Technical Assistance

Chapter 48: New Program Installation

As soon as Oliver walks into the recently-restored lair, he braces himself the barrage of accusations and feelings of betrayal. He deserves it for neglecting to tell Felicity—to tell his team, the people he depends upon and trusts more than anyone—the truth. He'd hoped that his denial of the island would prevent it from rearing its ugly head, but ignoring the past just makes it more difficult when it does appear.

His eyes immediately scan for his team, trying to get a read on them. Always acutely aware of her presence, Oliver locks onto Felicity first, watching her eyes flick upward at his entrance before turning back to her computer screen, her face set in an expression he can't read. It makes his stomach drop, makes him want to fight the Dark Archer to the point of near death again.

That would be easier than this.

John Diggle, however, isn't so difficult to read in this instance. He doesn't shy away from Oliver's presence, eyes meeting his with a pointed look that tells him just how badly he's screwed this up. He's the first to speak, rising from the desk he's leaning against to say, "I thought Sara died on the boat, Oliver. Last time I checked, dead people don't come back to Starling City and start vigilante careers." He snorts. "Except you, of course." Then the seriousness falls back into his expression. "You told everyone—told her family—that she was dead."

Felicity rises to her feet. "And that's fine," she adds in a deadly calm tone, one that scares him more than the idea of listening to her yell obscenities at him. "We understand that you can't tell everyone your secrets." She waves a hand. "But we're your partners, Oliver." There's an accusation in her tone, and Oliver thinks again that he doesn't deserve her; anyone else would already feel betrayed by the turn of events. Even now, though, she gives him the benefit of the doubt.

For not the first time, Oliver wonders what the world must look like through the eyes of Felicity Smoak.

"I thought I watched her die," Oliver answers Diggle, and it's the last thing he says to the soldier before turning to the woman he loves. "Sara was pulled under when the boat capsized," he says to her alone. He doesn't mind Digg hearing the tale, but it makes it easier for him if he explains himself to Felicity alone. "After I was on the island about a year, she showed up again." A deep, shaky breath leaves him. "At the time, she was working for a man named Anthony Ivo, a doctor who was torturing captives to find a cure for disease.

"By that time, I had a team," he continues slowly, keeping his voice and emotions detached. Dwelling on this could destroy him, so he tries to condense it to fact to prevent losing what little is left of his sanity. "Slade taught me how to survive, and Shado taught me how to use a bow. When Ivo started an assault on us, I was captured. I thought Sara was trying to help me escape, but she betrayed me for Slade and Shado's location." He has to close his eyes, to see it once in his head as a steady reminder of the mistakes he made with Slade—the ones he made again tonight. "Ivo killed Shado, and that ultimately led to Slade's death—and Sara's. Or so I thought."

He turns back to Diggle, steps back so he can face both of them at once. "The five years I was away were nothing but misery and torment. I didn't want the Lances to remember their daughter like that—didn't want Laurel to think of her sister being alive for another year after that when it didn't change anything that happened."

Something changes in Felicity's expression, and one hand comes up to touch her lips, her elbow resting in the palm of her opposite hand. "Don't you have any happy stories, Oliver?" she asks him with a hint of a sad smile. No doubt her anger from before has left her, and he feels forgiven—even if he doesn't deserve her kindness.

"One." His answer is immediate and firm, turning the corners of his mouth up just by thinking about it. "And I've already told it to you." He watches the light of recognition dawn in her eyes, remembering the one instance when he told her anything of the five years he was gone. It earns him a genuine smile from her, and he breathes a deep sigh of relief.