It was a dim warehouse. A young woman was tied up in a chair in the middle of the room. She had her head down, almost like she was asleep or unconscious, but it was neither. She didn't want to see what she had accidently gotten herself into nor did she want to show her humiliation. She was supposed to have gone on another date with the guy she had been seeing for a month. There was nothing in all the watching and checking of him to show or say that he was working for Slade Wilson. He was a guy that she had bumped into in the elevator. They had talked about how he took over her spot in IT. She fought and argued daily with everyone on the team about dating this guy. And now look at where she is, tied up to a chair in a dim warehouse, waiting to see how long everyone realizes she's missing. She figured it wouldn't be until tomorrow when she doesn't show up for work. (She fought Oliver and threatened to Photoshop him into some embarrassing pictures if he didn't stop following them on their dates. He did after the first picture hit the media.) She doesn't know how much time had passed since she was brought in but it was some time before she heard any other noise besides her breathing and her heart, when the sound of the door opening and closing along with footsteps were heard.
"You Miss. Smoak are indeed a rare person." A deep, gravely, almost like a smoker's voice, spoke. Felicity kept her head down, not wanting to look at The Monster that has caused so much pain to those that she loves.
"You see Miss. Smoak I needed to know my enemies weaknesses. And they all have their families as a weakness, but really they all have a common weakness; you." At that Felicity lifted her head to stare at The Monster in confusion. She knew that was a lie because there were more important people in her friend's lives then her. She was just Felicity Smoak, computer genius. If you wanted to stretch her title you could also almost say she was the team's voice of reason, but nothing would be earth shattering to them if something happened to her. At least she didn't think so. She knew if something happened to them she would be devastated because they ARE her family, or at least the closest thing she could get.
"You're wrong" her voice cracked from the lack of use and dryness.
"Am I? Tell me Miss. Smoak out of everyone on your little team who is everyone most protective of?"
"That's because I'm the weakest member. I'm good with a computer, not guns, arrows, or fists. Oliver was trained by you, Sara by The League, and Diggle by the Army and Roy has his street smarts. I'm just a computer savvy girl." She spoke with such admiration in her voice at each member. The monster watched as she glowed when speaking of them, but that glowed disappeared when it came to herself.
"What if I told you I can help you? Make it so that you would be more than just computer savvy? So that you can take down your greatest enemies?"
"I'd say go to hell. I don't want the Mirakuru. I'd rather die than allow you to inject that crap in to me. I saw what it did to Roy." Felicity started to struggle at her bonds a little with the thought that she might get injected with the same drug that turned the man into the monster in front of her now. The same one that made Roy turn into a monster if he lost his temper.
"Even if it wasn't with the Mirakuru?" She paused with what she was doing to look at him in confusion.
"I was the one who trained Oliver. I can easily take him down in a fight. See if you were to join me I could train you also, that way you would never be considered a weak link."
"What's the other catch? What else would I have to do besides join you?"
"Ah you are a smart girl. You would stay with Oliver and the rest of his little group and report back to me."
"So join you, get my ass handed to me in what you call training and spy on my friends? Is that correct"
"More or less, yes."
"No. You can take your offer and shove it-"Felicity was cut off by someone hitting her. She got a coppery taste in her mouth and felt with her tongue that her lip had been split. She looked up and saw Isabel Rochev walking by to stand next to the monster.
"I'd be careful on what you say Miss. Smoak."
"Or what? You'll kill me? Go ahead. My death will just be another reason to stop you." Isabel took a step towards Felicity again but was stopped by Slade. He looked towards the tied up woman and saw something there that he didn't think she really had; courage. He had underestimated this woman. He looked at her and saw the fear in her but he also saw the courage and hope.
"What do you fear Miss. Smoak? It's obviously not death, so what is it? Is it the death of your loved ones? The death of innocent people? What, what do you fear?"
"Hope."
"Excuse me?"
"I fear the death of hope. I'm afraid for when people lose hope that nothing good will ever come. That is my fear." She told him looking straight in his eye. He sat back and just examined the young woman. He knew that if he were to take her and force her to join his team she would be a hard spirit to break. But there was something else about the woman that drew her to him. She reminded him of someone. Someone that he had lost a long time ago. Chuckling under his breath he walked towards the woman and pulled a bottle out of his coat. Felicity leaned away from him wondering what it was when she heard small snapping noises come from the bottle.
"Relax Miss. Smoak. It's just water and as you just saw and heard it was not tampered. Small sips dear you don't want to get sick" He said holding the bottle near her lips. She took a few sips for her mouth was so dry. After she was done Slade motioned towards Isabel to follow as he walked away from Felicity.
It was hours later before Oliver and Sara came bursting in the warehouse. There were no guards for them to take down. But when they saw Felicity sitting tied up in the chair and her head down they feared something was wrong.
"Felicity!" Oliver yelled as they ran towards her. Oliver started to check her over to see if anything was wrong while Sara worked on her bonds.
"Wha- Oliver? Sara? You-" She started to talk to them in a semi conscious state.
"It's okay Felicity, we're here. Were you hurt? Can you stand up?" Oliver asked her gently pulling on her wrists to get her to stand up.
"Yeah, yeah, just give me a sec to wake up." Oliver didn't want to take that risk so he scooped Felicity into his arms bridal style and carried her out as Sara walked behind to make sure nothing snuck on them. Oliver got in to the car that Diggle was driving while Sara took the bike back. Felicity was fully awake again a few minutes before they reached the foundry. She had The Blanket around her shoulders while Oliver tried to force the disgusting herbs from the Island down her throat.
"Oliver stop! I am telling you now he did not give me any poison to make me unconscious. I simply fell asleep. Real quick how long did it take for you guys to realize I was missing?"
"I swung by your place last night to see how your date went. When you didn't answer I figured you got lucky with him. It's when you didn't show up to work this morning that we started to worry. You've been missing for a little over 24 hours." Sara answered for them.
"Felicity are you sure he didn't do anything to you?" Diggle asked.
"Yes. All he did was talk to me."
"What did he say?" was Oliver's sharp response. He was still tense even though Felicity was sitting right there in front of him. He was afraid that Slade might have said something to her to make her upset, or told her something from the Island that he wasn't ready to talk about.
"He tried to say that I was everyone here's weakness. That I could and would be your downfall. And then he tried to recruit me to join him. I told him I was no one special and that I would never join him. I tried to say some other things but Isabel hit me before I could."
"Well now she really has to die for hitting you." Diggle said with a small smile towards Felicity. It was quiet for a moment while Oliver processed everything that was said. Diggle went to say something else but was cut off from Oliver.
"First you are special Felicity. You are part of this team. You are also a good friend. One that I take care of if I can. So stop thinking that you aren't special, because you are at least to us. And second did you want to?"
"Want to what?"
"Join him?"
"Oliver!" Both Diggle and Sara yelled looking at the man in question. They couldn't believe the question coming out of his mouth, but the answer that was received was much worse.
"For a minute I did. Until I learned what else I would have to do. I thought I might have been able to get him to leave you all alone if I said yes but when he told me I would also have to spy on you guys I told him no. I figured if I could get him to leave everyone alone with either me or my death then I was willing to take that sacrifice."
"Why?"
"Why what Oliver? Why would I think that? Why would I do that? I told you already. I. AM. NOT. SPECIAL. If something happened to me it would not have as much impact on everyone as much as losing a family member or a close friend. I would be just another reason to stop him, not someone that made it turn into a rush for revenge." Everyone was stunned at her answer. Diggle stared at the woman in shock; Oliver was a mix of emotions with sadness, anger, and fear. It was Sara who stepped up to the woman and not only smacked her in the face but hugged her also.
"You're wrong. Felicity you are our ray of hope. All of us here have many skeletons in our closets. But it's you who is the light that shines from the door that tells us that the world could be great. That even though there is fear and pain in the world, there is always something good also. You always have a smile on your face and you always try to keep us alive. So let us return the favor and keep YOU alive. Stay with us and continue being our Felicity so that we don't lose ourselves in our minds please?" Felicity was crying by the end of the little speech but agreed nonetheless. After Sara hugged the woman for a second time Diggle came up and held the woman for a short time. Diggle whispered in her ear that she became like a sister to him and that she was stuck with him if she liked it or not. That brought a smile to her face along with a small giggle. Once Diggle pulled away he looked towards Oliver before turning towards Sara and giving a slight motion to another part of The Foundry. Once they were out of sight Oliver grabbed Felicity's wrist and pulled her into a hug and just held her for a long time.
"I swear to god Felicity if you ever scare me like this again I will tie you up and keep you prisoner down her in The Foundry. I was so scared that I lost you." Oliver whispered before burying his face in her neck. That is when she felt a wetness hit her skin. She pulled back a little bit to see that he was crying.
"I'm sorry Oliver. I didn't know." She gently wiped some of the fallen tears from his face while he just leaned in to her touch.
"I know but he's right."
"About what?"
"About you. You are my weakness. If anything ever truly happened to you I don't know what I would do. I think I would truly lose my mind. You and my sister are the only things right now that keep me stable. "Felicity couldn't think of any reply to that so she just pulled him back to her and held him just as much as he held her.