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« Are you…are you firing me? »
I saw him sigh before he got up and walked toward the door, clearly evading me.
« Don't make things more complicated than they already are..please »
« Don't make things more complicated than they already are' » His words echoed in my head, again and again up until the moment Oliver took hold of the door from his office, in a silent invitation for me to leave. When the surprise faded away, when I forced myself to understand what was happening, I didn't know how to react to this. To be more precise, I didn't know if I had to laugh or cry right now. If I tried in vain, to understand, I had to react immediately. And I prefered to react before I was literally thrown out. Afer that, it would be too late to try to say something about a thing I was about 99.9% certain my words won't change.
Just his regard was enough to make me understand. It was the type of look I knew that meant: 'whatever you say, my decision is made and I don't have the slightest intention come back at it'. That type was the one he gave me. I wanted to respond with a simple 'why?' but he didn't let me.
« Go home Felicity »
I coudn't help the nervous giggle from escaping my throat.
« No Oliver. No 'go home Felicity' I want none of it. I want to know what's happening. The fact that you don't want to see me again is one thing, but to understand the reason behind is another. If you…if you want to say something, say it. »
For one second, I sincerely thought he was going to respond to my question. And I didn't really care if it was something I would like or not. It would always be better than this. Because he ended up not saying anything at all while evading my eyes. Even looking him in the eye would give me a bit of… hope, I guess. Because that might mean something else. That might mean that he regrets it. Or perhaps that would support the theory I have in my head already: that everything was just a misunderstanding and that the real reason was something else. But no. He didn't let anything shine through. He only had a cold look on his face. And nothing else.
« Escort her out, Diggle »
Getting one of his arrows in my heart would without a doubt hurt less than this. Just the way he said that one phrase. I felt Diggle walking toward me and I didn't object to him putting his hand on my arm and softly pushing me toward the exit. I wondered if he knew what just happened to me. He might. But why didn't he help me, but instead chose to obey Oliver's orders without questioning? I understodd him the moment I looked away from Oliver and see that a couple of employees walking through the corridors are looking at us already. I triedto get out of Diggle's grasp, but his fingers were secured around my arm and we were walking toward the elevator. I kept silent until the doors closed behind me.
« Digg, I have to go back up there. Just to understand it »
« You can't do anything about it today »
He was right and I knew it. Getting back up there to see Oliver would be a mistake. For a lot of reasons. And the very first of them was that I didn't know how I will react. That would probably consist of one of those situations in which I talk in long phrases without logic.
« I'll talk to him, I promise » Diggle said at the same time we get out of the elevator and walked through the parking garage. I gave him a watery smile and nodded.
« Go home, I will call you »
I thank him with a nod and get in my car before driving out of the parking lot. I don't know if I am the only person who thinks that but once something starts bad, it hasn't got the slightest chance of ending good. No, on the contrary. It will only get worse. And that is what happened this day. In a nutshell, I got up too late, I wasn't even entirely awake the moment I started driving to work and found out, in less than an hour after that, that I didn't have a job anymore.
While driving out of the parking lot with Diggle's watching eye on me, I said to myself that this day couldn't get worse because the worst already happened, but no. It didn't work that way. On the way to my apartment, I drove into a couple of traffic jams, and after that, I was certain I would end up on the side of the road with a car breakdown. Thank God, that didn't happen. And now. eh? Now, after driving for thrice the normal amount of time I usually use to get home, I foundd my apartment without electricity. Stupid, yeah, maybe. Usually I would, without a doubt, make a couple of phone calls to have an electrician come over, because I need electricity to use my computer. But today, I just busied myself with waiting for everything to be okay again. I was way to exhausted to do anything else today.
To be honest, I only waited for one thing. For Diggle to call me. He said he would talk to Oliver and that he would point out the big mistake in this situation. He had to have an explanation. But that didn't happen and I was certain that wouldn't happen till the evening. But then, I heard someone knocking on my door. To say I wasn't really dressed to open the door would be an euphemism. I decided to wear, instead of my usual Queen Consolidated work dresses, an old T-shirt and a pair of workout pants that really had seen better times.
Diggle gave me a small smile when he saw what I looked like the moment I opened the door, but he didn't comment. I saw Diggle looking at my entirely dark apartment.
« I don't have electricity », I said to him when he stepped inside.
« Where is your circuit breaker? »
« In the bathroom…Why? »
Without responding Diggle walked toward the bathroom and carefully selected one of the plugs that lied on the table. I could hear a clic and the electricity returned. Diggle reappeared, a smile on his lips.
« Capable of hacking into whatever system, but unable to get the electricity back on! Nothing is broken, it was just out of place. »
Yes. 'Out of place' is the precise word to describe this day.
« I studied IT, John, not to become an electrician »
I didn't have the time to ask him if he talked to Oliver. To be exact, I didn't have to because the look I gave him was certainly enough for him to understand.
« I have not yet talked to him, Felicity. I came by to..to see how you were doing. »
« How do you think I am doing? I said to him, colder than I wanted it to sound. « Something happened Digg. I can't believe…I can't believe that he decided to…fire me without reason. You must know what happened »
Digg shrugged and forced me to face him before giving me a smile.
« I will. I promised I will talk to him »
I returned the smile before stepping away.
« I know, but in case you forgot it » I started to say and at the same time I walked through my apartment toward my desk and grabbed a small object from a drawer that I don't show Digg.
« What is that? »
« A Plan C' »I said and show him the object.
Diggle followed my gesture and his eyes locked on the object before looking up.
« Felicity, if that is what I think it is, it is a bad… »
« A bad idea, I know. But something is happening, something Oliver didn't tell us about. And I have to know what it is so… In my hypotheses, Oliver didn't tell you anything… »
« Do you know what happens if he finds out? »
« He will blame me, but by blaming me, it gives him a reason to talk to me, 'right? »
Diggle sighed, but I didn't doubt for one second that he would do what I 's attitude surprised me, but he has a bit more experience with his reactions.
« You just have to put it near the computers. It registers everything. All the search and all the search terms he uses, and I can know...'
-'You can know everything about the next mission, and with a bit of luck, you can know everything that happens. »
Believe me when I say that I didn't want to involve Diggle in all of this. I didn't want to put him between me and Oliver anymore than making him go behind Oliver's back. But I didn't know another solution. I didn't need to go to Verdant to know Oliver changed the entrance code, and I couldn't do this alone.
« I know you don't like it but there is no other option, John. Please. »
« Okay » he ended up saying and sighed again. « But first, I'll talk to him »
I accepted his compromise without objection. I still hoped Oliver van give Digg an explanation. I wondered if it is personal or not and to be honest I wondered if Diggle knew what this is about. After John left, I spend most of the night thinking. Thinking about the options we had. And there are three: The first one is trusting that Diggle will get Oliver to open up to him. The second consists of, more or less, tracing Oliver's every movement. And the third… Let's just say it is an addition to option 1 and I that I will have access to option three in just a couple of hours.
That is exactly why I wasd back in the elevator at Queen Consolidated at 9 sharp, to go to Oliver's office. The moment I arrived, I saw an unknown man at his desk, without a doubt for a meeting, and I saw Diggle in the corner, beside the door. I softly knocked on the glass of the door, but hard enough to get Oliver's attention, and I entered the room without waiting for his permission.
« Mr. Queen, I am sorry to disturb you but I just want to give you some information », I said and walked up to his desk and of course, make sure to smile at the other man and evade Diggle's eyes.
« The only thing I can say is that Oliver probably didn't expect me to walk into his office today, and even less during a meeting. He shifted in his chair and looked me in the eye, for the first time since I entered.
« Excuse me » he said to the man in front of him before turning his attention to me. « What is it about? » he asked me and cleared his throat.
I walked toward his desk and searched through my handbag before taking out a paper and handing it to him.
« I quit. »I simply declared
Saying those words is way more difficult than I would have thought because I didn't want to say them and I never thought I would. Not to Oliver Queen. I didn't want to, not because I liked this job, but because I wanted to make him think he is nothing important to me. But if these words can get a reaction out of Oliver, then I will do it. Doesn't matter how I feel about it.
Oliver looked at me for a second and I'm incapable of telling you how many seconds passed before he broke the contact.
« Mr. Diggle, would you accompany Miss Smoak to the exit? »
Diggle walked toward me but I looked at Oliver for one last time before uttering a couple words.
« That won't be necessary Mr Queen. I know the way »
….
Diggle's point of view:
I had been observing Oliver for 30 minutes now and he had notsaid a single word. Not about firing Felicity, neither about Felicity walking into the office. My arms crossed, I looked at him punching a punch bag beside the mats. He evaded my look and totally ignored my presence. I didn't want to break the silence but I ended up doing it.
« Are you going to tell me what happened? Or are you going to keep pretending I am not here? »
He gave me a look before turning to me. I threw him a bottle of water which he caught and drank a couple of mouthfuls from, all before responding.
« There is nothing to explain Digg »
« Nothing to explain? Hmmm. You must be right. You fired Felicity, you don't even want to know her news and when she tells you she quits, you do nothing. Not a single gesture. But is is a fact, there is nothing to explain about that »
Instead of responding, he gave me an irritated look. This conversation doesn't go well.
« I did that because it is better like this »
« Why don't you tell me what really happened, hmm? »
« Nothing happened! I did this because I don't want to endanger her anymore. Have you forgotten how bad she was doing last time, and that can just as easily happen again. »
« That's her decision, not yours Oliver. She knows what she is doing and she decided to become part of the team. She did that for you. To help you »
« And that is the only reason why I am returning the favor! »
Oliver walked around me to get a towel. He lied to her for a reason. Again. But when Oliver walked toward the bathroom, I stopped him with a question, my last card.
« If you want to help her, if you want to.. protect her by putting her out of your life, why did you kiss her? »
I saw Oliver's fist flexed for a moment and I couldn't help but think he will hit me. But he didn't.
« If my decisions are not to your liking, the door is open for you to leave too »
That is the last thing he said to me before walking into the bathroom an closing the door behind him. This discussion was closed. I waited for a few seconds and I heard the water running. I bring out the small object Felicity has given me and I looked at it for a while. I hate being in this position. Loyalty, honesty and trust are things I have always respected and I expect that respect back. Now I felt like betraying one of these values. After looking at the bathroom door, I walked to the computers and placed the tracker, following Felicity's instructions.