Technical Assistance

Side Story #6: System Response

Note:  Takes place in the section break of Chapter 18.

Oliver reaches the locked window, tapping at it a few times to get Felicity to open it for him.  He frowns when she doesn't answer because she always answers.  She left a message on his Arrow phone a few hours ago, after she drove him home from the hospital, asking for him to meet her.  One of the things they've decided upon is that they won't discuss Arrow business over the phone anymore, and so he figures she has a mission for him.  It probably relates to Thea and the new Vertigo drug in town, but she could have other problems.

Impatient and not in the mood to wait, he picks the lock—and makes a mental note to tell her to get a better one.  Hers is incredibly easy to pick, so maybe she should upgrade to something a little nicer.  After all, if he can pick it, so can a criminal, and he doesn't want her to get hurt.  (Because he knows if some thief tries to break in while she's here, that Louisville Slugger against her wall probably isn't there because she plays baseball frequently.  And he knows she’s more likely to hurt herself with that bat than any intruder.)

He isn't surprised to find her asleep in the foyer, her head propped up on an arm as she looks at something in her lap.  A notepad lays off to the side, forgotten, and Saphira is at Felicity's feet.  Her head perks up when she sees him, and her tail starts wagging.

Saphira jumps up on his leg, expecting a treat of some kind, but he frowns.  "Sorry, girl," he says quietly to the little dog.  "I'm all out of carrots."  He makes a mental note to send Raisa out for more baby carrots so that he has some for the next time.  Apparently Saphira has equated him with treats, and, well, it's probably ridiculous, but he hates to disappoint a dog.  Saphira, in her own way, is just as interesting as Felicity, and know he understands that saying about dogs being like their owners.  He pats her head a few times before, out of curiosity, looking at some of Felicity's things.

The book she has open on her lap is empty, and the one next to it is full of all sorts of scribbled-out thoughts and ideas.  He can faintly make out "stop messing around and call Barry" in her precise, legible handwriting, as well as, "something hidden in spine?" off to one side.  Each letter is written in the hand of a perfectionist, her capital letters varying greatly from her lowercase, like someone used to writing down codes and keycodes with multiple capital and lowercase letters.  Oliver shouldn't be surprised by the neat handwriting, since he's seen it before, but she's so meticulous and exact that it amazes him.  That and he marvels at how easily she writes like that; his handwriting is pitiful after five years of using his hands to do things other than write, and he wonders if it will ever be so simple for him again that he can bear to angrily scribble out things the way she has.

The notepad on the side is more precise, with bullet points by each item.  The first one has a checkmark by it and reads, "prosecutor:  Iris West—call Barry," and the following two, without checkmarks, read in order, "lawyer:  Laurel?—call Tommy," and "bargain needs sig. of arresting officer:  Det. Lance—maybe use encry. phone as bargaining chip?"  Finally it dawns on him that she's making notes on Thea's case—something about a plea bargain, and he's surprised by the sudden burst of fondness for Felicity.  She has absolutely no reason to look out for Thea's well-being, but yet she is anything.  It's not the first time he thinks that Felicity Smoak is just an inherently good person, but it is the first time the thought is accompanied by a smile.

Feeling slightly ashamed of himself for snooping, he finally says quietly, "Felicity?"  He isn't sure how to wake her, but he doesn't want to startle her unless he has to.  He has a feeling that shaking her could lead to screaming, and, well, that's the last thing he wants.  He goes to extreme measures to avoid scaring her, though they probably aren't necessary all the time.  She clearly isn't too terrified, or else she wouldn't be helping him anymore.