Chapter Twenty-Five
Felicity sat back into the cushions of the couch and wondered what she should say next. Really what could she say; Isabel just admitted she was a member of the League. That was pretty much game, set, and match; right? She glanced up at both women and made note of the smirk on Isabel's face and the look of mild irritation on Miranda's.
"Let me guess; I'm missing some minor little detail, right?" Felicity asked warily.
It was Miranda who spoke, "Isabel is a double agent. She works for us which is why she joined the League; to infiltrate their ranks."
"Of course she did," Felicity muttered reaching for her cup again. She looked down at the cold remains and frowned. "Look, I get the feeling that this is going to require some liquid fortification so do you mind if I help myself to another cup?" Miranda nodded and Felicity got up and went over to the sink to rinse out her cup.
She sighed and poured herself another cup then reached in the mini-fridge for a carton of cream. She looked at the box of creamer and shook her head, "You have no idea how much I want to believe you guys right now. Seriously," she held up the heavy cream before adding some to her cup and sticking it back in the fridge, "I mean, you guys don't even screw around with 2%, you go full out cream. Somehow a part of me always hoped bad guys would only drink the nasty powdered crap." She shrugged and reached for a stirrer, "Not that I haven't used it myself, it's just that evil should be all instant flavor crystals and lactose free non-fat powdered milk substitute, not freshly ground and chock full of yummy." She walked over to the couch and leaned back, sipping her damn fine cup of Joe, and looked at both women carefully, "Please don't break my heart and tell me that in order to fuel the good fight I have to spend the rest of my life waiting in line at Starbucks."
Isabel eyed her much in the same way she had in the restaurant, "I can't decide if I hate you or if I want to take you home with me and spend a great deal of time corrupting you."
Miranda looked pained for a moment, "Isabel that is highly inappropriate."
"Yes, it is," Isabel practically purred as her eyes drifted over her slim figure.
Felicity cleared her throat and fought the urge to cover her vital bits with her hands. "Not to interrupt this moment you're having, but while you're busy undressing me with your eyes, would you mind explaining the whole 'League' thing and its connection to Stellmoor?"
"What do you know about the League?" Miranda asked.
"Not nearly enough," Felicity answered honestly.
"Not surprising," Miranda said. "They live in the shadows, they're elusive, dangerous, and highly difficult to pin down. Ra's al Ghul, the leader, is even worse. His core supporters practically worship him as a god, members of the League are indoctrinated into his service like it's a cult…which, when you get right down to it, is exactly what it is."
"And the Orbital Organization is targeting him?" Felicity asked.
"Oh yes," Miranda said grimly, her featured tightening into a mask of anger. "If it's the last thing I ever do I will see that man dead and scatter his bones to the end of the earth."
"I appreciate the sentiment but that's a bit extreme, don't you think?" She quipped, noting the other woman's expression. "Unless, of course, this is a personal vendetta."
"It's personal," Miranda told her flatly. "That doesn't mean it isn't necessary. Ra's al Ghul must be stopped—period. This world will not be safe until that man no longer lives."
"Not to condone assassination but if all it took was a well-placed bullet to take down the League why hasn't it been done yet?"
Miranda's lips tilted upwards in a humorless smile, "Lots of reasons; the most pertinent being that he's virtually immortal."
Felicity put down her cup carefully and scooted forward, "I'm sorry, did you just say he's immortal?"
"You've been around long enough to have seen things that defy explanation," Miranda told her. "Aliens, meta-humans, super-soldiers…"
"I've…seen a few things," Felicity hedged.
"Ra's has access to something he calls the 'Lazarus Pits'. It's some kind of natural occurring chemical pool that has remarkable restorative powers. They can heal the sick and dying, restore the dead to life, and even act as a fountain of youth. Ra's has used the pits for well over seven hundred years, possibly even longer."
Felicity furrowed her brow skeptically, "And you expect me to believe that?"
"You don't have to," Miranda said confidently. "Ask your friend Batman, he'll tell you the pits are real."
Felicity looked at her askance, "And you'd be perfectly okay with me telling him that I was here today; even if I reveal everything you'd told me and everything I've seen?"
"I'm not going to offer you a cigarette and a firing squad if you turn down the job and, while I'd prefer to keep this confidential, I won't stop you from telling either the Arrow or Batman what you've learned." She gestured toward Isabel, "Had we thought either of them would be receptive to our offer to work together Isabel would have come forward ages ago." She eyed Felicity curiously, "Do you think Batman or Arrow would welcome us to the neighborhood with open arms?"
They had her there, she thought disgruntledly. "Why did you infiltrate QC?" She asked Isabel, switching the subject.
"I had my reasons," Isabel said enigmatically. "It's a long story, quite involved, but the pertinent facts are these: Merlyn, Robert Queen, Moira Queen—all of them were League or League assets," Isabel said easily. "Oliver 'disappeared' with his father and spent five years on an island that was a League of Assassins training ground. During those five years he was supposedly shipwrecked, we have intel that says he was also working with Bratva in Moscow and with Waller as a ARGUS asset. She may fancy herself a 'patriot' but Amanda Waller isn't above assassination or dancing with the devil if it serves her own ends. He returns to Starling and, right about the same time Merlyn break with the League, the Arrow shows up and begins eliminating members and assets left and right." She crossed her legs and smirked, "We weren't sure if he was League, a vigilante, or one of Merlyn's recruits. When QC got into financial hot water we stepped in with the idea that if he was an asset our financial support would keep him going and if he was a target we could cripple his money flow."
The revelations about Oliver's parents and Malcolm Merlyn weren't all that shocking but the bit about her knowing about Russia and ARGUS was. He didn't even share that information with them until a little over a year ago and even then it had been like pulling teeth to get him to talk. Even now she was positive he was leaving big chunks of the story in the shadows. He'd never said so but when he gave her the intel he'd gotten from 'a source' on Deathstroke a few years back she suspected his 'source' was ARGUS, especially when they found out later that he had been recruited as an agent while he was supposedly shipwrecked. The file practically had 'government issue' stamped all over it. At first she thought it had been from Lyla but she never asked. She figured he'd had his reasons for keeping it on the down low. Now she had to wonder. As for the story she was weaving it made sense but she wasn't about to just accept them at their word.
"You had sex with him," Felicity pointed out. "Was that before or after you knew what side he was on?"
"Does it matter?" Isabel scoffed. "If you must know I was convinced by then that he was a potential asset so I seduced him, or rather I let him seduce me, to see if he would be willing to let down some walls." She smirked, "He wasn't, so I decided to continue biding my time. Besides, as long as I've been there QC has continued to flourish. As long as Oliver has Arrow business to worry about someone needs to be at the helm."
"What is the deal between you and Ra's al Ghul?" Felicity asked turning to Miranda.
"He murdered my family," Miranda said flatly. "My mother, my sisters, my brother…" she closed her eyes, "even my children."
She looked at the woman sitting across from her and tried to get a read but her body language was completely closed off. Her tone however; there was some truth there. How much though remained to be seen, "I'm sorry."
Miranda picked up her cup and took another sip before speaking again. "It wasn't him personally of course, although it might as well have been. He ordered the murders and that's good enough as far as I'm concerned." She put the cup back down on the table, "Everyone comes into this for a reason; there's a purpose that drives them. I could talk to you until I'm blue in the face about why you should join us but either you will or you won't. If you want in we'll be happy to have you. You'll be doing good work, work you love, and you'll change lives for the better doing it."
"Plus, and not to be crass, there is a financial aspect to it as well," Isabel inserted.
"Financial?" Felicity asked, furrowing her brow.
"You didn't think we would just expect you to do this for free, did you?" Isabel asked her with glittering eyes.
Yeah, she kind of did.
"You pay your assets and team members?" Felicity asked instead. "Where do...I mean, I get that Stellmoor bankrolls you, but how do you manage to launder enough cash to float this big of an operation without raising flags?"
"Good question," Miranda said, perking up. "Stellmoor is our main cash source but we do have others. This organization also has 'legitimate' business fronts through Stellmoor like restaurants, gyms, various real estate holdings, as well as R&D, but you probably figured that out already so what you're really asking is are we guns for hire."
"Are you?" Felicity asked.
"On occasion," Miranda admitted. "We don't do wet work or train hitmen here though. Most of our 'shadow ventures' involve the government and various private agencies."
"The government?"
Miranda nodded, "Sometimes borders have to be crossed, deals have to be made, and critical situations crop up that can't wait for approval by some subcommittee. We can get in and out without the red tape, we can be mobilized faster, and we don't have to worry about potential political backlash for our actions."
"You mentioned ARGUS; what's your connection to them?" Felicity asked them both.
"Amanda Waller and I are old friends," Isabel said with a slow smile. "Occasionally our paths cross as do our interests."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that ARGUS does what we do only not as nicely," Miranda answered for her. "Still, we try not to burn our bridges and occasionally we do get 'work' sent our way through ARGUS but, more often than not, you could consider us competing agencies. Of course, they're mostly interested in meta-humans and aliens, not vigilantes per se; the Arrow and Batman are more of an annoyance to Waller than anything else. The new vigilante in Metropolis however…"
"He'll be lucky if she doesn't stick pieces of him in a jar of formaldehyde and put it on her shelf," Isabel smirked again.
"And how does the OO feel about enhanced humans?" She needed to know because if they were targeting Oliver they could also be targeting Roy.
"We have several metas as operators," Miranda answered simply. "Like I said before, we're equal opportunity."
"And they'd rather work for us than ARGUS because, whereas we put them up in corporate apartments and safe houses, Amanda prefers prison cells and lab cages," Isabel added facetiously.
She turned her attention towards Isabel, "You seem to be pretty familiar with how ARGUS operates; is that how you became involved with all of this? Forgive me for saying so Isabel, but you never struck me as a vigilante type."
Isabel threw her another shark-like grin, "You don't exactly fit the type either. Are you asking me to recite the epic journey that led me to become the woman I am today?"
Felicity met her hard gaze with one of her own, "Yes."
Isabel laughed, "Fine by me; I have no secrets."
"Somehow I doubt that," Felicity told her, keeping her expression blank.
Isabel looked up at her, her smile growing colder, "I was born in a small village in Siberia; I was a slave," she said, her eyes locked unflinchingly on Felicity's. "I worked the diamond mines; we all did. You worked the mines from the time you were old enough to carry a bucket and when you got old enough to capture the eye of whoever was in charge you worked on your back as well. There was no school, no comforts, nothing that wasn't given to you by the overseers. The work was backbreaking; the conditions deplorable, and the only distraction from the monotony was vodka and sex. Most of the girls in my village were pregnant by the time they were sixteen, full blown alcoholics by the time they were twenty, old by thirty, and dead before they were forty. One day the man who owned the mine came. He was a wealthy American, handsome, powerful; he was also a member of the League of Shadows. I had just turned fifteen years old and was still a virgin when I was given to him as a gift. Most of the other girls in the mines had been passed around the camp from the time they hit puberty so it was just a matter of time before it was my turn. I waited in his bed for him to come at me with his fists and then rape me but he didn't. He talked to me instead. He asked me about my family, my work, the conditions within the mine. He showed me pictures of his family; his son and daughter. He was quite kind to me. By the time he got around to having sex with me that night, I actually welcomed it."
Felicity looked away from her, unable to prevent the horror she felt from crossing her expression. Isabel laughed at her, "It wasn't as bad a fate as most girls from my village had to suffer their first time. Slow seduction on clean sheets and a soft bed is a far better way to lose one's virginity than shoved against the side of a cart with your clothes torn away and taken from behind while a dozen men watch and wait their turn." Her eyes glittered like black diamonds; cold and hard. "I was so grateful that I did my best to please him and, in return, when he left the next day he took me with him. When we traveled together I was his 'ward' and then, later, his 'protégé'. He paid for my apartment, my education, opened doors for me and gave me a life I would never have known had I remained in that tiny village. In exchange, whenever he could escape the dreariness of his marriage to his cold society wife, he would find comfort in my bed. He groomed me to be his right hand, taught me to love him in every way he needed, and I, in turn, became everything he needed."
"Unlike his cold fish of a wife, I indulged his every fantasy; whatever he wanted I gave him. There were no limits between us, no rules for us to follow. He could do whatever he liked and not feel ashamed afterwards. She had barred him from her bed years ago; called him a perversion of manhood and yet kept him trapped in a loveless, sexless marriage. What she denounced in him I celebrated. If he wanted to invite other men or women into our bed, I welcomed it. I did not damn him for his appetites and he, in turn, encouraged me to do the same. I made him feel more alive in our time together than he had ever felt in his entire life, until one day the wife found out about me and suddenly he was gone."
She dropped her eyes for a moment, real emotion touching her expression for the first time. It was a mixture of pain, bitterness, and deep unrelenting sadness, "He was going to leave her," she said confidently. "Finally, at last, he was going to be mine and I was going to be his true wife in name as well as spirit. We packed our bags, he'd called his lawyers, and we were going to leave. She'd found out about me, about our life together, and she was issuing threats as a result. She said she'd ruin him, take his company, take his children, but he was with me…until he wasn't." Her eyes met Felicity's again and she could see the anger burning in the dark depths of her stare, "The daughter fell off her horse and broke her arm. She had to be rushed to hospital and he dropped everything to be by her side. I tried to remind him that she wasn't his true daughter, that his wife had taken another man into her bed and that this child bore his name but not his blood. If he wanted a child I would give him as many as he wanted, but he loved her so he left. Just a few more days, he said. I waited, I went to the office, I went home; no word. A few days later his bitch wife confronted me at the office. She made a scene, fired me, and then had me escorted from the building. I went home and my things had been packed and removed and there were men to see that I was escorted from the property there as well. I was angry, hurt, filled with rage. He didn't call me, didn't say goodbye; nothing." She paused, "For a long time I thought I hated him, but I didn't. I loved him and he loved me. When he died just a few weeks later it was because he was looking for me, he was coming for me, and his death was her fault. Had she just let him go we could have had the rest of our lives together, but she was selfish and greedy, and could not allow him his happiness. Still, she may have taken him from me but she would never have him. He went back to her but still, he loved me. And it was love, you know," she said to her. "On the last night he shared my bed; Robert Queen called me his one true wife and meant it."
Felicity's jaw dropped and she looked at her in shock, "Oliver's father?"
Isabel almost looked amused, "Why else do you think I would have saved his company or put up with that bitch, Moira Queen, for as long as I did?"
"Moira…" Felicity frowned as she thought back to everything Oliver had shared with them in regards to the connection between Isabel and Moira. All the insults she'd spat out about Isabel over the years, all the warnings; all vague and bitter but definitely personal. As much as she hated to admit it, what Isabel was saying held within it the ring of truth. Moira was good at keeping secrets and delivering bombshells. In fact, compared to some of the stuff she'd kept from Oliver, this wasn't even all that shocking. Unfortunately there was no way she could confirm any of it. She couldn't tell Oliver without revealing where it had come from and she couldn't exactly call him and ask, 'Was your dead dad into slavery and keeping underage teenage mistresses while he indulged in bisexual orgies and was one of his playmates Isabel Rochev by any chance?'
Yeah, that would win her a few points, wouldn't it? Oliver was already pissed at her and the last thing he needed to hear is that his mother had been keeping more secrets than they originally thought.
"She knew you were Robert's, um," she tried to come up with a more diplomatic word than 'mistress' and failed so she reworded her question, "She knew about your relationship with Robert and yet she didn't tell Oliver; why?"
"And what would she tell him?" Isabel asked her archly. "That his father wasn't the respectable family man that he presented to the rest of the world and risk being shamed? Not hardly. It was the same reason she wouldn't give Robert a divorce. Oh, it was fine for her to share her marriage bed with Malcolm Merlyn and give birth to his daughter but when it came to Robert's proclivities; varied and adventurous though they may be?" She offered her another cold smile, "No, she preferred to maintain the illusion of respectability even if it was a lie. The night his boat was lost at sea he called me. He told me he was coming to be with me. He told me that he had told her he was leaving and he meant it. He was done with her but he died before we could find each other again. Moira pretended to be the grieving widow but she knew that I knew and, every time she'd cut her eyes at me or utter an insult in my direction, I'd look her in the eye and think of all the times her husband shared my bed, how the last words on his lips were of his love for me. He was more married to me than he was to her, I promise," She chuckled, "Every time she'd call me an evil whore I'd look her in the eye and think, I may be a whore but I'm the one Robert really loved."
Holy Susan Lucci, she thought. Tim was right; this whole thing does sound like some kind of superhero soap opera. Next thing you know Oliver's evil twin brother will show up out of nowhere for Sweeps Week. "So why save QC?" She asked. "Seems to me that after all you've been through the last thing you'd want to do is save Moira Queen and her children from financial and personal ruin."
"I thought about letting it crumble at her feet," she admitted. "I was still not convinced that she didn't have something to do with his death. She was League and ruthless; murdering him was not beyond her capabilities."
Felicity had to admit, she did have a point. "So did she kill him?"
Isabel's lips quirked upwards, "No, someone else did. She may have contributed to his downfall but I could never prove she had a hand in it; all I ever had was my suspicions but she died before I could prove anything. I take it you have also felt the wrath of the late Mrs. Queen?"
"I…wasn't her favorite person," Felicity admitted warily. "If Moira didn't kill him, who did? And why save his company if you thought Moira was a killer?"
"The League killed him," she told her. "When he left Moira he also left them and you don't leave the League. As for why I stepped in to save QC, although I still suspected that she was the one to get in contact with them to let them know of his intentions, it was still Robert's company and I am still Robert Queen's true widow, whether she liked it or not. Had she not threatened to ruin him and take away his children he would have remained with me for the rest of his life. Robert is the one who first introduced me to the League which allowed me to gain access. When they killed him for betraying his oath, I joined the League and Leviathan to see to it that his death was avenged and attached myself to QC to get the answers I needed to bring his killers to justice. I protected his company, his legacy, his son; you may have thought that I was the villain this entire time, but you were wrong. This whole time I've actually been doing the same thing you have; protecting Oliver from himself by protecting Robert's legacy and seeking justice for the wrongs done to him."
It made sense. All of it, all the pieces fit together seamlessly. Felicity's mind swirled dizzyingly as she took in everything Isabel had told her. There was a ring of truth in everything she was saying, perhaps not the whole truth, but close. "Say I did agree to work with you; what exactly would you want me to do?" She asked at last.
"What you're doing right now only on a larger scale," Miranda said, echoing what Isabel had told her in the restaurant. "We need someone who can lead a team, train new techs, coordinate from a secure location, and anticipate our operator's needs. In short, we need you."
"And where would I work? Out there in the control room?"
Miranda smiled, "There, the training area, even the field on occasion if you like. After all, it's your show."
"Wait…" She looked from one woman to the other, "What do you mean it's my show?"
"We want you to run the facility," Miranda told her.
Felicity felt her jaw drop, "But I thought you did that."
"This location hasn't been open long so you're right, I have, but I'm also the CEO of Stellmoor and I have twelve other facilities besides this one to coordinate with. The OO is a global operation and I have to be on the move constantly." She sat forward in her chair and laid a hand on top of Felicity's and squeezed. "I know it seems a bit overwhelming and we weren't planning on just dumping it on you all at once, I promise. I'm out of the country more often than not these days so I was hoping Isabel could act as your handler and advisor until you feel like you have a handle on everything." She glanced up at Isabel then back to her, "I understand you and Isabel have a rough history but I assure you that was more about her maintaining her cover than about you."
"Don't lie to her; I'm a bitch," Isabel said without a hint of shame. "But I get the job done and that's what counts."
Miranda shot the other woman a slightly disgruntled look, "Isabel is going to have to return to Starling from time to time but she'll be back in town at least a few times a month until you're settled. Until then I'll continue to run the facility from a distance and delegate."
Felicity suddenly found herself launching into a rapid fire babble of questions, "When would you need me to start? And what are the hours? Can I have time to think about it first?"
"Slow down," Miranda said with an amused grin. "First off, take all the time you need although sooner is always better than later. Second, expect the hours to be grueling hence the couch and dorm room set up in the corner."
"Wait, this would be my office?" Felicity asked wide-eyed.
"Your office and your show," Miranda nodded.
Felicity sat back on the couch in stunned silence.
"Aren't you going to even ask about the salary?" Miranda asked her after a few seconds of intense silence.
"Uh, right, salary," she said forcing herself back into the present. "So, how much?"
Then Miranda named a figure that had little flashing lights bursting behind her eyelids for a few seconds. She had to stop from shaking the ringing from her ears as Miranda continued to speak.
"…of course, that doesn't include your interest as a shareholder in Stellmoor as well as bonuses and, believe me, you'll earn them," Miranda assured her. "This job doesn't quit at five o'clock or come with weekends off. Of course, there are other perks as well like use of our corporate apartments, private jet, a very generous expense account, a choice of a car service or your own leased vehicle-"
Felicity stopped her, "Wait, back up; I had a mini-fugue after hearing all those zeroes you were throwing my way earlier. You mentioned that I'd be a shareholder?"
"The board is made up of myself, Isabel, and the thirteen directors of our Orbital facilities, one of which we hope will be you," Miranda explained. "I, of course, maintain a majority shareholder status but you would have a significant voice in how things are run as a voting member of the board."
"And it wouldn't just be about our 'charity'," Isabel added. "Stellmoor and Orbital also have legitimate business interests that make all this possible like, for example, Queen Consolidated. You could still help Oliver, even if you aren't acting as his tech or his EA, by being his advocate on the board of directors."
She was right. If this was the real deal then she could ensure that Stellmoor doesn't pull its financial assistance until QC could stand on its own and then, when Oliver was ready to buy back the shares, she could help make that possible.
"This…is a lot to take in," Felicity swallowed. "It's just so surreal."
"Take your time," Miranda urged her. "As long as you need. We don't need an answer today or even next week. If I were you I'd take at least a few weeks to decide if you're willing to take this on. If you decide it's too much but want to contribute then we'd just be happy to have you as support staff."
"Could I, um, try that first and see how it goes?" Felicity asked tentatively. "I already told my family I was going on a job interview so I could spare a few hours a day getting to know the setup, meeting the people here before I decide on anything permanent."
Isabel looked to Miranda and the other woman nodded. "We have people set up twenty-four seven so you could start by just taking a shift or two during the week, and if you think it works for you, we'd be happy to welcome you on board."
"I'm already committed to something right now but I could start next week; would that be acceptable?" She asked.
"Are you sure you don't want to think about it a bit more first?" Miranda asked her.
"I think I need to see what it is that you do here before I can commit to anything," Felicity told her, "but yeah, definitely."
"Next week then," Miranda agreed. She looked to Isabel, "I have that meeting in Spain; can you move some things around?"
"I'm sure I can arrange that," Isabel nodded. "Besides, the Wayne Foundation is having a charity gala that week, correct?"
"Saturday," Felicity nodded.
"Need a plus one?" Isabel asked, that strange fire lighting up her eyes again.
Oh, what the hell? Felicity thought. She needed to keep an eye on her anyway and as long as Isabel was here she wouldn't be causing potential problems for Oliver. "Sure, I'll even buy you a corsage. Hope you like orchids."
"Excellent," Miranda said getting up from her chair and reaching out to shake her hand. "I have a lunch meeting to get to so I'll be leaving the two of you here."
Felicity glanced at her watch and winced, "Yeah, I need to be somewhere myself actually." If she didn't get out of here soon and disable that Watchtower alert she'd be dealing with a very pissed off Bat.
"I'll walk you out," Miranda told her as they shuffled out of the office. "Are you coming Isabel?"
"I have a few things to get done here first and then I'll meet you at the restaurant," she told her. Isabel placed her hand on Felicity's arm and leaned in slightly, "I look forward to working more closely with you in the future," she said in a professional tone but the slightly heated look she gave her was anything but.
Two can play that game. "For the record I don't put out on the first date so watch it or be prepared to spring for lobster first," Felicity shot back.
"Feisty," Isabel said appreciatively and sighed, "Oh why couldn't I have found out you were this much fun ages ago? I'm going to so enjoy getting to know you better. Much better." She gave her one last look before heading back into the office.
Miranda watched as Isabel flounced off and shook her head as she led Felicity to the elevator. "Isabel is very good at what she does but she can be…"
"Yeah, I worked with her, remember?" Felicity said ruefully. "Eh, at least this time around the sexual harassment isn't nearly as offensive. Before she accused me of being the office slut, this time around she's trying to get in my pants. It's quite refreshing actually."
"Like I said, the job comes with a few perks," Miranda joked back.
Miranda offered her a ride but she declined politely. She needed to disable the alarm and she didn't want to do that under her watchful gaze. Instead she called the cabbie and waited in the guard shack until he arrived so she could do what needed to be done.
"So Missy, do you find what it is you be lookin' for?" Mr. Mention asked in his strong patois as he pulled up.
She slipped into the back seat and smiled at him through the rearview mirror, "I'm not sure yet but it's a distinct possibility."
*\?/*\?/*\?/*
Felicity gave the cabbie another hefty tip when he dropped her off at the WayneTech building and he, in turn, told her that he had a regular DJ gig spinning at the Irie Club located in Little Jamaica in the Lower East Side, one of the many ethnic enclaves in Gotham. He told her to drop the name 'Mr. Mention' at the door and flash his card to the bouncer and they would let her in with no problems.
Waving goodbye she walked into the building, her step a bit lighter even if her thoughts were more than a bit tumultuous. A large part of her wanted to pack it up and go running back to Oliver and Diggle and hide in the basement again but they rest of her knew this was her chance to actually do something real for once and she wasn't going to blow it. She didn't believe for a second that the OO was as above board as they seemed. Something was off there but she couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was the fact that the job and everything attached to it came gift wrapped with a big old bow on top.
She could do the job, she had no doubts about that. The last couple of years in particular had changed her. When Sara returned from the 'dead', Felicity had been…not jealous exactly, it was more like she felt displaced. After she took a bullet for her, Sara, in gratitude, took her under her wing and began to bond with her. She trained her, convinced Diggle to do the same, and taught her the value of becoming self-empowered.
Sara.
She had to confront that issue and soon. Oliver wouldn't do it; he was even better at running away from his emotions than she was. Felicity had a lot of mixed feelings about the other woman. On one hand, she was her friend and mentor. Sara was one of only three women she trusted implicitly (the other two being Tam and Barbara), so the idea that she could have exposed them was a particularly painful possibility. On the other hand she felt immense guilt for sleeping with Oliver knowing how the two of them felt about one another. Even though Oliver had acted like a complete an utter asshole the last time they spoke and their one and done was probably all they'd ever have, she owed Sara an explanation. Yes, both of them claimed to be 'sex friends' and that they didn't need monogamy to love one another but she also knew that they were so much alike it was ridiculous. If there wasn't so much 'bad road' between them (to quote Oliver) they could be epic, but it just wasn't in the cards for them right now. Sara was a free-spirit and she needed to roam and Oliver was stuck in one place, both mentally and emotionally.
Felicity steeled her nerves and made a decision; she was calling Sara. Tonight. And after she talked to her and figured out where she was she was going to speak to her face to face. She needed to see her body language, gauge her reactions before she could find out the truth about what was going on. There was only so much you could tell from a voice on the phone, especially when dealing with a highly trained operative like Sara.
She thought about her conversation with Oliver again. As hurt as she had felt at the time she knew he was just lashing out and that he didn't mean any of it. Oh, he was definitely pissed, but she knew it was less about her keeping the contract a secret and more about the fact that she was again in the line of fire. Ever since Slade came back into their lives six months ago their relationship had changed. He was pushing her away because that's what Oliver did when he got scared. This time though, this time was different. This time there had been a note of finality to his tone. What that meant for them she didn't know, but right now all she could do was deal with Leviathan, or the OO or whatever they called themselves, and figure out what was really going on. Until then the question of whether or not she could ever go home again, much less what her relationship would be with Oliver once she got there, was moot.
She walked up to the reception desk and told them who she was and that she was expected. The receptionist made a phone call and confirmed her appointment then handed her a visitor's badge. When she emerged from the elevator Bruce was there to greet her, his dark blue eyes running over her figure and the fake playboy smile firmly in place.
She looked around to make sure they were alone before speaking, "You know, you look creepy when you do that."
"Do what?" He asked with a frown, the fake smile immediately disappearing.
"The whole 'fake Bruce Wayne face'," she told him. "It messes with my digestion so knock it off." His eyes narrowed and his features darkened with annoyance, "Better."
He rolled his eyes, "Let's go, I do have more important things to do than take you tech shopping."
"Then go do them," she told him easily. "You're probably more of a hindrance than a help anyway. I can scrounge for computer parts on my own, you know?"
"Not a chance," Bruce said dryly. "Giving you free reign in a tech lab is like giving a kid the keys to the candy shop."
"Yeah, well, it's for your 'candy store' so why you're complaining I have no idea," Felicity said smartly.
He led her into a large open lab space on the top floor where a tall thin man was hunched over a table full of components with a pair of microscopic lenses on his face. He looked up, the visor making his eyes almost comically large, "Mr. Wayne! Hello, hello! And who is this?" He asked, removing the headgear.
Bruce pasted on his polite but fake smile again and placed his hand on the center of her back as he led her up to the man in the lab coat. "Felicity Fox, I'd like to introduce Dr. Greg Snyder, head of our experimental division here at WayneTech."
"Or, as I like to call it, the Booby Hatch," Dr. Snyder said with a smile as he extended his hand to her. "Ms. Fox," the doctor said suavely as he took her hand, kissing the back of it in a gallant gesture as he wiggled his eyebrows in a frankly hysterical expression.
Felicity couldn't help but laugh. Dr. Snyder was a relatively young man, no more than 35 or so with a lantern jaw, permanent grin, and reddish chestnut hair that seemed to curl in every direction. The sparkle in his green eyes paired with his neatly trimmed goatee made him look like a cross between a pirate and a leprechaun. "Call me Felicity," she told him, immediately falling into instant like with the man.
"And you can call me Greg," he told her with a flirtatious grin. At Bruce's dark look Greg reluctantly released her hand and took a step back. "Wait, you're Lucius's daughter, right? You wrote that article on AI Decryption Applications that was published a few years back in Scientific American." His smile, if possible, grew even brighter. "I'm a huge fan!"
Felicity blushed delicately, "Thank you, I appreciate that. It's actually been a while since anyone mentioned that article. I only published the one."
"It was revolutionary!" Greg gushed. "Where are you now? Back at MIT teaching? Research?"
Anxiety suddenly stabbed through her, "No, I'm not really doing much of anything at the moment. Just…freelancing, I suppose." This was what she hated most about her new life as a vigilante sidekick; how to explain to another professional in the hard sciences that you deliberately tanked a promising career to become a secretary.
Instead of looking chagrined or judgmental, Greg immediately turned an eager eye toward Bruce, "Perhaps Mr. Wayne could find a place for you here then? We could use a programmer of your amazing intellect and skills in the experimental division."
Bruce looked down at her with a curious lift of his eyebrow, "I've suggested that several times but she keeps turning me down. Perhaps you'll have better luck convincing her than I have."
"Dr. Fox—Felicity, perhaps if I showed you some of what we're working on you might be kind enough to offer some input," Greg said excitedly as he gave her a quick tour of the lab.
As Dr. Snyder showed her around his lab she marveled at his inventiveness and sheer genius that fell somewhere between revolutionary upstart and mad scientist. As he gave her a tour of the place she discovered that only about 5% of the tech and software applications his division developed were ever put in production but those that were put WayneTech on the map as the premier Tech Industry Giant. As she looked through his previous 'experiments' she couldn't help but shooting a look towards Bruce. Whether the man realized it or not he was Batman's personal pet scientist. She recognized many of the Bat's gizmos as belonging to Greg Snyder and, of course, her father. One in particular caught her eye and she couldn't help but point it out, "This looks rather familiar." She pointed to the image of a more angular and camouflaged tumbler on the computer screen.
"Yes, well, um…" Greg glanced over at Bruce nervously before continuing. "That project was scrapped several years ago. The military felt it wasn't very cost effective."
"Hmm," Felicity said non-committedly. If she was reading his body language correctly then Greg Snyder either strongly suspected Bruce of being the Bat or thought he was funding him. In any case, he wasn't saying anything which gave her the impression that he was either very loyal or he just liked the idea of his inventions being used by someone who was, in turn, protecting the city.
They spent an hour looking around and touring the facility during which Felicity gave Greg a 'shopping list' of components she needed and that Bruce would have delivered to his private 'lab space'.
As they were about to leave, Greg took her hand in his and told her, "I sincerely hope you take Mr. Wayne up on his offer, Felicity. Not only would you be given the chance to work on whatever you like here but you'd also have me as a lab partner," he said, giving her another beaming grin. "Now how can you possibly turn all that down?"
She chuckled, "As tempting as that is Greg, I'm afraid I already have another offer I'm considering right now, but thanks."
"What?" Bruce said, looking at her and scowling darkly.
Shit, Felicity thought silently as she caught the look on his face. Great, there goes my blabber mouth again.
"Greg, if you'll excuse us Felicity and I have a meeting we're running late for," Bruce said smoothly as he took her by the arm and led her out of the lab doors toward the elevator.
"Bye," Felicity said, turning back towards the other man as Bruce practically dragged her away. "That was kind of rude," she told him as he pulled her onto the elevator and pressed the button to the executive floor.
"He'll get over it," he said darkly. "What did you mean by that remark back there?"
"What remark?" She asked innocently. He gave her his best 'I am not amused' look and she sighed, "I got a pretty tempting offer today that I'm seriously considering."
As the doors opened he took her by the elbow again and led her towards his office.
"I can walk without being dragged around by my arm, you know," she said quietly, pulling her elbow from his grip.
He stopped and smiled for the group of people who were passing them before leaning in and speaking into her ear, "In my office; now."
"Fine," Felicity grumbled as she followed him but still kept a slight distance so he couldn't latch back onto her elbow.
Because Bruce rarely used his office he didn't have a permanent secretary on staff. Ms. Wells, his Vice President of Finance and his most trusted employee at WE besides Lucius, usually had one of her EA's handle most of his workload at Wayne Enterprises unless she needed her elsewhere. He quickly swiped the door with his ID badge and led her past the reception area into his darkened office. As soon as they entered the lights came up illuminating the space.
She looked around the large space and the sweeping views of the Gotham skyline admiringly. WayneTech was one of the tallest buildings in Gotham, dwarfed only by Wayne Towers and, of course, The Wayne Foundation Building so the view was, simply stated, breathtaking. "You know, it's a shame you don't use this office more often. It's a waste of a perfectly good view."
"Cut the crap, Felicity," Bruce told her walking around and forcing her to meet him face to face. "Did you really get another job offer today?"
"I told you I was going for interviews," she reminded him.
"I didn't think you were serious about that," he practically growled.
"Why would I make that up?" She asked incredulously.
"What's the offer and who's it from; which company?" He demanded. "And don't say LexCorp because there is no way in hell you're taking a job there."
"Excuse me?" Felicity said, taken aback. "Who the hell are you to tell me who I can and can't work for?"
"So it is LexCorp?" Bruce asked, looming above her. "And just how do you think it will look to have the daughter of Wayne Enterprise's CEO working for their biggest competitor?"
"First off, it isn't LexCorp," she told him, taking off her coat and draping it over one of the chairs in front of the large desk as it was a bit warm and her anger wasn't helping matters any. "Secondly, if my dad has a problem with my working for another company he should be the one to tell me, not you. And third, even if it were LexCorp it wouldn't be any of your damn business."
"And how do you figure that?" Bruce asked, intruding on her personal space.
"Because, last I looked, I didn't have your name stamped on my ass," she told him bluntly.
"How much?" Bruce asked her, his lips tightened in a grim line.
Felicity blinked, "Excuse me?"
"How much are they offering?" He demanded.
Her first instinct was to tell him to fuck off but then she thought 'what the hell?' "Seven figures plus perks, stock options, and a voting seat on the board."
He looked at her in irritation, "Seriously, how much?"
She smiled slowly, "I am being serious."
His eyes narrowed on her and he shook his head in disbelief, "Bullshit."
"Not bullshit," she told him as she leaned her hip against his desk and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "And the first digit on that salary isn't a one either. We're talking high seven figures."
"And let me guess, Ed McMahon is planning on delivering you your first paycheck personally?" Bruce said sarcastically.
"Ed McMahon has been dead a while now, Bruce," she pointed out. "You're kind of dating yourself with those antique pop culture references."
"And your last job was working as Oliver Queen's executive assistant," he pointed out in the same tone. "What exactly do they want you to do that would warrant that kind of money?"
"They want me to be the director; run the entire facility," she told him.
"Based on what qualifications?"
"I don't know, Bruce; maybe they just liked my outfit," she said, starting to get pissed.
His eyes ran down her trim figure in the body hugging dress and tailored jacket. "It's a nice dress but it's not worth seven figures," he said dismissively.
"I was one of the youngest doctoral candidates in MIT history," she pointed out. "Also, if you'll recall, both you and Oliver seem to think my skillset is pretty invaluable yourselves."
"MIT was almost six years ago and the only 'skillsets' you have on paper is a stint as an IT manager at QC and a couple of years as someone's gatekeeper; who exactly is offering you that kind of money and why?"
"I'm not having this discussion with you," Felicity said, completely fed up at that point. "Look, chances are I'm taking the job so I'll happily stay long enough to upgrade Watchtower for you but that's it. You can call the decorator and let them know I won't be taking the penthouse after all." She reached for her coat but before her fingers touched the cloth he reached out and spun her around, pulling her into his chest as he gripped her elbows tightly.
"No," he said looking down on her. "We had a deal."
"We did," she agreed, not flinching from his hard gaze. "And I told you up front that I was looking at different job offers and that if I took one that I wouldn't be able to help you."
"What company?" Bruce demanded. "Because Wayne and LexCorp are the only major players in town and no one else has the kind of deep pockets you're describing. We bought up Holt and Kord years ago and if you're lying and Luthor is the one offering you that deal then I guarantee you he's not interested in your doctorate from MIT."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Felicity asked, trying to pull away from his grip and failing.
He stepped closer until she was pressed against the desk, the entire concept of personal space completely forsaken, "Meaning that someone is using you to get to me."
She chuckled humorlessly, "God, do you ever listen to yourself? Believe it or not some people actually see me as more than just Lucius's daughter or your occasional booty call." She shot him a 'go to hell' look and tried to pull away again, "Let me go."
"No," he growled his gaze dark and heated.
"Goddamn it, Bruce!" She snapped and the next thing she knew his mouth was on hers in a punishing kiss that had her toes curling and her brain going offline for the duration.