Technical Assistance

Chapter 45: Synchronization of Mobile Devices

The first kiss of sunlight has started to grace the sky by the time Felicity gets home, her shoulders drooping with fatigue from the night before. Rearranging the lair for Lance's search had been a challenge, even with Oliver, Diggle, and Tommy to assist. That still didn't mean she allowed anyone near her computers, however, so she'd done most of that herself. Still, it meant that none of them would go to jail, which is always a bonus in her world.

Her keys drop into the bowl as she wonders when Oliver will finally arrive. He'd wanted to take one last patrol through the city, trying to encounter the Canary before Roy could get himself into trouble. But Felicity hadn't heard positive news from either of them, so it's likely to take longer before any of them get an opportunity to speak to the Canary.

Felicity's apartment is dark as she takes off her jacket, but she can make out a figure in her living room in her peripheral vision as she hangs up the coat. She breathes a sigh of relief that Oliver made it back in one piece. "Hey," she calls out. "I was wondering when you'd get in—the sun is starting to rise. Don't you have some sort of rule against that, or are you just trying to make Starling think you're a vampire?" Felicity shakes her head to clear it as she slides off her shoes and drops her purse on the table. "You know how my thoughts get twisted when I'm tired. If you want something to eat, I think I have some leftover Thai food in the fridge."

Only then does she turn toward the living room, and she stops dead in her tracks as two things immediately dawn on her. The first is that she really should have kept her cell phone in her pocket because it does her no good in her purse.

The second is that they don't have to look for the Canary anymore.

The female vigilante studies Felicity with eyes shaded by a mask, her expression unreadable though it looks like her lips are pressed together to keep herself from smiling. A black mask is fixed across her eyes, blonde hair falling naturally to her shoulders, brushing the top of her black leather jacket, worn over what looks like a black corset. She looks casually at home sitting in Felicity's chair, one leather-clad leg draped over the other, and a silver staff of some sort draped across the chair but still in reach.

"And you are not at all who I expected," Felicity blurts slightly, stepping into the living room, but staying away from her newest intruder. "But the offer for that leftover Thai food still stands, if you want it." She motions to herself. "I don't think it's your style, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't hurt me. I'm still kind of recovering from the last masked woman to surprise me."

Though she doesn't know what she expects from the Canary, it certainly isn't for a slight smile to slowly spread across her features. Before twisting a white device on her belt, she assures Felicity, "I'm not going to hurt you." Her voice comes out in an odd combination of tones, masking her voice more subtly than Oliver's synthesizer. Then she pulls something out of her jacket that looks like a smartphone, holding it up before dropping it on the table. "I just want to know why you're looking for me."

Dread claws at Felicity, already knowing there's no way she could have learned that tidbit on her own. With slow, methodical steps, she walks over to the coffee table, and one swipe of the screen reveals a picture of Roy and Thea as the background. "What did you do to him?" she asks slowly, not sure if she wants to know the answer but knowing she needs to ask. "Because Roy didn't do anything except for keep his ears on the street—for me. He doesn't know anything, and he better"—she jerks a finger in the vigilante's direction as a warning—"not be hurt."

"I don't hurt civilians—especially not ones that help my friends," she insists. The answer is immediate, and Felicity drops onto the end of the couch closest to the Canary's chair with a sigh of relief. "He should be waking up in a now abandoned safe house any moment." Her head tilts to the side, her mouth turning down at one corner. "And you don't seem too surprised to have an intruder in your home."