Technical Assistance

Chapter 63: System Restoration

Working in the server room at Queen Consolidated, all Felicity can manage to do is tap a pen against the desk. There are a million things she could be doing, of course, but all of them are beyond her for one reason or another today. Coding is more complex than she can manage, filing reports too tedious, diagnosis too complex. She can't concentrate because her stomach is doing flips, the concern making her nauseous.

Last night, Oliver insisted upon confronting Malcolm Merlyn as the Arrow. Because he thought it would be simple and straightforward, he insisted she go home. With a smile, he had told her to go to bed and that he'd join her, and she'd thought nothing of it. Digg had even gone home, as all of them had thought it would be an uncomplicated mission.

Now that it's been twelve hours since they've heard from him, Felicity is starting to think they made a horrible mistake.

After several panicked calls to Digg and Sara, Felicity finally remembered the GPS tracker she gave him. Because she was already at work, she couldn't access the system herself, but fortunately, she taught Roy how to run the trackers. He was able to give them a location without any trouble whatsoever. Unfortunately, though, that was two hours ago, and she hasn't heard from any of them since.

When her cell phone rings abruptly, Felicity jumps before recognizing the sound. Then she answers it immediately, and only after she presses the green button does she realize that it isn't any of the people she wants to hear from. In fact, it's probably one of the last people she wants to talk to right now. Still, she presses the phone to her ear. "Hey, Mom," she answers with as much cheer as she can muster.

Apparently it isn't enough cheer to hide all the things underneath. "What's wrong?" is the immediate question that follows. "You sound funny. Are you having a bad day?" Felicity fights back a groan; when her mother gets hold of something, she doesn't let it go until she's satisfied. "You sounded so happy the last time we talked."

The last time she spoke to her mother, Oliver was sleeping peacefully next to Felicity with his arm around her waist. Now, she's not even sure if he's alive. That's a thought she can't handle, so she focuses on the conversation at hand. "I'm just tired today," Felicity assures her, and it's not really even a lie. When she woke up at three and he wasn't there, she hadn't slept a wink after that. "There's a lot to do here, and I can't seem to concentrate. I'll go home tonight and take a nap—I'm sure I'll feel better after that."

A sigh crackles through the connection, and Felicity feels worse now than she did before. Lying to her mother makes her feel like a horrible human being; she doesn't know how Oliver does it all the time. But, then again, Moira Queen is practically the Wicked Witch of the West. "Honey, I know I haven't been around as much as I would have liked—" Donna Smoak starts in a softer tone.

"That wasn't your fault," Felicity insists, the same way she always does.

Again her words fall on deaf ears; her mother continues as though she hasn't spoken. "—but I can tell that you're not just tired. Tell me what's wrong. We can fix it together." Without meaning to, she practically drenches her daughter in guilt.

It's enough to break Felicity's resolve. Obviously my boyfriend is the Vigilante and he's missing isn't a good sentence, but maybe she can play with the truth. After a long sigh, she finally manages her honest-but-not reply. "My boyfriend and I are going through a rough patch," she admits finally. Though it's a little misleading, she thinks it's one of the more honest things she's ever said. She can't think of anything rough-patchier than a billionaire vigilante boyfriend whose mother is trying to destroy the city.

Not only is the squeal that follows completely unexpected, Felicity is fairly certain that it reaches levels only dogs can hear. "Oh, you have a boyfriend!" Donna exclaims. "What's his name? Where does he work?" In a more salacious tone, she asks, "Is he handsome? Have you two had sex?" Then, angrily: "Why didn't you tell me you were dating when I asked you?"