Sara felt a lump in her throat. She was aware that she had been avoiding the inevitable, that it would've happened sooner or later. It never crossed her mind that it would be hers to end things. She always thought that the reason would be Laurel. Ollie had always gone back to her, in the past, no matter what. She didn't have any expectations back then or now.
Still, for a moment, she thought that maybe, being with him would bring back that girl she used to be. And just like before, it was all an illusion. That girl died when the Gambit sank. It was time to accept that. Letting Ollie go was the right choice.
She wasn't blind. At first, she was so immersed in her own pain and darkness that it took her time to realize it. But she saw the connection. The way he talked to her. The way he looked at her when he thought nobody was looking and how her opinion mattered to him. It was ironic, actually. How wrong she was about Ollie and Laurel. Not that she could blame Ollie. Felicity was amazing. For god's sake. The woman had taken a bullet for her. And she'd missed Nissa.
Now that Slade had his mirakuru army, they would need all the help they could get. She knew someone that could help, even if she had to sell her soul again. It'll be worth it. She was heading out when she heard someone. Turning, she found Sin, and her chest swelled with shame. She had almost killed Roy today. A young boy who was Sin's friend. She sighed, bracing herself. She needed to say goodbye to her.
"-Hey."
"-Everything okay?" Sin asked, unsure.
"-Yeah, just had a long day," Sara said tiredly.
"-How's Roy?" Sin asked.
"-Well, he's alive, no thanks to me." Sara put a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes. "You know, that was brave, getting between us. It took guts." Sin looked at her, surprised.
"-Not really." Her eyes were full of faith. To Sara, it was undeserved. If it hadn't been for her and Ollie's intervention, she would've killed Roy. She wanted to.
"-I knew you wouldn't really hurt him. You're not a killer." That was so far from the truth, but she started to accept who she was. She came forward and hugged her, surprising Sin.
"-What's this for?" Sara hopped on the bike and grabbed her helmet.
"-Saying goodbye." The young woman jumped.
"-What, wait, where are you going?"
"-To see an old friend." She said while putting the bike in motion.
Soon, she found Felicity walking distractedly, carrying a paper bag. Clearly, the girl had got her dumplings. Sara smiled and started to slow down, so she could bid her friend goodbye. Felicity had become a good friend. From the beginning, she accepted her for who she was, without judgment.
As she approached, she noticed a suspicious black van slowing down, like it was following her friend, making her back stiff. Then the door opened, and two masked men slipped out, going towards the blonde hacker. She jumped off the bike and ran toward them. One of them grabbed Felicity from behind, dragging her toward the van. The girl planted her foot on the ground and shoved the bag in the guy's face. Next, Felicity's elbow hit the man's ribs, taking him by surprise, giving her time to turn and kick his calf, bending him to his knees, as she punched his face.
Sara was impressed, even though she began to shake her hand in pain, clutching it against her chest and picking up her phone with the other hand. Her fingers ran over it when a second masked man tried to grab her, making her lose balance and fall. The phone slipped from her hands, hitting the wall and shattering to pieces on the ground. The girl winced and gave a miserable look at the broken tech. Sara was close enough now to hear the sorrow in her friend's voice.
"-My baby." She looked at the man head-on with a pissed glare.
"-You have no idea what you have done!" Her loud voice was on full display.
Sara winced, knowing the blonde's love for her tech. The guy seemed taken aback and just stared while Felicity got hold of some broken pieces. She looked crushed for a second.
And then, a smile started to grow on her lips when she noticed the Canary.
"-You just bought a ticket to hell, buddy!"
Sara held a smirk as she attacked. In five seconds, she had the guy that destroyed Felicity's phone unconscious and the other one constrained. She looked at the blonde to tell her to get to safety and caught her terrorized expression. The black van's door snapped open, and four more men slipped out. She knocked out the guy in her hold and yelled at her friend as she hit another attacker.
"-Felicity!" She blocked a punch, holding the man's arm and twisting it. "Run!" Another was closing, she kicked his leg, and he lost balance. "Now!"
Felicity struggled to her feet before grabbing something on the ground and tucking it within her. Sara thought to herself, that was not the time to worry about that. She needed to move. She was about to yell at her again when she heard tires screeching.
Another black van appeared with more men. In the middle of them, she saw a silver-haired man. It was hard to distinguish him in the low light, but he was the only one not wearing a mask. She tried to assess the situation. Who were those men? And what did they want with Felicity? As she fastened her punches. She needed to keep Felicity safe. She couldn't imagine how Ollie would react if something happened to the blonde.
Another black van appeared with more men. Two got hold of a struggling Felicity. Suddenly she couldn't move. Her entire body froze. Even Felicity stopped struggling and looked at her, flabbergasted. Next, she was flying, hitting the wall, pain blurring her vision. The last thing she remembered was hearing Felicity yelling her name. Then oblivion took her.
When Sara regained consciousness, the first thing that struck her was the pounding in her head, which made her wince when she touched her forehead.
-"Damn it! That hurts!" She looked around, trying to access her surroundings, freezing, when she noticed pieces of a broken phone. Everything came back to her, and her gut sank.
-"Shit!" She hurried herself up, searching for her phone.
—-
Oliver couldn't stop thinking about what Sara had said. It hurt him that she believed she was unworthy. He knew that he didn't love her the way she deserved. The only thing he'd ever wanted was to give her a normal life. At least a sense of normalcy, considering everything she had gone through after the Gambit. He felt that he owed it to her. He knew she was right, but he thought he could help her, bring her to the light. The same way that Felicity and Diggle had done for him. It saddened him that, just like Helena, he couldn't help her. But how could he? He could barely keep himself straight. Sometimes he wondered what it would've been like if he hadn't met Digg or Felicity. They helped him be better, or at least try to be better. He thought he could do the same for her. Again, he failed. Roy included.
Roy, who, at the moment, lay unconscious on this cold table. Oliver touched the young boy's chest for a second. Then, he limped up the stairs, intending to check on his family. Soon, he found his mother talking to a policewoman, his sister by her side.
"-We've got every cop in this city canvassing. We'll find this guy." Said a policewoman in a reassuring voice. His mother thanked her, and the officer left. Thea had a defeated state, and worry overtook him.
"-You okay?" She gave him a direct look, her eyes filled with anger.
"-Fine. Where were you?" The direct question made him pause.
"-He was with me." His mother's covering took him by surprise. Another reminder that she knew all about his green secret now. It'll take some time for him to get used to it. Thea let out an exhausted sigh.
"-Glad to see the two of you are getting along again." His mother gave him a weary look, but Thea was already moving. He stumbled, trying to catch her.
"-Thea." He opened his mouth to call her again, but she was already far away. He limped towards the limo, seeing his sister already getting inside.
The feeling of his phone vibrating made him stop. He anchored his body against the railing to take the weight from his painful knee. He took the phone out of his pocket. Stiffing when he saw Sara's picture, wondering why she'd be calling him after literally dumping his ass fifteen minutes ago, many scenarios crossed his mind. The thought that he was being ridiculous was one of them. Just because they aren't together anymore doesn't mean they aren't still friends. So he answered.
"-Sara?"
"-Ollie!" She sounded strained. Cold crawled along his spine.
"-Sara, what's wrong?"
"-Felicity! Someone took her." His entire body stilled.
And the only thing his brain came up with was, NO! Not her that couldn't be happening! No! White noise blocked Sara's explanation.
"- Wait! What do you mean someone took Felicity?" The rage in his voice took her by surprise.
"-Were you not listening to me?" She shouted, exasperated. "Are you still at Verdant?"
"-Yes!" He growled, hearing an engine sound on her side.
"-Meet you there. Call Digg."
"-Wait? Sara!" He barked, but the sound of the phone call ending was his only answer. He couldn't move. Fear like he'd never felt before lodged deep in his bones. He jumped when someone touched his right arm.
"-Oliver, son? What's wrong?" He finally acknowledged his mother, looking into her worried eyes. And for a moment, he let her see everything.
"-Mom." He could barely recognize his voice. Moira slightly widened her eyes in alarm.
"-Oliver! What's going on?" Taking a deep breath to fortify himself. He needed to put himself together. Felicity needed him.
"-Felicity." He whispered in despair. Her eyes widened even more in understanding. He started to turn, then paused when he heard his sister's voice.
"-What's going on? Are you two not coming?" Ignoring her question, he said.
"-I have to go!" And he started to climb the stairs again, still hearing their voices.
"-Let's go, Thea. Your brother will come home later," Moira said, trying to appease the young woman.
"-Sure, whatever! I don't know why I bothered to ask anyway." Moira guided her daughter toward the car while following her son with concerned eyes.
"-Thea, please." She begged, settling herself inside.
"-Sure, mom. Let's pretend this family is not screwed up." Moira looked at her apologetically.
"-I know you are mad at me, and you have every right to be. But your brother,"
"-It's a liar!" Thea cut her. Moira fell quiet, dropping her eyes to her hands.
"-Yes. He is. And I'm quite sure the most blame of his lies falls on my shoulders." Thea snorted.
"-Please, Ollie makes his own choices." She sighed.
"He knew something was wrong with Roy." That made Moira look directly at her.
"-What do you mean?"
"-He had his bodyguard stalking me." Her mother narrowed her eyes.
"-He probably was just trying to keep you safe, Thea." The girl looked affronted.
"-By not telling me the truth. Like Malcolm Merlyn." Her voice drained. "You know, mom. You and Ollie think you are protecting me by lying and keeping secrets. But that's what's actually hurting me." Moira assented.
"-You are absolutely right. We need to turn a new page." Thea scoffed and crossed her arms.
"-It's not going to be that simple or easy." Her eyes were on the window.
"-I know. If the truth were easy for me, we wouldn't be in this situation. So to start, there's something that you and your brother need to know about Malcolm. I was hoping to talk to both of you together, but I can't see why we couldn't start. Malcolm..."
Headlights blinded her momentarily as a hard blow shook their bodies. Dazed, Moira moved toward her daughter.
"-Thea? Sweetheart? Thea?" The girl straightens up, eyes flying everywhere until they settle on her mother.
"-Mom! Are you okay?" Moira touched her face.
"-Yes, I'm fine. You?" A visible relief in her voice.
"-Yeah. I think."
A masked figure barged his head in through the open door. Moira jumped to protect Thea with her body as she stared right into his eyes. He looked around the car and then touched his ears.
"-Sir, he's not here." He stilled, hearing someone. "Copy."
Next, he was pointing a gun at her. Terror kept her rooted. She heard Thea whimper, and darkness embraced her.
Oliver was suffocating, a knot so tight in his chest. The urge to move, to do something almost unbearable. He needed to get to the foundry, but his knee was dragging him down. What made it hard to escape this officer and his stupid questions. He didn't have time for this.
"-Have you seen any distinct marks?"
"-I told you, I didn't see anything and, if you excuse me. I have to make an important phone call." He barked, moving past the officer and phoning his friend.
"-Digg."
"-What happened, man?" Diggle asked with a sigh.
"-Felicity. I think, I think someone took her."
"-Shit! I'm — I'll be there soon enough."
He breathed a little easier. Digg was coming. Whatever happened, he knew they'd do anything to get Felicity back. Getting down to the foundry was more painful than he thought. He needed more Lidocaine. When he got to the final steps, he saw Sara on Felicity's chair. The unfairness of that sight enraged him. He knew Sara wasn't to blame, but he couldn't control himself.
"-Sara, what the hell happened? What do you mean when you said someone took Felicity?" His voice was not far from what he used on the criminals he hunted. Sara turned to look at him, making him halt. She was holding an ice pack against her face, and he could see the bruises.
"-Are you okay?" Sara turned back to look at the screen, putting down the ice pack and going back to her typing.
"-I'll live. And answering your question." She looked at him again. "I have no idea, Ollie." Her focus was back on the computers.
"-I tried my best to keep her safe, but they were too many. Highly trained, not mirakuru soldiers. I countered at least twelve men. Here, I was about to watch the video. See for yourself." She pointed to the screen.
Puzzled, he watched an unconcerned and completely lost in thought Felicity, who walked alone. His jaw clenched.
"-Why was she walking alone?" He growled.
"-Ollie, she was getting food. She does that all the time. And frankly, even if she wasn't, they would've gotten to her. They could've got her anywhere, and we wouldn't have known. At least this, it's a start."
Guilt swallowed him. He promised to keep her safe, and again he failed. He felt hopeless while watching Felicity fight and be thrown to the ground like a broken doll. He couldn't see her face, but she had to be scared of her mind. Then Sara popped up from nowhere. She appeared to have the upper hand for a brief moment until four more men jumped out of the car. Even there, Sara seemed to have almost finished them all. Another van showed up, bringing more men. Sara centered her body, bracing for the fight.
Suddenly, her body got rigid. She started floating like some invisible force had taken control of her body, throwing her against the wall, and then the video went dark. A chilled feeling took over his body. He couldn't move, he felt numb, and his mind couldn't process what he had just seen. What's this? A panic attack. He had no time for this. He looked around, searching for something to help him fix it. He found nothing, as an empty feeling sucked him in. When he finally could focus, he had turned a table, scattering arrows everywhere. Sara talked like nothing had happened, her voice flat.
"-Well, that explains my head."
"-Play, play it again." His voice cracked. He needed to see it again. He needed confirmation. He needed a lead. He needed Felicity. His chest ached, dread churning in his guts. He was almost sure this wasn't Slade, but he couldn't take it out of the realm of possibilities. Sara started the video again. Oliver lost count of how many times he had watched it. He couldn't find anything helpful, and the frustration had taken the better of him. They still came out empty.
And for a moment, his eye just focused on Felicity. That — that could be his last memory of her, a video of her fighting for her life. He didn't think he could continue doing this without her. He felt like he was choking, getting air in his lungs was a hardship. He needed to get her back. And he will, even if it killed him. Nothing else matters more than getting her back. He froze when something in her hands called his attention.
"-Wait! Freeze! Now go back. There!"
Sara was confused while following his instructions.
"-What, Ollie? I don't see anything." He bent to look closely.
"-Her hand, zoom on it, now play it a bit." Sara still didn't see what was important. She saw Felicity grabbing some piece of her phone and hiding it on her chest.
"-That looks like a microchip. I don't know how this could be helpful, Ollie. Felicity was probably trying to save her phone's data."
Oliver played the frame two more times and moved forward, grabbed the mouse, and searched between folders.
"-No, that's not a microchip." He tried to type, but Sara noticed his hands shaking when his fingers stumbled on the keys. She pulled the keyboard in her direction, gaining from him a murderous look.
"-Here, let me do it. What we're looking for? And if it isn't a chip, what is it, then?" She said in a soft voice like she was talking to a wild animal.
"-I think, think it is a tracker." Hope rose in his voice and infected Sara, making her chuckle in disbelief.
"-God, here I thought she couldn't impress me more. Did you know she had a tracker on her phone?" She said, opening Felicity's tracker program.
"-Yes, I put it in there." He answered absently.
"-Did she know about it?" She asked, giving him a look over her shoulder. Oliver didn't answer.
"-OK, what's the tracker's name? We have a lot of trackers here, I see. What do you name it?"
"-10242012."
Sara looked at the tracker list, the majority of them with names. Even some weird ones like Black-D Boots, Vertigo Party, and Green Butts. Sara shook her head in amusement. She loved Felicity's sense of humor. It was refreshing. What urged her, even more, to get her back. Oliver was pacing behind her, hands on his head, looking gutted.
"-Is it — is it working?" His voice was so low that she almost didn't hear it.
"-The program is still searching." Sara turned around to look at him when Diggle finally arrived. He glanced at Sara, who gave him a worried look, stopping his eyes on Oliver, who was still pacing. He raised his eyebrows at the mess of arrows on the floor.
"-Can someone explain to me what's going on? And what happened to Felicity that made you, Oliver, think that someone took her?" He asked, concerned. Oliver opened his mouth to explain, but he couldn't find words, so Sara jumped in.
"-I was living when I crossed Felicity..."
Oliver moved toward where his leathers were, pulling them out aggressively, causing the glass to lose its balance. The crunching sound startled both Sara and Diggle. Oliver was about to bend down when he remembered his knee, making a u-turn in the direction of the med bay. Both his friends followed his movements as he injected Lidocaine into him. Sara caught Diggle's attention by touching his arm and indicating the computers.
"-Here, Digg, you can see the footage." With a few strokes, Sara put the video in motion. He couldn't watch it anymore, so he moved to change. When he was grabbing his quiver and bow, he heard Digg shouting.
"-What the hell is that?"
He ignored the astonished Diggle and looked at the screen to check the tracker's response. He clenched his jaw and punched the table, shaking the monitors.
"-God dammit! It is taking too long!" And he went back to pacing, hand in his hair. Sara almost jumped out of the chair when the computer beeped.
"-It's working! Finally! And it is moving. Thank god." Sara shouted. Oliver grabbed comms and gave her a spare one. She had a confused expression on her face.
"-I need you here, Sara, guiding John and me. Among the three of us, you are the one that knows better Felicity's setup." She nodded, sitting on Felicity's chair again and putting the comms on.
"-Okay. I can do that, but you have to promise me not to engage without backup, Ollie."
Oliver was already moving out, Diggle on his tracks. Turning on the comms, Sara told them where Felicity's tracker's last position was.
Riding his bike, Oliver centered himself. In his mind, only one goal. Get to Felicity. God, this was worse than the Count. At least there, he knew what to expect. It doesn't matter. He'll do anything to get her back.
"-Guys! I got a hit from facial recognition on Felicity."
"-Where? What do you see?" Oliver barked.
"-It's a gas station. I'm opening the video now."
"-What station?" Digg asked.
"- In Hudson's avenue. A traffic camera caught her."
The video finally opened, showing Sara a scared and unkempt barefoot Felicity. She was running but made sure to stop in front of the camera for a few seconds.
"-God! She's smart!" Sara said. A proud smile on her mouth.
"-Damn straight, she is. We'll get her back! She's strong." Diggle replied. His voice was uneven. After that, she got two more camera pings.
"-She's moving toward the open market. I'm following her now. She's trying to hide in the crowd." Sara informed.
Oliver speeded up, dodging cars without any regard for his safety. In a corner, he almost lost control of his bike, barely avoiding a vehicle on the other side of the road.
"-Man, you need to slow down. You won't be any use to Felicity if you become a pile of goo." Oliver felt a pang on his chest, listening to Felicity's words coming from Diggle.
"You know Oliver. You need to be more careful with your biking thing. Before one day, you become Oliver Pile Of Goo Queen. And I bet. It will be very hard for arrow people, being a pile of goo. Just for FYI, piles of goo don't arrow people or do anything for the matter." She babbled while cleaning a cut he got falling from his bike. Diggle secretly laughing behind her, silently mouthing a pile of goo."
God, he needed her to be safe. She has to! He thought, gritting his teeth.
"-I can't slow down, John. She's out there, alone and in danger. I just can't."
"-I understand, man. I really do. Felicity is family to me."
"-Digg…"
"-Man, I'm just saying to think before acting. I know it's hard, but you need to think straight. In Russia, you helped me." Digg sighed. "I'm just trying to do the same here."
He didn't miss what Digg meant. Of course, Diggle knew. From the moment he met her, he felt this pull. In the beginning, he just ignored it, burying it deep down, afraid of what could've meant. But after he got back from the island for the second time. It had become really hard to ignore it. Even more, after he made her his assistant. Being with Sara had distracted him. At least, that's what he'd thought, but Sara's words, while she was glancing at Felicity, told him otherwise.
"-I'm thinking straight, John! Sara? I'm at the market. Do you have your eyes on her?"
"-She just passed a cash machine at the end of the open market a few minutes ago. You'll have to make a turn or go through it."
Slowly he got through the market, startling people. A few moments later, he saw two parked black vans and a few masked men around them. One was holding Felicity's unconscious body while climbing the van. Fury fogged his mind.
"-I had eyes on her. They have her now. She's unconscious. I'm following the van." Oliver informed. He was getting close. Suddenly his bike was moving by itself, the brakes not working. He had to jump off when he realized it was about to collide with the side of a small truck, rolling to his feet and running in one motion.
"-Digg, where are you?"
"-Behind you, I had to make a turn." He slowed down when he saw Oliver's bike on fire.
"-Man, are you OK? I just saw your bike," He stopped talking when he noticed Oliver running. "Get inside!" Diggle shouted. The door opened as the car was still in motion. Without losing the moment, Oliver jumped in as Diggle speeded up.
"-What happened?" His partner asked, eyes on the street. Oliver shook his head, trying to clear it, carrying a daunted expression.
"-Don't know. It was like someone or something was controlling my bike. The only thing that comes to mind is, whoever has Felicity, can do magic."
"-Magic?" Diggle chuckled. "You got to be kidding me! Like taking rabbits out of a hat, kind of magic?" The soldier asked in disbelief. Oliver stood silent, a blank stare on his face.
"-No, John. I'm talking about real magic." He said flatly.
"-Real magic," Diggle whispered to himself, still not believing.
"-That makes sense." Sara's words startled Diggle even more.
"-Seriously? Do you guys think a wizard kidnapped Felicity? " He said, almost hysterically.
"-Not a wizard," Sara said. "Some kind of witch."
Diggle looked at Oliver, waiting for him to show disbelief, finding only scared resignation. Fear crept into his gut, making him speed up even further. Out of the blue, an empty truck came from his left and blocked the entire street, obliging Diggle to hit the brakes harshly, avoiding a collision for mere inches.
"-Damn it!" Diggle cursed, slamming the wheel. The sound of the door opening drew his attention as Oliver got out.
"-What happened?" Asked Sara, alarmed.
"-We lost them. They blocked the street. The tracker is still working, right?" Digg asked, turning the car.
"-Yeah. The signal is still strong," Sara replied.
"-Oliver, man, come back. You can't follow them on foot. Sara still has her. Get back to the van. We can't lose time."
"-I'm coming back."
Thirty seconds later, he was jumping in. As Sara passed them, in which direction the van had taken. Diggle gave Oliver a side-eye. The other man threw him a questioning look that Diggle ignored, his eyes still glued to the street while he shook his head in disbelief.
"-I came back, didn't I? I was looking for another ride." He said, explaining his actions as Diggle put the van in motion.
They followed Sara's directions, keeping their distance. They pursued the tracker's signal for some time, entering the new reconstructed part of the Glades. Some construction was still ongoing.
"-They stopped! They are two blocks from you guys. Be careful from now on." Sara warned.
"-Copy," Diggle replied as he slowed the van, looking for a spot to hide, listening to Oliver talking to Sara.
"-Sara, we need the satellite view. You said that you had encountered at least twelve men, but there has to be more. We need to know how many hostiles we are going up against."
"-Okay, I'm on it."
Then, Sara swore and talked to herself. "How she makes it looks so easy." Spotting a place behind some construction machines, Diggle parked the van, hearing Oliver's frustration as he punched the van's front panel. He could swear he had heard his teeth gritting.
"-Breath, Oliver. We need information now. You can't just go all hotheaded. As you said, they had numbers. We need a plan." Oliver opened his mouth to answer but stopped when he heard Sara shouting.
"-No, no, no! Shit! It was right there. Where did it go?" Both men froze. Diggle was the first to talk.
"-What happened, Sara?"
"-The tracker's signal is gone!" She sounded pissed. Oliver moved out of the van.
"-Oliver, where are you going?" Diggle said while following his friend.
"-Sara, forget the tracker. They probably found it. We need a satellite view." He growled, going toward a construction building.
"-I'm trying, Oliver. I'm doing my best here. I'm not Felicity! This is her thing." She shouted back in frustration. The archer stopped and took a deep breath.
"-Just get the satellite as fast as you can." The bite out of his voice as he turned to Diggle.
"-I'll start to scout out in the direction." He pointed to the skeleton building. "You go to the other side, so we can have an idea where they are keeping her." If she was here, he didn't want to say that, but the possibility that they had found the tracker was high. She could be far away right now.
No! He couldn't think like that, even if she wasn't here anymore. He'd find something to guide him to her. He'd find out who those people were and why they'd taken her. He scouted out building by building until he got to a warehouse. He could hear Felicity in his mind.
"-Really? Why is it always a creepy empty warehouse, the baddie's lair? Cliché much?"
That brought a smile to his face and attention to the ache in his chest. God, he needed to find her. With a zip line, he got to the warehouse's rooftop. There he found a skylight where he could scan the interior. The place looked empty and too clean. When he opened it, he could see the entire area. It was dark inside, but he let his eyes get used to it until he noticed some covered cars.
He swept the place, looking for security cameras, discovering four, but they seemed all offline. Landing, he started to examine the covered cars, all black vans. Uncovering one, he found a distinct mark he had noticed in the chase. He turns on his coms, hearing Sara's furious typing.
"-Sara? Do you have my position?" A bit of silence.
"-Yeah. Why?" She sounded distracted as Diggle's voice came in.
"-What did you find, Oliver?"
"-The black vans – inside a warehouse. I can see at least ten vehicles here. They tried to conceal them. I encountered a few cameras, but somehow they look offline. I need you to focus on the satellite's image here, Sara." He instructed her while hiding himself in the shadows. A gut feeling told him that something wasn't right.
"-I had the satellite's view. I'm still working on the thermal, but I don't see any movements right now." Sara filled in.
"-If you could get old footage. Maybe we could find where they are holding her." The archer said.
"-I think it's better to focus on the thermals," Diggle said.
"-You see anything?" Oliver asked.
"-Yeah, I'm behind the only warehouse in the block. So I feel it's correct to say I'm close to you, Oliver. I see movement, two hostiles, and this is getting too weird for my taste, if you know what I mean. There should be more surveillance if they were keeping someone hostage. After all, they have numbers. It doesn't smell right. They aren't even doing their work correctly. I just passed by them while they chitchat. I'm getting close to seeing if I can hear something useful."
"-Copy." It was Oliver's answer.
"-I can see you, Digg, and can confirm two hostiles, maybe some of them left and let a few watching over Felicity?" Sara suggested.
Diggle approached the men quietly using the shadows. He could see that both of them had the same height and build. They were on opposite sides of a big door, backs to each other, obliging them to use a loud voice to communicate.
"-Tell me again why we should be here freezing while the others are in the warmth?" The other sighed.
"-Because the master said so?" The other guy that had asked the question kicked a stone and growled.
"-I know that, but we were using the surveillance feed before. I miss just watching it. At least it was warm in there. So why are we here outside in the last two days?" The other man laughed and turned to look at him.
"-You have been out here for the last two days?"
"-Yeah, you aren't?" He sounded surprised. The other guy laughed even more. "Laugh whatever you want, jackass."
"-You know that calling me jackass is the same as calling you too, right?"
"-Whatever!" He said with a laugh. "So you, that have been in the warmth lately, why didn't they fix the security system yet?"
"-I don't know, I was not there, but it had something to do with her oldest son. It seems he fried something when the master made him empower the system."
"-Why didn't he make him fix it?"
"-Have you lost your mind? If it has one thing that the master had learned in all these years is never, but never let one of her kids get close to a computer. Did you forget Markovia?"
"-What happened in Markovia? I was not there, if you know what I mean."
"-You didn't get briefed?"
"-No, I just got here one week ago." Some radio noise came through, getting their attention.
"-Copy. We are on our way. Well, are you lucky, my friend? It seems you will get some warmth, after all." The other man scoffed.
"I don't call lucky working two days in the cold. And I have a feeling that neither would you."
They both laughed. One of them took a glove off and put a hand on a panel that appeared to be a biometric lock. The door slid up, opening slowly. Diggle followed behind, peeking as they got in.
"-Oliver, you have incoming," Digg informed.
"-I see them," Oliver replied.
"-Do not engage, man. We need more information."
The soldier slipped in when the door started to close, using the darkness to conceal himself and hiding his body behind a covered car. He watched the men talk as they stopped in the middle of the warehouse, which had what looked like a closed office. What puzzled Diggle more was that they weren't going towards the door but to a panel in the wall. They opened it, reaching for something inside that made the walls slide open, showing a hidden elevator.
"-Did you learn anything useful from them?" Oliver asked as Diggle replayed all the weird conversations in his mind.
"-I'm kind of sure they have more hostages beyond Felicity," Diggle said, still trying to make sense of what he had heard. "Something about keeping someone away from their computers because, whoever he was, fried their security system two days ago. Something that happened in Markovia, whatever happened there, that person had intervened. Their exact words were that it would be a crazy idea to let one of her kids get close to a computer. What makes me think that one of her kids could be Felicity." He finished.
"-Do you guys know anything about Felicity's mother?" Sara asked.
"-She's a cocktail hostess in Vegas, a single mom. Felicity is her only child. Any problems with the law, at least that I could find. She seemed clean. They aren't close. Felicity barely talks about her family. Her father left when she was little." Oliver sounded pained. "Digg, did Felicity ever talk to you about having siblings?"
"-No, she always talked about being an only child. I swear this isn't making any sense." Diggle replied.
"-Well, at least some do. I think I know now why we lost her trace. I finally got a thermal image and saw some heat marks disappear. Did you guys see where they went? Because I had four heat dots a few seconds ago, and now I just have two?"
"-They got in a hidden elevator that I believe goes underground," Oliver explained as Diggle started to go further when an arrow stopped him in his tracks.
"-Wow. It's just me, man." Digg muttered, hands-on the air, while he watched Oliver lower his bow.
"-Sara, do you think you can get the buildings' specifications and maybe look to see if they had access to the old subway lines from here? We need to find a way to get in. The sewer, air conducts, the last thing I know, everybody needs to breathe." Oliver said intensely.
"-OK, I'll let you guys know when I find something," Sara said.
"-At least we know they are having security problems. It could work to our advantage. Let's check for a way to get in." Diggle said as they separated in opposite directions while looking for ways to access the underground. Sometime later, Oliver concluded that they needed to look outside.
"-John? I don't think we'll find a way in here." The archer said in frustration.
"-Yeah, we need to look outside. Sara? Do you got anything that could help us?" He said as he moved a wooden box to reach a window.
"-The only thing I have got now is that Oliver's hunch about the subway lines was right. But somehow, I can't find any blueprints. It's like they got erased or modified because the blueprints I had found didn't match with the area." Sara explained.
When Diggle was about to jump out, he saw a shadow slide up and, get out through the skylight window.
"-We'll have to find it by looking around." The archer said when he got to the rooftop. An electrifying feeling ran through his body. Felicity was here. He could feel it, and he wouldn't stop until he found her.
"-OK, I'm on my way. Wait for me if you guys find something. Do you guys need anything?" Sara asked.
"-Some extra bullets would do fine," Digg replied.
"-Copy, I'm leaving the foundry now. Don't move without me, Oliver," Sara voiced strongly, grabbing Diggle's extra bullets. The silence was Oliver's only response as Diggle scoffed.
"-I'll wait for you in the van. It's behind a red wheel loader. We can check blueprints with Felicity's spare tablet. She always keeps some tech there just in case." Diggle said.
"-Copy, I'm fifteen minutes away. Ollie?" Silence again. "Ollie? Are you still there?" Sara asked, concerned.
"-Yes, Sara!" The man answered exasperatedly. Later he said, "I think I found a way to get in."
"-OK, I'm almost there, Ollie, hold on," Sara said as she sped up.
"-If you go down, Oliver, we could lose communication. I believe that's why we lost Felicity's tracker's signal in the first place. Man, you can't be sure that it'll take you to their base." Diggle reasoned as he opened the van's door.
"-They had her for almost four hours now. I think I'll risk it." The archer said as he started to slide into what looked like a water drain, but he was sure it was an air conduct exit. His assumption turned right when he found an exhaust fan blocking it.
"-Ollie, you can't just barge in without accessing the situation. It'd be suicide." Sara said as a harsh noise of metal being crunching came through the coms.
"-Oliver? What are you doing, man?" Diggle's question made him stop so he could respond.
"-I got stuck in an exhaust fan, and," The structure of the fan gave up, making the archer lose his hold and fall through. A screeching metallic sound was the last thing his partners could hear.
"-Ollie? Ollie? Damn it! Now, we don't know if he's dead or if we just lost coms." Sara ruffled annoyed, parking the bike close to the van and passing Diggle a bag.
"-One thing I have learned working with Oliver in these last two years is that he's a really hard man to kill. So, if I had to guess," He said, looking into her eyes as he grabbed the bag, then laying it on the van floor as he went through it. "We just lost comms, which means we need to find our own way to get in." Sara watched while the man geared up then came forward and grabbed a leg holster with a gun and a few clips, gaining a raised eyebrow from her friend.
"-What? I can use a gun, and sometimes the better way to get in is knocking." She said with a raised eyebrow.
"-I don't think knocking will work. They had biometric locks." Diggle stared at the ground in thought.
"-Well, you know what that means?" Sara asked with a cocky smile, and Diggle nodded.
"-That we need a key," Digg replied.
"-Let's find a key, Digg." Sara touched her friend's shoulder, leading the way but stopping a few seconds later.
"-Which side?" She said, turning her gaze to her partner.
"-Follow me." The man said, taking the lead. A few minutes later, when they saw five men split up, the soldier silently sighed for them to stop.
"-They are beefing up the security, or do they know about Oliver?" Sara inquired while they watched one of the masked men coming in their direction.
"-It doesn't matter, our key is coming in our way anyway," Diggle replied with a smile as the Canary nodded.
When the man was about to pass them, Diggle got out of their hiding spot and hit the man's head, dragging him to the shadows. The blonde stepped up to help, and both of them searched the man's body.
"-We have access to their radio now," Diggle said as he put it on his ear, his face impassive while listening to.
"-The cameras are out, but they had sensors. Some of them aren't so concerned about it because they had at least four false alarms in the last two days. Something about a stray cat. They are doing a recon right now. We need to move," Diggle lost his balance, falling on his back as Sara handled the masked man that wasn't unconscious anymore.
"-Don't move," Sara whispered in the man's ears, holding a knife to his throat as the man laughed.
"-Go ahead and do it, Pretty Birdie. I don't care. Give it to me, and I'll do it myself." Sara's back stiffened.
He knew her. She turned him around and took off his mask. The low light made his face visible, but she had no idea who that man was. She turned to talk to her friend, noticing his shocked expression. She may not know this man, but Digg certainly did.
"-Andy!"