Note: SURPRISE! Bet you guys didn't expect an update this quickly, did ya? *wink wink* Well, I wasn't planning on posting this chapter until Saturday, but I kind of wanted to give you guys a chance to vent on me before the weekend so I can make up for everything then. Oops, did that reveal anything? Trust me, you're going to need a moment after this chapter, so brace yourselves people! Enjoy! :)
Hunted
Chapter 27: The Count
Things were different in the Foundry after Roy's departure. The place felt emptier and Oliver could feel how Felicity was different because of it too. She was once again the only wolf in the team and it was obvious that she missed Roy a lot. With Roy and Thea gone, it came as quite a shock to them all when Tommy announced that he wouldn't be able to come by as often. Laurel had been pushing to start planning their wedding and he couldn't come up with excuses to postpone anymore, at least not without making it sound like he wasn't interested in marrying her at all. Oliver, Diggle and Felicity understood where he was coming from, so they didn't call him unless they absolutely needed his help to monitor a hunt. His absence was noticeable too though, and after having gotten used to having their headquarters full, it suddenly felt strange to just be the three of them once more, like in the beginning of their partnership.
On the other hand, they worked well together, as they always had so there was no problem with the actual hunting part. It was just that they missed their friends. Oliver felt the absence of his sister terribly, despite her daily calls to give them updates and Felicity missed Roy. From what Thea told them though, Roy was making progress with controlling his bloodlust. It had been difficult during the first few days whenever an A.R.G.U.S. agent came by to check on things, but according to Thea, Roy no longer jumped up ready to attack when they knocked on their door. Thea insisted that she was safe too and that Roy wouldn't touch her or harm her in any way. Oliver had to believe his sister and trust that what she was saying was true. His reservations about telling the rest of the team about the mirakuru disappeared when Felicity assured him that she would stand by him, no matter what.
The morning after he had slept over at her place, Oliver had woken up with his arms wrapped around Felicity and his face pressed against the back of her neck. Her blonde hair had tickled his nose, but he hadn't minded. Instead, he had buried into her, pulling her flush against him so that every part of her was touching him somehow. He remembered, how she had smiled when her eyes had fluttered open and how she had turned her head to look at him, her hands resting over his. Oliver had wanted nothing more than to tell her then, that everything would be all right and that he loved her, but he hadn't wanted to disrupt the comfortable silence.
They had stayed in bed for a good while, holding one another and nothing more. Eventually, they had gotten up and gotten ready, forced to start their day. Oliver had borrowed a spare toothbrush that Felicity kept around and they had headed straight for the Foundry, where Oliver had changed his clothes. When Diggle and Tommy had arrived, Oliver had told them the same thing he had told Felicity the night before. He went through what he knew about the mirakuru and parts of what had happened with Slade on Lian Yu, both Diggle and Tommy listening intently.
While they had been discussing their options on how to proceed with the revelation, Felicity had suggested that they contact Lyla and maybe even Barry. Since Barry knew a few things about biochemistry too, he could dig a bit deeper into the mirakuru mixture if they supplied him with a blood sample from Roy.
"Maybe he could even find something in his spellbooks," Felicity had said, throwing out ideas that they proceeded to discuss amongst themselves.
Diggle had agreed to call Lyla and see if A.R.G.U.S. was willing to help too. The more hands they had on the matter, the better, after all. It hadn't taken much to convince Roy to give them a sample of his blood and Tommy, who was going on a trip to Central City with Laurel, offered to deliver one vial to Barry in person. So far, they hadn't been able to come up with anything, although Oliver knew that if something did come up, Barry and Lyla would contact the team as fast as possible. At first, Oliver had been reluctant to get help from A.R.G.U.S., but he knew deep down that while Amanda Waller, who was the head of the organization couldn't be a hundred percent trusted, he still believed in Lyla and her division. They had something to go on now, at least when it came to the hybrids. By using Roy's blood, they might be able to separate the mirakuru and come up with a cure. If that worked, Roy would possibly be able to turn back into a normal wolf and then the bloodlust would no longer be a problem for him. Oliver only hoped that it would be as easy as that, because if it was, they would also be able to reverse the turn of all those other wolves that the Master was planning on using in his army.
-§-
Two weeks had passed since Roy and Thea had left, but it wasn't until these last couple of days that the amount of hybrid attacks had risen drastically. Felicity was in contact with Lance constantly and he told her of everything that the corrupt police force was covering up. Quentin insisted that something strange was going on and that the Arrow might need to get involved, and Felicity agreed. Oliver and Diggle went out on the streets together a lot, trying to take in as many Dark Ones as possible while Felicity monitored and directed them. She loved being on the hunt with Oliver, but with Tommy and Roy gone, she knew she was needed in the Foundry, in front of her computers. Besides, she was aware of the fact that it had been quite a while since Diggle had been out hunting with Oliver, always opting to stay behind with Tommy since Roy and Felicity were pretty much a package deal and Oliver worked well with them too.
Nevertheless, Oliver had gone out an hour ago to meet with Detective Lance who had given Felicity a call to set up a meeting with the Arrow. Apparently, there had been something strange about the last couple of cases that he had dealt with and he wanted them to look into it for him because he didn't trust some of the cops he worked with.
"What do you think is taking so long?" Felicity asked Diggle. Usually, the meetings between Lance and the Arrow were short, not lasting longer than a few minutes at a time. Oliver should have been back by now and Felicity was starting to worry that something might have happened to him.
"He probably just took a different route," Diggle offered. "You know how paranoid he can get sometimes."
Felicity nodded, because it was true. There had been times when Oliver took long detours because he felt as if someone was watching him. Then again, they all felt like it sometimes. They were worried that people would eventually notice that the Arrow always circulated in the same area before disappearing. If Felicity had been able to figure out the whereabouts of the Foundry before she joined the team, then she was certain that anyone else who took their time would be able to do so too.
Before she could dwell more on the matter, the door to the Foundry opened and Oliver stepped inside. Felicity met him halfway, throwing her arms around him in a short hug that he returned, squeezing her elbow when they pulled apart.
"You good?" he asked and she nodded.
"What took you so long?" she questioned instead, searching his face for any evidence that something was off. Oliver remained carefully neutral, but she could sense that something was definitely going on.
"Detour," he supplied and Felicity rolled her eyes at Diggle's smug look. Of course, when the older man looked curiously between the two of them, Oliver released her elbow and cleared his throat. Felicity's cheeks heated up slightly, but she refused to show any kind of emotion on her face.
"So, what did Lance want?" Diggle asked, obviously trying not to make things awkward for them.
"He's trying to track down a drug dealer, apparently," Oliver said. "People have been overdosing on the Vertigo drug that's been circling around the Glades since before the Undertaking. For a while, it seemed like the drug disappeared, but it's back with a vengeance," he explained, placing his bow back in its case.
"He wants us to go after a drug dealer?" Felicity frowned at him, knowing that there must be more to the story.
"Some of the people who have overdosed have had strange marks on their bodies," Oliver shared, giving them a look. "Bite marks."
Felicity sighed and Diggle nodded, rolling his shoulders back. "Lance thinks this has something to do with vampires?"
"Lance said that the medical examiner pointed out that the amount of blood found in the previous victims wasn't the usual quantity of a human being. All victims seem to have been suffering from blood loss, but not enough to seem suspicious at first," Oliver said, unzipping his hood. Felicity noticed the way his undershirt stretched over his torso and she swallowed, averting her eyes when her tongue darted out to wet her lips.
"Why did he decide to involve us if the blood loss wasn't significant?" Diggle wondered, crossing his arms over his chest.
Oliver looked up at them, "Because the latest victim was a young girl who was completely drained of blood."
"Completely?" Felicity stared and Oliver nodded.
"Not a single drop was left, according to Lance," Oliver said. "Detective Lance thinks that this drug dealer is supplying Dark Ones with Vertigo, or that he's somehow a part of them. They are drugging people, making them pliant or incoherent and then draining them of blood."
"Like human blood bags," Diggle supplied, shaking his head in disbelief. "If things were going smoothly and they managed to keep it under the radar, why would the Dark Ones suddenly make such a mistake of draining a girl completely? It all seems like too much of a planned thing."
Oliver shrugged, looking to Felicity. It was clear that he wanted her input on the matter, but she was with Diggle on this. It didn't make sense for something to go wrong like that. It couldn't have been an accident that the vampires or whatever they were drained their latest victim completely. Organized crime was just that: organized. Felicity doubted that the ones responsible would ever allow their workers make such a grave mistake.
"They are trying to set things in motion, I think," Felicity said, brushing her hair back behind her ear. "If they were organized, like Detective Lance suspects, then there's no reason for them to suddenly lose control and change their patterns. This is a message. They want people to get more involved."
"I thought so as well, but I couldn't be sure," Oliver said, digging into his pocket before handing Felicity a flashdrive. "This is everything Lance has on the case so far. A listing of all the victims that they suspect have been killed by the same person, an analysis of Vertigo's components from the traces that were found in the first victims as well as a profile on the drug dealer."
Diggle whistled, "That's very generous of the Detective to supply."
"He wants to catch this son of a bitch," Oliver said, a growl to his tone that made it clear that he wanted the same thing as Lance. "He wants to get him off the streets as fast as possible because Starling City is still fragile after everything that happened. That's why he needs our help."
Felicity knew that the decision was pretty much made. There were innocent people getting hurt and they couldn't stand by and do nothing when Dark Ones were involved. She didn't know what they were up against, but as far as she could tell, the creatures were blood drinkers. That could only mean vampires or hybrids. She needed to look through the material that Detective Lance had supplied them with and look at the drug dealer's profile in order to establish exactly what kind of Dark One they were dealing with.
She met Oliver's eyes, nodding her head curtly. They had work to do and the sooner they started, the better. The bad guys already had a head start.
-§-
"Yes, yes… Will do. I'll look into it as soon as I can," Oliver said, his face serious as he sat up straight in his office chair. "I'll get back to you with my notes the second my assistant draws the numbers up for me and I have a look at them. Thank you, Jonathan." He hung up the phone with the head of finance within Queen Consolidated. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on strong. Oliver really hated office hours, especially considering that there were much more pressing matters at hand.
"Can I get you a coffee, Mr. Queen?"
Oliver looked up, eyebrow raising at the sight of Felicity leaning against his door with her arms crossed. She was looking at him like she was challenging him and he quickly went over the things he had just said to Jonathan on the phone and realized the reason for her tone. His lips twitched, "Are you making fun of me, Ms. Smoak?"
Felicity shrugged, stepping into the room. She was wearing form-fitting grey dress today with square cut-outs at her waist. Her high-heels clicked against the floor as she approached his desk, ponytail swinging from side to side with every step that she took. Oliver wondered to himself how she managed to not break office dress-code with the short dresses she always seemed to wear. Not that he minded, of course, and he was the CEO of the company.
Leaning back in his chair, he was amused when she came to a stop in front of his desk, her palms resting flat against the surface of the table as she leaned over slightly. "Since I'm your assistant, I figured I should ask," she said pointedly, but he could tell that she was more amused than annoyed.
Oliver watched her, enjoying the way that her smile was genuine and teasing. They were back to how they used to be, before Russia. It was still something he thought about and he knew that she did too. The hurt had run deep after what he had done, but somehow, they had worked through it, together. Now, when he looked at her, he saw the same woman that he had fallen for all those months ago. Back then, he hadn't been ready to admit it; he had been adamant to push her away in every way he could think of. He was ready now though, but it was a difficult thing to just bring up casually. How was he supposed to approach her on the matter when he didn't know for sure how she felt about him? Perhaps Felicity was just happy with them being friends again and she didn't want to complicate things once more? What would happen if he were to confess how he felt about her and admit that he had felt like this for such a long time, that he didn't even know for sure when it had truly started?
"You know I didn't mean it like that," he said, forcing himself out of his thoughts. He offered her a smile. "I'm just keeping up appearances at the office so that no one finds out that you're technically the one running the business," he joked. It was a bad one, but it broke through Felicity's teasing smile and made her laugh.
God, he loved her laugh.
"I might have listened in on the conversation," Felicity admitted, standing straight again. "I looked at the numbers and there seems to be some money missing, like Jonathan suspected. What do you think that's about?"
Oliver hesitated before speaking but he knew he had to be honest with her. "Isabel," he said.
"Ah," Felicity nodded curtly. "You think she embezzled on top of everything else?"
"I think she might have transferred money that wasn't hers to an offshore account," Oliver said. "Jonathan didn't feel comfortable with making accusations, but I understood what he was saying just fine. Isabel stole money from Queen Consolidated before she signed the papers when we bought her out of the business and then she left the country."
"Do you have any proof or do you need me to do some digging?" Felicity asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Oliver knew how badly Felicity wanted to put the bitch in her place, but he shook his head.
"Right now, all I want is a cup of coffee," he said, his voice once again teasing. Felicity's eyes sparkled with something. "Would you like to accompany me to the coffee shop down the street, Ms. Smoak? My treat, of course."
Felicity's lips parted and Oliver didn't want to admit that he had been staring at that tantalizing color she wore daily. He felt just a little warmer when Felicity took her lower lip between her teeth, chewing nervously before slowly nodding at him.
"If you're buying, yes," Felicity said. "I'd like that, Oliver."
There was something about the way that she said his name that made him feel light. Her reply was genuine, not another teasing remark or a part of their roles at the office. She had agreed to come with him and have a cup of coffee and Oliver couldn't help the hope that welled inside of him. Despite everything that was going on in their lives, with the hunt for the Vertigo drug dealer and the Master, they still managed to find these human moments in-between. He was just happy that Felicity was a part of them all.
Standing up, he made sure he had his wallet in his pocket. Felicity was smiling brightly when he walked up to her and offered her his arm, which she gratefully took. She stopped briefly at her desk to grab her coat and then the two of them headed outside. There were a few curious looks thrown their way when they walked toward exit together, but Oliver didn't mind. There had been rumors going around about him and Felicity since the day that she started working there, but everyone who mattered knew that Felicity was an asset to the company. The other board members seemed to understand the friendship between the two of them, even though Oliver knew that Isabel had turned some of them against him and made them believe that he and Felicity were hooking up during office hours.
"I've been thinking," Felicity started, "about what we'll do once we finally take down the Master."
Oliver brushed his thumb over her hand that was resting on his arm. "Yeah? What would you like to do?"
"I feel like we all deserve a vacation," she said. "Somewhere warm and tropical."
"As long as it isn't an island," Oliver quipped and for a moment, he could tell that she wasn't sure if he was joking or not. He offered her a smile and she finally giggled. Oliver stared at her, the sound making everything inside of him buzz with happiness. He squeezed her hand and slowly came to a stop. The coffee shop was close enough and they weren't exactly on a clock. They had time and now was just as good a time as any to tell her that he would go with her anywhere she wished, all she had to do was tell him where she wanted to go. Oliver had never been the romantic type and that wasn't why he wanted to tell her now. He knew that they still had a lot of things to work through, but speaking about a future with Felicity made him imagine a time where they could be happy; together.
Felicity was looking at him, eyes serene and almost hopeful. Oliver held her hands, taking a step toward her, just barely breathing out her name as their locked. He started to speak but then he saw the shift. For less than a split second, Felicity's eyes flashed gold and her eyebrows fell into a frown. Her grip on his hands loosened and the next thing Oliver knew, she pushed him backwards, her body covering his as an explosion went off, shattering windows close by and sending an unbelievable wave of heat through the street. Car alarms were a distant sound, Oliver's ears were ringing as his heart pounded away in his chest. He stayed still, his hands on Felicity's waist as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Slowly, the ringing subsided and he could hear screams and see smoke from further down the street. People were on their phones, calling 911, some brave citizens were trying to see through the rubble of the coffee shop, looking for survivors of the explosion. Felicity's head lifted slowly and he could see a small gash on her forehead where a small piece of glass must have cut her. There were broken shards everywhere and Oliver's head hurt.
"Are you okay?" Felicity asked, worry in her eyes.
Oliver nodded slowly, but his head was spinning. Slowly, they sat up, Felicity on her knees next to him as they both looked toward the coffee shop that they had been about to visit. Sirens sounded close by, police cars and ambulances appearing along with some firetrucks. The firemen started putting out the fire and Oliver coughed, covering his mouth from the smoke that had spread throughout the street.
Within minutes medics were pulling them toward the ambulance to take a look at them. Felicity was fine, of course, but Oliver still felt a bit dizzy and Felicity stayed with him, not letting go of his hand until the medics cleared him. There were reporters all over the place, trying to talk to witnesses, wanting to know exactly what it was that had happened. Someone recognized him and suddenly, they were coming from all sides, asking him whether he was all right and what he had seen and he couldn't breathe.
They had been on their way to that coffee shop. If they had gotten there, if he hadn't stopped them to tell Felicity that he wanted to give them another try, if she was willing… They would have been dead; she would have been dead.
Felicity's fingers laced with his and slowly, he took a deep breath. The ground felt more stable under his feet and looking through the crowd of people, he saw Diggle pulling up with his car, motioning for them to come over to him. Brushing past the people who had gathered at the tragic scene, Oliver ignored the reporters calling his name, pulling Felicity with him to the car, making their way into the backseat.
"Are you guys okay?" Diggle asked them. "What the hell just happened?"
Felicity's hands were trembling and Oliver looked over at her, finally seeing her face fall. Tears slipped from her eyes and she looked over at him, leaning into his chest when he pulled her close, desperate to feel that she was safe and alive.
"Oh my God, Oliver," she gasped. "I could smell them burning. All of them."
He knew that innocent people had died in this attack, but they had to figure out what was going on. There might have been bad people in the city, but bombs going off were unusual. Bomb threats happened, of course, but other than the Dark Ones attacking at night, it had been a while since something like this had happened. Oliver couldn't think of anything other than the Undertaking that had last claimed the lives of civilians like this.
The radio cracked and suddenly, their phones set off. Oliver frowned, pulling his from his pocket, noticing a small crack in it. Felicity pulled her own out of her purse and she stared at the screen where a video feed started broadcasting.
"Hello, citizens of Starling City," a man said. The video was slightly blurry from time to time, pixelating and making the man's face difficult to focus on for a while. His eyes though, Oliver noticed, were wide and crazed. "I'm guessing that by now you have all heard of the tragic explosion that occurred not more than thirty minutes ago in the city. A terrible loss of… What was it? Thirty men and women out to get coffee?" The man briefly turned away from the camera and there was a muffled sound, another person speaking. "Oh, sorry. I overestimated. Twenty-three people dead, twelve injured. Not so terrible, after all," he laughed loudly and the sound sent chills down Oliver's spine. He glanced at Felicity, whose eyes were locked on the screen, tears still shining in them. Diggle had slowed down to a stop, taking out his own phone to watch the feed as well.
"My name is Count Vertigo and if you think I'm sending this out to every technical device in Starling to make a claim on the attack, you are sorely mistaken," the man said. "My friend here, though, Shrapnel," the camera shifted to the side again where another man sat, grinning widely and waving happily. "He would very much like to take credit. His explosives are divine, are they not?" There was a pause and the man rubbed his chin, lips pouting as he thought about what else to say. "Shrapnel and I decided to team up a couple of weeks ago. You see, with everything that has been happening around Starling, we felt that we needed to confront some of the demons that roam the city at night. Shrapnel has planted three more bombs across the city, all waiting to be detonated in case my terms are not met by one handsome, mysterious, green fellah who's calling himself 'The Arrow'." Oliver looked over at Felicity and then at Diggle through the rearview mirror. "I'll repeat myself one more time: If the Arrow doesn't surrender himself to me, Shrapnel here is going to set off one bomb every six hours. It'll give you lot plenty of time to look for them, but I hardly think you'll solve this little puzzle… Come on, Arrow. Time is ticking and the Master, is waiting. What happens next is on you."
The feed cut off and Oliver released a harsh breath. One bomb every six hours. Civilians were in danger and this madman, Count Vertigo, wanted Oliver to surrender to him.
"Does this mean that he's the Master or that he's just working for him?" Diggle asked.
"He's not the Master," Felicity shook her head. "I recognize him from the compound where I was held prisoner. I think he was one too, but he must have been turned or something… He's crazy."
Oliver looked at her, "What about this Shrapnel guy? Did you recognize him too?"
"No," Felicity shook her head. "I don't know much about the Count either, but I recognized his face, that's all. We need to get to the Foundry. Maybe I can triangulate the feed, figure out where he broadcast the video from." She glanced at Oliver, reaching out to touch his cheek again. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," he told her, holding her hand once more. He turned to Diggle. "Let's go. We have ten hours to figure out where the next bomb might be hidden."
Diggle nodded, starting up the car one more and starting toward Verdant. Oliver swallowed thickly, thinking of the people who had been killed. The only comfort he got was from Felicity, who kept her fingers laced with his, squeezing every once in a while to assure him that they were both still alive.
-§-
Felicity looked through the files that Lance had given them quickly, eyes moving fast as she clicked her way through each document. Oliver and Diggle stood next to her, arms crossed as she assessed the information.
"I think we can be one hundred percent sure that the drug dealer Lance is after is Count Vertigo," Felicity said, turning around to face them. "Shrapnel must just be some madman he hired for the bombs, which are meant to spread chaos all over the city."
"Well, it's working," Diggle said, pointing to the TV which showed people gathering in masses, demanding that someone do something to save the city. The protesters were holding up signs, begging the Arrow to do something. Oliver looked away from the screen, feeling guilt well inside of him. The Count was doing this because of him. If the man was working for the Master, then the Master had finally made his first move. Oliver had to do something and try and catch the maniac behind the bombs because if the Count knew something, it could reveal the Master's identity.
"Don't you dare even think about giving yourself up," Felicity said, almost as if she had read his mind.
"What else am I supposed to do, Felicity?" Oliver asked, pointing at the screen. "This is all happening because of me. The Count wants me and if I don't surrender, he's going to have Shrapnel blow up the whole city, one bomb at a time."
"Oliver, no," Felicity shook her head. "As far as I can tell, all we have to do first is start looking for Shrapnel. We have his face on tape and we can pull facial recognition of off every security camera in Starling City. He's bound to show up somewhere."
Oliver shook his head at her. "And then what, huh? We catch just catch him?"
"Yes," Diggle said. "If we get Shrapnel off the streets, he won't be able to set off any bombs. Then we focus on locating the Count."
"They might be sticking together," Oliver pointed out. "What then? We take them both at the same time? We don't know if Shrapnel is a Dark One and we don't know for certain what the Count is."
"My money is on blood wolf," Felicity deadpanned, making Oliver sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, checking his phone once again. He was getting messages from his mother, Thea and Tommy but he only replied that the team was fine and that they were working on the situation. On the table, Felicity's phone vibrated and Felicity quickly picked it up. She made some humming noises, some agreeing sounds and then hung up again.
"That was Detective Lance. The bomb squad said that the bomb must have been set off by a trigger, close range. No more than a hundred yards away from the centerpoint. That means that both the Count and Shrapnel were close to the bomb at the time that it went off…"
"Does that mean that all the bombs are the same? That Shrapnel needs to be close enough to set them off?" Oliver asked, crossing his arms again.
Felicity nodded, "I believe so. Or at least that's the hypothesis. We only have the information off of one bomb to go on and I really, really hope we won't get another one to base our facts on." Oliver could tell that she was still upset about what had happened. He hadn't shaken it off either, but at the moment, they needed to put all their energy into finding Shrapnel.
"I can contact the Bratva in Starling City," Oliver said. "Or visit the Black Rose. They might know something about the Count."
"The last time you went to that club, you were ambushed and nearly killed, Oliver," Diggle said, looking at him with a stern expression. "You aren't going out there on your own again."
"That was also how we met," Felicity said absentmindedly, waving her hand in a circular motion in the air as she typed quickly on the keyboard in front of her. Oliver remembered how she had come into his life that night; how she had saved his life and he had proceeded to hate her for it. Back then, he never would have thought that he would end up falling for her the way he had, although there had always been some kind of connection between them. He had just been too proud to admit it to himself at the time.
"You are not turning yourself in," Felicity said. "We'll figure all of this out, but now I have exactly four hours and fortyfive minutes to figure out where the next bomb might go off and I have absolutely nothing to go on."
-§-
"Damn it!" Felicity shouted, hitting the desk with both hands. She pushed away from the table, her chair rolling away from the computer as she buried her face in her hands. Tears burned in her eyes and she could hear Oliver and Diggle's harsh breathing through the comm-link. The sound of sirens was deafening and she wanted nothing more than to just curl up and cry.
She turned her head, eyes falling on the screen of the TV where the news-anchor announced that the third bomb had gone off at the courthouse. So far, they didn't know how many people had been in the building because it was late. There had been lawyers there, judges and other staff members though. Felicity's heart ached when she thought of all the innocents that had died, all because she hadn't been able to figure anything out.
"Felicity…" Diggle said through the comm but she just shook her head, even though he couldn't see her. Nothing he said could make her feel better about herself.
"No, John. I just- I can't right now," she said, her voice choked.
"We're coming back, Felicity. Stay there," Oliver said and she replied by shutting the comm-link off and taking the earpiece off. She stood up and walked over to the map that she had laid out on one of the tables, picking up the red marker. After circling the area that the third bomb had exploded in, she stared at the image in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the names of the places, mind working quickly. The coffee shop closest to Queen Consolidated, the bank where the money that Isabel had taken had disappeared from… The courthouse!
"Oh my God…" Felicity's mouth fell open as she scrambled for her phone, calling Lance on the phone as she pulled on her jacket. Picking up the blue and green marker, she quickly made a circle and a cross before dropping both pens on the table again. She headed out of the Foundry, toward her car, walking as fast as possible.
"Ms. Smoak," Lance answered, sounding tired. She could hear the sounds of sirens in the background and she knew that he was on the site of the most recent explosion. "Please tell me you have some good news."
"I think I have a lead," she told him. "No more bombs are going to explode tonight, I swear, Detective. You need to evacuate the buildings closest to the police station, all right?"
"Wait, you think the station is the next target?" Quentin asked. "What is your guess based on?"
"I can't explain it right now. Make sure the bomb squad searches through all the buildings within a hundred yards of the station. Shrapnel should be in one of them. I'll call you back with more information," she said, hanging up before Lance could ask her anything else. She had given him the essential information and she needed to call Oliver, to tell him and Diggle that she was headed for the station. She might be able to pick up on Shrapnel's presence through her heightened senses.
"Felicity?" Oliver asked, sounding surprised that she was calling him on his Arrow phone.
"He knows who you are, Oliver," she said, pulling out of the parking lot.
"Wait, what?"
"The Count knows that Oliver Queen is the Arrow. He has had Shrapnel target places related to you with the bombs. The coffee shop close to Q.C., the bank where your mother's money is secured, where Isabel made her transfers, the courthouse where your mother was officially exonerated? It all ties back to you," Felicity explained.
"But how does he know? How did he figure it out?" Oliver asked, sounding frustrated.
"We'll just have to ask him once we get him, okay?" Felicity said, not being able to stop the smile from spreading on her list. "I called Lance earlier. I figured out where the next bomb is. I'm not going there now though. I think I know where Count Vertigo is," she told him.
"Where? Dig and I can meet you there. Don't engage him on your own, Felicity," Oliver responded.
Felicity took a turn and opened her mouth to reply, only to have her ears fill with sounds of cars honking. She twisted in her seat, just in time to see the headlights of a truck as it smashed into her car, sending the vehicle spinning out on the road. She gasped in pain and the airbag exploded, knocking the air from her lungs.
"Felicity! What happened?" Oliver yelled, his voice desperate for an answer. She felt sluggish, her eyes were drooping closed. Somehow, she managed to get tear her belt off and push the door open, falling onto the concrete. She turned on her back, ears still picking up on Oliver's voice calling her name, even as her vision started to blur. A pair of black boots came to a stop next to her head and she tried to look at the man standing there, she truly did. The man crouched down and touched her cheek with a gloved finger and then she felt the sting of the needle in the side of her neck. Darkness washed over her quickly after that.
-§-
Oliver stared at the phone as the line went dead, but just for a second before he turned to Diggle. The two of them moved quickly, deciding to head back to the Foundry to try and trace Felicity's signal. Oliver had tried calling Lance as the Arrow and he had learned that Felicity thought they would be targeting the police station next. The place didn't have a direct connection with Oliver, unless one counted the various times that he had been arrested. Then again, if the Count knew his secret identity, then he could have told Shrapnel to target the station because he knew that some of the officers there cooperated with the Arrow.
"I can't pick up anything on her phone," Diggle said. "The GPS in her car isn't working either. As far as I can tell, she must have crashed halfway to the station. There's nothing on the news either, but I'm assuming that's because the reporters are too busy with the bomb hunting."
Oliver let out a sound of frustration, the grip on his bow tightening as he stared down at the map that Felicity had laid out. The station was circled too, this time with a blue marker, but Oliver's eyes zeroed in on the way that she had crossed out Queen Consolidated, this time with green.
"She's at Queen Consolidated," Oliver realized, lifting the map up to show Diggle. "She figured out where the Count was. The three bombs that went off and the fourth in the station? The company is in the center of them!"
Diggle took the map from him and gave it a once over. He looked up at Oliver. "You know, it's scary sometimes, how your brain seems to be connected to Felicity's," he said. "And here I was, thinking that only Roy shared a bond with her."
Oliver's gut tightened at his words, dread filling him suddenly because now that he knew where Felicity most likely was, he needed to get to her. As if on cue, his private phone started ringing. Oliver lifted it, looked at the screen and saw Felicity's face on the caller-ID. He answered without a word.
"Mr. Oliver Queen," a smug voice spoke on the other line. Oliver recognized Count Vertigo instantly. "Or should I be calling you Mr. Arrow? It gets so confusing with all these secret identities, don't you think?"
"What have you done to her?" Oliver growled, his voice dark, eyes narrowing.
"To Ms. Smoak, you mean? Not much… Yet," the Count said.
"If you touch her-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. You'll break every bone in my hand, I'm sure. Maybe you'll even shoot one of your little arrows into my knee," the crazed man said, sounding amused. "Look, Oliver. What I need you to do, is to come and surrender yourself here. You've probably figured out that I'm sitting in your office, having a drink with Ms. Smoak, who is quite lovely to look at, I admit…" Count Vertigo trailed off for a moment before continuing. Oliver could see in front of his eyes that his hand was resting on Felicity. He was going to tear him apart the moment he got his hands on him. "You come alone, or I kill the little bitch, you hear? Come alone and I'll spare you both long enough to deliver you to the Master. The Master has been dying to finally catch you," he laughed. Oliver looked over at Diggle, who was watching him intently. Oliver shook his head. "Do you want to hear her voice? To make sure that your little wolf is still alive?"
Oliver didn't say anything, but the Count must have taken that as enough of a reply.
"Oliver!" Felicity gasped into the line.
"Felicity," Oliver breathed out, his heart beating faster again. "I'm coming to get you-"
"No, no! Oliver, you have to get to the bomb. It's at the station. I'll be fine," Felicity said and Oliver couldn't believe what he was hearing. Felicity wanted him to leave her behind and go get the bomb. Lance was already working the area with the bomb squad though and Oliver was sure that Shrapnel would be captured. He couldn't focus on anything other than Felicity now.
"Very romantic, indeed. All this desperation," Count Vertigo snorted, sounding amused. "You have one hour, Mr. Queen. After that, I'll start severing Ms. Smoak's fingers. I'm sure she won't need them."
He hung up before Oliver could say another word.
Oliver turned to Diggle.
"Well?" Diggle asked.
"The Count wants me to come to Queen Consolidated. He wants me and Felicity so that he can hand us over to the Master," Oliver explained.
"Felicity?" Diggle wondered.
"Alive, but she doesn't want me to come. She told me to get the bombs and help Lance," Oliver said, meeting Diggle's eyes.
His partner looked at him for just a moment before nodding slowly. "You're going after the Count and I'll make sure Shrapnel doesn't get away," he said, knowing what Oliver was planning without him having to say anything. Oliver only met his eyes and blinked. He had one hour to get to Queen Consolidated, but he wouldn't need that time. They were splitting up and Oliver had faith in John, knowing that his friend would make sure that Quentin got Shrapnel. All Oliver needed to do was get to Felicity and bring her back.
-§-
Queen Consolidated was closed for the night, the hallways dark as Oliver made his way through them. As he made his way toward his and Felicity's office, he had never had his heart feel as heavy as it did now. He had an arrow nocked and ready. Through the glass walls he immediately spotted Felicity's blonde locks, but when he realized her hair was matted with blood, his stomach dropped. He stepped through the doors slowly, taking in the damage that had been done to the woman he cared so deeply about. Her feet were bare, from what he could tell. They had been dipped into a bucket of water and Oliver could see vervain and wolfsbane swimming in it too. The skin inside the water was red, blisters forming and sizzling due to the poison. Her hands were tied to the arms of the chair, with ropes that he had to assume had been drenched in the same substance. The Count seemed to have wanted to make sure that she couldn't just rip the rope apart with her strength, so he had put a pair of white, thin wooden stakes through her hands, to ensure that it would be difficult for her to move.
Her head was leaned back and Oliver could see the blood on her chin and the front of her dress, blood bags thrown carelessly on the floor next to her chair. She had been force-fed blood. Her eyes opened slowly, half-lidded as a pained moan fell from her lips. He noticed how her eyes flickered from her usual blue color to the golden one she picked up in her hybrid form.
"Oliver…"
He started to move forward, but he didn't even have a chance to blink, when the Count suddenly appeared next to Felicity, tugging her head back by the ponytail she wore, pressing a knife to her throat.
"Tsk, tsk, Mr. Queen, not so fast," the Count said, shaking his head. "How nice of you to join us." There was a crazy smile on his face and he tightened his grip on Felicity's hair, causing her to wince and then whimper. Oliver took a small step forward on instinct, but the Count pressed the knife against Felicity's skin, drawing blood.
"I'm here now, you don't have to hurt her," Oliver spat, his anger shining through his words.
"Oh, I'm just teaching little Felicity here a lesson," Count Vertigo said. "She needs to know how a real Dark One has to act. This sweetheart believes that she's still pure, even though she has been the reason that so many have died tonight, all because she couldn't figure out where I was." He lifted the knife from Felicity's throat, pointing at Oliver with it. "Not only that," he said, "but then she decided to tell you that you shouldn't save her. She probably thought that she would be able to save everyone else by giving her own life… What a martyr. I'm sure you two have that in common," he said, babbling away as if they were old acquaintances. Oliver frowned, because it was clear that the man in front of him was absolutely psychotic. He wasn't stable at all and there was no way in hell that he had planned this entire scheme on his own.
"The Master sent you," Oliver stated, only repeating what he knew so far that the Count had revealed. "You drained all those innocent humans after injecting them with Vertigo. Why?"
The Count kicked at the empty blood bags by his feet, "Duh, I needed them to feed Ms. Smoak here." The monster rolled his eyes. "See, Felicity? Even those deaths are on your hands."
"They're not," Oliver snapped, glaring at the Count. He saw how a tear fell from the corner of Felicity's eye and his chest ached. He needed to get closer. "What does the Master want with us? Don't you think he'll be angry when he finds out you harmed Felicity?" Oliver tried, because he needed to figure out an angle to approach this.
"You're right, he was kind of pissed after what I did to you," the Count said, tapping his lower lip with the knife. "Well, good thing your gal-pal Felicity here saved your life, isn't it? I'm just assuming that she did, since you two have this unexplainable need to save one another constantly." He waved the knife around dismissively.
"What do you mean? What did you do to me?" Oliver frowned, confused now. Was the monster just spitting out nonsense now?
"Oh, right. You don't know. How silly of me," Count Vertigo said. Oliver watched as his face started changing suddenly, while the body remained intact. For a second, he saw the face of Cyrus Gold there instead of the Count's and he realized immediately, that this must be the lethalis and blood wolf hybrid that had attacked him, nearly killing him. The Count's face changed back. "I almost had you, you know? I decided to test a small mixture of mirakuru with some Vertigo, to make my own little poison. It wasn't perfect though, but I assume that it made your blood clot instead of turning you, right?"
Oliver's head was spinning again. He was confused and all he could think about was that the creature standing in front of him, was more crazy than the one that had attacked him all those weeks ago. When the Count had taken the shape of Cyrus Gold, he had clearly been more in control of himself, but now, he only seemed unhinged. Oliver wondered if it had to do with the Count's own experiments. If he had been playing around with Vertigo and mirakuru, he had probably tried the thing on himself too. Maybe it had caused some kind of reaction in his body that had eventually made him lose it completely?
"Either way," the Count sighed. "My experiment failed and the Master was pissed, so I figured I'd bring you two to him and he'll forgive me for my indiscretions." A slow and hazy smile spread over his face as he looked down at Felicity again. "Although, I do wonder whether he'll need this little wolf in one piece…" He trailed off as he lifted the knife to Felicity's cheek, "You have such pretty eyes…"
Oliver met Felicity's gaze, just as her eyes flashed golden. This time, they didn't flicker. Instead, they widened and Oliver took that as a sign, releasing an arrow straight into the Count's shoulder, knocking him backwards with the force. Nocking another arrow quickly, he released it and it sailed into the monster's chest, just barely missing the Count's heart. Oliver was shocked though, when a loud growl fell from Felicity's mouth and he took a step back when she bent down and tore one of the stakes out of her hands. The ropes around her wrists came loose when she tugged with all her force and Oliver could only stare as she ripped out the other stake and freed herself of her restraints, tearing into the rope around her legs with her claws. Within just a few seconds, she was free, but her eyes continued to glow, blackened veins surrounding her eyes as she turned on the Count. The madman laughed, tearing the arrow from his shoulder, but Felicity lashed out, clearly no longer in control.
Blood sprayed from the Count's throat, covering Felicity's face as Oliver was left staring, arms slack at his sides. Felicity continued to dig her claws into the Count's throat, blood covering her hand, trickling down the length of her arm. There was still an eerie smile on the Count's face though and for some reason, satisfaction shone in his own eyes that were slowly losing their light. The monster gurgled, choking on his own blood as Felicity continued to hiss and growl, animalistic snarls falling from her blood painted lips.
"Felicity," Oliver said her name, low and heartbroken. She twisted around, facing him and keeping her gaze locked on his. There was a moment where her fangs glistened and then a second before realization flashed over her face. She let go of the Count, who coughed out choked chuckles, grinning with blood flowing from his mouth. Oliver lifted his bow, nocking another arrow and this time, the shot was aimed straight at Count Vertigo's heart. The monster stumbled backwards with the force, so quickly falling back that the window behind it broke and the Count fell through. Oliver closed his eyes, breathing out when he heard the crash where the Count's body connected with the concrete. He opened them once more and looked at Felicity, who was staring at her bloodied hands. Her hands were trembling and Oliver stepped up to her side, taking a hold of them with his own, trying to hold her steady.
"Oh my God, Oliver… I killed him, Oliver," Felicity gasped, her voice coming out in horrified whispers. "Oliver, I killed him."
"Shh…" Oliver hushed her, sensing that she was no longer in a blood haze. The Count had known what he was doing after all, it seemed. Oliver understood now what it had all been about. He had been wrong to think that the Count was targeting him, when in fact, the monster had been out to get to Felicity. Oliver pulled Felicity into his arms and a sob wracked her body as she stumbled into him.
"I killed him, Oliver. I'm a murderer," Felicity cried, her tears wetting the side of his neck as she buried into him while he held her.
The Count had been aiming to break Felicity, all so that he could show her that she wasn't better than any of the other Dark Ones. Oliver pulled back just a moment so that he could secure his bow around his back and then swiftly lifted Felicity up into his arms. She curled up against him, crying silently as her body continued to shake. She was in his arms and for the moment, she was safe. Now all he had to do was convince her that what happened wasn't her fault, tell her that she would survive this too and come out the other side.
Note: I'm so sorry... Please don't hate me for that ending. It wasn't a part of my original plan, but a couple of weeks ago, I realized that the the original one sucked because it wasn't as emotional. Remember, everything in this story happens for a reason and the next chapter (which is basically finished, but I just need to rewrite some parts since I decided to split it, going against the poll that I had going on Twitter) will deal with the emotional aftermath of this chapter. There will be darkness, but even then, there shall be light! Love you guys, even though I'm awful like this sometimes. Come scream at me on Twitter (Sugar_Pepper666) or Tumblr (author123456). Lots of love. xx
