Technical Assistance

Chapter 61: Unauthorized Computer Access

As Felicity walks from the lobby of Merlyn Global to the elevator with Oliver, she can't help but remind herself that she's solely responsible for their current predicament. If she'd only been able to hack into the server, they wouldn't have to be doing this. And really, she's kind of done with being in the field because of what happened the last time. Granted it was an underground casino and she was begging for trouble by counting cards, but it's hard to forget being held at gunpoint, too.

"Remind me why I agreed to this," Felicity demands in a fluttery voice, feeling the tell-tale shake of her hands that accompanies her nervousness. "Because I'm having a hard time remembering." It earns her a confused look from Oliver, his eyebrows knitting together. "No, I remember that I couldn't hack the Merlyn Global servers, but I don't see why I can't just give Tommy a comm and tell him to go crazy." She waves a hand. "Figuratively. Not literally."

It's enough to pull one corner of Oliver's mouth upward as he guides her forward with a hand at the small of her back. "Because we only have ten minutes before guard patrol will catch you," he answers evenly, "and Tommy doesn't know how to write code." Something about his smile changes, and Felicity is tempted to call it a smirk. "Not to mention that Tommy's typing skills are worse than my texting skills."

Felicity winces so hard that most of the muscles in her face hurt for a moment. Then she shakes her head. "How do you two survive in the modern world?" she blurts. Oliver texts at the same speed that Internet Explorer loads webpages, and he even gets that deep furrow in his brow like he has to really concentrate. Even worse, sometimes she thinks that Internet Explorer is the faster of the two.

Oliver's smile is accompanied by a slight shake of his head. "I can't speak for Tommy," he answers slowly, "but my survival is mostly a combination of reflexes and five years of combat training." His voice is light despite the circumstances, and, for the first time, Felicity realizes that he's in his element: in the field and performing some sort of covert operation. This is where Oliver Queen thrives, not in the spotlight that he spends so much time in because of his birth.

For not the first time, Felicity realizes that, even if he makes it through the List, Oliver will find some way of continuing to don the hood. Though she knew from the moment she put the two together that the Arrow was an integral part of him, every once in a while it strikes her just how devoted he is to what he does. And, though the work is dangerous, she wouldn't dream of pulling him away from it. This is where he thrives, and asking him to stop would be like asking her to stop working with computers.

Finally, the elevator doors open, and Oliver ushers her in with a hand lingering at the small of her back. He must sense her concern because he reminds her quietly, "One part of the mission at a time, Felicity. Right now, we're just going to meet Tommy for lunch."

She adjusts the strap of her purse over her shoulder, fidgeting with it to prevent herself from panicking. Felicity has always been a big-picture thinker, but she's starting to think that's a curse in these kinds of situations. It's also what concerns her about Oliver's plans: he makes an outline of what she considers a plan, not bothering to coordinate every detail from start to finish the way she does. When she'd pointed this out to Diggle last night, the man had simply shrugged and offered with a cryptic smile, "No plan survives the battlefield, Felicity."

"Hold the elevator!" a man's voice calls, jolting her out of her thoughts. Felicity turns to Oliver for a moment, and they share a look before she starts frantically pressing the button marked "Doors Closed." It doesn't work, though; the man manages to reach the doors a second before they close completely.

Apparently, in addition to screwing up their plan, the man also manages to be a complete asshole. The first thing he does is turn to Felicity with an appreciative look that makes her skin crawl. "Where are you headed, sweetie?" he asks, and somehow she manages to hold back an eye-roll.