AN: Thanks again all for the reviews. Not sure how many updates will be coming over the next few days, but I hope all of you have a very happy Thanksgiving! When I originally planned this story, Malcolm wasn't up to anything other than trying to get rid of Oliver, and Felicity was a means to an end, but this things has taken up a life of his own and it would seem he's going to be up to more than that.
Chapter 14: Phoenix
Oliver slipped quietly into Walter Steele's office at Starling National Bank, thankful that his former step-father was keeping late hours today.
Slipping in to a shadowy corner, he said Walter's name to get his attention.
Walter looked up at him. "I need your help," Oliver said.
Walter gave him a half smile. "Of course, anything you need. I owe my life to you after all. Would you like to sit?" He gestured to the seat across from him.
"I'd rather stand," Oliver said, but couldn't help a half-smile at the offer. He was glad that Walter was comfortable enough in the Arrow's presence to keep his seat. At least not everyone thought he was a deranged vigilante. "It seems that Malcolm Merlyn is still alive," Oliver said succinctly.
"What?" Walter said, leaning forward in his chair. "How do you know this?"
"He took a person I care about, in a similar manner to the way he took you." Oliver said. "I was hoping you could tell me something about your experience that would help me find her."
Walter exhaled and leaned back in his chair. "I don't remember much. I stepped into an elevator with a man, and the next thing I knew I was in the dinghy tenement building that you found me in. There were men with guns, but I never saw or heard anything noteworthy."
Oliver sighed. That was not going to help at all. The information that his mother's driver had given him was informative, but really didn't take them anywhere. He was hoping Walter would be able to provide something that would give them some idea of where to begin looking for Felicity.
He must have shown his disappointment more than he meant to, because Walter spoke again. "If I may ask," he said thoughtfully, "how did you find me the first time?"
Felicity, Oliver thought. But of course he wouldn't say it out loud. If she were here, he had no doubt they would already have an idea of where to look. It served as a ridiculous reminder of how much they needed her. How much he needed her. He gave himself a mental shake, reminding himself to focus.
"My . . .friend . . ." That word seemed glaringly inadequate. "She was able to figure out where you were being held by looking at properties held by Merlyn Global and triangulating them with a call Merlyn made. That was how we were able to find you."
Walter nodded, pyramiding his hands against his mouth. He appeared to be wracking his brain for ideas.
"But of course, that does no good now," Oliver continued. "Because Merlyn Global is no more."
Walter sat up suddenly. "No, but it hasn't been disassembled," he said. There was a sudden sent of urgency in his voice again. "Merlyn Global was purchased in its entirety by a conglomerate I'd never heard of before, for far more than a company in its situation should have gone for. Do you know the name of that company?"
Oliver shook his head, feeling a surge of hope in his chest.
"Merlyn Global was bought by a company called Phoenix."
Oliver inhaled sharply. "As in, the mythological Greek bird that was reborn from fire."
Walter nodded.
Oliver took a step forward, despite the fact it took him out of the shadows. "You think it's possible that the company that bought up Merlyn Global . . . "
Walter nodded again and finished for him. "May actually be controlled by Malcolm Merlyn. In a way it makes sense. When the purchase happened, I remembered thinking it was strange that I had never heard of the company before. Usually companies that buy up struggling businesses—such as Stellmore International, for instance—gain notoriety for their actions. But I had never heard of Phoenix."
Oliver nodded again. "I can't thank you enough, Mr. Steele," he said, turning to go.
"Good luck," Walter called after him. "And don't hesitate to pay me another visit if I can help in any way."
As Oliver ran for the stairs, he felt as if the weight in his chest was loosening just a tiny bit. Finally, they had some direction.
Xxx
Felicity leaned back in the small cot and counted the ceiling tiles yet again. As close as she could tell, it had to be sometime Monday night. It had been three days now since she was taken. She had no doubt that Oliver and Diggle knew that something was up. She hadn't called as she had said she would, and that was not something that would escape Diggle's notice.
What on earth was Malcolm Merlyn up to? And what was she going to do when he came tomorrow and . . . asked her to do whatever it was he was going to ask her to do? It was hard to plan how to not do something, when you had no idea what that something was. She had no doubt that he would make good on his threat to hurt her and send parts to Oliver. While she did not look forward to the pain of that, she knew she couldn't allow it to happen because Oliver would never forgive himself. She would have to find a way to make it look like she was doing whatever he wanted without actually doing it. Presumably she would be doing something on a computer. She also had to figure out how to get a message to Oliver and Digg. But what would she tell them? She had no idea where she was.
She wished again that she had the same ninja-like skills Oliver and Sara Lance had, so that she could overtake the armed men watching her and get out of this place. But she doubted she would manage to do more than get herself injured . . . or dead. So she would have to wait.
She didn't doubt that as soon as Oliver figured out where she was, he would come for her. After Malcolm's threat though, she really wished he wouldn't. She didn't want him to die for her. Not for me, Oliver. She heard his voice again as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, from that night on her couch after the Count. I'll always come for you.