train. In the flickering light of the torches, there was an odd, choreographed beauty to their movements as they sparred. Oliver could not help but be impressed by their skill and coordination, and Merlyn looked equally pleased with their performance. There was a tray of fruit next to his chair, and he sipped occasionally from a large goblet. For a 21st century businessman who had run a large conglomerate in Starling City, he appeared thoroughly at home in the ancient surroundings of Nanda Parbat. Oliver wondered whether he cared about Merlyn Global any longer, and if Felicity's threat of destroying his finances with logic bombs would be as effective as she had hoped.
"Oliver," Merlyn greeted them, not bothering to stand. "This is an unexpected…" he hesitated, "I would say pleasure but I'm going to stick with surprise until I know the reason for your visit." His eyes swept across the four of them and lingered when they found Thea. There was real emotion in his voice when he added, "Daughter, it warms my heart to see you."
Thea shifted uneasily on her feet. "Yeah, well, Dad…I wish I could say the same." There was no warmth in her voice whatsoever.
He smiled as if she had welcomed him with a loving hug. Turning back to Oliver he added with a chuckle, "So – clearly - you're not here because your sister wanted to see her father. Care to tell me why you did come? It's pretty…ballsy…of you to walk into the headquarters of the League when you're no longer part of it – when, in fact, you killed the last Ra's. I trust you don't want this back." He raised the hand wearing the Demon's ring.
Oliver shook his head. "Far from it. But I have some information regarding Ra's - the previous Ra's - that might be of interest."
"And you came all the way to the Hindu Kush Mountains to tell me? That must be some news."
Felicity spoke before Oliver had a chance to respond, "Well, we would have sent an email, but this isn't exactly a WiFi hotspot."
Merlyn's gaze shifted toward her. "Ms. Smoak," he said, managing to both acknowledge and dismiss her in the same breath. "I'm doubly surprised to see you here, given that you have no skills that could be of any use in Nanda Parbat. As you say, we're not exactly on the grid. But then I suppose you continue to follow him around," he nodded at Oliver, "like a faithful puppy." He glanced past her at Diggle. "Oh, I see you brought both your loyal sidekicks, Oliver. Are they here to protect you, or are you three so joined at the hip that you can't go anywhere without them?"
Diggle frowned, but Oliver didn't rise to the bait. Merlyn's gibe wasn't important. "Probably some of both," he said mildly. "Look, Malcolm, I'm happy to give you our information and leave," he continued, "but I'd prefer to do it once. Is Nyssa here? This affects her as well and she should hear it."
Merlyn waved his hand scornfully. "Nyssa tends to be anywhere that I am not. She's having a hard time adjusting to my…ascendency."
"An ascendency that is the result of luck, not skill or bloodline." Nyssa's voice carried clearly across the hall. They all turned to watch her approach with long, confident strides. Apparently he wasn't the only one with ballsy moves, Oliver thought. For all intents and purposes, she had just questioned the supremacy of the Ra's in front of a hall full of Assassins.
"I heard you had arrived, Husband," she said smoothly to Oliver when she joined their group. "Have you come at last to take your place with your wife?"
Felicity's eyes narrowed.
It was a clever thing to say, Oliver thought – or at least clever if Nyssa were aware of a faction that wanted to remove Merlyn. If James Smoak's information was accurate, a group of Assassins thought Al-Sah-him and Nyssa together were a better choice than Merlyn to lead the League. Letting the Assassins know that she considered herself married to Al-Sah-him was an announcement that she was willing to go along with that plan. On the other hand, she was also taking a big risk. The Assassins had a tradition of hundreds of years of obedience to the Ra's; by challenging Merlyn, she was betting that some of them were willing to break with that tradition. He glanced around the hall. Nothing had changed since his time here. The Assassins continued to train, and the servants and sentries carried out their duties robotically. There was no indication that any of them were listening or even had thoughts of their own.
Either way, he had to make it clear to all that he was not her husband. He shook his head. "Nyssa, you know that wedding was forced upon us by your father. Consent was not freely given – in fact, I recall you trying to kill me as the ceremony started." He thought he heard a small snort come from Diggle. "It hardly counts as a marriage."
She shrugged. "It was a wedding ceremony according to our laws and customs," she said calmly. "That gives me the right to call you Husband. The fact that you continue to keep company with," she glanced pointedly at Felicity, "other women does not alter the circumstances. In time you will understand this." She was annoyingly complacent.
"Was it consummated?" Felicity asked suddenly, her voice as clear and audible as Nyssa's. The question – in all its bluntness - took everyone by surprise. They turned from Nyssa to stare at the blonde, and Oliver even thought a couple of the Assassins might have hesitated during their sparring.
The daughter of Ra's al Ghul stiffened and her aloof mask slipped a little. "I beg your pardon?" she asked coolly.
"Your marriage to Oliv…Al-Sah-him. Was it ever consummated?"
Nyssa pursed her lips, and then walked toward Felicity until she was standing inches away from her. It was an obvious intimidation tactic; at nearly six feet, she towered over the younger woman and she was heavily armed as well. She smiled smoothly, "Suppose I say that it was?"
"I'd say you were a liar."
The smile faded and the two women stared at each other. Felicity had to tilt her head back to look the taller female in the eye, but her gaze never wavered. Oliver was torn between loving her for her courage, and hating that she was displaying it to the entire League. If they'd wanted to convince the Assassins that Felicity was too mild to ever want to assume her inheritance, taking on Ra's al Ghul's daughter was not a good start.
To Oliver's surprise, Nyssa blinked first. She took a step back and broke eye contact with Felicity. "We were interrupted before we could have a proper wedding night," she conceded quietly. "But that doesn't negate the fact that we were married in a true ceremony."
It was Felicity's turn to smile. "By almost any custom in the world, if a wedding isn't consummated after a certain amount of time, the marriage is null and void. I'm guessing it isn't too different in Nanda Parbat."
Nyssa hesitated, clearly reconsidering her argument. She must have decided that defending her marriage was a losing battle, because her next words signaled a change in tactics. "I don't understand why this is so important to you," she said to Felicity. "You can have no prior claim on Al-Sah-him - I can't imagine you've consummated a relationship with him. My Sara always told me that your affection was not reciprocated. She said it was merely a girlish infatuation."
Felicity flushed. "At one time that may have been true," she said evenly, "but it is no longer the case." She looked up at Oliver and there was heat and knowledge in that look – nothing girlish whatsoever. "I have been with Al-Sah...Oliver..." she corrected and her flush deepened, "for some time now. So, yes, I would say I have a prior claim."
Oliver groaned internally - things were getting out of hand. Hearing two women dispute his sex life was hardly what he thought he'd be doing when they came to Nanda Parbat. But even more importantly, far from demonstrating her lack of interest and suitability, Felicity seemed to be doing everything in her power to appear attractive to the League – she was courageous, quick-witted, and in a committed relationship with their Al-Sah-him. If anyone found out she was of Ra's bloodline, as Smoak believed, then they probably would be convinced that she and Oliver should replace Merlyn. He stole a glance at the current Ra's. The man had a large grin on his face and was clearly enjoying the female battle of wills.
The grin turned into a laugh as he said, "Well, this is certainly more entertaining than I was expecting. You must find it flattering, Oliver, to have these ladies fighting over you." He paused and said more soberly, "However, I don't think this is why you came. Perhaps it's time for you to enlighten Nyssa and myself with your news."
Oliver nodded, relieved to be back on task. "Do you want to talk here? Or should we go someplace more private?"
Merlyn shrugged, "Here is fine. The League's loyalty to the Ra's is absolute."
You'd better hope, Oliver thought.
He took a deep breath and told Merlyn and Nyssa the whole story. It was the third time that he'd had to tell it, and he found the words rolling out easily; Felicity's kidnapping, the kidnapper being her father, and James Smoak discovering that his father had been Ra's al Ghul. He certainly had their attention; they didn't interrupt - not once. Merlyn listened to it with a skeptical frown, but Nyssa showed more emotion. When he got to the part where Felicity was Ra's granddaughter - another Heir to the Demon – she clenched her fists and stared at the blonde so hard that Digg felt obliged to put his body between the two women. And when Oliver finished there was a long silence, broken only by the clank of swords as the Assassins continued to spar.
"Well, Oliver," Merlyn said at last, "that's quite a story. If I believe you – and that's a big if – what on earth did you hope to gain by coming here and telling me? You certainly can't expect me to think that she," he gestured derisively at Felicity, "wants to claim her rightful place as an Heir. She may be brave, but she's hardly a warrior."
There were many things Oliver wanted to say in defense of Felicity – that she had blazing intelligence, intense loyalty, and unwavering optimism – but now was definitely not the time to play up her strengths. So he merely said, "No, she does not want to claim her place. In fact, we're here to make it clear to you and Nyssa that we will never make a claim. But if Smoak's information from inside the League is correct, there is a faction who would like to see you deposed in favor of a blood Heir. Now they have another choice in addition to Nyssa."
"Several choices, actually," Nyssa said slowly. "If your story is true, I have a half-brother and sister who are also Heirs." She sounded less angry than Oliver had expected. He'd thought she would be threatened by the notion that she was not Ra's only child, but instead she seemed curious.
Merlyn snorted, "None of whom have any training. The League would hardly see them as worthy to be Ra's." He shook his head. "I'm still not saying I believe any of this, but even if it's true, you can't be that foolish." He glanced around the hall. "There are three of you, surrounded by hundreds of Assassins, thousands of miles from home. What's to say I don't just make you disappear? Problem solved."
Thea stepped forward, "There are four of us, Dad, not three. And if anything happens to Ollie or his friends, I swear I will no longer be your daughter – I will never see you, or speak to you. And if you try to see me," she continued tersely, "I'll do my best to kill you."
Merlyn gazed at her, his face a mixture of amusement and pride. "I believe you mean what you say, Thea – you are definitely my daughter - but never is a long time. In due course, you may come to understand the responsibilities that go along with being Ra's. It may take years, but I'd like to think that you will eventually forgive me. Blood always wins out in the end."
Thea shook her head angrily, but before she could say anything, Felicity spoke up. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that," she said to Merlyn. "I knew you couldn't be trusted, so I came here with a backup plan." She regarded him warily. "You may live most of the time in Nanda Parbat now, but you have a lot of wealth and resources still in Starling City. A lot. That wealth has to mean something to you." There was nothing on his face that acknowledged that as a true statement. He looked curious, but unconcerned. She shifted uneasily. "I can…I will make all of it go away if you don't let us leave. I've planted logic bombs in Merlyn Global's systems that will go off unless I'm around to disable them. Stock, cash, inventory – it will all disappear." When Merlyn still appeared unfazed, she added in a rush, "Your IT guys could look for years and not find the code. You'll lose everything."
It was the same speech they'd practiced on the plane, but Oliver thought it would have been more effective if Felicity had said it with confidence. For some reason, the courage that she'd shown facing Nyssa seemed to have deserted her in front of Merlyn. He sat there looking completely unworried – amused really – as if he were saying is this all you've got? And, for some reason, she suddenly couldn't stand still. She played anxiously with her hands, clasping and unclasping them, touching her earrings and her necklace. Her nerves were overtaking her. Oliver glanced at Diggle and saw that he was thinking the same thing.
And so, apparently, was Merlyn. He smiled at Felicity before saying smoothly, "That's a nice threat, Ms. Smoak, and I have no doubt that you can do what you say." He shrugged, "But I've learned that the Ra's has such great wealth in his own right that – as much as I might miss Merlyn Global – I think I will be fine without it. You can't imagine the gold and other resources that are stored here. So, A for effort, but I'm not feeling terribly influenced by your warning." He sat back in his seat with a satisfied grin.
Felicity stopped fidgeting to stare at him, bringing her fluttering hands down to her sides. There was a brief silence and – suddenly - they all were startled by a low rumble. It sounded a bit like an earthquake, only there was no movement in the hall. As Merlyn stood up, several Assassins stopped sparring to surround him in a protective circle. "Go now," Merlyn ordered two of the Assassins sharply, "find out what happened." They bowed their heads and left.
"I think they'll find," Felicity said, in a voice much steadier than it had been a minute ago, "that there was an explosion in one of the wine cellars." She glanced at Oliver with a small smile before turning back to Merlyn. "I had a feeling that you might not care too much about Merlyn Global – even though it seems like an awful lot of money to lose – so I figured I should have a backup plan for the backup plan." She watched as the Ra's lowered himself uneasily back into his chair. "You probably don't get the Wall Street Journal out here, but I'm CEO of Palmer Technologies now. I have access to some pretty amazing tech. Before his disappearance," she blinked hard for a moment, "Ray and I were working on miniaturization technology. You know, tiny medical devices, robots the size of a pin, that kind of stuff. Among other things, we found a way to pack an awful lot of energy into a device the size of quarter." She paused. "When those devices are detonated, it's the equivalent of…oh, I don't know how many pounds, but I'm sure it's a lot… of plastic explosives."
Merlyn and Nyssa both stared at her. Oliver could swear he saw a little admiration in Nyssa's eyes.
"Anyway," Felicity continued, "we managed to hide a couple…dozen… of those quarter-sized devices before your Assassins caught us. They're small enough to be anywhere, really. I am sorry about the wine. That really does seem like a waste. I'll bet you have some amazing vintages here."
Merlyn continued to study her, then suddenly motioned to one of the Assassins. "Take her earrings," he ordered abruptly. The Assassin looked confused. "Her earrings," Merlyn said again, "take them." The Assassin's brow wrinkled, but only for a second – years of subservience won out. He stepped over to Felicity and held out his hand. She looked at Merlyn, puzzled.
"If you've planted explosives," Merlyn explained to her, "then you must have a signaling device to set them off. You were playing with your earrings for the last five minutes. Hand them over."
She frowned at him. "Really? I like these - they were a Hanukkah gift from my mom." When he didn't respond she sighed regretfully and removed the earrings from her lobes, placing them in the Assassin's hand. "If you're going for my jewelry," she said, "you might as well take this too – although I think it really belongs to Nyssa." She reached behind her neck to unclasp a gold chain. The medallion James Smoak had given her on the beach hung from it. "My dad said his father left it for him on his eighteenth birthday," she told Nyssa. "I'm not sure of its significance, but I brought it because I thought it might back up our story. If it was your father's, then it should be yours." She handed it to Ra's daughter. "I promise it's not a signaling device."
Nyssa stared at the medallion. "This is traditional," she said quietly. "A gift a father gives to his oldest child." She looked at Felicity with an odd expression. Oliver remembered Felicity telling him that she thought Nyssa felt a small attraction to her. Listening to them argue a half hour ago, he would have sworn that she couldn't be more wrong. But as he watched Ra's daughter now, he began to wonder. It would be an exaggeration to say her glance was tender, but she certainly appeared appreciative. Her gaze moved slowly from Felicity's youthful face, down her body, lingering a long moment on Felicity's backside. Well, holy shit, Oliver thought, Felicity was right. The woman wouldn't mind getting into her pants. Wasn't this a day full of surprises.
There was another low rumble.
They all looked toward Felicity. "I'm not a hundred percent sure," she said matter-of-factly, "but I think that's one of the store rooms with the linens. I hope you don't keep all your toilet paper there. That could be unpleasant." She looked at the earrings, still in the Assassin's palm, then smiled at Merlyn. "Maybe you'll figure out what sets them off while you still have some rooms left."
Malcolm Merlyn was silent for a long moment, clearly nonplussed. He rested his chin on his hand and simply stared at Felicity. At last he clapped his hands, and immediately several servants approached him. "Take my four guests," he said slowly, "to living quarters. Please make sure they have anything they need. In the morning, should they wish it, they are free to leave."
The servants bowed. Merlyn smiled. "Well played, Ms. Smoak," he said softly.