Chapter Thirty- Seven:
"So what's the plan while ASIS finds their contacts?" Felicity queried the next day at Queen Consolidated.
"We are getting another business lesson foremost, but in our free time we should finish sorting out the maps while you can have another crack at those encrypted messages," Oliver said.
"Sounds like a plan, Walter will be up in a couple of minutes he just tagged into the private elevator from the garage," Felicity said looking at a small alert at the side of the computer screen.
"Does anything happen that you're not aware of?" Tommy asked curious.
"Heaps of stuff, in the past. Now since meeting you guys I figure it's better to be safe than sorry," Felicity explained. Oliver frowned at the response.
"I'm sorry for bringing you into this," Oliver said sincerely.
"You are sorry for me saving yours, Slade's, Shado's and Sara's lives. Sorry for reuniting Joe with his father, Thea with her brother, and Lance with his daughter?" Felicity wondered aloud.
"No not for that, but for bringing you into all this, something that no one knows the full picture about. This could be a lot more serious than anyone can imagine and I didn't even think twice when Thea suggested we ask you for technical help. So I wanted to apologise for that," Oliver told her meaning every word. He hadn't even thought about how he had been taking for granted everyone just hopping aboard with stopping these crazy 'Undertakers'.
"Kid?" Slade questioned wondering about Oliver's mood spirally downward suddenly.
"My mind is still thinking we are on Lian Yu. Where there are two clear sides, the enemies and ours. And that everyone on our side is just that, on our side, no questions asked, no commands refused. I never asked Felicity, Tommy, Lance, Walter, hell even Barry. I just assumed if they were with us then they were with us, until the end, the whole three-musketeer thing. I think we all have, even you with the ASIS agents. Hell we even treat Joe and Thea as comrades more than we do children. I had to grow up on Lian Yu, it was either that or die. But here, we are meant to be safe and we still have them pushing through with archery, hand to hand, even weapons training. Maybe we are more messed up than we thought," Oliver ended quietly. Walter had come in during the beginning of Oliver's explanation and saw Slade's expression turn darker.
"Now you both listen to me. It has been only a few months since you have been back. Months. Some soldiers take years to recover from only a few months being on a tour. Slade was there for almost two years, you almost a year. You had to make decisions that no one could ever think of having to make. Soldiers are trained, you weren't. You overcame all odds and survived. Had I been in America at the time, Yao Fei would not have died. No one expects you to have not changed after what happened at Lian Yu. And you haven't forced anyone here, we are all happy to help. We want to help, it sickens me what has been happening and I want to be a part of the solution. If we ever feel uncomfortable with what's happening we will tell you, I promise," Walter told them. Oliver and Slade both looked uncomfortable as they tried to process what Walter told them. They knew they were broken, but it was clear that Walter didn't think so. Felicity put her hand into the middle of the group.
"All for one, and one for all," Felicity said cheerfully. Slade and Oliver snorted and shook their heads at the bubbly women sitting across from them.
That evening saw them in the South Wing with maps poured everywhere as they were uploading all the data from their computers onto a master spreadsheet that Felicity had self-updating. It was a bit weird seeing everyone else typing but it made collating the data a lot easier. Felicity had mentioned the technology was a prototype she had came up with in college and had used it amongst her friends to pool notes and coding tips.
"Okay last one for me," Tommy announced putting extra emphasis into hitting the enter button. Within minutes everyone else had finished and Felicity began running pattern finding programs through the data on the master sheet. She frowned as her computer beeped.
"You guys should probably see this," Felicity told them. Everyone crowded around Felicity's laptop with Oliver, Tommy and Lance at the front. Felicity pressed a few buttons and the dots changed into three colours.
"Okay the green dots are the first three months of recorded 'Undertaker' efforts beginning a week after your mother's funeral Tommy. But watch when I animate the dots to appear chronologically," Felicity said. Slowly one by one the dots appeared and Tommy was the first to figure out what Felicity was getting out.
"The whole thing, it forms a circle around where mum was killed eventually including the whole of the Glades. It doesn't go any further though, just the Glades," Tommy said.
"Well if we weren't certain Malcolm was behind the whole thing before, we are now," Lance said in disbelief at the hundreds of little dots filling almost every space available on the map.
"But what's the plan now?" Joe asked frowning at the map.
"What do you mean?" Shado asked from where she was standing with Thea at the back of the group.
"The Glades is full and he hasn't gone past it like Tommy said. So is that the whole plan done or just the first part?" Joe clarified. The rest of the group stayed silent as they absorbed what Joe said.
"It's just the beginning," Lance voiced horrified saying aloud what everyone was thinking.
The next morning while Slade briefed the ASIS agents about what they had found from the maps Felicity was once again tackling Robert's computer. She frowned as the progress bar slowly moved forward another percent and impatiently took another sip of her coffee.
"What are you doing?" Thea asked coming into the room. Felicity smiled at the girl, they had become fast friends since the morning they had met and Thea had cried all over her brand new blouse begging her to find her not so dead brother.
"Waiting for this to decrypt, you?" Felicity asked.
"I got bored listening to all the soldier talk. I mean, watching Oliver trying to keep up and look like he understood everything Slade was talking about is only amusing for so long," Thea said with a grin.
"He gets to a point where he just nods with this serious look," Felicity said with a grin.
"And the moments where he nods too fast and his fringe drops down and covers his face," Thea added with a giggle that Felicity shared. The bing from the computer startled them both. Felicity immediately began searching the computer and then frowned.
"What's up?" Thea asked noticing the look on Felicity's face.
"All that encryption and there is only one video file on the whole computer. That's it, and it's titled; Oliver and Thea from Dad," Felicity read out. Thea froze at the mention of the title.
"Ollie," Thea squealed loudly. Within a second loud footsteps were heard and Oliver appeared and came sprinting down the short hallway.
"Thea?" Oliver questioned looking around for a threat. Slade and the rest of the group including the ASIS agents were right behind him.
"Dad left us a message," Thea choked out. Oliver looked stunned and looked to Felicity who nodded her head in confirmation. Oliver grabbed Thea's hand tightly and nodded to Felicity wanted to hear his father's voice again, anything but his final last words that played on repeat in his head. Felicity quickly made the video full screen.
"Can someone turn off the lights," Felicity asked. The light switch was flicked and the only light was coming from the computer. Felicity quickly pressed a few buttons and then moved to the side so she wasn't blocking the screen.
"Thea, Oliver if you are watching this then I'm dead. Malcolm and Moira must have found out that I'm not willing to be a part of the Undertaking anymore. I love you both and I hope you will never have to see this video but if I am dead and you are watching this then I need your help. You cannot tell your mother or Malcolm about this, none of the family friends in fact. When Rebecca died, Malcolm went away. No one knows where but when he came back he was changed. At first we thought for the better but then he assembled the city's elite and informed us of his plan. He spun it differently back then, such the clever and charming businessman he was. We were to join his undertaking to save the Glades. We agreed and began using our influence and power to control what was happening in the Glades. We lowered the crime rate for a few short months but then it went completely out of control. I didn't know it at the time, but that was Malcolm's doing. He then assembled us again, the plan had changed. If the Glades couldn't be saved then it had to be cleansed. He spun a brilliant story until we all agreed mass murder was the best option for the Glades. Malcolm assured us if we were needed to help he would call upon us but he would oversee everything. I confess that I put it out of my mind, went back to everyday life with until he called upon me. He needed Queen Consolidated to sponsor a small company as they were building the machine that he would use to cleanse the Glades. I hesitated by Moira got me to agree to it. I continued to have doubts so I began to look into the machine. It creates earthquakes and I went to experts to ask them the damage a machine like this could cause. They told me it would easily level a whole city and no one would realise that it wasn't just a natural occurrence. A day after this meeting Moira booked my yacht and said I needed a holiday. I refused and she insisted and it has made me worry enough to record this. If something went wrong while I was on the cruise it was no mistake, please right my wrongs. Please do not fail the city like I have done. I love you both and my only worry is by asking you to do this you will be in danger," Robert finished. Thea was crying and Oliver looked like he wanted to commit murder.
"He's going to level the Glades," Walter breathed out, his hands shaking from the shock.
"Well fuck," Agent Clay said rubbing his hand through his hair.
"Kid," Slade questioned wanting to help his best friend somehow.
"Mum suggested I take some time off from my studies and then casually mentioned that dad was going on a cruise. She fucking suggested it Slade. She knew we would die!" Oliver said his voice rising in volume until he was shouting by the end. That was all Tommy could handle as he pushed past Shado and Sara to vomit in the corner of the room.
"I promise you Oliver, no one will die. We will stop every single one of these Undertakers and make them regret being born," Agent James said. Oliver met the agent's eyes and nodded, still clutching his distraught sister not knowing how to help her as he didn't even know how to help himself at the moment.