Previously:

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?"


4:30am

Felicity didn't sleep, she ran search after search after search. She was like a cat that discovered the beginning of a string; she was going to pull on it until this mystery unravelled. She had been at it for over two hours. The Lasso of Truth, those four words represented hope, and it scared her, she didn't want to think about it too much or say the words out loud. Her fear was that the hope that had materialized when she read 'The Lasso of Truth' would disintegrate and turn to dust. Instead her fingers tapped and skimmed over every key on her key board starved and desperate to be proved wrong, to end this nightmare.

Her eyelids felt heavy, she felt her head drop and realised she was falling asleep. She looked at the alarm clock by her hotel room bed it was half past four and she had to ask herself was she desperate enough to believe Oliver was tied up with an invisible lasso because she couldn't see any sign of a lasso on Isabel. She shook her head and pushed away the keyboard in frustration.

As she laid her head on the pillow she mumbled to herself "Think Felicity Think" but before she could form a rational thought sleep pulled her into yet another shadowy dream.

4.50 am

Felicity's leg slammed on the bed and she startled awake. A few minutes sleep was all she managed before she would start to fight her way out of a nightmare. She always woke up as her body fell 200 meters hitting the pavement. Gasping for air she held her heart and stood up.

In the bathroom she leaned into the mirror depressed to find dark circles formed under her eyes. She splashed cold water on her face and looked down at her hands noticing the black mascara streaks. As she rinsed the soapy water from her hands she stopped cold and stared at them vacantly. Hands….two thoughts came to mind. Helena's teeth pulling her gloves off as soon as they had arrived back safely and the other was about the video. Why was Isabel wearing gloves? She noticed it the first time but quickly dismissed it as she had more important questions that needed answering like why her team was betraying her.

She played the video for the umpteenth time. She watched as Isabel slid her hands over Oliver, her eyes narrowed and she tightened her grip on Digg. Felicity paused the video and shook her head; they just looked like normal gloves. Perhaps they were soaked in some sort of truth serum? She looked through test results because she knew that the first thing Oliver and Digg would do was take a blood test if they thought they were compromised. They did, she found it. Her stomach revolted as it looked like perhaps they were not in control when they confessed. Then she breathed out as the results were clear. They were not drugged; there were no traces of anything abnormal in their system.

She cupped her eyes with the palms of her hands and applied pressure trying to relieve the pain she felt. Her eyes blurred for a moment and once the world adjusted she switched on the monitor and watched Isabel curled in the corner of the elevator.

She noticed the cut on her leg seemed to have stopped bleeding, it didn't look deep, Felicity was glad for that. Not because she cared about Isabel but because she didn't want to have to let her out so soon. She had questions.

"Isabel" Isabel's voice came through the speaker.

She opened her eyes looked around and then closed them again.

"Isabel" said the voice again.

"What do you want?" she said quietly.

"I want to play a game." said the voice.

"I don't play games"

The elevator started to move. It went all the way up and stopped.

Isabel stood up "What do you want" she snarled.

Felicity smiled. "I want to play a game."

"What kind of game?"

Felicity bit her lip and took her finger off the speaker as she thought about what to call it. 'Truth or dare?'… 'Tell me the truth or I will never let you out?' …too long. It had to sound terrifying not fun. She rolled her eyes at herself, shook her head and pressed the speaker button again.

"Truth or die" said the voice.

Isabel frowned and held on to the rails.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything" said the voice.

Isabel laughed.

Felicity pressed the button and the brakes released from the lift, Isabel slid up off her feet as her stomach made its way to her throat. Felicity pressed the button again and the brakes stopped the Elevator cart abruptly slamming Isabel to the ground.

"Ah" she yelled holding her leg.

The elevator started again and slowly made its way to the top floor.

"Truth or die Isabel, which one will it be?" said the voice.

Isabel stood up again and held on to the rails. "Truth"

"Who do you work for?"

"Stellmoor International, I am vice president of Acquisitions"

Felicity presses the button and the lift descends several floors before it stops again.

"Ah it's the truth, please." yelled Isabel before dry heaving in one corner of the lift.

"That is your day job. Who do you work for and don't lie to me Rochev, I despise being lied to." said the voice.

"I…" Isabel shook her head. She didn't know how to respond, what did the voice want to hear?

Felicity brows were tightly gathered; she recalled what Lance had told her about working cases. He said to listen to her gut. She looked over at the other monitor where the frozen image of Isabel, Digg and Oliver remained on the screen. She looked closely and bit her lips so hard a drop of blood appeared. She hit the speaker button again.

"Isabel, this is your last chance. If you answer this incorrectly I will release the carriage and walk away. You on the other hand will be very much dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes" said Isabel defeated.

"Keep in mind I know about the gloves…" Felicity cringed hoping her gut was right and she didn't sound completely insane. "Who do you work for?"

"I don't know him... well; all I know is his name is Mr Wilson"

"Slade" said the voice.

"I don't know his first name, he wears an eye patch..." said Isabel, gesturing with her fingers "Australian I think or…maybe from New Zealand?"

Felicity nodded "Slade Wilson, he gave you the gloves?"

"Yes, he wants Oliver Queen, I don't know why. I didn't ask, I just want what's rightfully mine."

"Rightfully yours Miss Rochev, are you a Queen?"

Isabel laughed bitterly. "I am someone Robert would have been proud of, I worked my ass off to get my hands on Queen Consolidated, and no one works harder than me. Oliver Queen doesn't deserve it, need it or even want it. I do!"

"Maybe but it's rightfully his." said the voice before hitting the button once more, she heard Isabel scream as she and cart dropped to the second floor and Felicity stopped. She watched as Isabel cried out of fear.

"It's the truth, it's the truth…stop please."

Felicity switched off the monitor and turned to the video, the gloves were so obvious now. She had thought it strange when she first saw the video but thought perhaps Isabel had just walked into the office and just forgot to take them off. She was so quick to dismiss the gloves, so quick to doubt herself. She made herself sick; vile rose in the back of her throat she felt her blood pressure drop and ran to the bathroom making it just in time. She rinsed her mouth and brushed her teeth and once she pat dried her face she went back to the computer.

Two key stokes later she could hear Oliver's voice. He was angry with Sara and Roy.

"Why did you do that? This is Felicity, not some criminal" he roared.

"You are not thinking clearly"

"My judgement is just fine; you on the other hand have just made it a hundred times harder to get her back. Why would you do that to me?" he yelled