Chapter 8 - FLASHPOINT: Diggle

AN: So after this chapter, we get into the action of the AU world with several 2 part chapters (which mean I'll be posting early)! Many thanks for your continued support and encouragement!

*Please see Chapter 2 for SPOILER ALERT and DISCLAIMER!*

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Felicity prepared for work and reviewed the information for the client meeting Robert Queen had requested she handle since she was the Team Leader on similar existing projects. It would be the first time she had worked with the military but the opportunity was too exciting to resist even with her current workload. The government contracts would push the envelope of their existing technology and could potentially benefit the JLA as well. Their contact's name was John Diggle. She had researched him thoroughly and had been impressed by his service record. His ex-wife's connection to ARGUS was of concern but she always let Barbara handle Amanda Waller. There was enough for her to worry about with the JLA's real enemies so she ignored frenemies like Waller as much as she could.

Her thoughts remained focused on her day job but even with various tasks vying for her attention, Felicity still continued to worry about the issues facing the JLA as well as what the future might hold for Oliver Queen.

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"You think you're just going to crash the meeting with Queen?" John Diggle met Lyla Michaels' smile with a frown. "I can't allow that. You know—" The ring of his phone cut off his words.

"Johnny, you'll want to answer that before saying more words you'll need to eat." Lyla quipped.

Still frowning, John answered the call. He wasn't surprised by his commanding officer's update that a private firm representative would be joining them. ARGUS rarely failed to secure whatever asset or authority they needed. "Let's go."

Knowing her ex well, Lyla refrained from rubbing it in. They always had chemistry but too often it had blown up in their faces. They were both more cautious now and usually kept a distance. It was impossible to know if either of them was happy about their new assignments.

John's eyes continued to scan the QC building as he ignored his ex. While he was considering leaving service completely, he would never make her choice to join ARGUS. He preferred to keep the world black and white – the good guys versus the bad guys. The problem was how to still protect civilians if he left his post completely. Serving in the military was the life he had always known. Even with the memories of death, blood, and betrayal haunting him, he wasn't sure he would know what to do in the outside world. What would his mission be? What would keep the ghosts of his past from haunting him? The entry of a young blonde pulled him away from his dark thoughts.

"Good afternoon. I'm Felicity Smoak, Director of Research & Development at QC. Mr. Queen will be joining us momentarily as well. Sergeant Major John Diggle, I assume?" Felicity smiled in amusement. He was exactly as she had expected. Back ramrod straight, uniform perfectly pressed, face expressionless - John Diggle made an imposing first impression and reminded her of ancient warrior.

"Yes, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Smoak." John offered his hand and even returned her smile. She seemed much too young and sweet to be high ranking in QC. Robert Queen wasn't known for being a soft target. However, he knew appearances could be deceiving.

"Ms. Smoak, I'm Lyla Michaels. Thank you for your assistance on this project." Lyla gave no other details or explanation for her presence or position. Though they had never met in person, she knew a lot about Felicity and knew the other woman could say the same.

"Yes, of course. Have a seat." Felicity saw John lift a brow at her casual acceptance and rushed to speak again before he could question her about her knowledge of Lyla or ARGUS. Even after years of practice, she always stumbled through public persona lies. "We've reviewed the inquiry and have several draft proposals to offer. The spheres are already in initial testing with R&D. We have uses for them if you do not but we can work that out. For the serum, we actually need the blood samples from your captured soldiers to even begin work—"

"We'll provide that later." Lyla interrupted with a smile. It wasn't a point of negotiation for her or Felicity. Both knew it would be worked out by those above them. The women shared a slight smile in commiseration. Their jobs weren't always easy and they were never black and white. Her thoughts and gaze drifted to her ex. He had always seen a clear path – an obvious division of right and wrong. It was a luxury she couldn't afford in her position.

John's eyes narrowed when he recognized the by-play between the women. It seemed Ms. Smoak wasn't as innocent as she appeared if she and Lyla understood each other. There were times he had thought he had understood his wife, ex-wife too. They seemed like a perfect fit but he had been wrong about that. If he truly supported her view of the world, he would have found and killed the man who had murdered his brother Andy. He hadn't pursued the path vengeance though. Pulling his thoughts back once more, John realized that Ms. Smoak had been providing technical details of the spheres. She didn't offer a working model but she did share test results.

"Curtis is still working on the models but we've had success with creating holograms and sharing intel. We think their uses far exceed that." Felicity had worked personally with Curtis on the project and she had actually begun to suspect that he wasn't sharing everything with her. She would need to speak to Barbara before she even considered bringing him in the know about the JLA.

Lyla turned to find Johnny staring at Felicity with a curious expression and she almost smirked. Many had been fooled by the blonde IT geek, including her. It was easy to underestimate the woman considering the number of superheroes around her…and the dangers Lyla knew they routinely faced. It had been Felicity herself who had found a way to shock the Clock King after she had taken a bullet for Arsenal. Her ARGUS contacts had shared that story with a great deal of amusement.

"The spheres are a priority task for us, Ms. Smoak. Can you send that report to me? We'll need to…" John stopped speaking when the blonde waved a small disc before offering it to him.

"It's all here for your review. We'll need a plan and still have details to work out—" Felicity stopped abruptly when Robert Queen entered the room and spoke over her.

"Ms. Smoak does like to have a plan and that has saved us more than once." Robert winked at Felicity and then turned a friendly smile to the others as Oliver followed him in the door. "This is my son, Oliver. He'll be taking over the family business…assuming Felicity doesn't beat him to it."

"Smoak Technologies does have a nice ring to it but I would rather be your partner than have you working against me." Oliver couldn't resist teasing just to see Felicity blush.

Felicity felt her cheeks heat but still met Oliver's eyes. His playful grin made it impossible not to smile back. Lyla and Robert laughed outright but John just watched the others with a carefully blank face.

It was often John's job to ferret out threats before they were obvious. He was struggling to make that determination about the players in the room. Lyla always surprised him. Robert Queen was a known danger in his opinion. The son was working to become mayor but many still considered him a spoiled playboy. Oliver's ex-wife was the city's District Attorney and was well known for her righteous views on punishing the guilty. The gossip was that Oliver's love child had been the final reason for her to divorce him. Strangely though, they appeared to have become friends after putting the past behind them.

John continued to watch while Robert and Lyla spoke of mutual acquaintances in civilized tones. He had to assume there was much hidden beneath the surface for both of them. The other pair in the room had somehow moved closer together but he couldn't hear any words. Oliver's flirting aside, there did appear to be something between the couple but again it was hidden. Focused on them, he was forced to concede that both remained mysteries to him. His instinct should have been to write them both off as civilians but something else told him to watch them carefully.

Lyla and ARGUS had taught him there was more to the world than most knew. John wondered if that was true for Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak. He had been able to find little out about her other than she was an MIT graduate who had worked her way up the QC corporate ladder. He needed to try again and would have to investigate the younger Queen as well.

"Lyla, Diggle, Felicity and Oliver will have the lead on this project. You can contact them with any questions." Robert shook both of their hands before nodding to his son and to Felicity. "Felicity, let me know when you send the report to Anatoli so we can move forward on that front too."

Felicity gave a quick nod but then continued the meeting with a final presentation. She studiously avoided Oliver's eyes by focusing only on John Diggle and Lyla. Her rambling was minimal even though her mind wandered.

John walked out of the meeting more than a little wary about his new position as liaison for Queen Consolidated. Clearly there was more technology in the world than he had previously understood. That technology could tip the scales in favor of the good guys and that was important to him. The true concern in his mind though was whether or not Queen or ARGUS could qualify as the good guys.

He had found a lot more gray in his world since choosing to leave active service and living in a civilian world that included masked heroes and villains. His new position as an Army liaison meant he was virtually a private contractor who operated on the edges himself. There was little else he felt qualified to do other than security though. Somehow he couldn't see himself protecting a rich playboy as little more than a glorified black driver.

His current assignment was still new and he would have to give himself time to adjust. If it wasn't the best fit then John was prepared to return to active service. He already missed fighting the good fight, righting the wrongs, and protecting the innocent. As Lyla had always said, service was in his blood.

That life hadn't always been easy though. It had cost him Lyla, his brother, and parts of himself too. Having brothers-in-arms made it easier but those men were gone too. The fact that he was alone was one of the reasons he had felt the need to start fresh. He was determined to do things differently and not make the same mistakes again.

John realized that if he did want a different future where he wasn't alone, he would simply need to find his place somewhere in the gray area as Lyla had done.