Happy Thursday, everyone! So who's still emotionally wrecked from last night's episode? The angst was terrible but amazing. Last chapter, some of you were really curious about OTA's ugly Christmas sweaters. If you go on my Twitter account Bindy_417, you'll see the actual sweaters I (or Felicity) picked out. Tommy and Laurel's will be shown, as well. I'll be posting a poll to see who you think takes the ugliest sweater prize!

I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter as the mystery continues to unfold. Please read and review. Thanks!

Chapter 27

The Merlyn Global holiday party was held on the executive floor in a large conference room and was in full swing by the time Oliver arrived. Festive decorations hung from the ceiling and adorned the tables. The guests were scattered throughout the room, chatting and sipping on their drinks while looking utterly ridiculous in their ugly sweaters. Tommy noticed Oliver instantly and came over to greet him.

"Hey, buddy, glad you could make it." They did their whole man-hug thing before Oliver noticed Laurel standing off to the side. She also hugged him in greeting.

"Nice sweater," Oliver complimented Tommy, smirking. His best friend's sweater was blue and featured three elves waving money at what looked like a blond Santa stripper, wearing a thong and hanging off of a candy cane pole. It was definitely Tommy's style.

Tommy grinned impishly. "Thanks. It's been a hit with everyone tonight." He gestured to Oliver's Santa sweater. "I see you went with a classic. Loving the sick reindeer, Dig."

"Felicity picked them out," Oliver was quick to reply, to which Diggle nodded in agreement.

"She's got great taste," Laurel teased. She wore a green sweater that said "Meeowwy Christmas" with a picture of a cat wearing a Santa hat and tangled up in Christmas lights. "Can't wait to see what hers is. Where is Felicity, by the way?"

Oliver briefly caught Tommy's eye and replied, "She's finishing up some work. She'll be here soon."

"Well, I've got a few more people to greet. Come find us when she gets here. We need drinks to get this party started and pictures to commemorate the embarrassment for all eternity." After patting his friend on the shoulder, Tommy took Laurel's hand and led her to another group of guests. Oliver took the PDA as a good sign that the pair was finally getting back on track.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone to text Felicity. Seconds later it started to ring and her face appeared on the screen. Perfect timing, he thought. "Felicity," Oliver greeted. "We're here. Are you coming down?" There was a muffled response and a loud clatter before the other line went completely silent. "Felicity?"

Something in the tone of his voice must've sounded off, because Diggle's head snapped in his direction. "Everything okay?"

"Felicity," Oliver repeated but heard nothing. He hung up and tried calling her again. Every muscle in his body tensed when it went straight to voicemail. "Something's wrong. She's not answering." Felicity was always near her phone, and it wasn't like her to call him and then not answer.

Diggle pulled out his phone and tried calling the security detail they'd left with her. He shook his head and swore under his breath when he couldn't reach any of them. Oliver's mind was racing, each scenario becoming worse than the one before.

"How do we get up there?" Oliver demanded.

"You need special access to the elevators."

Oliver searched the crowd frantically for Tommy. Ignoring the odd looks and grumbles as he pushed people aside, Oliver didn't stop until he reached his friend.

"I think it's an issue worth discussing," Tommy was saying to a balding, middle-aged man. "Why don't you call my assistant and she'll-" His words were abruptly cut short as Oliver yanked him over to the side.

"Oliver, what the hell?" Tommy exclaimed. "I was talking business with-"

"We need to go up to the mainframe. Now."

Laurel joined them. "Is everything okay?"

Tommy was equally confused. "I don't know. What's going on?"

"I don't have time to explain. All I know is Felicity is in trouble, and we need to get to her now," Oliver growled. His patience was hanging on by a thin thread.

Tommy, knowing better than to argue with him, nodded. "All right. Let's go. Laurel, stay here."

"No, I'm coming with you."

"Absolutely not," Tommy objected. "I don't want you walking into a dangerous situation. You need to stay here, where it's safe."

"But it's okay for you guys to go?" the brunette challenged. "I'm perfectly capable of holding my own."

"Laurel-"

"We don't have time for this," Oliver snapped. If it was up to him, he already would've been up there by now. Every minute they wasted was putting Felicity in even more danger.

"I make my own choices, and I'm coming with you," Laurel asserted and walked around them to leave.

Tommy let out a low curse and followed. A couple of his own bodyguards joined them. Oliver and Diggle flanked them as they made their way to the special elevator. Tommy scanned his ID, causing the doors to open. They all made their way up to the mainframe. Diggle and the other security men had their guns out and ready as soon as the doors opened.

"Shit," Diggle swore when he found JJ lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He bent down to pick something up. His face was grim as he held it up for Oliver and the others to see. It was Felicity's phone. Oliver's face shown on the screen, indicating she was his last contact.

"Laurel, stay close," Tommy said and drew her against him.

Oliver immediately noticed the black arrow sticking out of JJ's chest and his heart plummeted. Of all the scenarios he'd anticipated, this was definitely not it. Oliver rushed past the bodyguards despite their protests. Dante was in the other room, also shot and lying motionless on the ground. Oliver, letting the others tend to him, went straight for the mainframe room.

"Felicity," he shouted, but it was empty. Only her shattered tablet and glasses remained behind. Oliver picked up the glasses, noting the tiny crack in the left lens. Rage and despair battled within him as he tried to come to grips with what this meant.

"Oliver," said Diggle behind him.

Oliver turned around and held up the glasses. "She's not here. He took her." He couldn't believe that he'd let this happen again. That he'd let one of his enemies get so close to her.

Diggle let out another low curse and shook his head. "The bodies are still warm. We must've just missed them-whoever they were."

"I recognize the arrows and the kill shots. It was the Dark Archer," he said, not wanting to name Merlyn in case anyone was listening. "He took her. That son of a bitch." Just the other day he'd told Felicity to not concern herself with Merlyn's whereabouts, because Cooper was their priority. Now that evil monster had Felicity. Without her tablet or her phone, they were left with absolutely no way of getting a trace on her.

"It doesn't make any sense. How would he even know to take her?"

Tommy entered the room, looking miserable. Laurel followed. "Ollie, I'm so sorry. This is my fault."

Oliver's head snapped to his best friend. "What?"

"I shouldn't have let Felicity go poking around in the classified files. Those arrows look like they belong to the man who worked for my father-the Dark Archer. If my father was capable of the Undertaking, who knows what else he was involved in. She must've gotten too close to something. I'm so sorry, Oliver."

"What classified files?" Laurel interjected.

"It's a long story. And it's not your fault, Tommy. It was my idea to bring Felicity in on this," Oliver replied, the guilt making his voice heavy and coarse. "I was supposed to keep her safe, and I failed." He ran his hands over his face. Oliver's mind was already in overdrive as he tried to work out alternative ways to track her down and all the things he'd do to Merlyn when he eventually did.

"I've called my father," Laurel informed them. "The SCPD are on their way. My dad will find her, Ollie. He'll get her back."

Shaking his head, he stated, "There's nothing he can do."

"What do you mean?" Laurel questioned, perplexed by his statement. "Where are you going?"

Oliver kept on walking. "I have to go."

"Go where?"

"I have to find her."

"Oliver, be reasonable," Tommy called after him. "The best thing you can do is stay here and talk to the authorities. Let the SCPD do their job. Oliver. Oliver!"

Oliver ignored his friends' calls and went straight for the elevator. He and Diggle hurried inside before anyone else could join them.

"Do you think Merlyn knows you're The Arrow?" Diggle questioned.

"I don't know. I can't see how he could. If anything, she'd be publicly connected to Oliver Queen. She works for QC and with Ray who sold Merlyn the technology she was investigating."

"But why would Merlyn still be interested in that? And if he was so hell bent on preventing whatever Felicity found from getting out, why not just put an arrow in her like the others? Sorry," Diggle said when he noticed Oliver's flinch. "But you know what I mean. He purposely left behind things that belonged to her," he pointed out. "He wanted her abduction to be known."

"We'll figure it out." Oliver wasn't as concerned with why she was abducted at the moment. All that mattered was getting Felicity back.

"So where do we start?" Diggle inquired.

"I don't know yet. But I do know one thing," Oliver said in a low, menacing voice. "Merlyn's a dead man."

Oliver paced the length of the Foundry like a caged animal ready to spring at the first sign of movement. In this case, he was waiting for Diggle to trudge his way through the system Felicity had designed. The only reason Oliver wasn't snapping at him was because he knew Diggle was going as fast as he could. They'd come to rely so heavily on Felicity's tech and research skills that her absence now crippled them.

His phone had been ringing nonstop with calls from Tommy, Laurel, and even Detective Lance since he'd left Merlyn Global. Oliver ignored them. He didn't have time to play the part of Oliver Queen. The Arrow was in control now, and his top priority was to find Felicity. He could only imagine how scared she must be. He would never forget the way she stood outside his bedroom door the night Cooper had attacked her. She was nearly shaking as she babbled incessantly in an attempt to put up a brave front. Oliver had vowed that he would never let Cooper get that close to her again.

But this time it wasn't Cooper who was the threat. It was so much worse, because Merlyn was cold, calculating, and ruthless. He'd killed Oliver's mother without hesitation, and they'd supposedly been friends for years. There was no telling what he'd do to Felicity-someone who meant nothing to him and yet had the power to uncover his darkest secrets. Oliver couldn't let his mother's fate become Felicity's. He didn't think he could survive it.

"Tommy may have been right. I think I got something," Diggle announced moments later.

Oliver was by his side in an instant. "What is it?"

"It looks like Felicity was finally able to break into Merlyn's files. She uploaded them to our own server," Diggle explained as he searched through them.

"What's in them?"

"Looks like a lot of scientific data about the nanotech."

"Anything else?"

"Hold on. There's a lot here." Diggle clicked through more files, each one as useless as the one before.

"Damn it!" Oliver exclaimed when another ten minutes passed by without them finding a single lead. He slammed his hands on the nearby table and swiped the objects to the ground. "There's got to be something in there. Something that would put her on Merlyn's radar."

"Wait, I think I found something," Diggle declared, his eyes skimming the screen. "Oh, I definitely found something. Oliver, look."

Oliver stared at the monitor. It was another research report that meant absolutely nothing to him. "What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"The signature at the bottom. Look familiar?"

His eyes narrowed before widening at the sight of Dr. Houston's signature. "Son of a bitch."

"This folder is filled with files of reports and emails sent between Merlyn's research team and Dr. Houston at S.T.A.R. Labs," Diggle explained. "Merlyn was among the donors funding Dr. Houston's research. He was even letting Dr. Houston experiment with the nanomites."

"It's the smoking gun that ties Merlyn to the nanotech that Cooper stole."

"Not just that. Leading up to the Undertaking, there are several mentions of an unnamed formula with severe side effects on tests subjects."

"The performance enhancers," Oliver surmised. "Merlyn had them all along." It all made sense. "Cooper told Felicity that he was working with someone other than Petrov. Someone powerful and dangerous. It has to be Merlyn. They're in this together."

"Which means-"

"Cooper must've told him I'm The Arrow." Oliver cursed. Diggle had been right. Felicity's abduction had been staged. Merlyn wanted Oliver to know it was him. It wasn't just about Felicity uncovering the clues; it was payback.

"But how the hell did they meet?"

"I don't know, but Merlyn is the connection between Cooper and Petrov. Merlyn was living in Corto Maltese and was known around the island. Petrov got me all that intel, which probably put him on Merlyn's radar or vice versa." Oliver sighed and shook his head. "Going after Merlyn, it's why this is happening now."

"Oliver, this started long before we went to Corto Maltese," Diggle told him. "Merlyn destroyed this city and killed your mother. He had what was coming to him."

"If I'd finished the job, Felicity would be here right now," Oliver stated and walked over to the glass case with his Arrow suit. Staring at it, he said, "I fought him with everything I had, Diggle. I shot him with a tranq arrow and thought I had him, but he just kept coming after me. He was too strong. It was almost like..."

Diggle prodded, "It was almost like what?"

The realization was like a punch to the gut. Oliver couldn't believe that he hadn't put the pieces together sooner. He explained, "Merlyn must've injected himself with the formula. It's the only explanation for why he wasn't affected by my tranq arrow."

"If it warps the mind, that would explain his insane idea about the Undertaking."

Oliver shook his head. "Merlyn's always been a cold bastard, according to Tommy. The Undertaking was in the works long before he injected himself with the performance enhancers," he declared. "But now he's even more unstable. We need to find Felicity."

"Well, since neither of us is particularly adept at hacking into the SCPD database, I can reach out to an old war buddy of mine. He has contacts in the police department. Maybe he can get us some more information."

Oliver nodded and walked over to one of the metal cabinets. "Yes, do that." He pulled out a burner phone with a built-in voice modulator. He'd sent another one to Detective Lance so that he could contact him with information on cases. Occasionally, Lance would follow through and accept his help. They were by no means on good terms, but the older man was willing to work with the vigilante when it came to protecting the greater good. If there was ever a time to reach out, it would be now.

"I thought you were done contacting Lance."

The last time he'd worked with Lance, the man had tried to corner him with a task force. Oliver had gotten away, but he knew that his time working with Lance had run out. The Undertaking had given Oliver more breathing room, since the cops were so overwhelmed by the chaos and escalating crime in The Glades. Their pursuit of The Arrow was no longer a priority. "We need to know what he knows. It's worth a try."

"I'll be back in a little while," Diggle informed him before heading out to meet with his friend.

Dialing the programmed number, Oliver waited for an answer. It took a few rings before someone picked up. "Hello?"

Laurel's voice surprised Oliver. At one point, she'd stolen the phone from her father to contact the vigilante on her own. Her father had been furious when he eventually found out and had demanded the phone back. "Laurel? I was expecting to speak to your father."

"I had a feeling you might call. And if not, I was going to reach out myself. My father's got his hands full right now with the Brother Eye case. I'm assuming you've been following it. The most recent development has been all over the news."

"Yes, I have," Oliver answered. "I heard a woman with past ties to the group's leader was abducted tonight."

"Her name is Felicity Smoak. Cooper Seldon is her ex-boyfriend and allegedly the leader of the group. She was taken earlier tonight, but it wasn't by him. It was the Dark Archer. Have you heard of him?"

"Yes," Oliver gritted out. "He's dangerous. If he has this woman, there's no telling what he might do to her." He paced the length of the Foundry in an attempt to keep calm. He couldn't let Laurel know how deeply involved he actually was in all of this. It would make her suspicious.

"My father can't figure out why he would take Felicity. My boyfriend Tommy Merlyn said she was looking into some matters internally for him at Merlyn Global. He thinks she found information his father had been trying to cover up. There might even be a connection somewhere to Brother Eye, but it doesn't make sense."

"I can find her, but I need information about the case and anything having to do with her abduction," Oliver said. If it had been any other time, the mere fact that Laurel had actually called Tommy her boyfriend again would've brought a smile to his face. But that would have to wait.

"We need all the help we can get. I'll see what I can do," Laurel replied before they set up a time to meet later. "One more thing. This isn't just any case. Felicity has become a friend to me and other people I'm close to. One of my friends he...she's important to him, and he can't lose anyone else. Please do whatever you have to to find her."

Oliver, fighting back an unexpected wave of emotion and gratitude, took a minute to respond. "Trust me, I will."

"Did you get what you needed from Laurel?" Diggle asked.

Oliver handed him the case files, as well as the USB flash drive with the footage from Merlyn Global. He felt his phone ring for the fifth time that hour and groaned. Ray had been calling him nonstop. No doubt he'd heard of Felicity's abduction and was concerned. Oliver kept sending him to voicemail. He just couldn't deal with him right now.

"What about you? Your contact come through?" Oliver questioned.

"The police are working a few leads, but nothing solid. I did pass on Snitch's information about the Bratva headquarters to him. He's going to look into it, but no promises."

"The SCPD won't be able to do anything. Not without concrete proof. The Bratva know how to cover their tracks." Oliver would let Anatoly worry about that. He joined Diggle at the computers as he pulled up the security feed. They saw Felicity enter the mainframe room to start working while the security team took their positions.

They had to fast forward until they came to the part where Merlyn, dressed as the Dark Archer, came off the elevator. It wasn't much of a fight. He shot the men with cold, calculated precision. It's probably why Felicity hadn't heard anything to alert her that something was wrong. She also happened to be on the phone, but they couldn't hear what she was saying. Watching her face, Oliver could tell that Felicity was exasperated by whoever was on the phone. Then her expression became serious. She had that worried crinkle between her brows. He felt his hands twitch with the urge to smooth it away.

Within minutes, they tightened into fists. Felicity had bounded out of her seat, most likely after discovering Merlyn's involvement with Dr. Houston, and left the room to find the injured guards. She looked shocked and scared as she rushed toward the elevator. Her phone was in her hand once more as she pushed the elevator button frantically. That must've been when she tried to call him. Knowing that she'd been alone and terrified while he was only floors below twisted his insides.

The feeling only got worse when he saw her scream at the appearance of Merlyn. He'd been waiting for her and wasted no time gripping his hands around her neck and pulling her inside. Felicity was clearly screaming and struggling as much as she could until he placed a cloth over her mouth. It must've been chloroform or something like it, because her eyes immediately closed and her body went limp. Felicity was completely unconscious when Merlyn picked her up. After that, the cameras went blank. Oliver stared at the screen, resisting the urge to pick it up and hurl it across the room. Felicity would not appreciate him ruining her equipment-even if his rage was totally justified.

"I'm surprised he didn't have Cooper cut the cameras sooner," Diggle commented. "He's always been so secretive before."

"He did this on purpose, too," Oliver gritted out. "He wanted me to see him take her."

"What do we do now? We're still at square one with no leads on finding her."

Before Oliver could answer, his phone rang. He rolled his eyes, preparing to send Ray to voicemail once more, when he noticed it was a blocked number. Both hope and dread filled him. "Who is this?" he answered, not giving a damn about politeness. It wasn't something he was known for anyway.

"Hello, Oliver," Merlyn's deep, slick voice coolly greeted. "Or should I say The Arrow. Finally, I can put a face to the man under the hood. It's been too long."

"Where's Felicity?" he demanded, putting it on speaker and shooting a look at Diggle. His partner turned back to the computer and attempted to run a trace. At his low curse, Oliver knew it hadn't worked. Cooper would know how to thwart them easily.

"She's quite safe for now."

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?" Oliver incredulously replied.

"Would you like to say hi?"

There was a brief pause. "Oliver," Felicity's voice rang out.

His eyes closed for a moment in relief. "Felicity, are you okay? Where are you?"

"Yes, I'm okay," she confirmed, despite the slight tremor in her voice. She said in a jumbled rush, "But don't listen to anything he and Cooper have to say, because it's definitely a trap!"

Oliver, though fearing for her safety, felt a sense of pride at her words. Not only was Felicity trying to be strong, she was letting him know that Cooper was connected in case he and Diggle hadn't already figured it out.

"That's enough," Merlyn interjected.

"I swear, if you so much as breathe on her, I'll-" he threatened.

"You'll do exactly as I say, Oliver, or you'll never see your harlot again," Merlyn retorted. "Well, you might see parts of her."

It was taking every last ounce of willpower for Oliver not to lose control of his anger and sound calm. "What do you want, Malcolm?"

"You're going to meet me tonight, and you're going to come alone. Otherwise Cooper-I'm sure you've heard all about him-may have to take matters into his own hands. The boy is still lovesick over her, but he's also quite bitter after her betrayal. I'd hate for Felicity to lose one of her fingers. It'll make it awfully hard to type, and she's much too valuable and pretty for that-despite the atrocious sweater."

"I'll come but when I do, you're releasing Felicity. You no longer need her if you have me."

"Her release depends on if you can defeat me."

"I want to see her."

"That's not possible at the moment."

"Then we don't have a deal."

"You don't have a choice," Merlyn replied and added for effect. "She really does have such small, delicate hands. Doesn't she, Cooper?"

"I see some of your nail polish has chipped on your index finger," Cooper said in the background. "Maybe that should be the first one to go."

There was a pause before he heard Felicity whimper. They were obviously doing something to her. He was overwhelmed by a mixture of rage and panic. "Don't," Oliver objected, mirroring Diggle's worried look. "Tell me when and where?"

Merlyn mentioned one of the old, abandoned Bratva warehouses on the edge of town. Oliver would meet him there at midnight to finish what they'd started in Corto Maltese.

"Oliver, don't come. Don't-" Felicity started to shout in the background before her voice was muffled.

"I expect your best tonight, Oliver," Merlyn stated. "Once and for all, we'll finally see who's the better archer."

"I let you live once. I won't make that mistake again."

"Until tonight," Merlyn replied and the line went dead.

"Oliver, you can't go alone," Diggle spoke up. "He'll kill you."

"He's got Felicity, John. I don't have a choice." Oliver added more quietly, "I can't lose her, too."

"The last time-" he tried to reason.

"I know what happened," Oliver interrupted as he got his weapons together. He had two hours before he had to meet Merlyn, and he was going to make damn sure he used that time wisely. It wasn't just his life on the line this time. It was Felicity's.

"I'm coming with you," Diggle declared, refusing to back down.

Oliver was about to protest when his phone rang. It was Ray for the millionth time. Oliver sent him to voicemail yet again before turning to Diggle. "Merlyn wants me to go alone. He'll hurt Felicity if I don't, and I can't take that chance," he explained.

"But-" Diggle's protest was cut off when his phone rang. He looked at the number and frowned before answering. "Hello?" His eyebrows shot up as he listened to whoever was at the other end. "Hold on." Diggle covered the mouthpiece. "It's Ray. He needs to talk to you. He says it's urgent."

Oliver, frowning, took the phone from Diggle. "What is it, Ray?"

"Finally!" Ray exclaimed. "I've been trying to reach you all night. I figured if I couldn't get you, then I'd have to get creative. Luckily, your bodyguard actually answers his phone. I heard about Felicity. Do you know if she's okay? Do the police have any leads?"

This was exactly why Oliver hadn't answered his phone. "There's nothing new."

"But you're trying to find her, right? Because, personally, a nightclub is the last place I'd be if-"

"Look, Ray, I'm doing everything I can to find Felicity. So I really can't talk right now," he retorted as a thought occurred to him. "Wait, how do you know I'm in a nightclub?"

"Hope you don't mind, but I pinged your phone. I'm in Verdant right now."

"Is there a particular reason why you felt the need to violate my privacy rights?" Oliver didn't even try to hide the annoyance in his voice. He honestly had no idea how Felicity could put up with him on a regular basis.

"Felicity isn't the only reason I'm calling," Ray replied. The explanation that followed made Oliver's eyes widen.

"What's going on?" Diggle asked when Oliver finally handed back his phone.

"Diggle, you can't come with me tonight. No matter what, I need you to stay behind." Oliver relayed the plan that was already unfolding in his head. "Do you understand?"

Diggle wasn't completely okay with it but nodded. "I won't let you down."

Oliver patted his shoulder. "I know. I'm counting on it."