Previously:
(Chapter 1) The sound of glass and twisted metal muffled by old bricks and new cement made them turn away from her and look at the Foundry's back entrance. Dust and smoke blew out through creeks and cracks. They turned around as they heard her mini drive away. She was still on the phone.
"Felicity what are you doing?" he roared.
and with that she hung up the phone.
They had just walked through the remains of the lair in silence. There were only a handful of salvageable items. Equipment, arrows, computer systems, those things only equated to a monetary loss, replaceable damage. The significance of the destruction they saw between those four walls outweighed the financial loss; the loss of Felicity Smoak was immeasurable.
A huff had covered Verdant's floors in dust and a trail of footprints lead to the bar where Digg poured Oliver a shot of Vodka.
Digg leaned on the counter staring at the grimy floor and shook his head. "We have to find her Oliver"
Oliver closed his eyes tightly, willing away an image his mind seemed to have on loop. "I…I can't shake the look on her face." Oliver fought the salty water that threatened to well in his eyes. He couldn't understand how Felicity could believe he would ever hurt her… but how could she not, it had happened. Isabel had orchestrated all this, Isabel, the very person he unintentionally hurt her with not long ago in Russia. He couldn't possibly feel worse if he tried.
Digg cringed he could also see her wounded eyes when he closed his. "Felicity saw us give her up. She is hurt and angry and probably a little scared. We need to find Isabel, whatever she has planned… I get the feeling that getting rid of her competition is not her entire plan, I am sure destroying you is her end game."
"Right now I need to find Felicity she could be in real danger. Everything we have been trying to protect her from has happened…I failed; Isabel would have spread the word to get rid of Felicity. They will hunt her down." Oliver clenched his fist by his side in a tight ball it mirrored the tightness he felt around his chest.
Digg put his hand on Oliver's shoulder offering some unspoken sympathy.
Oliver took his phone out and sent a 911 text to Sara and Roy. Half an hour hadn't passed before they were both there, confused by the turn of events.
"Felicity did this?" asked Roy as he looked over the wreckage.
Digg nodded gravely crossing his arms.
Sara eyes teemed with concern as she watched the video. "I'd be pretty pissed too if I was on the receiving end. How did Isabel do this?"
"We don't know, we didn't have the footage before…. just the shared recollection of it happening. It didn't seem real." Said Oliver
"We looked into truth serum's, hypnosis, and suggestive power of persuasion but so far haven't been able to work it out." Said Digg.
"We need Felicity, research, finding things, that's her world" said Oliver slamming his hand on the bar.
"Up until a couple of hours ago we hadn't heard from her since that phone call you saw on the video. After the conference there was a message left at the switchboard saying she had a family emergency advising Oliver that she would be away a few days."
"That doesn't make sense, why would Felicity leave you a message at the switchboard?" asked Sara.
"Probably to avoid you, you did just give her up" said Roy.
With a scowl across his face Oliver lifted his finger to correct Roy but was cut off by Diggle.
"We tried calling but she didn't answer her phone, she wasn't home and then today she finally got in touch." Said Digg pointing to the entry of the Lair.
"Why are we just hearing about this now? Oliver if she was taken she might have been…interrogated. That and seeing this video, you and I are used to the mind games but she has never been through anything like that." Said Sara
"You just got back; I was not going to call you while you were on your first Lance family vacation in six years, Digg and I had this. Felicity blowing the foundry up was not something we expected" Oliver raised his voice in frustration.
Running his hands through his hair Oliver muttered "I just need to talk to her."
"Am I the only one who can't believe Felicity capable of doing this? She is an EA….and I know she is good with computers but she is more likely to accidently give you a paper cut than …do this?" asked Roy
"Felicity is not just good with computers she used to build them as a child. She surprises us every day with the things she can do. Underestimating her ….that would be a mistake." Said Digg
"Ah yeah she did nearly killed the Clock King with his own cell phone" said Sara
Oliver raised his head and looked at Sara and Roy. "Felicity is also the most caring, fundamentally good person I know, she is not…she the kind of person that if you're lucky enough to…" Oliver couldn't speak. The thought of losing Felicity was not something he was prepared to entertain. "She is not the enemy. She is family." Sharpening his eyes he changed his stance and became The Arrow to deliver his last sentence. "So help me I will put an arrow through anyone who tries to hurt her. Anyone! Is that clear?"
Sara, Roy and Digg exchanged looks; they understood that Felicity was important to Oliver. She was important to them too.
"Oliver I know that she is not the enemy, no one here thinks that. We care about her too….but keep in mind, women, we don't fight with rules. Our instinct is to use everything we've got to defend or protect. What you and Digg said….that would have killed her. She is angry, wounded and then she is Felicity which makes her extremely capable. I am just saying we take every precaution."
"I want you and Roy to find Isabel. If she didn't have Felicity she sure as hell knows who did and whatever they did to her, they are not getting away with it. We need to know who else knows about Felicity's connection to the Arrow. Digg and I will get in touch with Detective Lance and see if he can reach her."
"Shouldn't I call my father?" offered Sara
"No, I need you on Isabel, if I go after her, she won't live through the conversation." Oliver gritted his teeth.
Sara and Roy left the foundry to find Isabel.
The Arrow met detective Lance on a roof top at the edge of the glades.
"Felicity is missing? I will see what I can find out. I just got back in town." Lance's concern for Felicity was apparent; he had a soft spot for the brave IT girl. He knew she was one of the few people that really knew his daughter; he had learned to trust Felicity.
"Detective, can you try and contact her?"
"It's officer now, I am sure she only has one cell phone and I am certain you are smart enough to try and call her before coming to me, so what am I missing?"
"Someone has gone to great lengths to expose her connection to me and made it look like she was betrayed by people she trusts. I need to find her, she is not safe."
"Smoak is smart, we might only find her if she wants to be found." Said Lance
"I know" said Arrow. "Can you try calling her… please?" He asked again.
Lance called Felicity's cell phone. She answered straight away.
"Felicity?"
"Detective, I mean Officer, sorry I keep forgetting."
"Are you ok?" he asked
"Yes. Please tell him and The Canery not to bother with Isabel, I am dealing with her." Felicity's voice was cool and calm.
"He is right here; do you want to tell him yourself?" Lance asked.
"I know he is. I know exactly where you are but no I don't need to speak to him."
"Felicity, I am not entirely sure what the situation is but when I work a case I don't just go by facts alone. Evidence can be corrupted. Factor in your gut"
Felicity didn't answer, she couldn't. She ended the call and buried her face in her crossed arms.
Lance turned to the Arrow. "She didn't want to talk to you."
The Arrow lowered his head and his shoulders dropped a little. "Is she ok?"
"I don't know" Lance answered honestly.
With that the Arrow leaped off the roof and swung into the dark.
Once Oliver was clear of Lance he sent out a message to the Team.
Lance made contact with Felicity. She is going after Isabel. Call me if you find her but DO NOT APPROACH.
They all got the message. Felicity being Felicity also got the message.
Yesterday Felicity anonymously tipped Isabel off to a supposed 'take over' meeting; it was to take place tonight. Isabel assumed she was going to walk in on a bunch of suits daring to play at her level. She was wrong. Instead she found herself confined in a two by three elevator that will undoubtedly seem to shrink with each passing hour. There was no phone reception so her cell was useless.
She suspected foul play when she found the emergency phone had been ripped out so there was no way to call for help. She tried prying the door open but she couldn't get them to budge.
She climbed on the side handrails in an attempt to open the service hatch on the roof. She only managed to hurt her leg as one of the rails fell off, the screw tearing her flesh open knee to ankle. When she finally managed to get up on the rails again and reach the service hatch she discovered it had been locked shut, or welded, she couldn't tell. She screamed in frustration and although she would deny it, fear was creeping towards her.
Felicity fingers flew across her keyboard, she had hacked into Isabel's cell phone earlier to track her. She also wanted to hear her outgoing voice message.
"Hello?' said a voice through the elevator speaker.
Isabel stood up and looked at the ceiling confused "Hello?" she answered.
"You can go home, I will find my own way home later." said the voice.
Isabel frowned, her mouth had fallen open. The voice was her own, had she already gone mad?
"Very well ma'am" she heard her driver answer.
"No Joseph, that wasn't me… help please!" Isabel shouted.
"He can't hear you." Said the voice "No one can hear you.".
2am.
"We looked into truth serum's, hypnosis, and suggestive power of persuasion but so far haven't been able to work it out."
[Enter Search parameters]: Truth, lie, questions, obedience, compel, confessions, technology, science, Rochev, sodium pentothal, chemicals, defence department.
Felicity pushes her glasses up and leans in closer to the screen.
"The Lasso of Truth?"
