Technical Assistance

Chapter 16: Data Decryption and Analysis

Felicity sighs as she watches Detective Lance walk away angrily, that headache starting to flare up again.  She was stupid to try and convince him about the Arrow's noble intentions, but it's difficult for her to listen to him say horrible things about the only person in the city that seems to be doing any good.  It will only increase Lance's suspicion—and, by association, cause the Arrow more trouble—but there are just some things that are impossible to let go.  For her, that's one of them.

A paramedic says to her, interrupting her thoughts, "It could be likely you have a concussion.  You probably need to be in observation for the next twenty-four hours, just in case."  He eyes her warily.  "Do you have someone to stay with you tonight?"

Felicity waves a hand.  "I can call someone, she says easily, and that seems to satisfy the jerk, who has apparently pegged her in that "forever alone" box that she hates so much.  Seriously, her appearance may scream "nerd," but that doesn't mean they all have to assume that it also means "nerd with no life."  She has friends, thank you.

(Well, three of them, anyway.)

She calls the one she goes to for the hard stuff, seeing as how she owes him a few confessions anyway.  Not surprisingly, he picks up on the first ring, chipper as always.  "Hey, Sherly," Barry says on the other end of the connection.  "How are things?  I haven't heard from you in a couple of days."  There's some sort of background noise—like a subway station—and then it clears.  "Believe it or not, I was actually about to call you—I'm gonna be in Starling for a few days.  Can I crash at your place?"

"Of course," Felicity replies, relieved it's going to go according to plan.  "That's actually why I was calling.  I—um, well, did you hear about that fire in Starling's newest nightclub?"

"Well, yeah," Barry replies instantly.  "Are you kidding?  It's been on the news since the explosion.  It was at Verdant, that new club opened by—"  He stops, his voice changing abruptly into something much more grave.  "Oh, God, you were there, weren't you?"

Felicity tries to chuckle at the near-death experience, but the tone is off, and she's certain it's obvious that she's faking it.  "Um, yeah," she replies, surprisingly chipper.  Before he can worry, she rushes to add, "I'm fine, though—just a few cuts from broken glass and a gash down my arm from a light fixture.  But the paramedics are concerned about a concussion, and they don't want me to stay home alone."

"I'll come pick you up," he says immediately.  "Try not to get into any trouble while you're waiting."  She means to protest, but the rude jerk hangs up on her before she can.  She swears, sometimes she doesn't know why she loves him.  But then she thinks about the day they met, and she remembers quickly.

But as much as she appreciates Barry, she realizes he's a complication.  The Arrow has already said he's going to visit her, and she thinks that could turn awkward fast.  She's determined to help keep his secret, and Barry is an exposure they both don't want.  And, besides, he's the biggest Arrow fanboy in the known universe—and possibly some unknown ones—so Felicity might be just a little embarrassed by the thought of Barry and the Arrow in the same room.  Barry is a natural fit as a scientist with his natural inquisitiveness and burning curiosity, but, somehow, she thinks the Arrow won't appreciate that quality as much as the scientific community does.

Interrupting her thoughts, a voice breaks through the clamor of the witnesses and EMTs around her.  "Felicity!" he yells, and she knows it's Oliver before she even looks in his direction.  Concern falls across his features as he sees her bandaged arm, and he frowns as he sits on the bumper, putting his hand on her elbow as she turns to face him.  "Are you all right?"

She looks him over to see if he's been injured, but she can't see anything except for a few scratches on his face, ones that resemble the ones she has from the glass breakage.  She would be more concerned if he didn't seem so calm and cool, with the tie on his shirt loosened and a few buttons undone at his collar.  His suit coat is draped over his arm, and the sleeves on his white dress shirt are rolled up above his elbows.