Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes for just a second, "I'm not sure where to start and I'm not sure if any of you apart from Felicity, even know who I please just let me start at the beginning. I'll answer any questions you have when i've finished. So please don't stop me because " looking around at the group " if I stop, I'm not sure I'll be able to continue." I see sincere nodding and I feel the vice which has been around my heart loosen, why is it that in this lounge room surrounded by three men I've never met before in my life I feel safer than I've ever felt before. Of course before Michael I never thought about safety, guess you don't know what you have till it's taken away. " My name is Joanna Mulroney, well technically its O'Leary and that's my problem. I went to MIT with Felicity here" gently squeezing her hand and nodding in her direction "in my last year I met a man. Handsome, brilliant and rich."
" Not in your league Oliver, but wealthy none the less. After graduation we went on a tour of Europe and that's when my life ended. He asked me to marry him, stupidly I said yes. The first two weeks were great, but then I made the mistake of talking to a male friend on the phone. He accused me of cheating and beat me into unconsciousness." The looks on their faces harden, I can see the anger just below the surface but I can also see their compassion. It's that compassion that begs me to continue. "Now I know, that's when most abused women say how their husbands apologise and promise that they will never do it again. Well I wasn't that lucky, I woke up in a gilded cage but I got no apology. No consideration,about what happened. I simply got informed that this is the way it would be. I would never have freedom again, there was no carrot just the stick. He explained to me that he owned me, he owned my designs and that I would be his person technical assistant. If he needed a computer program designed, I would do it. If he needed a weapon designed, it would be done. At first I resisted and found out very quickly that he wasn't afraid to hurt me. That was when I found out just how cruel he could be. In the first year alone, he broke every bone on my right hand and my left leg twice." A gasp escapes Felicity's lips and squeezing I continue before doubt can take hold.
"You should understand I was lucky in one way, Michael had zero interest in me sexually or it could have been worse. Once the abuse started, all vestiges of our relationship were gone. I however, wasn't so easy to break. One year into, I should say our marriage but it was more enslavement, I was able to get word to an old friend that I was in trouble. He came to see me and Michael flipped. I'm not talking yelling, screaming any of that normal type of reaction. I was dragged down the stairs and thrown at my friends feet. His name was Steven McNaughton." To my right Felicity shudders, and I know she remembers him. I can also see that the men in the room notice her reaction. "Michael gave me this look and it wasn't one of anger, it was pleasure. That was when I noticed the gun in his hand and the upturn of his lips as he pulled the trigger, the bullet going straight between Stevens eye's. His next move was to shoot me first in the left leg and then to my right hip."
"Do you know where he put the body?" Felicity asks and I understand why but I also know that the men don't.
Shaking my head "I wish I did. The last I saw of him was of Michaels men carrying his body outside while the in house doctor started to remove the bullets. Which he did without anaesthetic." "The pain only stopped when I passed out, when I came to he made it clear to me that any repeat wouldn't result in further injuries but in my death. In all honesty I didn't care but that's when he showed me the photo's. They weren't of me though, it was of my little sister. I couldn't believe it, they showed her in her high school uniform crying and then he gave me a police report. It said that there had been a break in at my parents place and my father had been attacked. He had been shot twice once in the leg and once in the hip." Realisation showing in their faces " He told me next time, like the last my family would suffer matching wounds and with that he had found my weakness. Over the next two years he brought in young very pretty girls, their job was to clean the house, cook the food" closing my eye's and taking a deep breath " and become my surrogate sisters. If I did anything he didn't like, it wasn't me that suffered. Mia, she was the first one. She lasted 8 months and I did everything he asked. I hacked every government agency on the planet and I built him over 2 billion dollars in patented weapons but that wasn't enough. In the end, all it took was one broken coffee cup. A coffee cup! Mia was cleaning the down stairs office and I heard it from my room, but I was strapped down and couldn't do anything. Not to miss out on the opportunity to hurt me, he turned on the TV above the bed. Over the next 24 hours I watched through closed eye's as he tortured her first mentally, then sexually finally physically. By the time her body finally gave, I was gone. The rational part of my brain knows that, that was why he got her in the first place but logic and I weren't friends for quite a while. It was so, he could show me my future." "He left me tied to the bed for what I think was a week after that but I'm not really sure. The next girl Eva was the one to untie me, she came in barely 5 foot tall big blue eye's and only fifteen years old. The clothes he'd given her to wear were designed to shock. It was the same skirt and top I was wearing on the beach, the day we were married. They didn't show much particularly on her slight frame but I could see the bruises and the way she walked. Her eye's were still puffy from crying and my heart broke again. Eva lasted only 2 months, she didn't die at his hands but instead I found her one morning on the kitchen floor wrists slit and a small piece of paper in her hand. It simply read 'I'm sorry' and all I could remember thinking was maybe I should do this."
"Take my own life, save those I love by giving in but I could help but think that it wouldn't stop him. He enjoyed killing and my little sister looks just like me, is also a computer tech and so sweet. I couldn't do it to her. So I cried and prepared for what was to come next and he didn't disappoint. I know it took all the doctors skill to bring me back, every time I'd recover he'd do it again. He's a particular fan of strangulation and I know my trachea has permanent as do my vocal chords." Looking Felicity in the eyes "I'm sure you've noticed my voice is a little lower and then the third girl came." "She was 14 and the sweetest child I had ever met, but he didn't hurt her at first. He knew my mind was starting to fracture and it was my mind that he needed. So we struck a deal, he'd take his anger out on me and she'd be safe. Not free but safe. Suzie stayed that way for twelve months, I took the beatings and she helped me recover. It didn't take her long to realise that I was protecting her and she was brave. One day he was about to kill me, he had wanted me to cause an explosion just out of Central City and I refused. Not cos I couldn't but a lot of people would have died and I'm no killer, at least I wasn't. So I sent an email to Waller and warned her to protect my family and showed her how to countermand my programs. My family was safe and I was ready to die, I knew it could and probably would mean Suzie's death but that many lives, I couldn't." The horror at my confession clearly showing on their faces and I know this is where I could stop but this is a tale I will tell once and this is my audience. "Michael showed me the news stories about Suzies body being found just 2 doors from her grand mothers house and I can honestly tell you that was the last straw for both of us. Since then, he hasn't had a single piece of tech from me and not a program but I didn't have any freedom after that. If I wasn't in my bedroom I was escorted by two men, I don't even know if it was the same two men as they always wore masks. Their instructions were simple NO SPEAKING AND NO TOUCHING. The last one pretty grateful for because I know that at least one of them had plans for me that were less than pleasurable. The fact that he was always on bathroom duty let me know where his intentions lay. He just knew that like me, he was always being watched and I'm pretty sure that Michael just wanted to see me squirm, whenever I'd get too comfortable or too healthy another round of beatings would begin."
"I know I don't seem too affected by my experiences and the truth is I'm just not here. My panic attack earlier is probably the most emotion I've shown in two years and I know this is all just the calm before the storm. I wont last long and I'm trying to explain what I can, while I can. Once I go down that path again, I'm not sure I'll be able to come back and I can't be certain that I'll want to. So 12 months ago everything changed, I had actually been left home alone, well there was no-one inside the house and for some reason I had freedom to wander around. I went into his offices and found some folders. He had plans to take over QC, he had folders on each of contained an awful lot of personal information and his evaluation was clear. He could take QC while you each lived and breathed, so he'd sentenced you to death."
"Death sentence, what do you mean?" Oliver Asked, then as if he remembered my earlier request, he apologised. "Sorry, continue."
"it's ok Oliver, it's easy to forget that you don't know Michael. Let's just say I'm not the only he likes to torture and he takes over companies that are either in receivership or probate. His plan included the death of the entire Queen family, Felicity and Roy. He also had a special plan for you John" nodding to the big man opposite" here as he believed that it would be necessary to take him out in order to get to the rest of you. His men were already here so I sent an anonymous tip to A.R.G.U.S. and they were taken out."
" I'm not telling you this so that you will feel obligated just so you know how far he will take things. Michael didn't let me out of my bedroom for 6 months after that and he didn't even know I was responsible for his failure, I was just a convenient outlet for his frustrations. In truth I couldn't have left my room if I'd wanted to, he kept me with at least one broken limb for that entire time. Right leg, left leg, he didn't care and I was just lucky that the doctor is worth every penny he pays him or I doubt I could even stand right now. When Starling went all to hell and he considered it a lucky escape and the last 6 months were pretty good, I got to heal and he left me alone but then I found out why. He had another young cleaning girl from Russia, he had once again replaced me as his favourite whipping girl. She's 16 and so sweet. After Suzie I swore I wouldn't let him hurt anyone else and so I finally got the courage up to escape."
"Two weeks ago I hacked his security system and I got her out. She's hidden but he caught up with me in Central City. I was on my way here and was about to jump the train when his men found me."
"I remember being handcuffed and being dragged onto the plane. I escaped by opening the doors at 15000 feet and using the parachute hidden in an above seat compartment. It's funny because I actually pulled the door before remembering there was a chute on board, when I landed I found out that my little sister had been abducted. I thought they were safe but he got past Waller's men and took her. I rang my parents and they told me, they don't know it was Michael and I hope that I wont have to tell them. I expect to hear from him soon, I just cant do it alone. I was hoping you could help me."
" of course, but how do you think we can help you?" Oliver said a clear uneasiness in his voice. "that's just it, I know a lot about you all. No specific's but I do know about lets just say your extra curricular activities." They all openly gasp and for the first time in all our conversation Felicity is the one to tense up.
"Was it in your husbands files?" Oliver asks, neither confirming or denying what we all knew I was talking about.
"No, he'd done his research but it was actually when I hacked into A.R.G.U.S. in order to hide where my tip came from I had to send it internally and tag files on you. I'd actually thought I would have to create the files then tag them, turns out they have a lot of info on all of you. I didn't read any specific mission related files but since they were all under the tag bTeam Arrow/b. It didn't take an genius to figure out the rest."
"So why not just let us know directly?"
"I went to A.R.G.U.S. because I designed their network when I was at MIT and getting into it was like riding a bike, I already had Waller protecting my family I couldn't count on a second favour. Where as any other system would be a lot more difficult as I'm more than a little rusty when it comes to hacking. I knew I wouldn't have much time with Michaels computer and it took me over half an hour just to break through the encryption on it, just to use it. "
" but you said you were alone."
"I was alone but I didn't know how long for and he thought the house was safe to leave me in. It had no tv in the house and only radio, no technology really. His computer, which he believed was un-hackable even to me was the only part of the modern world in the house. I haven't seen a movie, watched a tv show or heard music in 5 years. I was able to read the newspapaper and books in paper back which did help to keep me sane but hasn't helped keep me up to date with the changing face of I.T."
"but why did Michael keep you around doesn't sound like he really wanted you. Sorry if that sounds a bit harsh." Roy spoke for the first time, making me smile with his frankness.
"he needs me alive for patent signings, see even though I refused to keep working. He still has all my designs from the first two years and they will continue to make a lot of money for a long time come. See he has blown through his families money and now most of his financial assets are mine, he just has access to them because we are married. If I die or disappear an investigation would take place and more importantly he would have to share the money with the rest of my family. He doesn't like to share."
"So how much are your patents worth?"
"Around 10 billion dollars." I see their faces drop and I can see them begin to understand why I'm still breathing all be it a little too shallowly.
"So that's a lot of money to lose out on and in the event of my death he would only get half of what he gets now. So better alive than dead, at least till I escaped. Now he has my baby sister and he will want me to come back to him."
" Do you think he will hurt her?" "I honestly don't know, but if he doesn't at first he will eventually. The sooner I get her back the better, I'd walk through the gate right now if I thought it would save her."
"you don't think he'd let her go."
"I think she's too good a leverage against me, he knows I'd do anything to protect knows I already have."
"so what do you want to do?"
"I'll go back but I need you to get us out before I get killed?"
"YOU CAN'T!" Felicity yelled.