Arrow in Prose

[Pallas]

Your topic for discussing Arrowverse tie-in books, as they pertain to Arrow.

[tv echo]

Continuing my retrospective: After Season 4 of Arrow ended, two original tie-in novels were published: The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen (2016) and its sequel, Arrow: A Generation of Vipers (2017), both written by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith. 

These novels take place sometime during Season 4 of Arrow. Oliver & Felicity are back in Star City. Oliver & Felicity are still very much a couple. Felicity is CEO of Palmer Tech. It’s hinted that Oliver already knows about his son William. Baby Sara exists. Team Arrow consists of Oliver, Diggle, Felicity and Thea/Speedy. (Laurel is mysteriously missing from these two novels.) Oliver found out about his son in 408 of Arrow. There is no mention of a wheelchair or Felicity’s paralysis, which happened at the end of 409. Felicity broke up with Oliver at the end of 415. Baby Sara wasn’t erased until The Flash 302, which aired between 501 and 502 of Arrow.

In my transcriptions below, I tried to convert the novel's prose style into a more script-like format. 

Marc Guggenheim confirmed in a tweet that these novels are part of the Arrow show canon.

Amazon.com Book Description for The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen:

Quote

An original novel by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith based on the hit Warner Bros. series created by Greg Berlanti & Andrew Kreisberg & Geoff Johns. Speeding through Central City, Barry Allen is met with a startling sight—the Flash, older, battered, and badly injured. Before he can speak, the doppelgänger is gone. Then Barry begins experiencing glitches in his powers—moments that leave him ghostly and immobile in the middle of missions. When a group of his enemies—including Pied Piper, Weather Wizard, and Peekaboo—chooses this time to launch a new assault, the Flash seeks help from his most trusted ally. Oliver Queen – the Arrow.

Amazon.com Book Description for Arrow: A Generation of Vipers:

Quote

The second original novel based on the hit Warner Bros. TV show Arrow and concluding the first crossover between The Flash and Arrow novels! Continuing from the events of THE FLASH: THE HAUNTING OF BARRY ALLEN, team Arrow and team Flash seek to eliminate the bizarre energy that threatens to kill the Scarlet Speedster. Their quest takes them to Markovia, where they must get past an army of mercenaries and assassins to face the enigmatic Count Wallenstein.

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

My transcriptions of certain scenes in the S4 tie-in novel, The Flash: The Haunting of Barry Allen...

Chapter 11 – Iris and Caitlin go to Iris’ favorite gym in Central City, Fitness Universe, to work out:
(Iris and Caitlin just finished using the treadmills.)
Caitlin: “How does Barry make this look so damned easy?”
Iris (wheezing): “I hate him.”
Caitlin (laughing): “Me, too. No one should not have to work out like this, and certainly not every day. It’s not fair.”
Iris: “Even the Green Arrow has to use the gym.”
Caitlin (grinning mischievously): “Felicity Smoak told me she watches him work out. He has abs that are ungodly.”
Iris: “Maybe we need to go visit her in Star City.”
Caitlin: “Road trip for the ladies.”
Iris: “I’m in.”

Chapter 23 – Barry decides to call Oliver Queen for help because his increasing blurring problem might hamper his efforts to save people:
Barry: “I said all right. I’ll call Oliver.”
Caitlin (hugging him): “Thank you.”
Barry: “He hasn’t said yes, yet. He may not be able to come.”
Caitlin: “He will. I know he will. Oh, and ask Felicity to come with him. I’d love to have her help with the plasma problem.”
Barry: “She’s not a doctor.”
Caitlin: “No, but with her computer skills, we could double our output here in the labs. And I want her analytical eyes on my data.”
Barry: “Anybody else? John Diggle? Speedy? How about Deathstroke?”
Caitlin (ignoring his sarcasm): “I’ll leave that to Oliver. He knows what he’s doing.”
Barry: “I’ll call him today. Iriis will be happy. She loves her some Oliver Queen.”
(Caitlin gathers her papers against her chest. Her beaming smile, the first ray of hop Barry has seen in her for days, lets him know he is making the right decision.)

Chapter 25 – Oliver, Diggle and Felicity arrive in Central City:
Diggle (nodding): "Barry." 
(John Diggle, the ex-military man, stands six-foot-five, broad-shouldered like a linebacker, enough to make any criminal think twice before angering him. Barry knows him to be an effective fighter, a loyal friend, and a dedicated husband and father. Former bodyguard turned crime fighter. The right hand of the Green Arrow.)
Barry (throwing his arms wide): “Felicity, I’m so glad you came.”
Felicity: "Always, Barry." 
(Felicity Smoak hugs Barry enthusiastically, reminding him of a sprite made of pure electricity and intellect. Beneath her open and expressive persona, she has one of the keenest minds in the country, particularly when it comes to computer theory and network operations. Her blonde hair is pulled back and her eyes shine out from behind glasses.")
Felicity: “You have a bruise on your jaw.”
Barry: “Well, yeah, it’s been a little rough around here. So what have they told you –”
Felicity: “No... You have a bruise. You. Barry Allen. The Flash. Caitlin said you’d been having problems. Are you okay?”
*  *  *
(Green Arrow pulls back his hood and removes his mask to reveal Oliver Queen, the scion of one of Star City's wealthiest and most powerful families. Or at least they used to be - the Queens fell on dark times, and he is one of the few who remain alive. Oliver is tall, powerful, and athletic. His face is sculpted and still, his dark hair closely cropped. Steady, calm eyes regard the room. Some see quiet confidence in them, Barry knows, while others find them cold. He hasn’t been able to decide. Still, because of that sturdiness, Oliver exudes an intoxicating, commanding poise. A hint of violence lurks beneath that, however, as if he is constantly on the verge of lashing out.)
*  *  *
Felicity: “Caitlin told us where to find you. A little hack into the National Guard server gave us a situation assessment.”
Cisco: “Peekaboo." (Puts up her photo)
Felicity: “That a cute name. Like Hello Kitty.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Again thanks to Peekaboo... (Felicity giggles, Oliver stares at her and she shrugs) Now, the Mist –“
Felicity (raising a finger): "Oh, I was thinking about creepy gas cloud guy. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely flammable. (Looks at Cisco and Caitlin apologetically) Of course you know that. I’m sure there’s some reason you haven’t done anything with it.”
Cisco (suddenly leaping to his feet): “Holy flame arrows! (To Oliver) You’re going to use your flame arrows, aren’t you?”
Oiver (nodding, then whispers to Felicity): “Get some flame arrows."
*  *  *
Felicity: "The Singing Meteorite?” 
Oliver. “You’ve heard of it?”
Felicity: “Oh sure, it’s only the most famous meteorite since… well, it’s the most famous meteorite ever.”
Diggle: “And it sings?”
(Cisco quickly explains the history of the meteorite and Dr. Coolidge. Felicity huffs, jealous that he and Barry met the astronomer, and starts asking questions about exactly how misanthropic he really was.)
Oliver: “So what was the reason for stealing this meteor?”
*  *  *
Barry: “Great. I can’t wait to take these guys down. They’ve hurt too many people already. It’s time to give a little back.”
Felicity (proudly): “That’s what Oliver does. He figures out the best way to hurt people. Bad people, I mean. People who need to be hurt. Not just people in general. That would be wrong.” 
(Oliver puts his arm around her waist and she goes silent.)

Chapter 26 – Barry asks Oliver when the last time was that he took a vacation:
Oliver: ”Well, I once spent a lot of time lounging on a Pacific island. Now that I’m back, I prefer to stay at work. (Pauses) I do go away, though. I’ve taken time to recharge. It helps when you have someone like Felicity pushing you to go, and the fact that I have her with me makes me want to do so.”

Chapter 34 – Oliver and Felicity diagnose Barry’s blurring problem:
Felicity (grinning with excitement): “Well, first of all, this is very tentative, so don’t get too worked up. Something about your temporal anomaly and plasma infection kept digging at my brain. So I went scouring the Palmer Tech files for research projects using those keywords as my starting point. Palmer experimented with wormhole generation and something they called ‘plasma-based technology.’ I’m trying to get more details. It’s not much – not yet, anyway – but it’s something.”
*  *  *
Barry: “Isn’t it? The plasma is inside me, consuming my cells. That’s a scientific fact.”
Felicity: “Yes, it is. But that’s not what’s triggering your blurs. It’s your emotions. Emotions have their own biology, their own chemical pathways. The mind-body connection is more profound than Western medical science is willing to admit. Oliver has taught me some of that.”
Barry (scowling): “So what are you saying?” 
Oliver: “Your brain is giving the plasma a way in.”
Barry: “How? By thinking?”
Oliver: “No. By feeling.”
Barry: “You’re saying my emotions are eating me alive?”
Oliver: “In a way.”
Felicity: “I think Oliver is onto something. You care about everything and everyone so deeply, particularly those of us in this room. You have this light inside you that few people possess.”

Chapter 41 – Cisco and Felicity work together to protect S.T.A.R. Labs:
Cisco (working feverishly on his computer keyboard): ”Actually, you can. If I’m right, we’ve got him. I’m sending resonance pulses through the internal communications and electronic systems. I’m using our own network to weave a sonic shield into the structure of S.T.A.R. Labs. The building itself is now a force screen against sonic or vibrational attacks. It should block his attacks.”
Felicity (typing quickly): “It will now. I just added a subroutine that will fluctuate your frequencies. That way you won’t blow out your system in the first thirty seconds or so.”
Cisco (nodding): “Thanks. Next time, though, could you give me my moment, please?”
*  *  *
(Three men rush in through the main entrance to the Cortex. Oliver and Diggle each hold Joe West by an arm. They are as disheveled as Barry, their faces covered in dust and dried blood. Felicity races to Oliver, and Iris envelopes Joe in a worried embrace.)
*  *  *
Felicity: “Oh, wait! (Goes to Iris and takes the gauntlet.) Would this help?” 
(She slips into her seat and makes a few quick adjustments. Cisco watches and offers suggestions. After a few moments, she hands the gauntlet over her shoulder to Diggle.)
Felicity: “You may be able to disrupt the construct with this, or at least hurt it… if it can be hurt.”

Chapter 45 – During a conversation with Joe West, we get a hint that Oliver already knows about his son, William Clayton, at this point:
Joe: “I need your help.”
Oliver: “Detective West, I don’t –“
Joe: “Stop, please. I know you’re busy, and God knows you have your own troubles. (Pauses to collect his emotions) That boy in there is my son, and he needs help. I know there may – (Stops, as his voice catches in his throat) – there may not be an answer. But Barry respects you and draws strength from you, and there aren’t many people in the world who have any idea what his life is like. I can only relate so much to him. This crazy life he lives. You two share that. Listen, I know you’re not a father –“
(Oliver’s eyes change for an instant. Joe tilts his head in realization, but doesn’t say anything about it.)
Joe: “I will do anything to help that boy. Right now, I need to scream and cry and break things. (Points to grill) But what I’m going to do is cook and make stupid jokes and act like everything is fine, because that’s what he needs right now. That’s what a father does.”
(Oliver watches Joe with icy eyes. He shows so little emotion, it is impossible to know if he can even grasp the depth of what Joe is saying. Oliver is so mission-driven, he may not take a job with no sure goal. Usually Joe doesn’t trust anyone who is so unreadable, but this isn’t about who Joe trusts.)
Oliver (quietly): “Detective West, there’s no question that I’ll stay. I’ll be here as long as Barry needs me. I can help him with the psychology of this problem, while others do the biology. We will find an answer. This world needs the Flash.”
(Joe releases his breath, a wash of relief fills him. He nods his thanks, because he can’t speak at that moment.)

Chapter 45 – Felicity discovers that Palmer Tech’s ‘plasma-based technology’ was stolen by Count Wallenstein:
Felicity: ”Oliver! Barry! I just got more details on the anomaly research at Palmer Tech… This looks good. A few years back, Palmer designed elements for a device intended to open temporal rifts.”
Barry: “Why?” 
Felicity: “Energy. They believed they could open rifts and siphon plasma, you know. (Waves a finger around Barry to indicate that he was full of the stuff) It might be an endless source of energy. (Scrolls through text on her phone) I’ll skip the specs for now. Oh, crap. They hit a dead end, though.”
Barry: “Oh.” (His shoulders slump)
Felicity: “But… additional research on temporal rifts was done elsewhere, and with more success, so they say. So this project could provide technology that could allow us to understand the plasma in your body. And could give us a chance to remove it. Note the stress on could.”
Iris (shouting): “Oh my God! That’s fantastic!”
(Barry allows himself a tentative smile, while Joe grabs his arm and shakes him with a loud laugh.)
Felicity (still scrolling the text on her phone, suddenly stops, dismayed): “Oh, crap again. Apparently Count Wallenstein has it.”

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[Pallas]

Your topic for discussing published prose about the Arrowverse, as it pertains to Arrow characters. 

[tv echo]

My transcriptions of certain scenes in the S4 tie-in novel, Arrow: A Generation of Vipers...

NOTE: A new character who’s pivotal to this novel is introduced. Ghasi Lazarov is an old friend of Oliver's from his pre-island days. He and Oliver used to go out partying together. Ghasi's father worked for Queen Consolidated. Once, after a museum gala, Ghasi drunkenly confided in Oliver that he and his father were Markovian, and not Croatian as claimed in his father's QC job application. At that time, Markovia and the U.S. were not on good terms. Oliver promised not to tell anyone, not even his father. However, when the feds started investigating Robert Queen for suspicion of selling tech secrets to Markovia, Oliver told his father that the Lazarovs were actually Markovian. Subsequently, it turned out that Ghasi's father was really a Markovian spy, and he was convicted and sent to prison. Ghasi returned to Markovia, where he became the subject of secret experiments that implanted hi-tech biomechanical parts in his body. In present day, Ghasi shows up as the Big Bad of this novel.

Chapter 4 – Felicity and Diggle investigate a lead in the Glades while Oliver is away in Central City; they run into hostile masked commandos and get a surprise assist from Thea as Speedy:
Diggle: ”Have you told Oliver?”
Felicity (scowling): “I don’t have to tell Oliver everything. He’s busy in Central City getting in touch with Barry’s inner Flash. I can do a little groundwork on my own.”
Diggle: “So what we’re looking for is here in Star City?” 
Felicity: “I think there may be information at one of Queen’s former office buildings. In the Glades.”
Diggle: “That’s a bad area, Felicity.”
Felicity: “Hence you coming with me.” 
*  *  *
Diggle: “So what are we looking for?”
Felicity: “I don’t know exactly. The project was intended to create small, stable wormholes in order to generate plasma energy. The lead scientist was a man named Jackson Straub. He ran the program – from what I can tell, he was the program – until he left Queen Consolidated, and the project was mothballed after that.”
Diggle: “Where’s this Straub guy now?”
Felicity: “He’s dead. Heart attack, I believe. He died a few years after leaving Queen, but it wasn’t suspicious that I could find. He was nearly eighty years old. For most of his years with the company, his office was here.”
*  *  *
Felicity: “What the plan?” 
Diggle: “Get you to safety.”
Felicity: “There’s too many for you to handle alone.” 
Diggle: “Don’t stop.”
(The gap between the buildings yawns wide and Felicity knows that she won’t clear it. Diggle graps her belt and heaves her across.)
Felicity: “No, wait!”
(A red shape flies past her as she tumbles onto the opposite roof.)
Thea: “Cavalry’s here.” (Releases her arrow while vaulting in midair, which hits one of the paramilitary men about to attack Diggle.)
*  *  *
(Felicity cheers Diggle and Thea from her spot on the far roof. Then she winces from a pain in her hip. She twists to look, but she doesn’t see any wounds. Diggle searches the unconscious man and finds nothing important. He shakes his head at Thea, and they turn and jump the gap over to Felicity.)
Diggle: “Are you okay?” 
Felicity: “I thought I was shot. But I’m not, so yay.”
Diggle: “I could’ve sworn they caught me too, but I don’t see any blood. So we’re done here?”
Felicity: “Yes. I’d like to leave. It looks like Straub’s project might not be quite as mothballed as I thought. And I think I’ll call Oliver now.”

(continued)

ETA: I edited my previous posts above (revised relevant time period and added a few more Flash novel transcriptions).

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 6 – Oliver and Felicity wake up together in bed in their apartment:
(The big windows in the apartment mean the sun comes roaring in as it crests the neighboring skyscrapers. Oliver turns his face away from the light with a groan, stretching out his arms above his head. His eyes open gradually to squint at the woman lying against him. Felicity smiles. Her fingers trail across his skin and her smile falters for just a moment. She doesn’t say anything, but he knows what is going through her mind. So many scars crisscross over his flesh. Knives. Guns. Acid. Whips. Arrows. Shark bite even. She leans over and kisses the newest one, still aching but healing. Her lips barely touch it, but his muscles react even so. He draws in a sharp breath, though it is hardly from pain.)
Felicity (quietly): “I’m sorry.”
Oliver: “Don’t be.”
Felicity: “It looks painful.”
Oliver: “I’ve had worse.” (Shifts closer to her)
Felicity (whispering): “I know. So many… You’re going to be a stove-up old man at age 60.”
Oliver: “I doubt I’ll get to 60.”
(Felicity’s smile falls and immediately he regrets his answer. Watching the light fade fully from her face makes him ache inside.)
Felicity: “Don’t. (Looks him squarely in the face) You don’t get to joke about that.”
Oliver: “You’re right.” (Brushes a lock of blond hair from her face) I’ll live long past 60 and you’ll get to push me around in a wheelchair.”
Felicity: “I push you around now.” 
Oliver: “Yes, you do. (Gathers her into his arms) And you’re adorable when you do.”
(Felicity curls up against his warm skin, hiding her face against his chest to keep the day at bay a bit longer. An old wound puckers under Felicity’s fingers as they rest across his ribs.
Felicity: “I’m just glad you’re home.”
Oliver: “Me too. (Drapes his arm over her shoulders) So tell me about this Jackson Straub you mentioned on the phone.”
Felicity: “So much for romance. (Shifts to look up at him) The big news is, I think Straub may have actually designed a working wormhole generator. Do you remember anything about Queen Consolidated testing this technology here in Star City?”
Oliver: “No. But something that potentially dangerous wouldn’t have been done in town. Regulations and city zoning ordinances wouldn’t have permitted it.”
Felicity: “I’m not sure Queen Consolidated was overly concerned with regulations. (Raises a cynical eyebrow) But in this case I think you’re right. If the company wanted to conduct very dangerous tests, where would they have done it?”
Oliver: “Queen Consolidated owned a lot of property.”
(Felicity reaches to the side of the bed and retrieves her tablet. She starts typing, or more precisely hacking. He regrets starting the conversation. New rule: No work in the bedroom.)
*  *  *
Oliver: “Tell me more about this scientist, Jackson Straub. Who was he?” 
(Rising from the bed, he slips into a pair of pajama bottoms, drops to the floor and begins vigorous push-ups.)
*  *  *
Felicity: “Um… yeah, I guess.” (Goes silent)
(Oliver pauses in his workout, glancing toward her. Her eyes are locked on his splayed form.)
Felicity: “Wow, you look good in blue. Brings out your eyes. (Coughs) I mean, I’ve dug through all the files. Not much there. So they must have been wiped from the servers or were never on them to begin with.”
Oliver: “Is that normal?” (Switches arms and continues to drive himself up and down, barely breathing hard. He relishes the burn in his back and shoulders.)
Felicity: “Scientists can be a paranoid lot, particularly if there was some squabble between Straub and Queen Consolidated. I once knew a guy who kept all the schematics in his head. Sort of like Mozart. Did you know he wrote all his symphonies in his head before he put them down on paper?”
(Oliver holds himself up on one straightened arm and glances at Felicity. He shakes his head with a smile. He loves her like this. Felicity’s mind moves at a dizzying pace, full of odd facts and interesting tidbits. He adores watching it race about him. He doesn’t understand half of what she says, but it doesn’t matter.)
*  *  *
Oliver: “I guess that means we’re going to explore a mine today.”
Felicity: “Yes! (Throws back the covers and leaps to her feet) I wonder what you wear to a mine. I need some flats definitely.”
Oliver: “You’re not going.” (Bounds to his feet, shaking out his arms)
Felicity: “What? Of course I am.”
Oliver: “Not after what happened in the Glades.”
Felicity: “You need me.”
(Felicity stands in front of Oliver, trying to look imposing with her pert little nose and tousled hair. It almost brings a smile to his lips, but only because her determined expression releases a bit of the tension inside him. The fact she is wearing pink elephant pajamas doesn’t help.)
Oliver: “Yes, I do. I need you watching over us, not in the field.”
Felicity: “But I’m your technical adviser. I have an idea what we’re looking for.”
Oliver: “We’ll have Barry with us. He’s a scientist and he has superspeed in cast a gunfight breaks out.”
Felicity: “Oh. Barry’s here?”
Oliver: “Yes. He’s downstairs on the sofa. I brought him to continue his training.”
Felicity: “How’s that going?”
Oliver: “I don’t know.” (Gazes off into space)
Felicity: “Why not? Aren’t you the one doing the training?”
Oliver: “Yes. (Lowers his voice) I don’t know what I’m doing. I’m trying to come off as some sort of zen master, but I’m not. I got some training back on Lian Yu, and I’ve read a bit since I’ve come back but I haven’t practiced meditation regularly for years. Now I stand around lecturing him about practice, practice, practice.”
Felicity: “You believe what you’re saying to him, don’t you? The point is, you have a presence of mind that few men can match. Barry knows that and he’s smart enough to tap into it. You get that, right?”
Oliver: “Sure.”
Felicity: “Then what’s the problem?”
Oliver: “I feel like a phony. Like any second I’m going to ask him to snatch a pebble from my hand.”
Felicity: “It’s okay to have doubts, but don’t let Barry know that you have them because he believes in you. I do too. Just do what you can for his mind and his spirit, while we work on the technology.”
(Oliver rests heavily on a table, still not accepting. The muscles of his arms and shoulders bulge with tension.)
Felicity: “So do you think it’s wise to take him out to the mine? What happens if those mercenaries show up again?”
Oliver: “I’m only going to use his big brain. Not his speed. Not if I can help it.”
Felicity: “Fine. Let’s call everyone in.”
(Oliver takes her arms and brings her closer to him.)
Oliver: “Thank you.”
Felicity: “Sometimes I really hate staying behind. (Raises her face to his) I feel isolated and in some sort of gilded cage.”
Oliver: “It’s not a cage. It’s a watchtower. Without you overseeing what we do, we’d be working blind. (Puts a finger under her chin) Don’t ever think you’re not with us. You’re always with us.”
(Oliver leans in to kiss her, but Felicity pulls back. He furrows his brows at her. She grins beatifically and lifts her hand. A paperclip rests in the corner of her palm.)
Felicity: “Snatch the pebble from my hand. Maybe then you will be worthy, my son.”
Oliver (whispering): “I can never be worthy of you.”
Felicity (sighing, moon-eyed): “Oh my God. Fine, just take my pebble.”

Chapters 7-8 – Oliver is surprised to see that one of the armed commandos is his old friend, Ghasi Lazarov:
Armed Commando (shouting): “The generator is mine! Let it go!”
Diggle: “Like hell.”
(The armed commando’s gaze doesn’t waver from Oliver’s face, even though Oliver is wearing his Green Arrow suit.)
Armed Commando: “It should have all been mine years ago. Isn’t that right, Oliver?”
(Everyone turns to Oliver in surprise. This strange man knows his secret identity.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms, gasping): “Did he just say your name?”
Thea: “Is that who I think it is? Is that Ghasi?”
Oliver: “Keep Spartan and the Flash covered. Don’t get cut off from the elevator.”
(He keeps his eyes locked on the man. It is Ghasi. Older and worn, dark eyes more vicious, but Ghasi without a doubt.)
Thea; “Don’t do it!”
(Oliver rushes at Ghasi. His bow lashes out, but doesn’t find the target. Ghasi appears behind Oliver in a flicker of light, his arm slashing with knives that extend from steel bracers and spark with electricity. Oliver manages to bring his bow up just in time.)
Ghasi (snarling): “Don’t stand in my way, Oliver.”
Oliver: “Stop giving me a reason.”

Chapter 10 – Team Arrow and Barry examine the wormhole generator:
(The newly acquired wormhole generator rests in the center of a raised platform in the Arrowcave. Oliver, Diggle and Thea stand staring, while Felicity and Barry prowl around the machine and fiddle with controls.)
Diggle: “Should you be doing that? Doesn’t it create wormholes?”
Felicity (scowling): “Supposedly creates wormholes. There’s no proof it ever worked.”
Barry (hesitantly): “I can call Cisco. No disrespect to your abilities, but there aren’t many people with more experience in temporal or dimensional tech.”
*  *  *
Felicity: “I’m not worried about bugs in the Arrowcave here. I have unbeatable security running it at all times. But I’ll have checks run throughout Palmer for bugs or cameras or any sort of eavesdropping devices. And I’ll do a full scan of the company computer systems for evilware.”
*  *  *
Felicity: “I’ve got a few tricks. He might vanish from sight, but as far as we know, he’s still there physically. He still moves through space even if we can’t see him. I can set up scanners to detect air current movements or micro vibrations where there shouldn’t be any.”
Barry: “I can help you right that up.”
Felicity: “Thank you. Even if this Ghasi guy sneaks in here to snatch this machine, it won’t do him any good because it’s just an empty shell.”
Oliver: “Meaning what?”
Barry: “Ah, there’s no operating system.”
Felicity: “Right.” (Huffs with annoyance)
Oliver: “So, no software?” 
Felicity: “Sort of, yeah. (Taps the tablet against the generator) I have no idea exactly how this machine is supposed to actually work.”
Barry: “We’ve opened wormholes at S.T.A.R. Labs, I’m sure we can get it going.”
Felicity: “Didn’t you use your speed as a power source?” 
Barry: “Sure. We can do that here.”
Felicity: “You said you don’t have that kind of speed now.”
Barry: “Oh yeah.” (Slumps in disappointment)
Felicity: “Plus, it’s not just about opening a wormhole; it’s about opening a stable wormhole. So call Cisco.”
Diggle: “So does the spy case Ghasi’s father was involved in have any connection to this wormhole machine?”
Oliver: “I don’t know, but if Felicity could check –“
(She’s already at her keyboard. The monitors soon flash with news clippings and scanned corporate and court documents. Oliver recognizes a lot of the material. He gets a jolt when he sees old news footage of his mother and father, as well as a press conference led by the formidable Walter Steele, his father’s right hand and later the second husband of his mother. He feels Thea standing close to him and he puts a comforting hand on hers.)
Felicity: “According to the press accounts and court documents, the technology that was transferred to Markovia was related to agricultural sciences. Nothing earth-shattering. (Points and grins when an image of younger Oliver appears in the background of a shot outside Queen Consolidated) Aw, young playboy Oliver Queen is so hunky!”
Oliver (ignoring this): “Remember, a lot of it was sanitized and buried at the time.  (Watches the frozen images of his mother and father holding hands as they leave the courthouse) My father wanted to keep proprietary corporate data from coming out in court documents. I gave depositions for the case and even I don’t know all the details. So what we’re seeing here may not be an accurate description of the material actually lost to Markovia.”
Felicity (nodding, with her smile faltering): “It is hard to know what’s real when the Queen family is involved.” 
Oliver: “Sometimes.” 
(He strokes her hair. His phone buzzes. He pulls it out and looks at the screen with an interested grunt.
Felicity (pressing against his hand on the back of her head, eyes slipping up to his face): “Who is it?”
Oliver: “It’s Ghasi.”

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 12 – Oliver meets Ghasi at the Glossy Starling bar:
(The Glossy Starling bar hasn’t improved much since Oliver went there with Ghasi years ago after a disastrous museum gala. … Oliver goes to the same booth in the dark corner and sits so he can see the door. He orders a Scotch. …)
Oliver (over comms): “There’s some muscle in the bar.”
Diggle (over comms, from a nearby rooftop, with Thea): “We’ve got nothing.”
(Ghasi suddenly appears next to Oliver’s table.)
Ghasi: “Oliver? I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
(Oliver suppresses a startled jerk. He smiles casually and extends hi shad to the seat across from him. Barry, who’s sitting across the room, acting like a casual bar patron, stares over at them, but Oliver gives him a quick glance that sends him back to his phone.)
Felicity (over comms): “Okay, he’s definitely weird. He wasn’t on thermal, then there was a flash, and he was there.”
*  *  *
Ghasi: “Cheers, Oliver. (Clinks his glass with Oliver’s) It’s good to be back. And here, in our old spot. My God, look at your arms. You must work out twenty-hours a day.”
Oliver: “I hit the gym when I can.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “What’s wrong? You always said America had the best whiskey.”
Ghasi: “It’s been a few years since I’ve had it. And this place was never exactly the best example. (Drinks again, and his face softens to a version of the old Ghasi) I was very sorry to hear about your parents, and Tommy as well. I enjoyed the time I spent in your home. I miss it.”
Oliver: “Thank you. I miss it too. So what brings you back to Star City?”
Ghasi (ignoring the question): “I’m glad this bar is still here. (Signals to waitress for coffee, which surprises Oliver) So many things change. You Americans, so focused on change. So desperate to believe in miraculous transformations – weakling to strongman, scoundrel to hero. But the face is, things never change. People never change.”
Oliver: “Is that true? I remember you liked to drink and fight, but I don’t remember you turning invisible before.”
(Ghasi shimmers before vanishing. Then he is back.)
Felicity (over comms): “Yep. He went white-hot for a second, then he disappeared totally. Now he’s normal again. No one seems to have noticed, though.”
(Oliver catches a whiff of electrical ozone.)
Ghasi (chuckling): “Some trick, eh? I’ve got others. I don’t know if I can tell you about them. I remember you don’t keep secrets well.”
Felicity (over comms): “What Oliver Queen is he talking about?”

Chapter 14 – We learn that Felicity had been an I.T. manager when she first met Oliver Queen in Season 1 of Arrow:
(Felicity sits in her office high inside Palmer Technologies. She never feels at home here, maybe because her path to this office has been so random. She had been satisfied as an I.T. manager at Queen Consolidated until the darkly handsome Oliver Queen asked her to do some off-the-record snooping in the company computers. It turned out darkly handsome Oliver was really the mysterious vigilante, the Hood, so she joined his war on corruption. She took a side trip to a relationship with Ray Palmer, genius entrepreneur who scooped up Queen Consolidated. It was Ray who anointed Felicity as CEO of his company. She knew she was capable of the task, but never felt completely deserving.)

Chapter 14 – Oliver (as the Green Arrow) helps Felicity interrogate Beth Copeland from Archives and Records, a traitorous employee at Palmer Tech:
Beth: “A spy? I’m not a spy. I’ve worked here for thirty-two years. And I didn’t sleep with the owner to get my job!”
Felicity: “Well, that’s just mean. And to think, I wasn’t going to send you to prison.”
*  *  *
(Felicity takes an unwilling breath and nods toward the drapes. A gloved hand pulls the curtains back and Green Arrow steps out. Beth goes rigid in the chair with a yelp of surprise.)
Oliver (using his Green Arrow voice): “Ms. Smoak is offering you a bargain. Take it.”
(Beth continues to stare, dumbfounded.)
Oliver: “We believe your story. For now. But if you do anything to cast doubt on what you’ve said today, I will see to it that you pay for your crimes.”
Beth (stammering): “I – I didn’t commit any crimes.”
Oliver: “Then prove it. Do as we ask.”
Beth (meekly): “Okay.
Felicity: “All right, Beth. You can go. You should prepare and file your retirement papers tomorrow. And obviously don’t tell anyone about this. Do you understand? Anyone.”
Beth: “Yes, ma’am.” (Continues to stare at the Green Arrow without moving)
Felicity: “Okay then, Beth. (Smiles and takes her by the arm, prompting her to stand) Off you go.”
Beth: “Yes, ma’am.” 
(She sttumbles over the edge of the chair, recovers and continues backing toward the door. She bumps into it, feels wildly for the doorknob, grabs it and pulls the door into herself. She swallows hard and slips out.)
Felicity (closing the door): “I didn’t really want to do the Green Arrow guilt trip on her.”
Oliver: “Do you believe her?”
Felicity: “Yes.”

Chapter 18 – Cisco vibes seeing Oliver die:
(Felicity’s face holds only dread as Oliver stands across the console from her. She almost glares at Cisco.)
Felicity: “What do you mean Oliver is going to die?”
Cisco (shrugging apologetically): “Well, it’s what I vibed.”
Diggle: “What does that even mean? You’re like a psychic?”
Cisco: “More like a fortune teller, but both are cool, I guess. (Sighs) Vibing is more like seeing possibilities.”
Thea: “So it’s not fact.” (Crosses her arms)
Cisco: “Well, sort of. I don’t really know for sure. Somewhere it’s going to happen.”
Felicity: “What? (Looks up in alarm at Oliver) What does that mean?”
Barry: “It’s like he’s seeing glimpses of a possible future from one of the many Earths in the multiverse.”
Diggle: “Possible future… So in one of these worlds, Oliver is going to die. But there are thousands of them.”
Barry: “More than thousands. We think.”
Feliity: “How do we know it’s not our world? Can we stop it?”
Cisco (shrugging): “We really don’t know. Just be ready, I guess.”
Oliver: “How will I die?” 
(Everyone turns to look at him. Cisco squirms but then answers.)
Cisco: “You looked beaten to a pulp. There was flaming wreckage everywhere. You were slumped over the generator.”
Oliver: “How do you know I was dead?”
Cisco: “Your arm was ripped off. And you had an arrow sticking out of you.”
Oliver: “But how do you know I was dead?” 
Cisco (incredulously): “Your arm being ripped off isn’t enough proof?” 
(The blood in Felicity’s face drains. She swings her chair to face Oliver.)
Felicity: “What do we do?”
Oliver (calmly): “We go back to the museum and get the code.”
Felicity: “No, about the vibe!”
Oliver: “There’s nothing to do about that. We’ve already taken every precaution we can for all of us to come through this. To do anything more would be jumping at shadows and a waste of energy. We proceed as planned.”
Felicity: “That’s it? Preventing your death isn’t a waste of energy. Who else uses arrows? Oh crap. Malcolm. We need to find him.”
Oliver: “Right now, Malcolm isn’t even in this scenario. Let’s not worry about something that might have no bearing for us.”
(Felicity remains upset, but all he can do is go over and lift her chin to look at him.)
Oliver: “It’ll be fine. It’s only a museum heist. (Kisses her and then nods to the others) Suit up.”

Chapter 19 – Ghasi stabs Oliver in the neck with an arrowhead:
Felicity (over comms): “Is he okay?” 
(Diggle hastily folds gauze into a thick pad and hands a roll of white tape to Thea to pull strips.)
Diggle: “He’s bleeding like a stuck pig, but not dying. Don’t worry. He’ll be fine.”
(Oliver appreciates the easy confidence that Diggle shows, despite the fact that he has lost a large amount of blood already. Diggle’s sure movements calm him. His breath grows steadier. The world is starting to black out when he sees Diggle look up with bloody hands.)
Diggle: “Okay, Flash, he’s yours now.”
(Oliver feels himself lifted from the floor. Barry’s cowled face looks down at him. Before he can say anything, the world is a blur.)

Chapter 20 – Injured Oliver recovers in the Arrowcave:
(Oliver stares at the ceiling. Needs dusting up there. At the sound of a ping, he glances at the readout. Temp normal. Blood pressure a little low but stable over the last twenty-four hours. He sits up and pulls the clip off his finger. He twists his head, testing his stiff neck.)
Felicity (from her computer across the Arrowcave): “What are you doing? Stop turning your head all around. John said to keep the wound stable for a few days. You want to gush blood all over the place?”
(Oliver hops off the table and steadies himself. Dizzy.)
Felicity: “Are you dizzy?” 
Oliver: “No.”
Felicity: “Oh, you liar. You were almost killed three days ago. Just like Cisco said! Just be still!”
(Her expression isn’t her usual one of wistfulness. Instead it holds loss and fear.
The island taught him that life was fleeting, and to worry about it being snatched away from you was time wasted. But she didn’t. She couldn’t. Only life matters to her and how to preserve it. She is much like Barry in that regard.)
Oliver: “This had nothing to do with the vibe. I survived. And if it did, then the danger is passed.”
Felicity: “We don’t know that.”
Oliver: “No, we don’t.”
Felicity: “That doesn’t make it any easier.” (Leans against him, her head on his shoulder)
Oliver: “No. It doesn’t. It shouldn’t. But fretting about it isn’t going to change anything.”
Felicity (pulling her tablet toward her): “I’ve looked for Malcolm, but there’s no trace of him. But I’ll find him.”
Oliver: “I’m more worried about Barry than Malcolm. I’ve already wasted three days. I need to get out there and find Ghasi.”
(Oliver turns toward the mannequin dressed in his green costume.)
Felicity (shouting): “Oh no you don’t! You need to rest. John and Thea and Barry are out there finding Ghasi.”

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 20 – We learn that Robert Queen was the one who hired Felicity to work at Queen Consolidated:
Felicity: ”Robert Queen was good at finding talent and keeping it to himself. (Looks up quickly at Oliver) Nothing personal.”
Oliver: “He didn’t build Queen Consolidated by accident. And he hired you, didn’t he?”
Felicity: “Very true. (Raises a finger) Your father was the only one who believed in Jackson Straub’s crazy ideas – wormholes, practical plasma generation – years before Harrison Wells opened S.T.A.R. Labs. Well, fake Harrison Wells. Reverse Harrison Wells. (Squints in annoyance) I don’t know how you guys keep all your multi-versions straight.”
Barry: “After a while you just stop trying or you’d spend every day with a headache.”
Felicity: “I already have one. Does that mean there’s an evil version of me?”
Cisco: “Maybe you are the evil version of you.”
(Felicity freezes in amazement. Cisco mimes blowing his mind, complete with fingers waving away from his head. Oliver feels the tightness in his chest ease. If there is one thing this group knows, it is how to relieve tension.)

Chapter 20 – Team Arrow receives an invitation to Count Wallenstein’s auction:
Felicity (angrily): ”You have got to be freaking kidding me!” 
Oliver: “What’s wrong?” 
Felicity: “Look! (Points at her screen) Look!”
(Fighting his blurred vision, Oliver sees what appears to be an email with a strange, old-fashioned letterhead. Count Von Wallenstein.)
Oliver: “What the hell is that?” 
Felicity: “It’s an invitation! An invitation!”
Oliver (softly): “Calm down. An invitation to what?”
Felicity: “The Count is holding an auction. He’s inviting special guests to bid on an item of special value.”
Diggle: “What sort of item? I got a bad feeling I already know.”
Felicity (still angry): “It’s a generator! A wormhole generator.”
Thea (incredulously): “How did he get one so fast?” 
Felicity: “More than likely he built one back when Ghasi’s father stole the plans. But obviously it never worked. Now that he has the operating system, he has a complete unit. He’s selling my technology – well, Straub’s technology, Palmer’s technology – and is inviting me to bid on it!”
Thea: “That is cold. (To Oliver) What do we do about it?”
(Oliver straightens with a comforting hand on the seething Felicity. He takes a deep breath and exchanges a glance with Diggle.)
Oliver: “We’re going to Markovia. Wheels up in twenty-four hours.”

Chapter 21 – Oliver, Felicity, Diggle, Thea, Barry and Cisco fly to Markovia aboard the Bombardier Global plane that Palmer Tech maintains for corporate travel; they discover electronic bugs implanted in Diggle and Felicity:
Pilot: “We’re on schedule, Ms. Smoak. You’re free to board when you wish. We need to finish fueling and make a few last-minute checks, and we’re good to go. Mr. Queen. Mr. Diggle. Good to see you both.” (Nods before walking away)
Felicity: “Here we go.” 
*  *  *
Cisco (studying the readouts on the scanner): “I think we found Ghasi’s bug. There’s definitely tech under your skin.”
Felicity: “He bugged John and me? How is that possible? Why just us?”
Diggle: “In the Glades. They tagged us. Remember we both thought we’d been shot. (Pressing fingers into his calf) Yeah. I feel it. Maybe half an inch in. (Looks at Oliver) I’m getting it out.”
*  *  *
Felicity: “So Ghasi could listen in to everything we said?”
Cisco: “Probably.” 
Felicity: “Everything? (Looks at Oliver)  He listened in to all our conversations. Not just our tactics. But all our most private moments.”
Oliver (keeping his anger under control): “It’s okay now.” (Puts his arm around her shoulder)
Felicity: “I’ll kill him.” 
Diggle: “Not if I get there first. He listened in on me and Lyla too. And my daughter. He’s got no right to have anything to do with my daughter!”
Oliver: “Listen! We have other issues to worry about. I understand your feelings, but there is more to this mission. Keep your eyes on the prize.”
(Felicity and Diggle both nod and mutter their agreement.)
Oliver: “Thank you. (Grips Felicity’s hand) Would you please inform the pilot we’re ready to go now?”

Chapter 22 – They arrive at Castle Wallenstein in Markovia:
Felicity: ”Hello. I’m Felicity Smoak of Palmer Technologies, Star City, USA. I believe I’m expected.”
(A burly, square-faced man scans his tablet for several seconds.)
Man: “You are expected, Ms. Smoak.”
Felicity: “They’re my plus five.”
Man: “We have a car waiting to take you the castle.” 
*  *  *
Second Man: “Felicity Smoak?”
(Five burly men in black suits surround them.)
Second Man: “Would you come with us, please?”
(Felicity’s eyes widen and she turns to Oliver, wondering what she should do. Calmly he turns on the famous Queen charm.)
Oliver: “Is there a problem?” 
Second Man: “Please come with us. All of you.”
(Oliver’s gaze sweeps the room. Numerous men in dark suits watch them, guns tucked under their coats. His team is unarmed. The caper can’t end there.
He nods at Felicity. She looks at the security officers.)
Felicity: “Of course.” 
(Immediately she exudes the calm and authority she portrays when acting as head of Palmer Technologies. The men lead them to a door that opens into a large room. More obvious wealth fill the chamber along with a man sitting at huge gilt desk. Oliver recognizes him. Count Wallenstein.)
*  *  *
Wallenstein: “Ms. Smoak, a pleasure to meet you.”
Felicity: “Thank you. (Forces a smile) Count Wallenstein, I believe.”
(He bows and moves around the desk toward them.)
Wallenstein: “I’m pleased you took me up on the invitation. I feared you would refuse.”
Felicity: “Why wouldn’t I want to come to see what happens to my technology?”
(Wallenstein laughs.)
Felicity: “You have some gall to invite me after you stole Jackson Straub’s operating system. Not to mention the technical specs you stole a decade ago. (Waves her hand around the room) How much of this stuff did you steal?”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Hence the guards every two feet.”
Wallenstein: “I’m not naïve. When you get in the shadows, Mr. Queen, bad things happen.”
(Oliver takes an odd pride in those words. Obviously Count Wallenstein knows their identities, but likely doesn’t care. Wallenstein knows a lot of secrets and only reveals them if it profits him. They are currency.)
Oliver: “We’re not looking for a fight. We’re here to bid on the generator.”
Wallenstein (laughing): “Isn’t that delightfully ironic? I’m sure Ms. Smoak does command impressive funds, but not even you can compete with the capital of your competitors.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “So we’re prisoners?” 
Wallenstein: “Not at all. I will give Ms. Smoak the same opportunity as all the other guests.” (Extends something the size of a credit card to Felicity)
Felicity: “How generous.” 
(She takes the card. It has her name and a barcode. In the center is a dark square that looks like a biometric thumbprint pad.)
Oliver: “No one else gets a card?” 
Wallenstein: “No. Just Ms. Smoak. She is your official bidder. (Twists a bulky gold and emerald ring around his long finger)  I’ve arranged a large suite for you all. One of the best in the castle. I’m sure you won’t all mind staying there. Think of it as a vacation, all expenses paid. Eat and drink as much as you like. I already had your luggage sent up.”
Barry: “After you’ve searched it.”
Wallenstein: “And surprisingly found nothing of interest. It’s hard to believe you came all this way without your toys.”
Oliver: “Maybe we don’t need them.”
Wallenstein: “It’s hard to be the Green Arrow without a green arrow.”
Oliver: “I wasn’t always the Green Arrow. Once I was an assassin.”
Wallenstein: “And I wasn’t always just a businessman.”
(He narrows his eyes, but his smile returns, and he touchs something on the desk, causing the door to open.)  
Wallenstein: “See that they are settled, Bernhardt.”
*  *  *
(While the others search the room, Felicity pulls out a heavy military-grade laptop and sets up the scanning apps to detect listening devices. Then she checks the card Wallenstein gave her for trackers. It seems clean.)

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 23 – Malcolm’s appearance casts a pall on the team’s spirits:
(Oliver slams the door. When he turns back into the room, the faces of the team are pale and somber. Felicity’s hand grips the table as if that alone is what is keeping her upright.)
Felicity (whispering): “Oh God. Does this mean the vibe is coming true?” 
Cisco: “Um… not necessarily.”
Felicity: “But this is bad, right?”
Cisco: “Well, it isn’t good.”
Oliver: “It doesn’t mean anything. The odds that he would be here were high. This sale of the Straub device will bring every rat out from every hole.”
*  *  *
Thea: “Yeah, we don’t need him. No matter how much money he stole from his old company or the League of Assassins, he can’t compete with the people here. He needs us. But we have our own ally here. Lyla and A.R.G.U.S., right?”
Oliver (nodding thoughtfully): “Probably.”
Felicity (surprised): “Probably? Isn’t Lyla on our side?”
Oliver: “She is. But we can’t trust her superiors. She can be overruled. Securing the generator ourselves, free and clear, is the cleanest solution. So we need to find out where Wallenstein is keeping it.”
*  *  *
(Everyone’s attention stays on Oliver with varying looks of stunned surprise. Barry returns in normal clothes in time to hear the pop and his hand zips out to catch the flying cork. Oliver fills a glass with the sparkling wine and hands it to Felicity with a nod. She looks hurt that he would give her the first glass of assassin champagne. Then, with a small exclamation, she goes to one of her bags and pulls out a small zippered case. She removes a tiny bottle. Unscrewing the eyedropper top, she carefully squeezes several drops of liquid into the champagne. Felicity holds the glass up to the light and watches the bubbles rise.)
Felicity: “Looks good.”
Cisco: “Hold up. You guys travel with poison-testing equipment?”
Felicity: “Detection for a full battery of poisons and toxins. When you’re going to eat a lot of meals in a castle full of killers, yes, it’s a good idea to pack some.”

Chapter 23 – Oliver is concerned when Felicity stays up late working:
(The other side of the bed is empty. A faint line of light shows under the bedroom door. Oliver can hear the sound of tapping from outside. He cracks the door open. Across the sitting room, Felicity crouches over the glow of her computer. On the screen, multiple windows flash off and on as she sweeps through data at an incredible speed. He pads across the floor, reaching her shoulder. She doesn’t notice, continuing to type and scan, murmuring softly to herself as she does.)
Oliver: “Felicity.”
Felicity (spinning around in alarm): “Oh God! Why are you sneaking around?”
Oliver (smiling gently): “Shh. You’ll wake everyone else. (Kneels next to her) I’m not sneaking. You just didn’t hear me.”
Felicity: “Po-tay-to. Po-tah-to.”
Oliver: “Still trying to get into the network?”
Felicity: “Among other things.”
(Now that he’s facing her, it is clear that Felicity is angry. Not at him, but at her task. It isn’t just her usual hacker frustration at an unsolved puzzle or indignation that someone thinks they might be smarter than she is. She is furious to the point of tears or outright hitting something.)
Oliver: “Don’t stress like this. (Takes her hand)  Come to bed and we’ll attack it in the morning. You’ll get it.”
(She shakes her head silently, biting her lip.)
Oliver: “Are you all right?” 
(Felicity stares at him and then nods.)
Oliver: “You shouldn’t stay up all night.”
Felicity: “You stay up all night all the time. Why can’t I? (Squeezes his hand)  You go out and fight. You protect people. Why can’t I fight? Why can’t I protect the people I love?”
Oliver (surprised at her sudden passion): “Okay. I’m sorry. You’re right. (Kisses her hand)  Do you want to talk about anything?”
Felicity (whispering in a strained voice): “No. I just want to work right now. I just have to work.”
(He stands up and reaches for the champage glass to clear it out of her way.)
Felicity (quickly): “No. Don’t take that.”
Oliver: “I’m sure it’s flat by now.”
Felicity: “I’m not drinking it. (Touches stem of the glass, her eyes hard)  I’m just looking at it.”
(She goes back to the keyboard. Efficient and machinelike. Her focus locks on the data again as if she had pulled up a hood of her own.)

Chapter 24 – Felicity has a hostile encounter with General Pyeng:
(Barry sees Oliver through the crowd and they go over to him. Felicity bumps into General Pyeng. The general glares at her in alarm, and two of his men crowd between him and Felicity.)
Felicity (backing away): “Sorry! No harm, no foul.”
General Pyeng: “Terribly sorry. I am a bit on edge because there was an attempt on my life yesterday.”
Felicity: “Really? By whom?”
General Pyeng: “I have no idea. That’s the problem. (Watches Oliver with suspicion)  It could have been anyone here. And I’m not the only one who has been targeted.”
Felicity: “There are a lot of untrustworthy people here.”
(She looks at the crowd surging around them, but when she glances back, General Pyeng is glaring at her.)
Felicity: “I don’t mean you.”
(He gives her a curt nod and moves away, flanked by his bodyguards.)
Felicity (to Oliver): “I think I insulted General Pyeng.”
Oliver: “He’s been insulted worse. He killed thousands to suppress rebellions in Xinjiang. He’ll get over this.”
Felicity: “Oh. Then I don’t feel so bad. Where are John and Thea?”
Oliver: “They’re looking around the castle. Testing security in a low-key way.”

Chapter 24 – Felicity gently makes a joke about the Queen family wealth:
Cicso (smiling): “Engineers hate people like you. But even if we could, it won’t matter, because the matrix trigger that the wormhole is founded on isn’t powerful enough. (Pulls yet another small gauge out of another pocket) It’s just what I thought. It’s a power source issue. He doesn’t have the Flash to start it up, so that wormhole just won’t stay open. It’s like when you try to start your lawnmower with a bad air-gas mixture. It coughs for a few seconds and then cuts off.”
Felicity (to Oliver): “Or a Maserati. I know the Queens didn’t start a lot of lawnmowers.”
(Oliver smiles at her.)

Chapter 25 – Team Arrow dresses up in black tie for the party in the grand ballroom at Castle Wallenstein:
(Barry and Cisco strut from their rooms to find Oliver leaning beside the window. Perfectly tailored. Exquisitely coiffed and shaven. Eyes like a very well-dressed bird of prey. Sophisticated but smoldering.)
Cisco (slumping): “I’m pretty sure that’s what real men are supposed to look like.”
(A door opens and Felicity appears in a long black gown, bare shoulders and arms covered by a diaphanous wrap. Her blonde hair is up with only a single stylish lock falling loose along her cheek. She freezes in her tracks to stare at Barry and Cisco.)
Felicity: “Oh my God! You two look fantastic! Those tuxedo are perfect.”
Cisco: “We thought so too until –“ (Jerks his chin toward Oliver, who looks appropriately confused by the compliment)
(Thea exits her room, draped in red silk, dangling stiletto heels from her fingers.)
Thea: “Is there going to be dancing tonight? Because I should’ve brought better shoes if there’s going to be dancing.”
Oliver (smiling): “This isn’t a rave. It’s a party for international power brokers.”
Thea: “Good. (Puts a hand on Cisco to balance as she slips on her shows) If they seat me next to Malcolm, will you switch with me?”
Cisco: “Uh… yeah, sure.” 
(There is a quiet knock on the door and Diggle leans in. He is perfectly stylish in a modified tuxedo with a traditional necktie.)
Diggle: “Are we ready, people?”
(Lyla appears behind him. Her glamourous gown is white with emerald highlights.)
Cisco: “Why is Team Arrow so much prettier than Team Flash?” 
Diggle (grinning): “Nah, you boys are pretty enough. You tie that tie?”
Barry: “I did. Did I do it wrong?”
Diggle: “No. It’s good.”
Barry: “Joe taught me. He told me every man should at least be able to tie a tie, change a tire, and make an omelet.”
Diggle (nodding approvingly): “Roger that.” 
Felicity: “Let’s go before all the crab puffs are gone.” (Loops her arm through Oliver’s)
*  *  *
Barry (whispering to Lyla): “Everybody in the room is staring at you and Felicity. I mean, even before you basically threatened to kill the big mean guy with the scar.”
Diggle: “Lyla and Felicity are the big threats at the auction. (Pats his wife’s hand)  Lyla is carrying the President’s credit card and Felicity runs Palmer Tech. We are literal nobodies compared to them.”

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 26 – An assassin attempts to kill Felicity at the party:
(A waiter pours wine for Felicity. The man is serving from the wrong side. Oliver straightens and peers down. The waiter has something in his hand nestled under the linen cloth he uses to catch spills. Oliver turns and snatches a crossbow from a surprised guard. The bolt is already in place, so he pulls it back until the mechanism clicks. When the guard tries to intervene, Oliver kicks him aside. Placing the butt to his shoulder, he raises the weapon, makes a rough sighting, and fires. When the heavy bolt flies, Oliver is already in motion. He runs along the gallery to its end and vaults onto the rail. The crossbow bolt slams into the center of Felicity’s table, rattling dishes, shattering glasses. She jumps in alarm, but immediately turns to shove Cisco down out of danger. The waiter jerks in surprise too. The cloth on his arm drops to reveal a metal syringe in his hand. Oliver soars through the air over the ballroom. Heraldic banners billow out in his wake. Catching the edge of an iron chandelier, he swings out over the floor. He releases, somersaults, and smashes feet first into the waiter. They slam into a neighboring table, sending it clattering. Oliver pins the man’s arm, twisting the syringe loose. A knife flashes. Oliver draws back, tumbling off the waiter and scrambling to his feet. Grabbing a chair, he catches the knife arm in the rungs and twists. The blade flies away. He spins it back the other way quickly and hears a bone break. The waiter screams and then screams louder when a heavy knee crashes onto his broken arm, pressing it to the floor. Diggle pushes a pistol against the man’s head. Lyla stomps his wrist on the other side, aiming her gun down at him.)
Diggle: “Make a move. It’ll be your last.”
(The waiter wisely freezes, despite the tears of pain.)
Lyla (her gun still trained on the waiter): “Felicity, you okay? Oliver?”
Felicity: “I’m good.” 
(Oliver shifts her away from the whimpering waiter and makes sure she is uninjured.)
*  *  *
Wallenstein: “I apologize for this unfortunate disruption, Ms. Smoak. (Bows to her)  I can assure you this man is not one of my staff. (To Oliver)  Most swashbuckling, Mr. Queen. Mr. Diggle, if you would stand aside, my men will take him.”
*  *  *
Wallenstein: “Please continue to enjoy yourselves. (To Felicity)  Again, my humble apologies.”
Felicity: “Spot me fifty million at the auction and it’s forgotten.”
*  *  *
Barry (confused): “What happened? I just walked out for a minute. Did I miss something?”
Cisco: “Yes! Oliver just Errol Flynn-ed some guy who tried to kill Felicity! Followed by the sound of every gun in Markovia cocking.”
Barry (astonished): “Tried to kill Felicity?” 
Felicity: “I’m good.  If I had a nickel for every nut who tried to kill me, I could live in a castle.” (Her hands are shaking)
Oliver: “Everything is fine.” (Pulls a chair next to Felicity and massages her neck)
Barry: “I’m sorry, guys. I should’ve been here. I was down looking at the generator again.”
Oliver: “There’s nothing you could’ve done. Felicity is safe. That’s what matters. If they try again, we’ll stop them again.”
Felicity: “Try again?” 
Oliver: “They won’t. (Squeezes her hand and shares a smile with her, then to Barry) You weren’t out looking for… you know who?”

Chapter 28 – Felicity cannot find the plans for the wormhole generator in the castle’s computer system but detects a secured server:
(Felicity works furiously at her keyboard. Code whooshes past her eyes. Just symbols to most people. To her, the stream represents the secrets of Castle Wallenstein. She is walking a maze, taking turns on instinct and being rewarded by moving closer to the center. The next turn is based on inference rather than instinct, earned from her growing understanding of how the Count’s security system worked. Another turn and another tantalizing cascade of date shows she is still on the right track. Then a dead end. A giant shrub where an open path should be.)
Felicity (throwing up her hands): “Oh you are freaking kidding me!” 
*  *  *
Oliver: “Maybe you just don’t have the power in a laptop.”
Felicity (scowling): “That’s got nothing to do with it. I could hack Citibank with a smartphone. Wallenstein must have a team of guys chained to the server, changing code at random intervals. Little castle gnomes typing away, getting in my way. There’s no trace of the plans for the generator anywhere on the system. Which means that black box I keep running up against must be his super-secure server. The only thing I know about it is that it’s here in the castle. Somewhere.”
Oliver: “So if we find his server, we could destroy every existing copy of the generator plans?”
Felicity: “I can’t say that for sure, but we are dealing with a man who lives in a castle high on a mountain. We’ve seen how he protects the generator, but leaves the rest of the castle open. He’s got a sanctum sanctorum mindset. Put all your eggs in a basket and then put tanks around your basket. It’s a workable security model unless someone manages to put their hands on the server. Then they have your nest egg.”
Oliver: “Can you make something that will copy the plans off his server and then wipe it?”
Felicity: “Of course. But I can’t push code through his security. We will literally have to find the server and plug the code into it.”
Oliver: “We can do that. (Looks at Thea) We’ll find the server.”
Felicity: “And you’ll have to get back out alive.”
Oliver (pausing): “That too.”
Thea: “There are two hundred and sixty-four rooms in Castle Wallenstein, according to Cisco’s guidebook. When John and I snooped around, we discovered there’s also an extensive sublevel.”
Felicity: “Dungeons! If I was a crazy medieval techno-baron, I would put my gold in the dungeon. That’s probably where the server is located. Easier to control access. More shielding from EMP. Discourages all but the most determined archers.” (Smiles at Oliver)
*  *  *
Barry (hesitantly, suddenly uncomfortable): “He said you don’t really know what you’re doing, in terms of helping me. And that you know you don’t, so you’re lying to me.”
(Felicity clenches her hands under the table and looks at Oliver, pretty sure that she is managing to keep her face calm.)
Oliver (not batting an eye): “He’s lying.” 
Barry: “Oh yeah, I know. He’s just trying to throw a wrench into our group.” (Nods in relief)
(Felicity knows that Oliver said exactly what Ghasi told Barry, but that doesn’t make it true. Oliver is helping Barry. Once again the fact that Ghasi overheard all her conversations with Oliver via the bio-bugs sends a hot stake through her.
Felicity tries to ignore the rage, or at least channel it. Oliver’s comforting hand presses into her shoulder. He can tell what terrible thoughts are burning at her. Felicity dives back into the castle’s system to dismantle Wallenstein’s security. If they want to play with her secrets, she can find their secrets and use them like a knife to gut them.)

Chapter 29 – Felicity agrees with Thea’s explanation of the difference between Ghasi and them:
Thea: ”Yeah, you do. (Grins with sympathy, her hand on the bow)  When I was young, I spent a lot of years being powerless. Men. Drugs. Booze. I lived my life following any and all of them. (Touches the red mask she wears) This changed me. This gives me power over my own life, Ollie. I put on a mask to control my demons. But Ghasi puts one on to enrage his. That’s the difference between him and us. And that’s the gift you gave me. Just like you’re doing for Barry now.”
Felicity (over comms): “She’s right. And by the way, everything is clear on the satellite feed.”
Oliver (softly): “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
Felicity (over comms, concerned for Barry): “I am. I mean, I’m resting. This is relaxing to me… I couldn’t sleep. I’m worried. He’s getting weaker. And he’s so tired all the time.”
Oliver: “I know. How are you doing with the security?”
Felicity (over comms): “They change their codes every ten seconds. There’s not enough time to monitor and implement anything before it resets.” 
(Then she launches into various theories on crashing through their system. Oliver can’t offer any expertise on the matter so he just listens, letting her work through the problem on her own. She recites a five-minute breakdown of the issues. He understands barely a third of it. And that is being generous.)
Thea: “Are they that good?” 
Felicity (over comms): “Yes… and no. I mean, two can play at that game. I’ve already modified our voice feeds at a five-second cycle. That’s the delay you’re hearing. Even if they crack my code for five seconds, they’ll only get a word or two of ours. (Pauses) I think I see something out there. Behind Spartan.”

Chapter 31 – Oliver and Felicity, along with Thea, take stock of the situation after the latest injuries:
(Oliver sits in front of the fireplace in their room, barely feeling the radiating heat. The cold has latched itself onto every bone and muscle. Fingers clutch a hot cup of tea, but they still feel thick and stiff. His other hand presses the thick layer of bandages on the side of his head. When he lifts his arm, it burns from the sword cut which had taken stitches to close. He and Diggle both took shrapnel from the grenade, but thankfully none of it is serious. Felicity wraps another blanket around his shoulders.)
Oliver: “How’s Barry?” 
Felicity: “Recovering… slowly. Like you.”
Oliver: “That’s bad.”
Felicity: “Yeah. Another blur like that and we could lose him. He’s running on sheer fumes. He can’t heal himself. His speed force isn’t replenishing.”
Oliver: “The auction is tomorrow night. We’re almost done here.”
Felicity: “I hope so.”
(He shifts stiffly and stands, feeling like an old man suddenly. He embraces Felicity and pulls her tight against his chest. He relishes the feeling of her head nestling into his shoulder.)
Oliver (whispering): “See? Still got two arms.”
(Felicity doesn’t respond, but hugs him tighter. Oliver grunts from pain and she releases him with morose acceptance. Right now all he wants to do is crawl off to bed and sleep for a month. But like the rest of his team, he still has a lot of work yet to do.)
Thea (from her window seat): “There are enough armed men around here that finding some extra ammunition might not be too difficult. I bet I could snag some. Arrows will be hard to come by. We might want to think about using weapons invented after the Middle Ages.” (Casts Oliver a lopsided smirk)
Oliver: “We’ll have to make every shot count.” (Gets to his feet wearily)

Chapter 31 – Felicity and Barry have a heart-to-heart talk about Oliver:
(Felicity quietly enters the room. Oliver slouches like a deposed king in a high-backed mahogany armchair across from Barry’s bed. Both men are asleep. Lifting a blanket from the dresser, she gently covers Oliver. He mumbles something in his exhaustion, but he doesn’t wake. His face looks so relaxed when he sleeps, like the weight of the world has finally slipped from his shoulders. But the bandages on his face and arms say otherwise. New scars to add to his collection. He looks so vulnerable. Felicity’s stomach gathers in knots. She has tried to tell herself that this vibe business is no different than all the other times Oliver steps out into the violence of the streets, but it still doesn’t ease the anxiety crushing against her. It seems like the odds are finally stacking against them. Her arms fold tight against her aching chest. She turns to slip out of the room when she sees Barry watching her.)
Felicity: “Sorry. (Walks over to Barry’s bedside) Didn’t mean to wake you. How do you feel? Do you need anything?”
Barry (shaking his head slowly): “Too tired to even know if I do.”
*  *  *
Barry (whispering): “Damn. He looks worse than I do. Is he going to be okay?”
Felicity: “He always bounces back. (Reassuring him, or maybe herself)  He wasn’t going to let you fall.”
Barry: “I know.”
Felicity: “Barry, no matter what Ghasi said, you can always count on Oliver. (Fidgets uncomfortably) You know that, right?”
(Barry’s hand slips over hers. Even in the dim light, she can see the dark veins bulging under the pale skin. Yet there remains strength in his grip.)
Barry: “Sure. I didn’t believe anything that psycho said.”
Felicity: “The thing is…  Oliver didn’t really mean… I mean, about not knowing what he’s –“
Barry: “That doesn’t matter. We all have times when we wonder if we’re doing the right thing. Me more than most. If he didn’t, I’d think he wasn’t human. (Lifts his eyebrow playfully)  He is human, right?”
Felicity (laughs): “He may not act like it sometimes, but he really is. And he does know what he’s doing. He’s just worried, that’s all.”
Barry: “Don’t think I don’t notice everything he’s done for me. I know he’ll always have my back.”
Felicity (whispering, like some sort of mantra of her own): “No matter the cost.”
(She hopes she looks relieved, but she can feel the burn in her eyes, the tension in her face, the locked half-smile that she struggles to maintain.)
Barry: “Hey. (Shakes her hand on the bedspread)  He’s going to be okay. I’ve got his back too. I promise you that.”
Felicity (her voice barely audible): “I can’t lose him, Barry. I know that Cisco’s powers are real. I’m scared.”
Barry: “Listen, Cisco’s vibes aren’t gospel. The multiverse is infinite and really confusing and lots of weird stuff happens. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the future is never set. Never. Time is fluid and fate is slippery. People like me and Oliver - and you - make the future. And our future has a Green Arrow in it.”
(Felicity nods, not trusting her voice. She kisses Barry on the cheek.)
Barry: “Hey now, careful. I don’t want him to wake up and see that. He’d throw me right back off the mountain. (Grins at her) How about those sandwiches? Suddenly I’m hungry.”

Chapter 34 – Felicity has a run-in with Malcolm while waiting for Lyla to show up at the auction:
(Felicity tries not to check the time on her phone again. But she does it anyway. Oliver will be leading the team in search of the server by now. She taps her foot. Despite the noise all around her, the silence from the team frightens her. All her electronics had been taken at the door, except for her phone, and it has a limited feed. She longs for mission chatter running through her head. She needs to hear Oliver and Diggle and the others, to be sure they are okay.)
*  *  *
(Felicity is facing off with top generals, spies, terrorists, and criminals from around the world. General Pyeng and Alistratov try to look stoic. Simon Fowler and Colonel Kolingba confer in whispers. Felicity lets out a nervous breath. Fortunately, Lyla will be here to help her. Unfortunately, Lyla isn’t here yet. Felicity’s foot taps faster.)
*  *  *
(Felicity checks her phone again, then drpps it to her lap with an annoyed huff. Stop it, she chides herself. Act like a global mover-and-shaker. Not the girl from the I.T. department.)
Malcolm (suddenly next to her, with a self-satisfied grin): “Felicity Smoak!” 
(Felicity jumps in surprise, although she should be used to him showing up out of nowhere by now. His suit is immaculate, as always. She rolls her eyes and looks away.)
Malcolm: “How’s the budget? (Leans close) Are you checking your bank account?” Felicity: “No, I was texting my people back home to clear a spot in my office for my new wormhole generator.”
Malcolm (sitting down in chair next to her): “Droll. It’s heartening to see you can keep up the old Team Arrow spirit. Misguided thought it may be.”
Felicity: “I was saving that seat.”
Malcolm: “Really? (Makes a show of glancing back toward the main door) We’re going into lockdown in a few minutes. How about I just wait here? You’ll need a partner.”
*  *  *
Felicity (shooting him an angry glare): “What did you do to Lyla?” 
Malcolm: “Do? Me? I resent the implication. Felicity, we’re practically family. All these people are strangers. We should really be working together.”
Felicity: “Oh shut up.” 
*  *  *
(Just before the two oaken slabs touch, an arm juts between them, accompanied by a shout. One guard manhandles his door to a halt and pushes it open. Lyla slips inside the room. Felicity sinks into her chair with a relieved sigh. Malcolm gives a little grunt of surprise. Lyla holds out her auction card for the guards to scan. She catches sight of Felicity and weaves through the crowd. Some of the gathered grandees nod to her. Others stare quietly. Lyla reaches Felicity, but her eyes pin Malcolm.)
Lyla (using bland professional tone): “You’ll have to do better.”
Malcolm (shrugging): “I don’t know what you mean.”
Lyla (grinning savagely): “Let’s just say you have an opening for a new assassin.” (Malcolm nods slow acceptance. With a wan purse of his lips, he stands and gallantly offers his seat to Lyla.)
Malcolm: “I’m impressed you made it.”
Felicity (with smug smile): “Malcolm. You really need to work on your consistency. Either be a good guy or a bad guy. You’re confusing.”
Malcolm: “Thank you for the advice. (Laughs, but his eyes are cold and unwavering)  Good luck with the auction.” (Gives a half bow and drifts into the crowd)
*  *  *
Felicity: “Are you all right? Did one of Malcolm’s goons attack you?”
Lyla (waving her hand dismissively): “Just one. He won’t make that mistake again.”
Felicity: “No, he probably won’t. Are you injured?”
Lyla: “No. (Scours the room, sizing up the competition)  Merlyn’s guy was good, but not great. I don’t appreciate him trying to cut me out of the game though. How have you guys not taken him out by now?”
Felicity: “It’s complicated. (Takes a deep breath as the lights in the chamber flicker like a theater signaling the end of intermission, then whispers) Mainly because Oliver doesn’t take people out anymore.”
Lyla: “Too bad. You’ll regret not eliminating Merlyn.”
Felicity: “We already do. Every day. But it’s not that easy. He’s a master assassin with an army of ninja-type guys. He’s also Thea’s father.”
Lyla: “It is complicated, isn’t it?”
Felicity: “Yes. It’s sort of Dynasty with hoods and arrows.”
Lyla (laughs): “You need to watch more recent TV. Sounds more Game of Thrones.”

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 35 – Felicity and Lyla bid for the wormhole generator at the auction:
Wallenstein: “Welcome. Everyone check in, please.”
(Felicity holds up her auction card. She presses her thumb against the square in the center. Every participant does the same. Bernhardt watches his computer screen. Finally, he nods to the Count.)
Wallenstein: “Good evening, everyone. I’m glad you all made it. After last night’s festivities around the castle, I applaud your persistence… if not your aim.”
(Nervous laughter creeps through the crowd. Felicity scowls. There are people dead from the fighting, but it is just a clever joke to these people. None of them care about any of their soldiers who may have been killed, except that they represent lost assets. It reminds her again that, while Oliver exists in this world, he is not a part of it.)
Wallenstein: “We all know the object of your desires. (Extends his arm toward the generator)  And there is no need for more delay. Shall we begin the bidding at twenty-five million American dollars?”
*  *  *
(Felicity pushes her thumb onto the biometric square on her card and finds herself bathed in light. She nearly laughs with excitement. A diode readout on her card shows $125M in green as her bid and $150M in red as the next level. Felicity can’t believe she can even offer to one hundred and twenty-five million for a single object. Then she is in the dark again, already outbid. Felicity slumps, dejected by the end of her brief time in the lead.)
*  *  *
(Lyla bids five hundred million.)
*  *  *
(The general spins to his fellow bidders, appealing to their good graces.)
General Pyeng: “Gentlemen, are you comfortable with this?” 
(No one makes eye contact. He looks directly at Felicity.)
General Pyeng: “Won’t you speak up? You seem to be a fair-minded person.”
Felicity (smiling uncomfortably): “Sorry. You did throw the first punch.”
General Pyeng (glaring at her): “I wish my man had killed you.” 
Felicity: “That was you?” (Surges to her feet, but Lyla grabs her)
(The general sniffs at her and retrieves his cap from the floor. He places it carefully on his head. With a stiff back, he follows Ghasi, who is leading the moaning Alistratov by the wrist. Felicity tries to kick the old soldier as he passes, but Lyla shoves her back down.)
Lyla: “Stop it!” 
Felicity: “He tried to kill me!”
Lyla: “You should be used to that by now. Relax, or Wallenstein will boot you out.”
(The doors boom shut on General Peyeng and Alistratov.)
Wallenstei: “I apologize for that interruption. Shall we continue? Our last legitimate bid was –“
Bernhardt: “Seven fifty… To A.R.G.U.S.”
*  *  *
(Billion three. Lyla presses her card and nudges Felicity. With a terrible sickness in her stomach, Felicity adds her account to Lyla’s bid. She stares at Bernhardt at the laptop, fearing the shake of his head and the air tinging blue with rejection. But the light stays white. Wallenstein observes the now mostly idle crowd of bidders. Heads swivels as the seconds tick off the antique clock looking for the next bid, if any.
Felicity sits on the edge of her seat. This is it. There are no counter-bids. They are going to win. She finds herself in sudden heart-wrenching darkness. She and Lyla spin around to see two men illuminated. A numbing cold seeps into Felicity. Simon Fowler and Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm gives a pleasant tilt of his head. All she can see is Cisco’s vibe vision of Oliver draped dead over the generator.)

Chapter 35 – Felicity and Lyla win the auction for the wormhole generator:
(Felicity stares at Malcolm’s smug face and curses.)
Felicity (desperately): “Let’s go a billion five.” 
Lyla: “We don’t have it. My budget is hard-capped. And I know what Palmer Tech has.”
Felicity: “You do?”
Lyla: “Yes. And so does Count Wallenstein. Damn it, but I think Meryln has us.”
(Wallenstein waits patiently while the clock ticks overhead.)
Felicity: “No, it can’t happen. Trust me. There’s some rainy-day money you don’t know about. (Consults her wristwatch) I hope.”
(Lyla gives a suspicious squint. Felicity urges her on, so she presses her thumb against the card, bidding one billion five hundred million. Felicity joins in. The tech studies her screen as if confused, but then sits back satisfied. The lights fall on Felicity and Lyla. Felicity glares at Malcolm with satisfaction. Malcolm confers with Fowler, who shakes his head doubtfully. Malcolm presses. All eyes turn to the men, waiting for the end. Felicity and Lyla go dark. Fowler and Malcolm again sit in the light. Felicity groans. Her heart slams inside her chest. She can’t fail. Malcolm can’t get the generator or Oliver will die. She has to do something. Then the two men are bathed in blue. Malcolm leaps to his feet.)
Malcolm (shouting): “No! I have far more than enough to cover this!”
(Bernhardt rechecks his screen and shakes his head at Wallenstein.)
Wallenstein: “I’m sorry, Mr. Merlyn. You do not.”
Malcolm: “Your data is wrong. (Crosses his arms, smug and self-assured)  I have retained enormous wealth from my old… businesses. I have more than enough to cover this.”
Wallenstein: “Perhaps. (Flicks his eyes to Ghasi, who edges closer to the blue light)  You should have deposited those rubies you stole from the League of Assassins in a reputable financial institution so I could tally them. You may count buried treasure on your ledger, but I cannot.”
*  *  *
Malcolm (freezing Ghasi with a glare): “Don’t. I always liked you in Star City, even though you wasted your time trying to be Oliver Queen. Don’t make me kill you.”
(Ghasi’s nose wrinkles, the only sign of anger.)
Malcolm: “But you’ll never be him.” (Looks him up and down before glaring at Wallenstein and pushing past him, ignoring Felicity and Lyla as he leaves the room)
(Felicity sits back in her chair with a deep sigh. She almost laughs. And tears of relief well in her eyes.)
Lyla (whispering): “It is complicated with Merlyn, isn’t it?”
Felicity: “You have no idea.”
*  *  *
(Felicity and Lyla again share the light. Felicity squeezes her hands together on her lap. Not only is Malcolm out, but the fact that she can cover this high a bid means that Oliver has reached the server and one of her viruses is working, feeding Wallenstein false information about Palmer Tech’s resources. She holds her breath as the ornate second hand of the clock sweeps around its face. Most of the others sit stiff in the dark. A few lean in to whisper to Fowler as he scurries from bidder to bidder, causing Felicity to twitch in terror. The clock chimes.)
Wallenstein: “Congratulations.” (Bows toward Felicity and Lyla)
Felicity: “Woo hoo!” 
(She leaps out of her chair and spins around with her hand up to Lyla for a high-five. Lyla sits still. She clears her throat with an expectant look. Felicity stands, hand high and grin frozen on her face. Then she notices the gathered generals, spymasters, warlords, terrorists, and crime bosses staring at her with genuine resentment.)
Felicity (chuckling sheepishly): “Sorry. But I think deep down we all know it’s better that none of you have it. (Meets their vengeful eyes) Okay. (Smiles) Let’s agree to disagree.”

Chapter 36 – Count Wallenstein returns to Felicity the small SD card that was left in one of his servers:
Wallenstein: “This is goodbye, Ms. Smoak. (Draws off his glove and extends his hand) Congratulations again.”
Felicity: “Thank you for selling me my own property.” (Shakes his hand and quickly returns her freezing hands to her coat pockets)
Ghasi: “Where is the rest of your team? Where’s Oliver?”
Felicity: “He went down early, to check on transportation.”
Wallenstein (nodding): “Very wise. You realize that once you leave the castle, you are no longer under my protection.”
Felicity: “I do. (Smiles sarcastically) So if anyone kills me and takes the generator, you keep my money.”
Wallenstein: “I’d say you are amply protected. (Indicating the A.R.G.U.S. agents)  I’ll say good day then, and bon voyage.” 
(He begins to walk to his car. Then he stops and turns back. He holds up his hand to Felicity.)
Wallenstein: “Oh, I believe this is yours.”
(A small SD card rests in his palm. She freezes.)
Wallenstein: “I’m sure you think you’re very clever, Ms. Smoak. (Studies the data card)  But someone left this in one of my servers. I’m impressed that members of your team managed to get into the sublevels and override the security checks. And you might’ve gotten away with it longer, if not for that nasty incident in the server room. (His gaze flicks to Ghasi and then back)  At first we thought that Valov had escaped and killed a technician before burning himself out. But we decided to run checks and found this.”
(He holds out the chip and Felicity takes it as if it were poison.)
Wallenstein (continuing with calm precision): “We scoured the network and found your little virus.”
Felicity: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Wallenstein: “Yes, yes. I could negate the sale, but I won’t. I’m a fair man and I don’t have definitive proof you did this. However, you are the only one here smart enough to have done it.”
Felicity: “Thank you. (Looks down, embarrassed) But I still don’t know what you’re talking about.”
(Wallenstein chuckles and bows before returning to his car. When the door shuts and the driver settles inside, Ghasi starts back too. He passes close to Felicity.)
Ghasi: “I’m very sorry to have missed Oliver. He was lucky I was at the auction or he would never have made it to the servers. Tell him goodbye for me. I doubt we’ll ever meet again, unless he comes to Tahiti.”

Chapter 36 – Felicity reveals that she told Oliver to leave the SD card behind in the servers:
Cisco (groaning): “After all the trouble we had getting in there, I bet I’m the one who left that card. That’s something I’d do.”
(Felicity winks at him. Then she shakes her head with narrowed eyes to indicate they shouldn’t discuss it with Wallenstein’s men still lingering.)
*  *  *
Felicity: “Cisco, you didn’t leave that SD card behind. Oliver did. Because I told him to.”
Cisco: “You did? (Looks curiously at her) Why?”
Felicity: “Because Wallenstein was suspicious of me, so I wanted Wallenstein’s people to find it, so they would search their server and find the virus I planted there. One of the viruses. A sophisticated one, but not nearly as good as all the other ones I put on his system. I knew once they found the bait, they would clean their system and be all proud of themselves. But I don’t think they can undo the other viruses I planted without a lot more work. (Shrugs) That’s the plan anyway.”
Cisco: “So what do the other viruses do?”
Felicity: “One of them virtually liquidated all Palmer Tech assets so Wallenstein’s scans would show that I had a lot more money to spend than he thought I did.”
Cisco: “Is that legal?” 
Felicity: “Not strictly speaking. And if this doesn’t work out, Palmer Tech will be ruined and I will be an international felon.”
Cisco: “So what are you going to do?”
Felicity: “Well, the really good evilware I put on his server will let me sneak back into his system whenever I want. I will snatch up the plans for the generator, and then I will wipe them off his server. Forever. Oh, and I will get all our money back.”
Lyla: “The American taxpayer thanks you.” (Nods from the other side of the car)
Cisco: “I’m glad you work for the good guys.” 
Felicity: “Thank you. I do look good in black though.” 

Chapter 37 – Oliver, Barry and Thea rescue Felicity, Diggle, Lyla and Cisco from the gondola cable car that has been sabotaged by Malcolm:
(Oliver’s fingers catch a narrow lip above the window that jerks him to a stop. His body slams against the wide plexiglass. Felicity sees him hanging. Her eyes go wide with terror. She shouts his name, silent to his ears.)
*  *  *
(Oliver gives Felicity a reassuring smile before struggling onto the crate. Knees shaking from exertion, he stands and throws his arms up over the rim of the open hatchway in the ceiling.)
*  *  *
(Oliver slides down to the roof of the car. Thea and Barry climb inside through the hatch. When Oliver jumps in, Felicity grabs him. Cisco checks on Barry.)
*  *  *
(Felicity put her arm around Oliver’s shoulders. He actually trembles a little bit.)
Felicity: “Wallenstein found the card.” (Fishes the SD card out of her pocket)
Oliver: “And?”
Felicity: “As soon as we’re airborne with the generator, I’m going to get into his network and put the Wallenstein family back to the Middle Ages. (Flips the data card like a coin)  Steal my technology, will you. I’ll show him what I think of that.”
(Oliver leans against her, relishing the firmness. He needs something strong at the moment to hold him up.)

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 38 – Oliver and Barry go to the burned skeleton of the Queen Mansion as the location for using a magnetic inductor to try to get the plasma out of Barry’s body:
(Oliver Queen’s childhood home rises from the horizon. The Queen Mansion. Built during a bygone age, it embodied wealth and privilege and obligation, but to Oliver it was just home. Now it is a skeleton, like the rest of his past. Blackened fingers reach up into the sky. The structure is a ruin, nearly destroyed by a fire.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “We’d rather be out there.”
Oliver: “I know. You’ve got to operate from there because it’s the only place with the computer power to manage the generator.”
Felicity (over comms): “But –“ 
Oliver: “Felicity, don’t worry. Malcolm didn’t get the generator. That means the rest of Cisco’s vibe is moot. Right, Cisco?”
Cisco (without conviction): “Uh… yeah. That future is changed. It’s gone. It’s a multiverse kind of thing.”
Felicity (muttering): “A multiverse kind of thing.”
*  *  *
(The monitors flicker on, and Felicity, Cisco and Caitlin appear in HD via cams in the Arrowcave. Cameras mounted on the walls of the garage whirr to track Oliver and the team as they move around the space. Diggle sits on the bottom of the steps and waves at Felicity’s monitor.)
Diggle: “Are we at least sure that we aren’t going to suck Star City into a wormhole?”
Felicity: “Absolutely… Right, Cisco?”
*  *  *
(Oliver sets the timer on the smartwatch he wears over his glove. Cisco’s pep talk was far more energetic and sincere than his could have been. He isn’t sure if he would have even managed a pep talk. Yao Fei didn’t excel in motivational speeches.)
Felicity” “Don’t worry.” (Smiles down at him, which makes the tightness in his gut recede a bit)
*  *  *
(Felicity finishes her computations.)
Felicity: “There’s a black cable connected to the base of the generator. You’ll need to attach it to Barry to ensure he doesn’t get sucked into the wormhole.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Okay. (Stares up at Felicity and she smiles uncomfortably) What’s the worst-case scenario?”
Felicity: “We have safety protocols built into our systems. In the unimaginable event that the wormhole expands beyond expected parameters, we’ll shut it down remotely with a click of a button.”
Oliver: “And if that fails?”
Felicity: “You pull the switch behind you. (Gestures through the monitor to a massive system of power cables feeding into a utility box that looked capable of powering Star City)  But you have to be careful. It will be dangerous in there.” 
*  *  *
Felicity: “Good luck, you two. Don’t do anything… you know… just stay safe.”

Chapter 41 – Oliver and Barry survive their encounter with Ghasi and the wormhole generator; Barry is cured of his plasma infection; Ghasi is sucked into a wormhole:
Diggle’s Voice (shouting from above): “Anyone alive down there?”
(Barry and Oliver look up. Relief washes over Oliver’s face. Diggle is visible as he shoves a chunk of wood aside. Thea and Felicity join him at the opening, staring down.)
Barry: ”We’re both all right. (Waves)  But Oliver needs medical attention, pronto!”
(Felicity half laughs and half sobs with relief as Thea hugs her.)
Felicity: “Oh my God. Oliver! Are you okay?”
(Oliver struggles to roll onto his back, staring up at her face.)
Oliver (croaking): “See? Both arms.”
Diggle (shouting) “We’ll get a line down to you! And then I’m going straight to church. It’s a miracle you survived.”
Barry: “We’re going to make it. (Pulls back his cowl and pats Oliver’s leg) Just breathe.”
(Oliver closes his eyes and a weary smile crosses his lips.)

(continued)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Chapter 42 – Team Arrow and Team Flash celebrate their victory, but Oliver is late and Felicity worries that he’s out fighting already; Barry finds him:
(Felicity bops in her seat to the music and joins the toast, along with Thea, John, and Lyla. All the glasses touch in the center of the table.)
Felicity: “We’re so happy for you, Barry.”
Barry: “I can’t thank you guys enough.” (Leans into a hand on his neck from Diggle and a kiss on the cheek from Thea)
Diggle: “Any time, man.”
Cisco: “Any time?”
Diggle: “Why do you say it like that? (Stares evenly at Cisco) You vibing some new disaster off that bowl of peanuts?”
Cisco (holding up a peanut and squinting at it before popping it into his mouth): “All good.”
Felicity: ”I’m just grateful, your vibe didn’t come true.”
Barry: “Yeah, we all are. You were way off this time, which is great, but what happened?”
Cisco (defensively): “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I was looking into events where a wormhole was involved. That thing threw everything off. How do you expect me to vibe a straight story with dimensional-temporal energies flying all over the place? But somewhere out on Earth X-24, that vibe really happened.”
Felicity (shaking her head sadly): “Well, I feel sorry for the people on that Earth then.”
Diggle: “Man, one Earth is confusing enough for me, stop talking about all the others. (Glances at his phone, and then at Felicity) Where is Oliver?”
Felicity: “He’s coming. (Checks her phone for messages and exhales with disappointment) He said he had something to do.”
Barry (shrugging): “He’s not out… you know. (Aims shooting a bow and arrow)
Felicity (looking grim): “No. No way. The man just got out of a hospital bed and he can barely walk. He promised he’d take it easy.”
(Thea and Diggle exchange quick glances. Felicity sees their doubt.)
Felicity (shouting): “No! He promised. Like, really promised. Not the usual Oliver Queen promise!”
(Felicity looks at everyone. They all smile awkwardly and check their phones or suddenly notice something interesting across the bar. Anything to avoid her eyes. She drops her head into her hands.)
Felicity: “Oh. My. God. He’s out fighting crime, isn’t he?”
Barry: “He might not be. I mean, you said he can barely walk.”
Felicity: “Oh, that won’t matter to him. (Snatches up her phone) He’ll use some kind of braces or exo-skeleton or crutch arrows. (Types with furious thumbs, muttering) ‘Where. Are. You? You. Better. Not. Be. Wearing. Green.’”
(She sets her phone on the table and stares hard at it. No response comes back. Long minutes pass and the phone sits black and empty.)
Felicity (to Diggle): “Where do you think he is?”
Diggle: “He didn’t say anything to me, but don’t worry. Even Oliver isn’t stupid enough to be out in his condition. He said he was coming, so he’s coming. He’s not going to miss those guys’ last night on town.”
Felicity (nodding): “Okay. I’m sure you’re right.”
*  *  *
(Barry watches Diggle and Lyla leave and, as soon as the door swings shut on them, he spins to Felicity.)
Barry: “So you’re really turning Straub’s research over to A.R.G.U.S.? I mean, we trust Lyla, but she could be out tomorrow. And then what?”
Felicity: “Yes, I am. (Raises her eyebrows as if put off by Barry’s question) And no, I’m not.”
(Barry rests his chin in his hand and waits for the inevitable Felicity follow-up. She signals to bring everyone closer.)
Felicity: “Here’s the deal. The government paid for co-ownership of the generator we saw in Markovia. That generator now consists of a few non-atomized bits and pieces, which A.R.G.U.S. has collected from the Queen estate. There were also technical specs provided by Count Wallenstein, and A.R.G.U.S. has copies of that.”
Cisco: “Oh man. (Bites his lower lip) So they do have it.”
(Felicity raises a finger.)
Felicity: “They have some information. However, the material retrieved from Wallenstein’s servers, including the original Straub operating system stolen from us, and the Straub device we recovered from the mine, are proprietary and exclusive IP of Queen Consolidated and, by extension, Palmer Tech. They are not entitled to any of that. And there won’t be any more copies of it, because I’ve sent out a little hunter-killer worm that will seek and destroy any bit of Straub’s code wherever it might appear.”
Barry: “What if the government sues you? Without that original code, they’ve got nothing.”
Felicity: “They can’t sue for it if they don’t know we have it. (Buffs her nails on her blouse with pride) Lyla is the only government official who knows we recovered all the data.”
Barry: “And she won’t tell.”
Felicity: “Lyla has a healthy distrust of secret power because she’s seen what A.R.G.U.S. could be under questionable leadership. And luckily she trusts us because John trusts us.” 
(Felicity’s glance flicks to her phone. She sighs at the blank screen.)
Felicity: “I was really hoping Oliver would be able to enjoy your last night in Star City. I’ll text him again.”
Barry: “No, hold up. (Touches her arm) I’ve got an idea where he is. Let me check. Be right back.”
*  *  *
(Oliver sits alone in the booth near the bathroom door at the Glossy Starling bar. He spins a glass of bourbon slowly with his fingertips. The oaky smell summons memories, most of them bad. Oliver sees his phone on the table with Felicity’s last message still showing: ‘You better not be wearing green.’)
*  *  *
(Somewhere in those shadows he imagines Yao Fei watching him. The old general hadn’t made it off the island, but Oliver wears his hood to show that it is always possible to escape the jungle, with the help of others. Barry suddenly appears, sitting across from him.)
Barry: “You okay?” 
Oliver: “I’m good. Just saying goodbye to some ghosts. Let’s get out of here.” (Oliver holds up his phone to look at Felicity’s last text. Then he types: ‘On my way with Barry. Wearing blue.’)

Edited March 4, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

In January of 2018, another tie-in novel was published: Arrow Season 5.5: Fatal Legacies, written by James R. Tuck, based on a new original story by Marc Guggenheim. This novel covers events that took place during the five-month hiatus between Season 5 and Season 6 of Arrow. (Season 5 ended on May 24, 2017; Season 6 began on October 12, 2017.)

After a brief Prologue that picks up near the end of 523 (Lian Yu), this novel begins in June of 2017. It ends with an Epilogue in October 2017. The author conveniently provides the month and year for every chapter(s) in this book.

Book Cover Description:

Quote

Arrow Season 5.5: Fatal Legacies ... reveals for the first time what occurred as Team Arrow resumed its mission to protect Star City.

Those who survived Prometheus's trap on Lian Yu discover that Chase's revenge continues far beyond his death. Sara Lance returns. Dinah Drake accepts the mantle of Black Canary, and the entire team hits the streets again. There can be no rest in this collaboration between Arrow Executive Producer Marc Guggenheim and author James R. Tuck, for if Chase's deadly legacies can't be stopped, countless more will die.

In my transcriptions of certain scenes from the novel below, I tried to convert the novel's prose style into a more script-like format. 

(Continued)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

June 2017, Chapter 1 – While fighting masked thugs, Oliver tries not to think of Felicity:
(The last time he tangled with skill-masked thugs, they were bank robbers and easily dealt with. Felicity dubbed them the “Spooky Crew.” Felicity. He pushes the image of her from his mind. He has work to do.)

June 2017, Chapter 5 – Oliver and Felicity talk business, but then Felicity tentatively broaches the subject of their relationship:  
(Felicity’s hands move on two separate keyboards, each set of fingers typing as she looks into the middle distance between two monitors, eyes flicking slightly to the left and the right, left then right. Left then right. Left right, left right. Leftright, leftrightleftrightleftright… Processing information and acting on it immediately. View. Process. File. No hesitation, hesitation is for the weak. And in the realm of the cyber, Felicity Smoak deleted all such weakness long ago. When she works like this, her hyperactive mind, the mind that constantly runs from side to side, considering everything, from every angle, becomes streamlined and seamless. Wherever her focus lands, it is laser thin.)
Oliver: “What are you working on?”
(Felicity jumps, startled, breaking the rhythm of her work.)
Felicity: “Jeez, you're like a cat. Like a ninja cat. With a cloak of invisibility."
Oliver: “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Felicity: “Yeah, well, mister, I’m going to put a bell on you when you aren’t in costume.”
Oliver: “I’ve been visiting Thea.”
Felicity: “How is –“
Oliver (shaking head slowly): “No news. I came by to reload my quiver.”
Felicity: “Curtis did that for you earlier.”
(Oliver frowns.)
Felicity: “You know he does it right each time. He’s obsessive like that.”
Oliver: “I know.”
Felicity: “And you know you’re going to double-check his work, no matter what.”
Oliver (after a pause): “I am.”
Felicity: “So why the frowny face?”
(Oliver looks at his reflection in a swing-line mirror attached to the corner of the desk. He has no idea what it is for, but he is sure it has a purpose. This is Felicity’s world, and everything lives there for a purpose. She probably uses it to read some super-secret backward-written hacker code. For him, it is just a convenient mirror.)
Oliver: “This is just my face.”
Felicity: “It’s a subtle frown.”
(He grunts in response.)
Felicity: “See? (Softens her response with a smile) Subtlety at its finest.”
(He stares at her, blue eyes still sharp as his arrows, prickling her and drawing blood from her heart. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t turn away, even though the directness of his gaze pushes at her like a force field. Words unsaid stop in her throat, threatening to choke her. This is Oliver. Her Oliver. Not my Oliver, she muses. Not for a long while now. Her resolve fails, eyes dropping as she turns back to the monitors on the desk. Her fingers begin flying.)
Felicity: “Did you go out alone last night, and put a bunch of… (Leans closer to the monitor, reading the words on it) … ‘skull-masked criminals’ in Starling General?”
Oliver: “I wasn’t alone.”
Felicity: “Who did you take with you? Because I’m pretty sure I have everyone accounted for last night.”
Oliver: “Sara’s in town. She lent a hand.’
Felicity: “Ah, her I did not account for. (Leans forward, her voice taut with excitement)  Are there aliens? Last time she was in town, there were aliens.”
Oliver: “She assured me it was just a visit, with no aliens.”
Felicity (sighing with disappointment): “Ah, well. Aliens are cool.”
(Oliver gives her a look that is less subtle.)
Felicity (quickly): “Well, you know, aliens are weird and super creepy, except for Kara, of course – she was cool, and not weird. Okay, weird, but not weird-weird. (Stammers as Oliver continues with his look) Hey, but you did get ‘skull-masked criminals,’ which I know you prefer. Wait, did you tangle with the Spooky Crew? Are they back?”
Oliver: “These were different. I call them Skulls.”
Felicity: “The report I found said they were moving large amounts of drugs, and there was a stolen car ring and an eighteen-wheeler. Was this the operation that’s been moving drugs through Star City? Or are there two operations? Maybe it’s these guys and the Spooky Crew – but that can’t be it, those guys were small fry. They couldn’t grow into a major criminal operation with a big rig and dozens of members. Or could they? I’ll look into it.”
Oliver: “I’m sure you’ll track it down. No one can hide from the Ghost Fox Goddess.”
Felicity: "No, they can't. Wait, are you making fun of me?"
Oliver: "Lightly teasing, perhaps. I'd never make fun of you." 
(The way he stands, looking at her, makes her feel very, well, paid-attention-to. She glances over at the monitor, determined to keep it professional. She won’t talk about it. Not it.)
Felicity: “There was another thing last night. A known drug dealer found dead in Starling Park.”
Oliver: “Over-sampling his own product?”
Felicity: “No, he was bludgeoned to death.”
Oliver: “Was he a Skull?”
Felicity (frowning): “A who? Oh, yeah – no, not one of the drug dealers you and Sara put down. This was an unrelated drug dealer.” She paused, then asked, “Do we have a new vigilante in town?”
Oliver: “Could this be Vigilante himself?”
Felicity: “The guy with the ski goggles and the machine guns?”
Oliver: “Yes, that one.”
Felicity: “Not likely. He tended to shoot people, rather than hit them to death.”
Oliver: “Still, we can’t rule it out. Where has he been?”
Felicity: “Hell, if I know. Maybe he won a trip on a scratch-off. I mean, he had to have a real life, somewhere out there. Nobody just sits around watching crappy B-movies until they decide to put on a ski outfit, arm themselves, and go and be a pain in our ass. Maybe he collects stamps, along with his guns. Hey! (Sticks her finger into the air as a thought occurs to her) Here’s a crazy thought – maybe he’s been on a ski trip.”
(Oliver’s mouth twitches into s small smile.)
Felicity: “What?” 
Oliver: “One of the things I enjoy most in this world, Felicity Smoak, is watching you think out loud.”
(Her face warms from her collar to her hairline. As much as she likes the way her brain works, there is always the small, niggling fear tugging at the frayed edge in the back that her fast talking secretly bothers those around her. That they simply tolerate it at best. To have Oliver word his compliment the way he did... well, it does things to her. And it sets her mind back on the trail of the thoughts she’d had since the island. Lian Yu. Not the nightmare parts – not the explosions and the devastation – but the parts of things she wants to say to Oliver, needs to say to Oliver, but hasn’t.)
Felicity: “Do you mean that?”
Oliver: “You know I do.”
Felicity (after taking a deep breath): “Since we got back and got settled, as settled as we ever get around here, I wanted to talk about us and I know, I know, ‘us’ isn’t an us but it’s still a thing to talk about. (Takes a gulp of air) I’m not crazy, there is a thing here, there’s always a thing here, and I want to talk about that thing that is here, but with all the stuff from Chase, and Thea in the hospital, and William, and you off on solo patrols and all the rest, it just doesn’t seem right that I’m worried about the ‘us’ that isn’t an us. (Pauses) It seems petty of me and I hate being petty and so I wait and I wait and I wait for the time to be right, for there to be a break or a lull or some moment where I won’t be a selfish person for wanting to talk about a relationship that I ended. But the time never comes, the moment is never right, there’s always a reminder or a new crisis or a thing that gets in the way, and I wonder, always wonder if I need to keep waiting, has it been long enough? How far out from what we went through should I wait? I mean, what would Emily Post say is the proper waiting period after someone’s sister has been brutally injured, and his baby-mama has been killed? (Her hand flies to her mouth) Oh God, baby-mama sounds dismissive, I didn’t mean it to be that way.”
(Oliver says nothing, but the smile is gone from his mouth.)
Felicity: “See? Wrong time.” (Looks down at the floor)
Oliver (sighing): "Things are... complicated for me right now."
Felicity: “I know that. Believe me.”
Oliver: “I’m still trying to get the Mayor’s office back in line.”
Felicity: “I know.”
Oliver: “And Thea…”
Felicity: “I know.”
Oliver: “And William needs my attention.”
Felicity (putting her hands up to stop him from talking): “Oliver! I know, believe me, I know.”
Oliver: “When things calm down…”
Felicity: “Will that happen?”
Oliver (reassuring her): “It will. William will get settled, soon enough.”
Felicity: “That will only happen if you find a way to connect with him.”
Oliver: “I’m trying.”
Felicity: “By being here, checking your equipment, instead of being home with him?”
(The words hit the air between them, making it a cracked and brittle thing. They stare at each other over her accusation. Felicity’s mouth becomes a hard line. Oliver leans forward, about to say something. The computer behind Felicity begins blaring a low siren of warning.)
Felicity: “That would be the sound of something happening that is not this.” 
(She turns, dropping into the chair and sliding closer to the monitor on the left. She cuts the alarm with a quick strike of her fingers to the keyboard. Oliver moves up, looking over her shoulder. The monitors each hold different information. One is a street map of some part of downtown Star City. In the center of the screen a red dot pulses glowing rings rippling outward like a target. Another has a stream of text flowing too fast for him to read, but he catches some words that ticked off in his mind. Fire. Emergency. Explosion. A third monitor, further off to the left, holds a news report with a logo running underneath, the video feed revealing a skyscraper with black smoke pouring from windows midway up its height. Anxiety rises into a hard bubble behind his breastbone, scrabbling inside it like a living thing. After a long second watching the sooty smoke billow, he realizes why this building looks familiar. It is Dearden Tower. Built by his father as a dedication to his sister Thea, and bearing her middle name, it is a property he has spent months visiting, going with his father to inspect it while it was under construction. His young mind had always been awed that his father would build such an enormous thing to honor the sister who hadn’t yet been born. It’s going to be the safest building in the world, his father would say to him every visit. Now it is one of the properties he no longer holds, but it still holds him.)
Oliver (sharply): “Call the team- including Sara. We converge on the location.” 
(He turns, moving away from the command platform toward his locker, where he will suit up. Felicity watches him go.)
Felicity (muttering to herself): “Good job, Smoak. Real smooth.”
(She is already at work. Her fingers flash, sending out the signals to the rest of Team Arrow.)

June 2017, Chapters 6-7 – Team Arrow helps rescue people from the explosions at Dearden Tower:
Oliver: “Overwatch, give us the situation.”
Felicity (over comms): “First responders can’t get above the ninth floor to rescue people stuck on ten through fourteen. The stairwells are blocked by something. There’s a crew trying, but they’re making no progress.”
Oliver: “We can see people from here. How many need rescue?”
Felicity (over comms): “Reliable numbers are hard to acquire, but there may be as many as twenty people on the floors above the fire. A rescue helicopter has been called, but it’s not close and concern over the radio is that the fire and smoke will spread to the top floors before anyone can be rescued.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Overwatch, why aren’t the sprinklers working?” 
Felicity (over comms): “According to everything I see, they are.”
Oliver: “They aren’t. See what you can do.”
Felicity (over comms): “On it.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Overwatch, where are the firefighters blocked?”
Felicity (over comms): “One floor below you.”
Curtis: “Why can’t they come up?” 
Oliver: “The isolation doors.”
Felicity (over comms): “Got is in one guess. The one between nine and ten isn’t opening.”
*  *  *
Curtis: “There must have been some safety factor. Why can’t fire and rescue get through?”
Felicity (over comms): “They’re reporting that their override code doesn’t work, and they’re still working on getting the heavy cutting gear up the stairs. They have an electronic locksmith on the crew, but the door is too hot to touch and he can’t work in Nomex gloves.”
Oliver: “It’s hot? Is there fire on our side of it?”
Felicity (over comms): “Not that I can see from here, but on the floors above you, yes. I’m running a diagnostic on the door itself through the buildings systems, but there’s no fire, I repeat, no fire, on your side of the isolation door.”
(Oliver pushes through into the stairwell.)
Oliver: “Then let’s go knock down a door.” 
*  *  *
Oliver: “Overwatch, where are the first responders?”
Felicity (over comms): “On the other side of the isolation door.”
Curtis: “Then there’s no fire making this hot.”
Oliver: “No, there’s not.”
Curtis: “What is it, then?”
Felicity (over comms): “I can answer that. The good thing about a state-of-the-art building is that they generate lots of real-time information about what’s happening.”
Oliver (brusquely): “Enlighten us, please.”
Felicity (over comms): “The door has a massive electrical charge running through it, and it’s acting like an overloaded capacitor, holding the heat you feel.”
Oliver: “Then cut the power.”
Felicity (over comms): “That was my first instinct, too. But the security measures in the building would require either a physical interference at the main grid in the basement, or shutting down three city blocks – one of which includes a hospital, and another has a terminal disease hospice. So no can do.”
Oliver: “We’ll have to figure something out here.”
Felicity (over comms) “If I come up with a solution I’ll chime in.”

(Continued)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

June 2017, Chapter 8 – Oliver opens an envelope, which is marked with a green triangle, a red x, and the symbol for fire, and finds a USB drive inside; he inserts the USB drive into his computer, which automatically opens a video clip titled “Oliver”; and he listens to a video recording left for him by the now deceased Adrian Chase:
Adrian (on video): “Well, I guess I’m dead. (Sits behind his desk in his district attorney’s office, with a smug grin) I bet you thought you were done with me, didn’t you? … But you need to understand that I am never going away. I’ve marked you. Exposed you for your true nature, and you will never be rid of me. I’m in your DNA. In your blood. I am knit into your skin. … I wonder who died on Lian Yu. … Was it someone you can live without? One of ’Team Arrow,’ a soldier, someone who ‘knew the risks’? You know you can think that, but it’s not true. They didn’t know your history. They trusted you to lead them to a good fight, one with honor, but really they were all just pawns to your ego. I wonder if they realized that, just as they passed from this world. If I see them, I’ll ask. (Smiles) But you know – and that’s the important part. … Maybe it was someone you can’t live without. As you’re watching though, are Thea or Felicity gone? Why is it you brought them into your murder spree, Oliver? The women you love the most. Do you really hate them? Are you so broken that your love and your hate are one and the same? Is it them in particular? You killed my wife. Your mother is dead because of you. Now, have you killed Felicity? Is Thea dead because of you? … I hope they all experienced my gift, so they don’t have to see you as the man you are. … Speaking of gifts, I’ve left one for you. I suspect that’s why you finally watched this video. My guess is that you stubbornly refused to give me voice… until you couldn’t avoid it any longer. … Just for you, my beautiful Oliver, I’ve set someone on your trail with enough money to perform his particular brand of art. He’s a showman – that’s how I convicted him the first time – but of course, his case got overturned after I was arrested. He’s still around, though, and hates you almost as much as I do. He’s going to use my money to pay you some special attention, all on my behalf. (Chuckles) He’ll bring the house donw. … You’ve seen his handiwork by now. Remember, as you try to do what you can, that every time he makes art, it’s you who will be responsible. And every time – (Stands, so his face completely fills the screen) – I want you to remember Lian Yu.”

June 2017, Chapter 9 – Felicity identifies the bad guy as Alex Faust; and we get Sara’s perspective on Olicity, Oliver and Felicity:
(Oliver stands, arms crossed, and leans against a rail as he waits on Felicity to finish. She is so intent on her task, it is as if the rest of them aren’t even there. He doesn’t look over at Rene as he responds to his question.)
*  *  *
Felicity (cries, spinning in her chair): “I’ve got it! Alex Faust.”
(Sara smiles and shares a nod with Curtis. She had forgotten the energy of being in the room with Felicity and Oliver. The rest of the team adds to it, but she can watch those two and their chemistry all day. Her time with Oliver has left her with a love for him that will always be inside her, a strange sisterly affection with a hum of romance underneath. She's never had anything like it with anyone else, but then again, she's never had the history she had with Oliver. The wild affair when he dated her sister Laurel, which both thrilled and guilted her, especially since Laurel is gone. The time spent together in this vigilante life, his hand in her resurrection - it is the fabric of a connection unlike any other. Even with that, the chemistry between Felicity and Oliver can light up a building. And Felicity is smoking – Smoaking? - hot, especially when she is in her mile-a-minute-I'm-giving-you-all-the-information mode.)
Oliver: “Who the hell is Alex Faust?” 
Felicity: “Chase gave us clues in his speech, and since he is – was – a manipulative, deliberate sonnuvagun, I took his information at face value and did a records search, looking for any convictions of people with explosives backgrounds. I came up with three. Three options of people who were familiar with or experts in the use of heavy ordnance, who Chase succeeded in convicting, but were subsequently released once he was exposed for being a psycho… Thomas Nadir Thompkins (Ticks off the name with one finger) - convicted of terrorist acts using sticks of actual dynamite. Apparently he took his initials seriously… Stanley Labowski (Ticks off a second finger) - also a terrorist, but more of an anarchist, fond of using grenades. And Alex Faust (Ticks off the third finger) - locked up for murder via building demolition.”
Dinah: “Sounds like we have three suspects.”
Felicity (shaking her head): “The first guy, TNT – I can’t believe I’m using that code name.”
Oliver: “Cisco would be proud.”
Felicity: “TNT is currently serving time in a Texas prison for attempting to blow up a national monument, and Labowski is so very dead after the Gotham PD stopped him from blowing up Gotham City Hall. So Alex Faust is our guy – the only one MIA and unaccounted for.”
Oliver: “What’s his story?” 
Felicity: “Gimme a minute. (Spins her chair back to the computer screen behind her and begins reading) Apparently Alex Faust is insane.”
Diggle: “We know that. He blows things up for fun.”
Felicity: “Not just for fun. Apparently he was the lead expert on a controlled demolition team, working for Brick Droppers, Inc. – no, I did not just make that up – when he… oh….” (Her voice trails off to nothing)
(Oliver moves beside her and his hand drops gently on her shoulder as he leans down to read what stopped her.)
Rene: “What?” 
(Oliver takes a deep breath and stands straight. It is a long moment before he turns and speaks.)
Oliver: “In the setup to demolish a condemned high-rise, someone didn’t do due diligence, and a group of children snuck inside to play. They were in there when Faust detonated the charges, collapsing the building and killing them all.”
Dinah: “That’s awful.”
Diggle: “What are you not saying?” 
(Oliver doesn’t answer. Felicity gets out of her chair and stands next to him, her hip on his, just barely touching. Curtis looks from Oliver to Diggle and back.)
Curtis: “Ummm, what’s going on here?”
Sara: “Oliver isn’t telling us something. He always gets that squint in his left eye when he doesn’t want to tell you something.”
(Curtis, Rene, and Dinah all lean forward slightly, studying their leader’s face.)
Oliver: “Three of the children were Faust’s. It broke him, and he began using his skills to wreak havoc.’
Diggle and Rene (simultaneously, thinking of their own children): “Damn.” 
Oliver: “It’s tragic, but we can’t let it matter. We can’t allow ourselves the luxury of sympathy. He almost killed a lot of people at Dearden Tower, and he has to be stopped before he hurts a lot more. If Chase chose him as a weapon, then something big is on the horizon. It’s up to us to stop it.”
Rene: “We’ll all do our job, Hoss, but…”
Oliver (slashing the air with his hand): “No ‘buts.’ We take him down. Priority number one. (Looks from face to face, waiting for each of them to nod or give some other hint of agreement) Felicity, I want everything on Faust. Dig as deep as possible and find me any information that could point to where he’ll strike next.”
Felicity (nodding): “On it. I’ll look for some connection that links him to you as mayor, Oliver, or Green Arrow. Since Chase still is pulling the strings, I’ll bet there is one.”
Oliver: “Good idea. Diggle, go see if Lyla will let you shake A.R.G.U.S. for information. She has some resources we don’t.”
Diggle: “Any excuse to see my wife.”
Oliver: “Rene, take Curtis to the street and kick the dirt until something comes to light.”
Curtis (frowning): “Wouldn’t I be better helping Felicity?” 
Oliver: “She’s got it – go and learn with Rene.”
Rene: “C’mon, man. (Jerks his head toward the armory) Let’s go suit up and I’ll teach you how to get information.” 

June 2017, Chapter 9 – Oliver gives Dinah her own Black Canary suit; and Sara accepts Dinah as the new Black Canary:
Oliver: “Dinah, wait. I’ve got something I’d like to show you.”
(Dinah turns back. Oliver steps off the dais, followed closely by Dinah. They walk over to the end of the armory where the costumes hang in tall cylinders. One on the end stands closed, the outside a map of smooth lines and small lights. Sara puts her elbows on the rail of the dais, leaning forward, and watches closely. Oliver turns, making sure he has Dinah’s undivided attention. He speaks, his words low enough that only she can hear. She looks at the cylinder, awe raw on her face. Oliver touches a switch and the cylinder rotates, opening to reveal its contents. When he speaks, Sara can hear him again.)
Oliver (gesturing to the cylinder): “I thought it was time you stopped getting shot at in just a leather jacket.”
(Inside the cylinder is a sleek tactical suit – boots, pants, jerkin, gauntlets, and a mask that looks like the one Dinah wears currently. Yet somehow, through some magic of design, the uniform looks even tougher, almost mean in profile. Intimidating. The entire suit looks intimidating, Sara thinks. It is sleek, with mesh-covered plates form-fitted over striking and defensive surfaces like the forearms and the shins. Buckles and straps reinforce the joints and quilted Kevlar cover vital areas like the kidneys. Dinah’s eye follows it all, analyzing the structure of it. It is the perfect compromise of protection and mobility. It has a style designed to intimidate anyone she goes up against, and to instill confidence in anyone she tries to help.)
*  *  *
Dinah: “Are you sure?”
Oliver: “You’re the Black Canary.”
Dinah: “I’m not Laurel or Sar –“
Oliver: “No, you’re not. But you are a vital part of this team, and a worthy carrier of the title. You’re a symbol to the criminals and their victims.”
(The weight of the legacy falls on her. Dinah hadn’t known Laurel Lance, but she’d been working more with her father, Quentin Lance, who opened up about his daughter from time to time. Especially after their run-in with Black Siren - the Earth-2 version of Laurel – and she saw how the mention of Laurel affected Oliver and Felicity. Yet this is her costume. Her uniform.)
*  *  *
Dinah (looking Oliver in the eye): “I’ll do everything I can to live up to the legacy.”
Oliver (smiling): “You already have.”
(Oliver looks past Dinah and she suddenly feels that tingle between her shoulders that means someone is watching. She turns to find Sara watching. Sara, now known as White Canary, was Laurel’s sister and the first person to be Black Canary. Sara nods. Dinah can’t wait to wear the uniform.)
*  *  *
Felicity: “She’ll do well – already has been doing well.”
Sara (turning to her): “I saw her in action yesterday at that building fire. She’s got skills.”
Felicity: “You’re okay with this?”
Sara (letting the thought slide over her): “I am. She’s good, and it’s not like Laurel can be Black Canary.”
(Felicity’s look grows intense, to the point where it is almost uncomfortable.)
Sara: “What?”
Felicity: “Ummm, you should probably talk to your father.”
Sara: “Why is that?”
Oliver (joining them on the dais): “Because you should. He should be the one to talk about Laurel being gone. You could both use it.”
Sara: “I’m fine, actually.”
(Sara’s mind turns back to her conversation with Laurel – in the afterlife through the Spear of Destiny.)
Oliver: “Then it could be good for him.”

June 2017, Chapter 9 – Oliver tells Felicity that he wants to finish their earlier conversation:
(Oliver reaches out and puts his hand on Felicity’s arm, fingers landing gently on her wrist.)
Oliver: “I have to go check on William. Keep tabs on everyone.”
Felicity: “Will do.” 
(She looks down at Oliver’s hand staying on her wrist. It is a casual touch but feels more… intimate than that. He leans in close.)
Oliver (low voiced): “I want to finish our conversation, as well.”
(Felicity nods, her throat tight, and glances at Sara, who watches them with her eyebrow cocked and a slanted smile on her face.)
Oliver: “Thank you for helping.” (Walks away)
(After Oliver is far enough away, Sara turns and stares pointedly at Felicity.)
Felicity (flustered, but smiling): “Oh… Wipe that grin off your face.”

June 2017, Chapter 13 – After tracking Faust’s location to a freighter in the harbor, Rene is late to the team rendezvous:
Oliver: “Any word from Wild Dog?” 
Felicity: “He responded, but nothing since.”

June 2017, Chapter 14 – As Overwatch, Felicity helps Team Arrow while they’re on the freighter fighting bad guys and pursuing Faust:
Oliver (over comms): “Overwatch, an idea how many we could be dealing with down below?”
Felicity (over comms): “The ship hull is too dense to get any type of satellite imaging, except that a lot of heat is being generated in the cargo hold. Judging from the schematic, you can get to it just too decks down.”
*  *  *
(Abruptly the ship’s motors rev, the deck vibrating under Team Arrow’s feet.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “You should be coming up on the cargo bay hatch.”
Oliver (over comms): “We see it, Overwatch.”
*  *  *
Oliver: “Overwatch and Mister Terrific. Disarm that device.” 
Felicity (over comms): “On it.”
(Curtis nods.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “Guys, let me know when you’re in position.”
(It drives Felicity crazy to have access only to voice, but there are no cameras on site, and no way for any satellite to pick them up through the hull of a moving freighter. Though blind, she has to make it work. She takes another swig of coffee that has gone cold, oily, and bitter. Her face twists but she keeps staring at the screens in front of her, fervently wishing she can just see what is happening.)

June 2017, Chapter 15 – Felicity and Curtis try to disarm Faust’s explosive device:
Felicity (over comms): “What does it look like?”
Curtis: “Um. (Looks down at the inside of the device on the table) It looks like a psycho built this.”
Felicity (over comms): “What do you mean?” 
Curtis: “Oh, sorry, hold on a moment. (Pulls out his T-spheres, tosses them up, where they hover, one scanning the device, the other filming) You should have live feeds now.”
Felicity (over comms): “Ah, got them. Wait… Is that a Hamilton 308 bomb timer device?”
Curtis: “It is.”
Felicity (over comms): “And an acid battery relay?”
Curtis: “Yep.”
Felicity (over comms): “And a cell phone detonator?”
Curtis: “Yep.”
Felicity (over comms): “Wow, an old flip-style burner phone. Way to go hipster retro style there… What is that plate thing there?” 
Curtis: “That is a pressure switch, circa World War Two.”
Felicity (over comms): “German?”
(Curtis shakes his head before remembering she can’t see the motion, since the T-sphere is focused on the device and not on him.)
Curtis: “British. From a limpet bomb, I believe. I mean I know it is, ‘cause I wrote a paper on them in World History in the eleventh grade.”
Felicity (over comms): “Those old bombs they used to magnetically adhere to the undersides of boats?”
Curtis: “The same.”
Felicity (over comms): “Whoa. And I thought the flip phone was retro.”
Curtis: “He wired all of them together. Like I said, psycho.”
Felicity (over comms): “So if one goes, they all go?”
Curtis: “Looks like…” (Something nags at him)
Felicity (over comms): “What’s wrong? I can hear something is wrong.”
Curtis: “Where is the clock?”
Felicity (over comms): “Don’t you see it?”
Curtis: “No, there is no clock. You don’t put this much work into something like this unless there’s a countdown. That’s one of the things psychos want most, to have everyone watching closely as they get blown up.”
Felicity (over comms): “I’ve read Faust’s file. He does things for show. He will have a clock.”
Curtis: “There’s not one here. I’m looking at digital interfacing with analog hooked up to mechanical, and none of it has a timer.”
(One of the klieg lights overhead blinks out. Curtis looks around. Oliver, Sara and Rene are still fighting Faust’s thugs. A red dot appears on the front of the device.)
Curtis: “I think we may have found our timer.”
(Another klieg goes out.)

June 2017, Chapter 16 – After discovering the klieg lights are the countdown to the bombs exploding, Team Arrow barely escapes the freighter before it blows up:
(Three klieg lights burn overhead.)
Oliver: “The lights are tied into the bombs?”
Felicity (over comms): “We think they are the countdown.”
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “At present speed, you hit the Cape in four minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”
Oliver: “How much explosive is this?”
(No one says anything.)
Curtis: “Oh, you mean me? Right. (Scans the stacks, tallying mentally) Assuming standard weight and consistency of –“
Oliver (growling): “How much?” 
Curtis: “Looks like approximately six tons.”
Oliver: “Overwatch?”
Felicity (over comms): “One sec. (There’s a pause as she calculates) That much explosive will turn the ship into shrapnel. Anything past two minutes from now and there will be injuries. Probably 25% at that point. Every second after, multiply by 10% ‘til you reach 100.”
*  *  *
Oliver (pointing to the center of the device): “Is that the pressure switch from a limpet bomb?”
Curtis: “How did –“
Felicity (over comms): “Yes.” 
Oliver: “That will detonate?”
Felicity (over comms): “Yes.”
(Oliver motions Curtis toward the open cargo hold door. The room is clear, except for them.)
Oliver: “Let’s go. (Touches the comms, sending his voice out to the entire team) Everybody off the boat and get as far from it as you can. Go now – we’ll catch up.”
(Another klieg light snuffs out as they run across the room.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “Ninety seconds to the threshold.”
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms, her voice tight with worry): “Thirty seconds.”

(Continued)

Edited March 13, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

July 2017, Chapter 1 – Oliver and Felicity have an Olicity moment while alone in the Arrow Bunker:
(Oliver and Felicity are alone in the Arrow Bunker, eating dinner after working late. Felicity fiddles with the chopsticks in her hand, moving them between her fingers, rubbing them together, clicking the tips of them against her napkin. She’s doing everything but eating the sushi on the plate in front of her.)
Oliver: “What’s on your mind?” 
Felicity (jumping): “What? Oh, nothing.”
Oliver: “Felicity.”
Felicity (glancing up and then back down at her plate): "I'm always uncomfortable with chopsticks. I mean, I know how to use them. (Quirks her mouth) Actually, I know how to use them to take someone out if we were attacked."
Oliver (almost smiling): "I know. I taught you that.”
Felicity: “Did you know that in Japan they don’t use chopsticks to eat sushi?”
Oliver: “I did know that.”
Felicity: “They don’t use them to take people out, either.”
Oliver (actually smiling): “That’s not true. Where do you think I learned how to do it?”
Felicity (looking at him with narrowed eyes): “I’m not sure you’re actually joking.”
Oliver: “I am. I learned the chopstick technique in Russia.”
Felicity (leaning forward, lowering her voice): “Let me get this straight, Oliver Queen. You’re telling me the criminal underworld in Russia eats sushi?”
Oliver (leaning forward, lowering his voice to match hers): “They love it. Sushi and vodka.”
Felicity (sitting back and making a face): “Ugh, now you’ve ruined it for me.”
(Oliver laughs loudly and smiles widely, enjoying the banter. It has been far too long since he and Felicity had dinner alone. Most meals were captured things, food eaten between other activities, not something to be enjoyed. This, tonight, feels strange in its normality.)
Oliver: “Would you like to order something else?”
Felicity (shaking her head): “No, but I will not be having any vodka. (Places her chopsticks on the napkin) And I am eating this the traditional way.” (Picks up a piece of sushi between her fingers, and pops it into her mouth)
Oliver: “Why, Miss Smoak, I think you have that technique down.”
Felicity: “Thank you very much, Mr. Queen.”
Oliver: “Please, no need to be so formal. Call me Mayor Queen.”
(The laugh bursts out of her, taking her whole face.)
Oliver: "You truly are stunning.”
(The seriousness of his tone stops her short. The mood between them shifts, going from light and cheer-filled to something, not exactly darker, but weighted with potential. Her hands touch her dress, fluttering under the intensity of his gaze.)
Felicity: "It's new."
Oliver (flatly): "Not the dress. It is lovely, but I meant what I said. You are stunning."
(Her cheeks grow warm but she holds his gaze, unable to turn from it, unwilling to break that connection.)
Felicity: "You clean up pretty good yourself."
(The Bunker falls away, leaving nothing but the two of them and their history together. The tangled and complicated story of them that ties them together and keeps them apart, things that were done, things that were said, things that were  forgiven, and things that don’t need to be. Tonight they are something neither of them has experienced before.)
Oliver (thinking to himself): “They say the words ‘once in a lifetime’ so easily.”
Felicity (her voice full of affection): "Oliver.”
Oliver: "Felicity."
(The sharp chime of his phone splits the moment like an ax through bone. The magic siphons away as he reaches for it, leaving them both awkward and emotionally raw. Unable to resist, he reads the text. She watches his face and recognizes the look on it.)
Felicity: “What’s wrong?”
Oliver: “I’m sorry, I have to go. (Draws away, the moment completely gone) It’s William.”
*  *  *
Oliver (thinking to himself): “What should I do?”
(If only he brought Felicity with him. She was awkward with people sometimes, but her good-heartedness would've shown through, would have set William at ease.
Oliver doesn’t have a good heart to shine through. He made himself a vessel of violence, of vengeance. But a traumatized boy, his traumatized son, can’t be dealt with using fists and arrows and brutality.)

July 2017, Chapter 4 – We get Felicity’s perspective on watching Oliver work out on the salmon ladder; and Oliver gets the idea to ask Raisa for help with William:
(Some mornings it pays to get to work early. Early being relative, since so much of fighting crime happens at night. Criminals and the cover of darkness and all that.
Felicity has been running various data spreads to try and pinpoint some kind of activity initiated by Faust. So far, he’s been a complete ghost. Someone hiding this long from her is unacceptable, and thus she’s been coming into the Arrow Bunker early to adjust the parameters and to keep everything going smoothly. In doing so, she discovers that Oliver is also using the early morning time… to work out. When he is really frustrated, he works out harder than normal, driving himself to the edge of his ability, working his body until every muscle had been hit. Flexing and stretching until he glistens with sweat. She sips her coffee and watches. He is on the salmon ladder. She loves the salmon ladder. Doesn’t care too much for actual salmon. It’s fine and all – why does everyone want to put lemon on fish? – but their ladders are a sight to behold. Oliver pulls himself up, cable-like muscles flexing, twisting under his skin. He swings and jerks, using sheer strength to power his way up to the next set of hooks. Once there, he does a series of pull-ups on the bar. It takes a lot of core strength. Core strength she can see with the bunching of his abs, the tautness of his hip flexors standing out like cables. Cables down which she ran her fingers not that long ago. She takes another sip of coffee. At the top, he does a pull-up that turns into a full press, lifting himself hallway over the bar itself. He hangs there, in space, a carving of all things masculine. The light falls on him from above, catching the highlight of each muscle and casting a deep ridge of shadow underneath them. It takes her a long moment to swallow her coffee. She can tell when he spots her because he drops down, landing lightly like a cat, and moves toward her. Still buzzing on the adrenaline generated by his exercise, his movements have a pantherish grace, all liquid power and languid motion. She forgets about her coffee.)
Oliver: “Sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be in this early.”
Felicity (casually): “Oh, it’s fine. I’m not complaining.” (Thinking, really not complaining)
(Oliver leans close to her and picks up a towel that was draped over the rail beside where she stands. He is so close she can feel the warmth pouring off his body, the heat of movement. It makes her head go a little wonky for a moment. He pulls back and begins drying off, and she pulls herself back together. She watches him, paying attention. She loves his body, but it is Oliver's face that captures her every time. It is a strong face, one made for scowling - which intensifies his eyes, but generally it holds more than a trace she thinks of a lost little boy. This morning though, his features appear haggard. The circles under his eyes are too dark, his stubble too solid, and his mouth is a hard line.)
Felicity: “You look like hell.”
Oliver (frowning): “Um… thanks?”
Felicity: “I mean, you look fit. (Bites her lip, stares at his abs, muttering) Like, really, really fit. (Keeps staring until he reaches for another towel, which movement breaks her concentration, making her look back up at his face) You haven’t been sleeping.”
Oliver: “How do you know that?”
Felicity: “I know what you look like when you get a good night’s sleep.”
Oliver (after pause): “Yes, I suppose you do.” 
(The intensity of his look and the intimacy of his voice makes the back of her neck warm.)
Felicity: “Um, why aren’t you sleeping?”
Oliver: “It’s William.”
Felicity: “Was it bad the other night?”
Oliver: “He’s… (Sighs and moves to lean on the console, near enough to touch her if he wants) He’s been through a lot.”
Felicity: “I know how that feels. (Regretting her words the moment she says them) I mean, I can imagine how it feels, I don’t know how it feels. I mean my mom is still alive. In fact, she’s due to visit again soon, that won’t be awkward or anything… (Stops talking, feeling the mask of horror on her face) Oh, God, I just made the death of your son’s mother about me – I’m a horrible person. I suck. I am the worst.”
Oliver: “Felicity, it’s okay. I understand.”
Felicity (thinking to herself): “Change the subject.”
Felicity:  “Is he getting better?”
Oliver: “Some. He still has trouble sleeping. And he’s angry.”
(Felicity makes a face.)
Oliver: “What?” 
Felicity: “Well, he is your son.”
Oliver: “I was a lot like him at his age. (His eyes drift up and over her shoulder) My parents didn’t know what to do with me.”
Felicity: “Really?”
Oliver (nodding): “I almost got shipped away to military school.”
Felicity: “Oh, that would have gone over well. You do so well with authority.”
Oliver: “I don’t have a problem with authority.”
Felicity (smiling): “As long as you’re the authority. What kept you from being sent away?”
Oliver (firmly, definitively): “Raisa. She was my nanny as a child, and my only true friend. My growing up wasn’t exactly child-friendly.”
Felicity: “But Raisa made it better?”
Oliver: “She saved me.”
Felicity: “And William is just like you were?”
Oliver: “It’s… frightening how much we’re the same.”
Felicity (shrugging): “Sounds like you know what to do.”
Oliver (considering it): “I wonder if Raisa would be willing to come help.”
Felicity: “If she’s family, she will help your son. (Reaches out and puts her hand on his arm) You should put your energy into helping William. And once he’s better, we can talk about that thing that we don’t talk about because we need to talk about it. (Her eyebrows pull together tightly) You do know what thing I’m talking about that we aren’t talking about, right?”
Oliver (reassuring her): “I do.”
Felicity (smiling): “Good!  Because I wasn’t sure, with all the talking, not talking about the thing. (Pulls herself back on track) But I’m here, not going anywhere, perfectly patient to talk about the not-talked-about-thing when William is better.”
Oliver: "Felicity Smoak – (Leans in and gives her a quick kiss on the cheek) - you are too good to me." (Turns away)
Felicity (quietly, as she watches him walk away): “I am, you know.”
(Oliver still hasn’t put a shirt on.)

July 2017, Chapter 6 – Quentin and Sara talk about Donna Smoak and about Dinah becoming the new Black Canary; and Quentin tells Sara about the existence of Black Siren: 
(Sara and Quentin are drinking coffee at Jitters.)
Sara: “So how’s Dinah working out?”
Quentin: “Dinah? Dinah’s great. Solid cop, reliable, trustworthy. Smart as a whip. She’s one of the good ones.”
Sara: “And how’s life outside the office? You can’t spend every hour of every day worrying about the people around you – you need some time for yourself, too. Have you got any… you know, prospects?”
Quentin: “Prospects?”
Sara: “Yeah, like someone you can hang around with in the real world.”
Quentin: “I’m too busy.”
Sara: “C’mon, Dad, surely there’s someone you at least have your eye on.”
Quentin (firmly, almost harshly): “Stop. It’s not like that. Besides, I’m… (Hesitates) Well, I’m still hung up on Donna.”
Sara: “Donna?”
Quentin: “Donna Smoak.”
Sara: “Felicity’s mom?”
(Quentin nods and takes a sip of his coffee to cover the embarrassment at discussing his love life, or lack thereof, with his daughter.)
Sara (smirking): “Well, if Felicity is any indication, then way to go, Dad.”
Quentin: “According to Donna, Felicity takes after her dad, but Donna’s a knockout.”
Sara: “What happened with you two?”
Quentin: “You know, this thing we all do. It’s too dangerous to have people close to you.”
*  *  *
Sara: “You know, if you get another chance with her, you should take it.”
Quentin: “I can’t.”
(Sara puts her hand on his, getting his full attention.)
Sara: “I haven’t seen that look in your eye… (Swallows the words “since Mom”) … in a long time. I bet Felicity didn’t get her fierceness from just her dad. Bring her in, tell her what really happens here, andlet her decide if you two can be a thing.”
Quentin: “I can’t do that.”
Sara: “You could quit.”
Quentin: “What”
Sara: “Walk away from this, if love is on the line.”
(Quentin sits back, looking deep into his cup of coffee as he considers her words.)
Quentin: “I don’t think I can at this point.”
Sara: “I understand.)
*  *  *
Quentin: “Do you really want to ask about my dating life?”
Sara: “No, not just that, at least. I wanted to talk about Dinah becoming Black Canary.”
(Quentin’s head jerks left than right, looking all around to see if anyone had heard her. Dozens of people surround them. All of them who are in groups, even just pairs, are deep in their own conversations. Anyone who is alone has ear buds and their phone, listening to music or watching a video or connecting over social media.)
Sara: “Relax, Dad, nobody’s paying attention.”
Quentin: “You never know in this town.”
Sara: “Okay, relax, Dad. I’m paying attention and nobody is listening to us.”
Quentin: “Okay.”
Sara: “Did you know Oliver made her the official replacement?”
Quentin: “I did, and it’s the right thing for him to do. I mean, you can’t argue with the choice. She’s the perfect fit, even has the canary cry and everything.”
Sara: “He had her a uniform made.”
Quentin (frowning, but only for a brief moment): “Oh. So she’s even going to look the part.”
Sara: “She does.”
Quentin: “That’s good. That’s right.”
Sara: “I just want to make sure it’s really okay.” (Reaches out to him, taking his hand across the table)
Quentin: “Is it okay with you?”
Sara (nodding): “It is. I’ve seen her in action, in the costume and everything. It’s like she’s always been Black Canary. Not that anyone can replace Laurel.”
(They both go silent for a moment, lost in their own memories of Laurel. One as a sister, the other as a daughter, both of a strong, complicated woman they missed terribly.)
Sara: “I saw her.”
Quentin (frowning deeply): “You mean, you saw her in the past, with that Legends thing you’re doing?”
Sara (shaking her head): “No, not quite. It’s – it’s hard to explain. There was an alternate timeline made by the Spear of Destiny and –“
Quentin: “Wait. You saw an alternate version of Laurel?”
Sara (firmly): “It was Laurel. She, well, she came to me. I don’t know everything, but I think she’s fine with Dinah taking her mantle.”
(A tear trickles from the corner of Quentin’s eye.)
Sara: “It’s okay, Dad. That’s what I’m saying, it’s okay.”
Quentin (wiping his cheek): “It’s not. I mean it is, with what you said, but –“
Sara: “But what?”
Quentin: “There’s another Laurel.”
Sara: “What?”
Quentin: “We’ve got another Laurel running around here.”
Sara: “Explain.”
Quentin: “I don’t know how, some Earth-2 thing or something. I just know your sister is here, but it isn’t her.”
Sara: “Where is she? Should we go see her? I know it’s not her, but –“
Quentin: “She’s evil, honey. This new Laurel is bad.”
Sara: “Laurel has an evil twin fro an alternate world?”
Quentin: “I guess so. A doppelganger, or whatever you call it.”
(Sara sits there for a long moment.)
Quentin: “I’ve thought a lot about it. You remember, your sister had her demons. Hell, I think both of you girls got that from me, things you have to fight.”
Sara: “Dad –“
Quentin: “Let me finish. I don’t know what this other Laurel went through before coming here, but it put her on the bad side. I don’t know if she can be brought back. She’s not our Laurel.”
Sara: “Maybe, maybe she could be redeemed. (Thinks about her own past, the things she has done, things she can’t be proud of, things that she should ashamed of) People can change. We know they can.”
(Quentin doesn’t say anything. He takes a sip of his coffee, making a face.)
Sara: “What? Tell me what you’re not telling me.”
Quentin: “You know that thing on that island?”
Sara: “The thing that has all of you shaken, even now?”
Quentin: “Yeah. (Rubs his hand over his head, stalling) She was there, this other Laurel.”
(Sara just waits, letting her father come to whatever he is trying to tell her.)
Quentin: “I shot her. (Looks up, not crying but with wet eyes) She was going to kill Dinah and, even though I knew it wasn’t my baby girl, it was still my baby girl and I shot her like an animal.” (Tears stream freely)
Sara: “Dad, it’s okay. You had to do what you did.”
Quentin: “You don’t understand.”
Sara: “I know, but it’s okay.”
Quentin (his voice empty, as hollow as his heart): “It’s not. I left her there and then the island exploded. It just exploded into a fiery deathtrap. (Puts his face in his hands, his voice barely audible now) I left my baby girl there to burn to ashes.”

July 2017, Chapter 7 – Oliver and Felicity meet with Diggle and Lyla:
(Felicity pushes past a group of fresh-out-of-high-schoolers and steps into the middle of Big Belly Burger’s lobby. She looks around until she sees Diggle waving at her. Moving quickly, she arrives at the table for four. Diggle pulls a chair out for her and she sits across from Lyla.)
Felicity: “Oliver is running a few minutes behind.”
Diggle (smiling): “Of course he is.”
Lyla (smiling): “I think the only thing Oliver is ever on time for involves a hood and arrows.” 
Felicity: “No comment. But I concede your point. Not this time, though. He’s still having issues with William.”
(Diggle and Lyla share a knowing look. Felicity doesn’t say anything. She knows her friends mean nothing by it, but the smug exclusion really chafes at her. She doesn’t spend a lot of time thinking about kids – well, lately she has, not kids in general though, but one kid in particular. She has thought long and hard about William, not just worrying over him because he is Oliver’s son, but considering what William might mean to whatever she and Oliver have. Felicity already feels bad about her feelings, no matter which way they fall at any given moment. Thinking about William doesn’t help. The waitress appears with a tray of cups and begins setting them on the table.)
Lyla: “We ordered a round of orange sodas.”
(Felicity picks hers up and takes a sip, the carbonation making her nose tickle.)
Felicity: “I love orange soda.”
Oliver (arriving): “Did someone say ‘orange soda’?”
Felicity: “How did things go?”
Oliver: “It went well, very well. Raisa will be as good for William as she was for me. (Looks at Diggle and Lyla) Sorry I’m late.”
(They both wave away his concerns.)
Oliver: “Have we ordered?” 
Lyla: “No. (Waves over the waitress) But we can now.”
(It only takes a moment for everyone to order their regular favorites. The waitress leaves and they are back to being by themselves in the busy restaurant. They laugh around the table, enjoying each other’s company. The same as the other patrons of Big Belly Burger are doing that very evening around them. No, they aren’t accountants, or software analysts, or welders, or retail clerks. They are two vigilantes, a chaotic good hacker, and the head of a secret government agency that deals with metahuman crime and terrorism. Yet their easy laughter is the same as the people around them. It feels… right. And then the conversation does what conversations inevitably do when adults spend time together. It turns to work.)
Lyla: “John tells me you have a copycat.”
(Oliver frowns.)
Felicity: “He’s not happy about it.”
Lyla: “I can see that. (Laughs) You should never play high stakes poker, Oliver.”
Diggle (putting his arm around his wife): “Didn’t Dinah talk to the vic?”
(Oliver nods.)
Diggle: “What did she say?”
Oliver: “Apparently the copycat is looking to do something with the drug trade in the city.”
Diggle: “Taking it over?” 
Oliver: “She doesn’t think so. She thinks he’s targeting the upper-level distributors. I trust her judgment, but…” (Lets sentence trail off)
Felicity: “She definitely has the experience to know. That’s why you sent her in.”
Oliver: “True. She said he attacked this Mr. Chavis to get information.”
Diggle: “Did he get any?” 
Felicity: “He gave up someone named Manny Cross.” F
(Felicity and Lyla shift in their seats. Oliver looks from one to the other.)
Oliver: “You know that name?” 
Felicity: “It’s come up when I was researching the influx of drugs in Star City.”
Lyla: “Manny Cross has been on A.R.G.U.S.’s radar for a hot minute. We don’t have cause to take action, but it’s only a matter of time. (Looks sideways at Felicity) I’m surprised you don’t know more about him.”
Felicity (looking down at her napkin, as she begins tearing at it): “Why would you think that?”
Lyla: “I just assumed you read our files.”
Felicity (her cheeks growing warm): “Um… I try not to hack our allies’ systems.”
Lyla: “That’s very… polite of you.”
Felicity: “I said ‘try.’ Remember that, if your cyber-security guys do a deep check on your systems.”
Lyla (smiling): “Well, if you find anything too easy to get past, let me know so I can send a message to IT.”
Diggle: “What did Dinah recommend we do about the copycat?” 
Oliver: “Nothing. She thinks like you.”
Lyla (looking at her husband): “How do you think the copycat should be handled?”
Diggle: “I think he should be left to do his work. Maybe even brought in to work with the team.”
Felicity (turning to Oliver): “You don’t think that’s a good idea? (Shakes her head) Wait, of course you don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Lyla: “Wouldn’t a new vigilante just help the cause? If he’s skilled and needs discipline, perhaps A.R.G.U.S. should scoop him up. I can always use an effective agent, and you know he will be disciplined.”
Oliver: “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Diggle: “Oliver is mad that someone’s biting his style.”
Felicity: “No. (Shakes her head again) He’s bothered by the fact that he inspired someone else to go all Dirty Harry.”
Oliver: “Death Wish is a more apt analogy.”
Felicity: “Is that the one with the guy in the hat?”
Oliver (smiling): “That’s Billy Jack.”
Felicity: “Then the one with the ponytail?”
Oliver: “No.”
Felicity: “It doesn’t matter. You get my point.”
Lyla: “What I don’t understand is why being an inspiration would bother you. You did it for the team you have now. You’ve done it in the past. This just seems like another in a long line.”
Oliver: “Something about this one just seems almost… sinister. I don’t know why, but I don’t think this guy is on the same side of the law as us.”
Diggle: “He was pretty brutal in dealing with the victim."
(He reaches for his drink, but his hand shakes, splashing orange soda up onto the back of it and over to the table. He sets the cup down quickly.)
Felicity: “Are you okay?” 
Diggle: “It’s just caffeine. (Moves his hand off the table to his lap) I had an extra-large Flash with double-speed force shots at Jitters.”
(Oliver is about to question his friend when Lyla’s phone begins to vibrate. Within seconds, all their phones begin sounding alarms.)
Felicity: “I guess we should get this food to go.”
 
(Continued)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

July 2017, Chapter 8 – As Overwatch, Felicity helps Team Arrow when they fight Faust’s minions at the Papa Legbone music concert during the Star City Blues Festival:
Felicity (over comms): ”Hit these guys hard. A.R.G.U.S. is so sweetly batting cleanup, so they’ll gather any bad guys you put down. They’ll also handle the civilian evacuation. All Team Arrow has to do is fight the forces of evil. (Pauses) Wow, that was melodramatic. Accurate, but way over the top. Sorry guys.”
*  *  *
(Team Arrow gathers by the stage to touch base. Rene looks out at the field, watching A.R.G.U.S. agents lead away the last of the mercenaries.)
Rene: “I like this backup thing. Maybe they can bat cleanup for us all the time.”
Felicity (over comms): “Not likely. But we may be able to call them anytime there’s a hostage situation, or a demolitions expert gone bad.”
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “His GPS tracker puts him in the corridors of the stadium behind the stage.”
Rene: “What’s he doing?” 
Felicity (over comms): “He’s not answering his comms. But he’s moving fast.”
(From somewhere deep behind the stage a low rumble rolls out.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “Tell me something as soon as you can, guys.”
Diggle: “Will do.”
*  *  *
Dinah: “Overwatch, we have Green Arrow. He’s alive.”
Felicity (over comms): “What is his status?”
Diggle: “You okay, brother?”
Oliver (taking his time sitting up): “Do you have Faust?”
Dinah: “He seems fine. Banged up but okay.”
Felicity (over comms, whispering): “Oh, dear God, thank you.”    
Rene: “Looks like Faust got away.”

August 2017, Chapter 1 – Felicity and Curtis search for the copycat vigilante, and Felicity finally identifies him as Arthur Hallsey:
Curtis: “This guy doesn’t exist. He’s like the Invisible Man.”
(Felicity turns to Curtis, who hunched over a keyboard on the other end of the computer console. He sips a fruit drink in a silver pouch made for kids. His hands click the keys on the keyboard as he stares at the computer screen.)
Felicity: “Okay, first of all, we don’t have an Invisible Man.”
Curtis: “We don’t?”
Felicity: “Nope. A Nuclear Man, yes, and Barry and Cisco have an invisible woman. Doctor Light.”
Curtis: “Seriously?” 
(Felicity nods.)
Curtis: “I’d kill to be able to be invisible. That would be hella cool.”
Felicity: “Not as cool as flying.”
Curtis: “True. Our guy here can’t fly, but he might as well not exist.”
Felicity: “He has to exist – we have his fingerprints. And Curtis, seriously, move back away from the computer. You’re going to get cathode ray burn on your eyelids.”
Curtis: “First of all, I’ve run that print through the NCIC database, the SCBI database, Interpol, and Run DMC, and found nothing.”
Felicity: “Run DMC is a hip hop group, not a database.”
Curtis: “Hip hop legend. Just making sure you were paying attention. (Picks up his juice pouch and takes another sip) Secondly though, this is an LCD screen, it doesn’t emit cathode rays. That’s a CRT monitor, which has never been seen in a state-of-the-art secret base like the Arrowcave –“
Felicity: “Oliver hates when we call it that.”
Curtis: “And yet we continue to do so. But LCD screens only put out low-level EMF fields which are, mostly, harmless.”
Felicity: “Nerd.”
Curtis: “Geek.”
Dinah (from behind them): “Easy with the insults there, people.  I’m going to think you two can’t work together.” 
(She climbs the stairs that lead up to the dais, toweling off from the workout she just completed in the Bunker’s gym.)
Curtis: “Oh, we were just blowing off steam. We get along fine, it’s just how we -”
Dinah (smiling): “Blow off steam? Take it easy. I was just yanking your chain, Curtis.”
Curtis (laughing): “Oh, okay.” 
Dinah: “Any luck tracking down our copycat?”
Felicity (shaking her head): “He doesn’t come up in any criminal database at all.”
Dinah: “You’ve tried them all?”
Felicity: “All one hundred and forty-three of them.”
Dinah (leaning against the rail): “There are that many?” 
Felicity: “If you include international.”
Dinah: “Which you did?”
Curtis (nodding): “Even the Markovian crime database.”
Dinah: “Well, there may be your problem.”
Curtis (frowning): “The problem might be that he isn’t a Markovian criminal?”
Felicity (shooting up in her chair): “Ah! Ah! What an idiot I am. (Spins and begins typing) Our problem is that he might not be a criminal at all.”
Curtis: “Wow. That makes so much sense.”
Felicity: “Dinah, you’re a genius.”
Dinah (waving away the praise): “Not a genius, just a really good detective.”
Felicity: “Got him!” 
Curtis: “Is he Markovian?”
Felicity (shoots him a look and begins reading): “Arthur Hallsey, father of two, lives in – lives in a nice suburban neighborhood. Owns a car and a boat, not too extended on his credit cards, bit of money in the bank, I.T. technician, which explains how he knows where the action is. (Looks up) This guy is so straight-laced he doesn’t even have a parking citation.”
Dinah: “Maybe the system mismatched his fingerprints.”
(Felicity and Curtis laugh in unison.)
Dinah: “Okay, maybe this guy had the gun, and it was stolen and used by someone else.”
Curtis: “Nope. There’d be a police report, if that were the case. Guy like that would report it.”
Dinah: “If he isn’t a gun nut, then he might not even know it’s gone. Lot of people have a gun for protection, and just put it in the closet or between the mattresses and forget about it. If it were stolen, they wouldn’t know until it popped for being used in a crime.”
Felicity: “Maybe. But Arthur Hallsey did order a paintball mask, several green hoodies, and – the nail in a rather circumstantial coffin, I will admit – a bulletproof vest.”
Dinah (pushing off the rail): “Good enough for me. Text me his address, and I’ll pick him up for questioning.”
Curtis: “What’s your probable cause?” Curtis asked. 
Dinah (smiling): “Probably ‘cause I want to.”

(Continued)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

August 2017, Chapter 3 – As Overwatch, Felicity guides paired-up members of Team Arrow into position in three locations:
Felicity (over comms): ”Hello, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your main event! It’s Shock-and-Awe Night in Star City! Bad guys beware, drug dealers be scared. You can hide but you’d better not run, because – (Rolls up the volume on the comms link, leans into the microphone she chose over her normal ear bud unit, and deepens her voice in her closest impersonation of a movie trailer announcer) We. Are. Bringing. The. Justice.”
(The push of a button causes the sound effect of a bomb dropping to roll out over the comms. As it fades, Rene’s voice replaces it.)
Rene (over comms): “You are having way too much fun with this.”
Sara (over comms): “Hush. She’s adorable when she’s cute.”
(In the Arrow Bunker, Felicity ignores them both as she starts a playlist and cracks her knuckles. Frantic drumming under sleazy guitar chords come over the bunker’s speakers where she can hear it, but it won’t go over the comms to distract the teams as they work. As a bonus, it will help her ignore the danger they might face.
She brings up the appropriate screens and leans into the microphone.)
Felicity (over comms): “First up, Team Wild Terrific is a go for launch.”
*  *  *
Rene (over comms, growling): “Don’t call us that.”
Curtis: “I don’t mind it.”
Rene: “You wouldn’t.”
(They crouch beside a runny dumpster, the entire thing glistening black in the harsh sodium lights of the alley behind Wo Fat’s Chicken And Waffles. The stench is stifling, a combination of stale fat, old meat, and rotting vegetables. In the late summer heat, there is a shimmer in the air around it. And flies. Hundreds of flies.)
Felicity (over comms): “Okay. Fire alarm is disabled. Whenever you’re ready.”
Rene: “We’re going now. (Steps out) This dumpster is killing me.”
Curtis: “That’s excessive hyperbole.”
Rene: “Hyperbole, my ass. You try having that smell trapped under your mask.”
(They move to the door at the back of the restaurant.)
Curtis: “I used to come here with Paul. This should take us to the kitchen, then it’s straight through to the dining area. It’s a simple layout.”
Rene: “I can’t believe you used to take our boyfriend to a drug distribution front.”
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “Team SBC, you’re up. We’re going dark side of the moon in five, four, three –“
(Diggle looks over at Dinah. She nods her readiness. They stand in a dark storage room that smells of cleaning supplies and the distinctive shiny-rubber odor of sporting equipment. They enter Lifters Gym together, using the fake identities of Mr. and Miss Conroy, longtime members of the Blüdhaven location but new to Star City.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “- two, one.” 
(The lights in the gym go out, throwing the whole place into darkness. Felicity is thorough, so not even the emergency lights come on. They are out the door and moving as the first panicky screams begin to roll through the building.)
*  *  *
Felicity (over comms): “Team -"
Oliver (over comms): "We are not Team White Arrow, or Team Green Canary." (Shifts position in the rafters of the warehouse)
Sara (over comms, groaning): "God, please not Green Canary. We have enough Canaries out and about tonight."
Felicity (over comms): "Fine, fine. Team Sourpuss, it's all you now."
White Canary (smiling): “She got you.”
(Oliver says nothing.)
Felicity (over comms): “The doors are electronic. When I shut them you have to work fast, because those fumes will build up in less than four minutes.” 
(The air already has the stringent, eye-glistening sting of chemical fumes, smelling like battery acid and candy.)
Oliver: “We’ll be done before then.”

August 2017, Chapter 4 – As Overwatch, Felicity continues to assist Team Arrow while they’re in the field:
Rene (over comms): “All wrapped up.”
Felicity (over comms): “Good job, Team Wild Terrific. S.C.P.D. is on its way, three minutes out. Now find me something to connect Cross to this, and hit the bricks.”
Curtis: “On it.”
Rene: “We are not Team Wild Terrific.”
Curtis: “You know you like it.”
Rene: “No.”
Curtis: “Not even a little?”
Rene: “No.”
Curtis (smiling): “Team Wild Terrific for the win.”

August 2017, Chapter 4 – Oliver looks forward to having Felicity clean his latest injuries:
(The night breeze is cool on his skin, but it makes the blood on his arm dry until it feels like sticky dust. The binding stopped the bleeding right away. Now his arm throbs, each pulse pushing just a few red drops from each of the two small holes. Through and through. Always the best kind of wound. He’ll have Felicity wash and pack it with antibiotics, and then he’ll be fine.)

August 2017, Chapter 5 – Felicity locates Manny Cross on his yacht:
Oliver: “Hey.”
(Felicity starts, jumping in her chair at the voice from behind her. She turns to find Oliver on the platform. Reaching over, she turns down the volume of the music she has blaring from the Bunker’s speakers.)
Felicity: “I didn’t know you were behind me. Why didn’t I know you were behind me? You should have tripped the sensors I installed to let me know when someone’s coming.”
Oliver (quirking his mouth): “I didn’t mean to startle you.” 
Felicity: “That’s just not true.”
Oliver: “No, it’s not, but only to test our system. That’s why I avoided your sensors. You should upgrade, because if I can get past them then someone else can, too.”
Felicity (shaking her head, making her ponytail bounce): “There aren’t that many people we know of who could get past those sensors. Not everyone has League o Assassins training like you do.”
Sara (from across the room): “I do.” 
(Felicity turns to find Sara standing there, grinning at her.)
Felicity: “Did you two plan this?”
Oliver: “No, but it’s a good illustration.”
Felicity: “Okay. Is anyone else coming?”
Oliver: “Diggle said he was stopping by. But before we drop the issue at hand… (Raises his finger, beginning to count off) Malcolm, Nyssa, a whole League left behind who could want revenge, actually, a lot of people we know have League of Assassin training, or the equivalent.”
Diggle (entering): “Plus, there are always new people popping up who could. Chase did.”
Felicity: “Did I hit ‘send’ to the wrong people? I only meant to message Oliver.”
Oliver: “You sent a message?” 
Felicity: “Yeah, I just texted it. I thought that’s why you were here. Not to scare me straight, or force me to buy an upgraded security system.”
(Oliver pulls his phone out and peers at the screen. ‘Found Cross.’ He slips it back into his pocket.)
Oliver: “Got it.”
Felicity: “So I see. He’s on his yacht.”
Diggle: “I would have thought that after we shut down so much of his operation, he would have fled the country.”
Felicity (shaking her head): “He has too much business to go too far. But he should have. Curtis found connections that tie him to the drug business in Star City, enough to put him away for decades. Once we deliver him and the evidence we have, no more problem.”
Oliver: “Where is his yacht?”
Felicity: “It’s out in the water – no, duh – not far off shore. I have the specs pulled up.”
(She slides over. Oliver stands behind her shoulder looking down at the computer monitor. Both of them keep their eyes forward. Nevertheless, it is obvious how distracting the nearness is for the two of them. Sara and Diggle share a smirk.)
Oliver: “Comparatively, it’s a fairly small yacht.”
Felicity (mocking): “Why, Mr. Cross, your yacht is practically tiny.”
Oliver (straightening): “I don’t think this needs the full team. No need to call in everyone. Better to do this with two or three operatives.” (Looks pointedly at Diggle and Sara)
Sara: “Count me in.”
Diggle (shaking his head): “Lyla needs me to take care of John tonight. I have to pass.”
Oliver (putting his hand on Diggle’s shoulder): “I understand. Go, take care of your family.”
Diggle: “I’m sorry.”
Oliver (sternly): “John, brother, family is the most important thing in this world. Go.”
Diggle: “Thanks. I appreciate it.” (Turns and walks away without looking back)
Felicity: “Dinah has S.C.P.D. duty tonight. Do we know if Rene is available? Do you want me to call him? Or Curtis?”
(Oliver looks down at the yacht schematics on the screen, then up at Sara. She gives him a cocksure grin. He thinks back to the Skulls on the car carrier and taking down Cross’s drug lab.)
Oliver: “Sara and I can handle it. No need to call anyone else in. We’ll go tonight.”
*  *  *
Oliver (over comms): “Overwatch, we’re on the bridge. How do I disable the ship?”
Felicity (over comms): “You should be looking at a wide bank of instruments, the gaugey kind, not musical.”
(He doesn’t smile at her humor but he feels it in the corners of his mouth.)
Oliver (over comms): “I am.”
Felicity (over comms): “Okay, to your left you should see a silver key below a T handle.”
(A large ring of keys lies on the console, one of them inserted in an ignition.)
Oliver (over comms): “Got it.”
Felicity (over comms): “That’s it. Without that key the ship is going nowhere.”

(Continued)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

September 2017, Chapter 2 – Quentin Lance describes Felicity as the “brainy part” of Team Arrow:
Oliver (pulling the flash drive from the computer): “Quentin, hold things together here. Not a word about this to anyone – not yet.”
Quentin: “You’re taking it to the brainy part of the team?”
(Oliver nods.)
Quentin: “Tell Miss Smoak I said ‘hello.’ (Turns) Dinah, it was good to see you.” 
(They say their goodbyes and Quentin shuts the door behind him.

September 2017, Chapter 2 – Felicity gets a visit from her mother, Donna Smoak:
(Felicity holds the door open as Donna steps inside her apartment. They embrace, hugging tightly. Donna jerks back, loosening her grip.)
Felicity: “Hello, Mother.”
Donna: “Oh dear. I didn’t mean to squeeze so tight.”
Felicity (frowning): “Why – oh, don’t worry about my back. You won’t hurt me.”
(Donna shakes her head, amazed at the weird science that gave her daughter back the ability to walk. Not understanding it, but grateful for it. She steps inside, and Felicity closes the door behind them.)
Felicity: “I can’t believe it’s been so long.”
Donna: “I can’t believe I’m back in Star City.”
Felicity: “You’re always welcome here.”
(The area around Donna’s eyes grow tight.)
Donna: “You can’t say that for everyone.”
Felicity: “I can say it for me.”
Donna: “Does Quentin -?”
Felicity (gently, placing a hand on her mother’s arm): “You know that’s not his way.” 
(Donna waves her hands, shaking off the sadness that threatens to well up inside her.)
Donna: “What is going on in your love life? Are you seeing someone special, or have you and Oliver stopped being dumb?”
Felicity (grimacing and smiling at the same time): “Getting right to it – well, okay. No, no one special. Things with me and Oliver are… complicated.”
Donna: “They always have been. You need to –“
Felicity (blurting out): “His son lives with him.”
Donna: “Son?”
Felicity (nodding): “William.”
Donna: “Oh.”
Felicity: “He’s twelve.”
Donna: “Oh.”
Felicity: “His mother was killed in an explosion. A car accident, her car exploded.”
(Donna stands there for what seems like entirely too long, her mouth open but no sound coming out. She closes it and gives a sharp little shake of her head, trying to organize everything her daughter has just said. Gathering her wits, she finally finds her voice.)
Donna: “Felicity, dear, are you okay?”
Felicity: “I worry about Oliver and William, and sometimes I can’t sleep very well, but otherwise I’m fine, just fine.”
Donna (staring at her daughter): “Sounds like you’re not really very fine at all.”
(Felicity just shrugs.)
Donna: “That’s a lot to deal with.”
(Felicity shrugs again.)
Donna (narrowing her eyes): “Felicity Megan Smoak.”
Felicity: “I hate it when you use my full name.”
Donna: “And I hate it when you aren’t being honest with me. What is on your mind?”
Felicity: “Well, my severance pay from Palmer Tech is almost over.”
(Donna stares at her daughter, who just looks at the wall.)
Donna: “What are you going to do?” 
(Felicity shrugs.)

September 2017, Chapter 3 – Felicity and Curtis are analyzing Faust’s missile, when Oliver interrupts them to ask them to track Hallsey:
Felicity: ”It’s an MGM dash one forty ATAC dash MS.”
Curtis (nodding): “Run the specs.”
Felicity (her voice almost staccato): “Surface to surface guided missile – it’s one of ours, range of one hundred-plus miles, and can be fired from a bunch of different kinds of launchers.”
Curtis: “Fuel?”
Felicity: “Solid propellant.”
(Curtis nods.)
Felicity: “Payload is a unitary blast fragmentation warhead.”
Curtis: “Those damn Unitarians. Guidance system?”
Felicity: “GPS and inertial navigational system.”
Curtis: “Interesting.”
Felicity: “Is it?”
Curtis (nodding): “We know he’s close. Short range on that thing.”
Felicity (sarcastically): “Hundred-mile radius really narrows it down. We’re just seconds away from catching him.”
Curtis: “’A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’”
Felicity: “Lao Tzu? Really?”
Curtis (looking sheepish): “I was doing some reading on ancient Chinese philosophers. He’s no Gongsun Long or Wang Bi, but it’s hard to avoid him.”
(Felicity gives him a look.)
Curtis: “It’s been a good distraction since Paul left.”
(Felicity feels a pang of terrible guilt at inadvertently reminding her friend that his husband left him. She tries to keep that feeling off her face and is pretty sure she failed.)
Curtis: “It’s okay. No problem at all. Just me and philosophy from Chinese monks who have been dead for thousands of years.” 
(Suddenly the comms buzz, jolting both of them to attention. It is the signal for an incoming emergency call. Felicity hits the button. 
Felicity: “Overwatch here, go.”
Oliver (over comms): “Hallsey is here at City Hall, leaving by the main entrance. Track him and tell me where he’s going.”
*  *  * 
Oliver (over comms, growling): “Where am I going?” “We picked him up outside. Felicity (over comms): “He’s on a bike and heading north on the main drag.”
*  *  * 
Curtis (pointing at the monitor): “Did that car make the same three turns our guy made?”
Felicity: “It did.” (Leans forward, clicking her mouse to grab a screen shot from a surveillance camera and move it to its own screen)
Curtis: “Before our guy made them?”
(Felicity nods, squinting at the fuzzy picture she grabbed, enhancing it. There are people who claim it can’t be done – that it is just a trick made up for television. If only they knew. She reads off the license plate under her breath, fingers moving over keys to type it in.)
Curtis: “What do you have?”
(Felicity reads the information on the car, clicking on hyperlinks to learn more. She clicks on the comms.)
Felicity: “Um, we have a problem.”
*  *  * 
Oliver (over comms): “Talk to me, Overwatch.”
*  *  * 
Felicity: ”He’s chasing a car. The tag is a dead end, probably a cutter.”
Curtis: “’Cutter’?” 
Felicity: “Chop shop trick. Take two license plates, cut them both in half with a torch, then weld two unmatched halves together and you have an untraceable plate for your car.”
Curtis: “That really works?”
(Felicity nods.)
Curtis: “How did you know that?”
Felicity: “I don’t just know how to hack computers.”
Oliver (over comms): “Who is he after?”
Felicity: “One moment.”
(Both she and Curtis begin running through the traffic cam footage of the car Hallsey was tailing, scrolling quickly on their monitors.)
Curtis: “Got it.” 
(He types quickly, fingers moving like lightning over the keys as he cuts the frame of footage he found and performs a zoom and scrub on the face of the man in the passenger seat of the car. He assigns the nodal points to the photo and zips it through the facial recognition software. In a moment it spits back a list of organizations and names.)
Curtis: “He’s part of a group of paramilitary mercenaries, selling their services to the highest bidder.”
Felicity: “Why would Hallsey be tracking them, if he’s so on fire to snag drug dealers?”
(Curtis points to the screen. He found another picture of the man in the car. This time he is wearing a dark blue uniform, with other members of his crew.)
Curtis: “These are the guys who were with Faust at the Blues Festival.”
(Felicity relays the news to Oliver.)

September 2017, Chapter 4 – Felicity tells the team about the contents of Hallsey’s files:
Felicity: “Wow.”
Rene: “Wow, what?” (Climbs up the platform steps)
(He is in costume, his Wild Dog jersey tattered and torn. Sweat covers his brow.)
Felicity (turning in her chair): “Sorry, didn’t mean to say that out loud. (Scrunches her brow) Why are you in your hero gear?”
Rene: “Working out. I prefer to do it in uniform, so I’m comfortable when it’s time to rock ‘n’ roll.”
Sara (following him): “He wanted a lesson in stick fighting before I took off back to the Legends.”
Rene (turning to her): “That seems like a pretty sweet gig.”
Oliver (entering): “You looking for a new team? We’d hate to give you up.”
Rene (shaking his head): “You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
(Oliver smiles, then looks down at Felicity.)
Oliver: “What are we ‘wow’-ing?”
Felicity: “I’m just going through Hallsey’s files. The man was able to obtain an impressive amount of intel. He’d been gathering it for a long time, and he kept meticulous records. He didn’t know where Faust has the missile, but he was on the scent for it. I think with this, we’ll find him soon.”
Rene: “You can get a lot of information if you’re a computer geek. Or if you’re willing to beat your informant to death.”
Oliver: “That’s not how we operate.”
Rene: “I was just saying it’s effective, not advocating that we do it.”

September 2017, Chapter 4 – Sara tells Oliver not to wait with Felicity:
(Sara sits on her bike, preparing to leave.)
Oliver: ”Thank you for your help with all of this. You’re welcome on Team Arrow anytime.”
Sara (grinning at him): “I appreciate that. You never know when I might want to pop in, kick some normal bad-guy ass, and then ride off into the sunset.”
Oliver: ”Tell Ray and the others I said ‘hello.’”
Sara: “I will.” 
(She reaches up and draws him into a hug. They embrace, feeling the closeness only they can feel – former lovers, fellow warriors, and closest friends. They shared the same losses and triumphs and it bonded the two of them as family. As they pull apart, she grabs his head and puts her mouth by his ear.)
Sara (whispering): “Don’t wait with Felicity.”
(Before he can say anything, Sara fires up her bike and rides away. There isn’t a sunset.)

(Continued)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

October 2017, Epilogue – Oliver finally lets go of Lian Yu and the past:
(The missile comes into sight, following a target that is too small to see from so far away. Oliver watches as the projectile curves and falls toward the water. It explodes in a shower of flaming fragments that are thrown into the water. By the time it reaches him, it is simply a mist.)
Faust (grinning at him): “You look troubled. As if detonations stir unpleasant memories.”
(Oliver lets his words – and the memories they bring – slip over him. Lian Yu is the past. It is water. He is the rock. Turning on his heel, he leaves Faust to hang until the S.C.P.D. can arrive. It is time to put everything right again.)

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

FYI - here are two book reviews of Arrow Season 5.5: Fatal Legacies...

Arrow Season 5.5 - Fatal Legacies review
Xandermcc | July 27, 2018 
https://arrow.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Xandermcc/Arrow_Season_5.5_-_Fatal_Legacies_review 

Quote

... An entire recap of Season 5's ending moments. However it really begins a few months afterwards. Oliver continues business as normal. Taking down some druglords called the Skulls. He then reunites with Sara Lance AKA the White Canary who comes back to Star City to help Oliver take care of business. Oliver and Sara then greet Quentin, but then get a strange letter from none other than Adrian Chase. Taunting Oliver on those he predicted he would have lost. (Which his top contenders were Thea, Felicity, and Samantha) He also warns that even after his scheme on the island that resulted in his death, he is not done with Oliver. (I find this weird though since he was supposed to break Ollie with the Lian Yu thing) So Adrian hired this guy named Alex Faust who you may recognize as the bomber from Season 6's premier. Though we will get to this later. Anyway, the Team chase this guy down including Sara being on the team as a little mini crossover. However he planned for all of their skills in play. Getting mercs who are trained in the military, and getting old bomb parts for his bombs so Felicity and Curtis would have trouble getting through them. It is later explained Chase had provided some of this info, but the application of them was all Faust's. So props to him for being a solid combination of Cayden James and Adrian which works since he is the villain in between both of them. So they play a cat and mouse game with him for a solid while with Sara learning about Dinah's skill as the Black Canary and giving permission for her to use Laurel's alter ego in battle. Then with Quentin revealing it, Sara learns of the existence of Black Siren. With that being the only mention of Laurel-2 in the book so lets move on. The team then get things more complicated when another vigilante named Arthur Hallsey who has taken the name of the Arrow has started taking on a drug lord named Cross using guns instead of a bow. The plot sort of diverges in the two directions of connecting with Cross and this vigilante and being its own book or connecting with Season 6 and Alex Faust's part in the sixth season. However the novel manages to do both surprisingly well. Now time to go over the flaws and positives in this one.
*  *  *
There are a lot of positives. I'll start with the main ones however. The character work is spot on. You feel like you really are seeing an episode of Arrow (Although an extended one) when you are reading this book. While the other novels did well at this, i feel this one did the best at it. Allowing us to really see the combat strategies of every single character very well, their natural reactions to a situation etc. It all worked well. Which is ironic because this was the one that wasn't made by one of the Arrowverse writers and instead made by James R. Tuck, a man known for working on Robin Hood books. The book's villains are also a major part of the story that are amazing and really affect Oliver. Such as Arthur Hallsey AKA the Copycat Arrow. Who very much is the opposite of Chase. In which Chase hated Oliver's killing mission using the list, Arthur loves it and hated when Oliver went soft. This allows Oliver to think about what would happen if he was the man he used to be and how that could have stopped Chase. Alex Faust is very creative in how he stops Team Arrow. As he clearly knows how to stop them with his strategies. At least until we get to the Prologue that recaps his defeat during Season 6. However beyong that, he isn't too much of a villain. Still good though.
*  *  *
The more nitpicky stuff is minor, but it did bother me. William making some major progress with Oliver in this, but then that is ignored in the show's sixth season premier.

Felicity wanting to be a mom to William two weeks after Samantha's death. Also before William has shown any progress in even wanting to be Oliver's son.

Book review: Arrow: Fatal Legacies, James R. Tuck
Amy Woolsey   Feb. 2, 2018
https://culturess.com/2018/02/02/book-review-arrow-fatal-legacies-by-james-r-tuck/ 

Quote

... Flashbacks showed them escaping from the booby-trapped island, but not the subsequent recovery process — a curious omission, since Arrow is, at heart, a story about trauma.

James R. Tuck’s new book remedies that. Written in collaboration with executive producer Marc Guggenheim, Arrow: Fatal Legacies bridges the five-month gap between seasons 5 and 6. It finds Star City still under the influence of Adrian Chase/Prometheus. Following orders from the dead serial killer, an anarchic arsonist named Alex Faust embarks on a fiery rampage, a crew of mercenaries at his disposal. Only Team Arrow can foil him and end Chase for good. Meanwhile, Oliver struggles to bond with William and navigate his volatile relationship with Felicity.
*  *  *
Fatal Legacies excels at breathing life into its characters, giving them a rich sense of interiority. Unhindered by the structural constraints of broadcast television, it frequently digresses from the ongoing plot for moments of introspection. There is a whole paragraph devoted to contemplating the sentimental value (or lack thereof) of an abstract painting in the apartment Oliver shares with William — a place “spacious enough for two people who were still strangers.” Narration offers readers a peek at Dinah’s thought process as she accepts her Black Canary uniform and Felicity’s thought process as she watches Oliver on the salmon ladder.

Rest assured, the characters talk plenty too, whether arguing about nicknames or divulging long-buried feelings. As on the show, food and pop culture are popular subjects. Did you know Oliver is a fan of the blues? Well, now you do. Tuck nails each person’s voice, from Quentin’s sarcasm to Felicity’s self-conscious rambling; you can practically hear them speak. Also, just as crucially, he withholds information when appropriate. Sara lets Team Arrow believe that she is in town for a casual visit, when in reality, she wants an escape from her humdrum job at Sink, Shower & Stuff.
*  *  *
If the book has one major flaw, it’s the action. My eyes tended to glaze over when I encountered meticulous descriptions of fight choreography, despite Tuck’s efforts to animate them with gritty prose. (He doesn’t shy away from stating what an arrow or punch does to a person.) The fact is that words can’t capture the kinetic energy of combat as effectively as images, especially if those images are orchestrated by James Bamford. It’s like having a joke explained to you rather than told; the obvious work involved dilutes the gut-level impact.

Edited March 12, 2020 by tv echo

[tv echo]

To two of my existing posts above, I added additional transcriptions of the following: (1) a scene from "June 2017, Chapter 9," where Oliver gives Dinah her own Black Canary suit, and Sara accepts Dinah as the new Black Canary (interestingly, the book describes Sara as "the first person to be Black Canary"); and (2) a scene from "July 2017, Chapter 6," where Quentin and Sara talk about Donna Smoak, Dinah becoming the Black Canary, and the existence of Black Siren.

Edited March 13, 2020 by tv echo