Rene was at his apartment with Dinah and Curtis complaining about how Felicity was acting. Curtis was furious that he had received a hand delivered letter from Jean Loring, Felicity's lawyer, formally disbanding Helix Dynamics and letting him know that the entire amount from their start up has been refunded back to their backers. The exact amount of money Curtis had submitted was back in his bank account and the company officially closed. There was a strongly worded letter included warning Curtis from using any tech that was designed with or by Felicity Smoak, Palmer Tech or based on the schematics from either company.
"How dare she do this to ME!" Curtis whined, shaking his fist in the air. "She couldn't do anything without me! I designed the new suits, I designed the T-Spheres, I designed the new arrows.." He kept droning on and on. "We were a team and she just tossed it aside and all the money to boot!"
"Felicity is off the chain, Dog. Without Oliver to keep her in her place, she is certified insane." Rene stated. "She told me we couldn't get back in the Lair no more either! We got just as much right to be there as she does!"
"Actually, she owns the building, so she can tell us to stay out." Dinah said evenly. She was excited about her promotion to Chief of Police. She knew it was only because the force had been dirty for the past few years, but she knew she was perfect for the job. And she didn't need to suit up anymore and could be the boss. Something she couldn't do with Team Arrow.
"Well, I don't think Oliver is going to approve of all these changes Blondie is making. Locking us out of the Lair? Firing Curtis? Disabling our tech?" Rene said angrily.
"What's Oliver going to do from PRISON?" Dinah asked snarkily. "He is in there for life. He can't stop Felicity from doing anything. "I am sure she is just angry and taking it out on Rene because he was there. She will calm down in a few days and realize she needs us. She can't protect herself after all."
"That's where you are so, so, so wrong." They heard a graveled voice coming from the doorway. Slade had been listening during their tirade against Felicity and was very happy to let them know Felicity didn't need them. He had heard the story from Oliver and the media and didn't want these people anywhere near Oliver's family.
"Wilson! What are you doing here?" Rene said, Dinah was reaching for her gun while Curtis cowered in fear against the wall.
"You don't want to pull that weapon, Dinah. I am here to talk. None of you need to get hurt." Slade said smoothly.
"What do you mean none of us, Hoss? There are three of us!" Rene said nervously. "You broke into my apartment!"
"Actually, your door was open. Amateur work leaving your first line of defense open." Slade said.
"I am just here to tell the three of you that Ms. Smoak and young William are under my protection. She has no desire to see or hear from any of you. Any future contact will be seen as a threat against her and her family. Do I make myself very clear?" Slade said evenly, pointedly making eye contact with each of them.
"You don't get to tell me what to do, Wilson! I am the Chief of Police here!" Dinah said loudly.
"I don't care about your badge, I have told you what I came to tell you. I would forget you ever knew any of them, if you know what is best for you." Slade said flatly.
"You killed Oliver's mother, you tortured him, why are you here protecting Felicity now?" Dinah asked pointedly.
"Maybe, because even after all the horrible things I have done, Oliver still believed in me, gave me a chance at redemption and I owe him. Maybe, I happen to admire Felicity Smoak and think she got a raw deal here in this city and with you three as teammates." Slade said with a wicked grin. "So, you three need to remember, Ms. Smoak and Young William, even Oliver himself, have someone else watching out for them. Mr. Holt, I would recommend you take her up on her generous offer to disband the company so you can go your separate way. I trust we won't have to have this discussion a second time."
As Slade closed the door sharply, Rene burst out into nervous energy, "Who does that Dog think he is? He don't get to walk into my house and threaten us? We saved their butts more times than anything and this is how they gonna treat us?"
"Rene, I think given the breakdown within Team Arrow, it's obvious we were never really a part of that team. They never trusted us as equals. Felicity thinks she is the smartest thing ever and Oliver is the only person capable of saving the city right?" Curtis said snidely. He couldn't believe Felicity had tossed him aside. His tech genius was unparalleled. She felt like she was better than everyone else, which was ridiculous!
"Guys, its obvious, Felicity has lost her mind and can't be trusted with protecting the city. If Oliver gets out, he will make her calm down and sit back. Until then, we need to let John know how she is acting. He will rein her in." Dinah said confidently. Felicity needed a reality check if she thought they were going to take orders from her.
Dinah pulled out her phone and called John. The call went immediately to voicemail. In frustration she called Lyla. "Lyla, this is Captain Drake. I need to let you know about a situation. Felicity has called in Slade Wilson and he just threatened us! John needs to get her under control…" Dinah began hurriedly.
"Oh, oh, Is that how John feels as well?" Dinah asked annoyed. "I can't believe John would feel this way. I mean, its Oliver's fault we had to track them! Well, just remember, when he goes nuts, don't come crying to us!" Rene and Curtis were staring at her in amazement.
"D, what just happened?" Rene asked shocked.
"Apparently, the Diggle's are siding with Felicity here. They are aware she is working with Wilson, approve of it and recommend we stay away from her and William. Lyla also told me that we were not welcome at Argus or her home either. Apparently she hasn't forgiven us for Curtis' hack on Diggle's arm." Diana said angrily, tossing the phone onto the faded couch. "We all agreed this was Oliver's fault for not trusting any of us! Why are they acting like its all our fault now?"
"Dinah, I am not going to stop doing what I do. We protect the city, just like normal." Curtis said. "Felicity can't protect the city from behind her keyboard, that has always been on us."
"According to Lyla, Argus will be patrolling and any vigilante's that get in their way will be arrested and prosecuted. She does have the authorization from the acting Mayor right now." Dinah said pissed. She was the Police Chief, Lyla shouldn't be able to order her around, but here she was doing just that.
"We are the good guys here! Who the hell they think they are telling US what to do?" Rene shouted angrily. "They don't make the rules for me!"
"Rene, I can't control Argus, but there is a strict No Vigilante policy with the SCPD as well." Dinah said annoyed. "Even me being the Chief can't go against that. I suggest you lie low and see what happens in a few months."
The trio agreed to wait and see what happens, but they also agreed that Felicity was the crazy one. They just knew she would come crawling back soon. Curtis headed to his lawyers office to finalize the dissolution of the company and start his own, Dinah headed to the precinct and Rene went to walk around the neighborhood watching for trouble.