Chapter 8 – Black Leather

AN – As promised, here the execution portion of the last chapter! Quick warning – Sara is back for this chapter but and always Team Arrow and Olicity as I simply love my happy endings! :)

DISCLAIMER: Again, really? Ok, CW's Arrow does not belong to me…not kidding, I have no claims!


The afternoon passed as did the early evening and soon the Team realized they needed to eat and make final preparations for tonight's mission. They had decided to go back to the hotel so they could be seen entering the building for their alibis. The roof access would ensure their exit would be unseen once Felicity altered the automatic key card monitoring. Felicity wasn't thrilled with the roof top departure but as Oliver had teased her about playing Tarzan with her again she wasn't as upset as she thought she should be.

As the time approached the group changed to all black attire and headed up to the roof. Sara was picking them up in the alley next to their building as Felicity had already disabled the hotel security in that location. Oliver created a zipline to the abandoned building next door. He and Diggle had scoped out the building while Felicity had rested in the hotel room earlier.

"Hold on tight." Oliver couldn't resist teasing Felicity and hoped she recognized the banter as a repeat for them. He could feel the tension in her body as he pulled her close and he simply wanted to distract her enough so she could relax.

"I imagined you saying that to me under different circumstances...totally platonic circumstances." Felicity was able to grin as she played her part. She knew Oliver was trying to relax her and she was surprised it worked until she realized the bottom line was that she did trust this man with her life.

"Hmmm, platonic circumstances?" Oliver meant the conversation to remain light and teasing but he as he pulled her even closer and she wrapped her arms around him he no longer felt like teasing. "Felicity." His voice was gruff and again he wasn't sure what he wanted from her but still he tightened his grip and enjoyed the feel of Felicity melting into his body.

Felicity couldn't speak but when she bit her bottom lip nervously and saw Oliver's eyes drop to her mouth she gasped and held the breath.

"You two gonna do it or not?" Diggle had been watching the pair from his lookout point on the other side of the roof and couldn't resist the double entendre even though he worked to keep his tone bland. He wasn't particularly surprised by Oliver's response.

"Yeah, we're gonna do it. Hold on Felicity." With those words the two slid down the line and out of Diggle's sight.

Diggle waited until Oliver confirmed they had landed before he crossed the roof to release the line. They didn't want to leave any evidence so he was going to cross the building to the other roof and make his own way down. He and Oliver had already placed the ladder he would need and then he would just leave it on the other roof so again there would be no suspicious signs of activity on the roof.

He made it to the alley just as Oliver and Felicity did. Sara had just pulled in and all three climbed inside the dark van.

"Like my ride guys? Just found it sitting on the street!" Sara greeted the group with a smile. "Nice outfit Felicity."

"I totally feel like a cat burglar in all black but I wish I had leather. You already had black leather pants and that's not fair Sara." Felicity smiled as the other blond laughed.

At Felicity's words, Oliver's eyes traced over her body even as his mind supplied images of Felicity in black leather. His groan was quiet but Diggle still heard it and easily understood his plight. Oliver ignored it when his friend turned to him and quirked a brow even as he smirked.

Felicity missed the byplay entirely as she was focused only on Sara. She truly liked and respected Sara and couldn't hold her responsible for Oliver choosing her. Felicity refused to make her mother's mistakes but she suddenly realized that for the first time that she could understand the temptation. Ashamed of herself, Felicity ducked her head away and pulled out her tablet as an excuse for her distraction.

"Hey, you okay?" It was Diggle who leaned close to ask that question.

"Yeah, just need to focus on the security at QC. I still wish we could have given Charlie a better warning but I know you were right when you said it was better if his reactions were normal. I want him protected but I really don't want him to shoot us either." Felicity rambled nervously.

"We will be fine - that's why we are wearing the bullet proof vests though." Diggle assured Felicity again. He didn't believe her excuse but he was willing to play along. Sara always threw off the Team dynamics and that was just one of the reasons Diggle believed she could be a detriment as well as an asset.

"We'll stick to the plan Felicity and everything will be okay. Remember, this was your idea." Oliver tried to tease Felicity but knew that if she continued to express concern that he would make sure she stayed in the van.

"Yeah, my plan...and it's a good one too!" Felicity shook off the bad memories and guilt and tried to focus on the moment. "It's good to see you Sara. I hope your family is okay." She really wanted to do what was right so Felicity was determined to be a friend to Sara.

"Well, Laurel is still ranting about Oliver being the Arrow but even Mom ignores her now. Dad finally got his bail hearing so he'll be home in the morning. I think he may actually be safer in jail but I still want him home." Sara spoke easily and only glanced in the rearview mirror at the group but that one glance told her something was wrong. The heightened tension and silence confirmed it and Sara moved her focus back to the road and kept her own silence.

"Oliver." It was Diggle who growled his name and Oliver moved his gaze from Felicity to the other man.

"I didn't tell you guys because Sara assured me it wasn't a problem and we had, we have enough problems to focus on without it." Oliver muttered the excuse as he knew he was wrong not to have updated them. It was their secret as much as it was his and he really had no excuse. He had been so focused on Slade, on Sara ending things, and on his newly released obsession with his blond partner that he just didn't place any importance on Laurel.

"The information would have been good even if you don't consider her a threat. We deserved the update." Diggle spoke through gritted teeth even as his anger faded. He knew the last two days had been a whirlwind and each of them had withheld information. He still hadn't told either Oliver or Felicity that Lyla hadn't been out that instead he had simply cancelled their meeting to remain close to the Team.

"Yes, I should have told you, I should have told you both. I won't withhold that type of information again. I know it's your secret as much as it's mine." Oliver agreed easily and the promise of future communication came easily too. There were really only two people he trusted implicitly and he needed to make better decisions so they wouldn't doubt that again, wouldn't doubt him. The last week had taught him that he needed to put them first and he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the past. He held Diggle's gaze and gladly accepted the hand he offered.

Felicity sat in silence as Oliver and Diggle had their typical shorthand masculine discussion that required few words and ended in a handshake. For her part, she didn't want to discuss this now or even later. She was about to break-in to QC and crash their network – she didn't need to be worried that Oliver and Sara had their own agenda, that the Team bonding of the last few days could have been a lie. She also refused to worry about her worth or her place on the Team. Felicity took a deep breath and simply went back to monitoring QC security on her tablet.

Oliver was grateful for Diggle's support but as Felicity remained silent he grew worried. He hadn't intended to hurt or upset her and he needed her to know that. He needed to make it right.

"Felicity-" Oliver was willing to grovel if that is what she required but he got no further than her name before she interrupted.

"It doesn't appear they've made any changes to the security detail. Guards are on the same schedule, the building is basically empty as it's not the night for the janitorial staff to clean the labs. We really should be able to get in easily. Hopefully we can get out easily too. John, you are still with me, right?" There was a slightly panicked edge to Felicity's voice and the van was silent after she stopped speaking.

Diggle exchanged a quick look with Oliver before he replied, "Yeah, it's you and me to the servers and Oliver and Sara are taking the labs. Remember, we are giving Charlie a sign so he should be prepared for us. You are still going to delay the alarm to give us a little extra time, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do a bypass on the side door as it is the weakest spot and then set the delay. It will just look like a computer glitch or maybe that I didn't know what I was doing when I got us in but it should work either way." Felicity's voice had calmed somewhat as she focused on the plan.

Oliver didn't like the edge that remained in her voice though and he found he didn't like her focus on Diggle either. He gritted his teeth and reminded himself that they were a Team and he was glad Diggle would be with Felicity. He still had to try once more though.

"Felicity, are you sure you're okay? Are you sure you want to do this?" Oliver didn't address her reaction to his omission about Laurel but he knew she should read between the lines.

"I'm fine - I'm doing this. It is my plan after all." Felicity looked up and met Oliver's eyes even as she sat straighter in the seat. She was better than this and she would do what was right.

"You go girl!" Sara spoke up in support of Felicity. She wasn't sure what was going on and Felicity and Oliver had always had a complicated relationship but she was willing to bet it was Oliver's fault. Smothering a chuckle Sara spoke again. "We're here so masks on."

Oliver grabbed Felicity's hand and squeezed gently. "Be careful in there - do what you need to do and get out." Felicity gave him a small nod and even though he kept his eyes on her he spoke to Diggle. "Keep her safe."

"I will. You two be safe too." Diggle waited until Oliver and Felicity moved their eyes to him before he continued. "We stick to the plan - in and out. Back here and we're gone." Felicity and Oliver both nodded and then moved to put their masks on. Diggle met Sara's eyes in the rearview mirror and caught her nod before he put his own mask on.

"Let's go." Oliver gave the final command and the group grabbed their gear and moved into action.

Felicity stepped up to hack into security and open the door. She had set up a program that would mimic a basic burglar's choice if still a little high tech. In no time at all they were inside and splitting up and moving toward their targets.

The R&D labs were only a floor up just above them so Oliver and Sara made it there quickly. Sara used the tablet and program Felicity had given her to get them past the locked doors. Oliver moved in quickly and they both started searching for the serum even as they picked up other samples as well. Sara had provided them both with special cooling bags so it would look like a real heist.

Sara found the second interior lab and again used Felicity's tablet to gain access. She tapped a quick message which updated the group and advised that she had found the serum. Diggle had decided it would be best if they didn't speak so a code was created and linked into their comms. Any typed messages would be heard by each Team member in a basic computer generated voice.

Oliver moved quickly to Sara's side to start the vandalism and destruction. Sara joined in once she lifted several samples of the serum. She made sure the remaining ones were broken and mixed with other samples as part of the destruction. Both paused when they heard the message that Diggle and Felicity had made it to the servers.

As he glanced at his watch Oliver tapped out a time update as Felicity had planned for 7 minutes access to the computers. He then moved back into the outer lab to continue the destruction.

Diggle and Felicity exchanged a look as they heard Oliver's time update. Felicity nodded to Diggle and continued to work. She made sure her first recorded keystrokes appeared knowledgeable but not suspicious as she pretended to fumble around and search the R&D database but really she was setting the virus to cloak her next steps.

Felicity gave another quick nod to Diggle and he tapped out the update advising that part one was done - four minutes remained. Once the false trail was set Felicity moved into the secure drives and planted another trojan which would give her remote access even as the program searched the files and sent relevant results to her.

Felicity knew she would have only twenty four hours in the system at most and had included precise language for the searches even though they included a broad range. As QC tried to follow her search, or even tried to erase or move data, the virus would be triggered and the entire network would crash. It still hurt her in her special place to take down the system she had basically created but she knew the end did justify the means in this particular case.

Diggle watched Felicity but the young woman remained calm and worked quickly. He knew she felt safest in this environment but he had been concerned about her after Sara had dropped the bombshell about Laurel. It appeared Felicity really was tougher than even he had thought though and she was focused entirely on the mission.

At the one minute mark the alarms sounded as planned but Felicity couldn't help tensing. She knew Sara would monitor QC security and that she and Oliver would distract Charlie without hurting him but she was still scared. Felicity felt Diggle's hand on her shoulder as he squeezed gently in encouragement and she again focused on the task at hand. She had a job to do and she had to trust that Oliver and Sara would do theirs too.

Oliver and Sara were focused on their job and made their way to intercept Charlie as he moved toward Felicity and Diggle. Felicity had set a subtle Morse Code message to run once and flash through the emergency lights that were part of the alarm. The message simply said "friends". As Sara was the one watching the security feed she was the one who saw that Charlie noticed the message or at least stopped when the lights flashed the code.

Sara nodded to Oliver but they continued on toward Charlie as he too kept moving even if it was a bit more cautiously now. They timed the meeting so that Charlie would see them on the other side of a long hallway. They could escape into the stairwell and circle back to exit on the other side with Felicity and Diggle.

Oliver tensed as they approached the hallway but still he moved forward. The gunfire was expected and he ducked and rolled out of the way. He leaned back around the corner and fired back intentionally aiming wide.

Sara crossed the hallway intersection next and she noted that Charlie fired very late and quite a distance from her. She grinned as she realized he probably thought she was Felicity as they shared a similar and obviously female build. Just for show she leaned back, grinned beneath her mask, and fired a couple shots - she would swear the man was fighting to hold back a grin of his own.

Oliver grabbed Sara and pushed her through the stairwell door even as he paused and waited to hear the sounds of Charlie following. Once he heard his steps he joined Sara and they sprinted up the stairs and back over and around. Neither was actually running away from Charlie but Oliver did feel like he was racing toward Felicity.

As he came through the stairwell door back near their exit Oliver grinned when he saw Diggle and Felicity rushing toward them. He pushed the side door open and held it as first Sara then Felicity and Diggle darted through. Sara already had the van started when Oliver slid in and closed the door. Felicity and Sara were both laughing but Felicity's had a bit more of a nervous edge than Sara's.

"Felicity, I'm pretty sure your buddy Charlie thinks you fired at him just now. I know he wanted to smile." Sara wasn't used to pretending to battle or even leaving an opponent standing but she found she did enjoy the mission.

"Okay, okay - let's review." Diggle interrupted their exchange to get everyone back on track. They only had a few minutes before they needed to ditch the van for the second ride Sara had arranged for them.

"I pulled the serum and other R&D data and uploaded the trojan with the virus. We should get search results in a couple hours and I think we'll have access for up to twenty four hours before the virus is activated. The whole system will crash then." Felicity advised still riding the wave of adrenaline pulsing through her veins. She couldn't resist grinning at Oliver even though she knew she should still be mad at him.

Oliver grinned back - he was used to the adrenaline rush but it was always a stronger feeling whenever Felicity was in the field and tonight was no exception. He was having a hard time resisting the urge to pull her into his arms.

"We did our part too!" Sara spoke when Oliver did not, but only that one sentence as she locked eyes with Felicity in the rearview mirror and winked at her.

"We got the serum samples and a few other things." Oliver nodded to Diggle and returned his gaze to Felicity. "We did a little destruction as well."

"That part really was fun!" Sara again joined in. She might not be an official member of Team Arrow anymore but it still felt good to join them on this mission. "Two blocks from drop off."

"No cameras in this area, right, Felicity?" Diggle asked as they all removed their masks. Everything would go into a bag that Sara would dispose of on her way home but they kept the gloves on so no prints would be left.

"Nope, we are good to go!" Felicity confirmed after she double-checked her tablet.

"Everybody out." Sara commanded as she stopped the vehicle. Everyone quickly exited and Sara lit the explosive she had previously planted to completely destroy the van.

"Wow!" Felicity exclaimed as they watched the explosion and fire for a few moments before everyone got in the second ride.

"That's how I feel when you hack into the traffic cameras and give us a clear shot home." Sara teased as she smiled at Felicity.

"Oh yeah, gotta do that now!" Felicity returned the smile as she climbed into the second car.

Oliver joined her in the back seat and Diggle just shrugged and took the front seat. Sara was again the driver as she was dropping them off at their hotel before disposing of the second vehicle and making her own way home.

"Hey wait!" Felicity sudden exclamation surprised the group. "Roy's headed toward the lair! We need to meet him there instead of going to the hotel."

"When did he get back into town?" Sara asked in surprise.

"Felicity, we have to go back to the hotel to establish our alibis. We'll get back in and then head out through the front door." Diggle spoke before anyone could answer Sara's question.

"Okay, that makes sense! I can't believe he's going to the lair - I'm so glad he's back!" Felicity was caught up in her own happiness and didn't notice that Oliver and Diggle exchanged a concerned look.

The trio did sneak back into the Plaza again using the roof access. As Felicity was focused on getting in so they could go to the lair though her fear of heights took a back seat. She refused to admit she was simply getting used to Oliver's Tarzan thing and even enjoyed it a bit.

After a quick change of clothes the Team did walk out the front door with plenty of witnesses to their departure. They made quick time to the lair and Felicity was the first one through the door.

"Roy? Where are you?" Felicity called out before she even got down the stairs. When she did get to the bottom she stopped and stared in surprise.

"Hello, Ms. Smoak, I don't believe we have been officially introduced. I'm Slade Wilson."


AN2 – You guys are good with a cliffhanger here, right?! :) The next chapter will be up tomorrow!