Chapter 7- possible outcomes, part 4

Oliver swallowed.

"Tommy…"

"Hey buddy"Tommy said with a sad smile.

Oliver couldn't say anything for a few moments. He just stood there staring at his late best friend- the one he made a silent vow to. The vow he broke recently. He could never say he would regret it though. Where Felicity was concerned, there was never a choice to make.

Even if he could make himself speak, he really didn't know what to say first. So many questions raced through his head at once and he didn't know where to start. Tommy must've seen his struggle on his face because he started speaking, evidently solving Oliver's dilemma for him.

"Okay, I know I'm pretty and everything, but are we just going to stand here and stare longingly at each other because I gotta say we're kind of on a bit of a schedule right now. So… we really need to start moving this along" Tommy admonished with a raised eyebrow.

That was the push Oliver needed and with that he took another look around the dimly lit underground hallway. He noticed that the lights were technically not positioned right, they were on the floor, but the light seemed to be coming from the ceiling as if they were above his head. It didn't make any sense to him.

But really when did anything in here make sense?

"Where are we Tommy?" Oliver asked.

"Are you sure it doesn't look familiar Oliver? Because you know everywhere we've been, has been a place you've been before… Look around you again, take a closer look" Tommy said stepping closer, gesturing with his hands around the hallway for him to look around.

Oliver was frustrated. He didn't know what he was looking for. Several times he had looked around and nothing clicked in his head. It did looked similar to the hallway he went through when he rescued Walter last year from the Dark Archer, but at the same time it looked different.

"That's because the hallways are not littered with the bodies you went through to get to him. That and because things will be a little different since this is a 'what if you hadn't come back from the island' situation" Tommy suggested as Oliver cringed at being reminded of his previous Hood tactics, but he didn't want to continue to dwell on the certain topic so he moved onto questioning what was going on around him.

"So we're here for… Walter?" Oliver asked with his eyebrows knitted together and nose scrunched.

For some reason, he didn't think they were there for Walter. The entire time Oliver's been in this dream, he had been shown one horrific scene to the next and he knew they were served to hit him in his most vulnerable pressure points.

Why else show him the death of his sister, or his partner for that matter. Why else show him what would come of his mother if he hadn't been there? Or remind him of Laurel's substance abuse?

While not being able to save Walter could serve to make him feel guilty, he already knew what would come of him because of the newspaper he read in the last scene. So he didn't know why else he would be here for.

"Come on Ollie! Whose 'what if' haven't we seen yet? Who's the one other person we haven't seen as of late, hmm? The one you keep at arm's length- who is that?" Oliver looked up and he suddenly knew who Tommy was talking about now.

No.

"…Felicity" Oliver breathed out.

By the look on Tommy's face he knew he got it right. Oliver looked towards the ground, trying to think about what could have happened to Felicity had he not been there.

It honestly didn't even occur to him to think about what could've happened to her. He thought she would've been safe- untouched by the darkness in him and the world around them. Felicity should be safe, right?

"Well we're about to find out" Tommy said as he started down the hallway. Oliver took it as a sign to follow him, even though he knew he wouldn't like what Tommy would have to show him.

As they neared the room that Walter was in last time, Oliver could hear the faint sounds of metal clanging against metal behind the closed door. He stared at the door for a few moments, afraid of what he was going to see behind it. Tommy just stood there beside him and the door, waiting for Oliver to get the courage to open it.

Sigh "…We can't just stand here staring at a door Oliver. You're going have to face what's behind it. If standing in front of a door was going to get you to see the truth, we would've never left your office in the first place" his guide stated.

"I know, I know…" Oliver said has his hand reached for the door knob. Before he could touch it, he pulled his hand back. He couldn't do this. Not Felicity.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Oliver heard her say through the door.

Swallowing the anxiety, he took a deep breath and gripped onto the handle. Wrenching the door wide open, he was faced with a terrifying scene as he and Tommy stepped into the room.

Felicity was shackled to a chair in the middle of the room. Her clothes were torn and her hair was dirty. It looked like she had to have been there for while if the shafting on her wrists and appearance were any indication. Oliver had a hard time looking at her face, which was odd considering all the time he spent watching her from afar. How many times had he glanced through the glass wall to observe her from behind his desk to make sure she was still within reach if something ever happened or how many times had he glanced at her while he was supposed to be training in the Foundry? He had done it often enough and it wasn't as if she didn't know he did that either. Often times she would feel him staring at her and she would turn to grace him with a warm smile while adjusting her glasses and then they would go back to what they was doing.

…But now, she wasn't smiling or even wearing her glasses for that matter. She looked liked she hadn't smiled in a while.

She looked exhausted and… defeated.

She had tear tracks that seemed to be a permanent fixture, along with the bruises and cuts. Her left eye was swollen shut; there was large cut on the side of her face that spanned from her temple all the way down to her chin and a bloody lip.

The picture was making him sick. Why hasn't anyone found her yet? Why is she still here? How long has she been here for?

"You have to keep in mind, you were the one find Walter and with Felicity's help might I add. So what makes you think Felicity would be rescued by now? If Walter hasn't even been found yet, what makes you think a lowly IT girl would be?" Tommy said, answering his first question.

Oliver realized that Tommy was unfortunately right. The chances for Felicity to be found were next to none if Walter couldn't be found. It still didn't answer his question of why she was here though.

"I think we're about to find out" Tommy said again as they turned their heads towards the door, hearing footsteps from down the hall. Oliver didn't remember when the door had closed behind them when they stepped into the room, but with a loud bang, the door was ripped open with more force than he had used.

With a disgusting smirk, Felicity's kidnapper walked into the room and felt his stomach drop once he recognized him. Malcolm Merlyn.

He should've known what this was going to be about.

"Miss Smoak, we haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. My name is-"

"I know who you are" Felicity said cutting him off. Merlyn wasn't fazed at all as he walked closer to her with his hands behind his back, licking his lips. He seemed amused. God, how much he hated him.

"You and me both" Tommy whispered back.

"You seemed to know a lot Miss Smoak, that's a good thing. It saves us much wasted time dealing with introductions. You see I find first impressions to be quite…telling. You can really find out a lot about person in those first few moments" Malcolm stated.

"No offense to you Mr. Merlyn, but I got a real good impression of you when I discovered that you sabotaged the Queen's Gambit, subsequently killing Queen Consolidated's first CEO Robert Queen and his son Oliver and everyone else who was on that yacht. Wasn't Oliver your son's best friend?" Felicity asked disgusted by the man in front of her.

He moved closer to Felicity, circling her until he was right behind her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he knelt down to put his head next to hers. Felicity craned her head away from and his breath that going down her neck.

"Straight to business I see. That's what I like about you Miss Smoak, that and you can be quite blunt. Tell me, is that why Walter kept you around? Is that why he asked you for your help?" he asked.

Felicity didn't take to his bait though and didn't answer. Not that she really needed to. Oliver thought Malcolm didn't really care for the answer and he was right because Malcolm stood up to move in front of her and carried on.

"And to answer your question… yes. Oliver was my son's best friend, it was a shame that he went down with the Gambit, along with that poor Lance girl. But I warned Moira that something was going to happen if she didn't convince her husband to stop looking for ways to end my plans" He said as he tilted his head and pointed his index finger at her as if he was really trying to warn her rather than thinking back to the warning he gave Moira.

"Oh, you mean the plans that involve leveling the Glades with a man-made earthquake machine. Are those the plans you're talking about?" Felicity spit out.

Merlyn laughed. "Oh-h, Miss Smoak is just a levy of information. You see that is why I tried to hire you first. Your tenacity to find information and efficiency at gathering it is what made you so valuable. I was fighting both Queen Consolidated and Wayne Enterprises to get you, but instead you went with Queen. Why was that?" Merlyn asked seeming genuinely curious at why he lost against his competitors.

"Well to be frank, Merlyn Global didn't even make my list, but I guess I would have say I went with Queen Consolidated because they weren't mass terrorist!"Felicity shouted at him, letting her anger get the best of her. Merlyn didn't take too well what she had said and he slapped her hard in the face. Felicity spat out the blood at his shoes.

Oliver was vibrating with anger at Merlyn and was moving towards him to give him the same courtesy that he gave to Felicity. Before he could get too close though, Tommy grabbed on to his arm and stopped him.

"Hey I know you want to hit him bu-" Tommy was cut off as Oliver jerked his arm from his grasp.

"I don't want hit him, I want to kill him" Oliver bit out, with a clenched jaw and his hands clenching at his sides as he wished for his bow and a few of his arrows. Maybe three arrows or maybe fifty, it really depended on how many it took to feel satisfied.

"Oliver I want him dead as much you do in this moment, but remember you can't touch them and they can't see you. So no matter how… satisfying it would be- it just can't be done. Just…sigh… I'm sorry but you have to keep watching" Tommy told him.

Oliver looked away for a few seconds trying to take a couple of deep breaths to quell his anger. When he looked back he saw Merlyn get closer to felicity, putting his hands on each side of the armrest on her chair- putting his face right in front of her.

That was definitely not calming him down any.

"Miss Smoak, you are not at all as I thought you'd be. Where was that girl who stumbled over her words and who couldn't get out a complete sentence without going off on a tangent because I've got to say I'm not seeing that girl right now. You want to know I see Miss Smoak?" he whispered in her ear.

Felicity just stared on in front of her with a determined and cold face to steel her from Merlyn's antics.

"I don't just see a strong girl, I see a… woman with the potential to do amazing things. Someone who could let herself be so much more if only just let go of the naïve notion that what I'm doing is not in the interest of the greater good because I assure that it is. You could be my partner Miss Smoak, what do you say, hmm?"

"You're right, I'm not the same girl. But really how could I be, especially after everything I've learned. I now know the world is not everything I thought it was. There are corrupt people, who take advantage of the quote, end quote 'small people'. The ones who have the most power to do good, to make a change are the ones that I can't fight against. I mean I'm just one girl. What can I do?" she said as she looked down to her feet and paused for a few moments. She looked up to him, not letting her eyes waver from his for a second she told exactly her stance on his proposition.

"So I could give in, I won't be able to stop anything anyway and it would probably keep me alive longer if I did so. But could I do that? Could I give my up morals? … Either way I'm only going to tell you this once- my final answer… Go. To. Hell. You son of a bitch" Merlyn let out a laugh and took her chin in his hand as glanced back and forth from her eyes to her lips.

"If you know so much, then you would know why I'm doing this in the first place"

Felicity scoffed in response. "For your wife. I know. She died in the Glades because of a mugging. And as she was taking her last breath she tried to call her husband and you didn't answer. So you think destroying the Glades will avenge her death, but you're just trying to absolve the guilt you feel for ignoring her when she needed you the most!"

What was Felicity doing? Why was she goading him? She's going to get herself killed.

"Oliver I think she already knows that. She's a genius, so she's already worked out the odds of her getting out of this situation. And it wasn't looking good for her the moment they took her" Tommy said as put his hand on his shoulder. They looked back to Felicity and they could tell that she wasn't finished with tirade. Not by a long shot.

"Do you remember why she was even in the Glades that night Mr. Merlyn? Huh? She was there because she was setting up a free clinic for those in need of help in the Glades. What do you think she would think of you killing those she was working so hard to help? Everything she did would've been for nothing and she would die in vain if you go through with this. Then your wife will have died for nothing!" Before Felicity could continue, Malcolm slapped her again in the face.

Oliver was filled with pride. He always knew she had a strong personality and like him- she would continue to fight for those who couldn't fight for themselves. It did surprise him because even though he wasn't here in this reality, she was still this situation. Not only that though, Merlyn was right- she was…different.

"I think that would have to do with fact that she found all of this out on her own. You're not here in this reality protecting her and in a way... protecting her innocence. In the real world you're always there shielding her from the underground world. While she helps you navigate it, she's never seen the dangers and destruction up close like this. I'd imagine when she figured this all out that it shattered her view through those rose colored glasses... In a way- this is her island. Wouldn't say?"

What Tommy said startled him because with complete understanding he realized just how right what he said was. He could see the parallels between himself and Felicity in that moment. It was just like the moment when Fyers interrogated him on the whereabouts of Yao Fei on the island.

Malcolm was Felicity's version of Fyers.

It was that moment when Fyers had him where Ollie became Oliver and he no longer thought anyone was going to get him out of that situation. It was only luck that he was saved by someone in the first place. With a sinking feeling he realized that Felicity didn't have a 'Yao Fei' to get her out of this mess. She has no one.

Merlyn took a couple of deep breaths to control his anger and moved toward a table that appeared against a wall. Oliver was positive that it wasn't there before. Malcolm stood near the steel table, picking up blades and then putting them back down. He knew what game Merlyn was playing, it was a scare tactic aimed to break Felicity.

Oliver looked back to her and while he could see the fear in her eyes he saw how she was trying to seem unaffected. He knew she was going to try to not let Merlyn get to her and while Oliver was proud of her for it- he was also very terrified at what the Dark Archer was going to do to her.

With each step Merlyn took towards her the more Oliver wished he could escape the room, he knew he couldn't stop him from hurting Felicity so he wanted to get away. Oliver didn't want to witness the terror he knew his IT girl was going to experience. He walked to the door that was again closed, but no matter how many times Oliver tugged on it- it just wouldn't budge.

He couldn't watch this. He couldn't stand here and watch this play out in front of him without being able to stop it.

"I'm so sorry Oliver, but you have to see this. You have-"

"WHY! Haven't I've seen enough? You've shown me my sister's death, my partners- I've already watched you die Tommy, I was there for that! Don't make me watch this, I can't- I can't watch her die… I promised myself that I would always protect her, always look out for her. Don't make me break that promise. I brought her into this" Oliver said brokenly. He could vaguely feel the wetness from his eyes making its way down his face.

Tommy came up to face him and put his on both of his shoulders. Looking into Oliver's eyes he tried to convince him of a truth he had yet to consider. "But you didn't Oliver. This was her doing. This was her choice, her life. You know Felicity- she- she doesn't like mysteries"

Distraught, he turned his attention back to Felicity and Malcolm who had sharp edged blade in his hand and was dragging down her face, but not yet cutting into it.

"You know Miss Smoak, I'm constantly underestimating you"

"Most people do. I think it's the hair- you know blonde." Felicity said facetiously and this time Oliver could hear the slight tremor in her voice. He wasn't sure if Merlyn could hear though, the only reason Oliver caught was because he knew Felicity well enough to catch something like that.

Merlyn smirked at as he circled around her again.

"Only a select few know why I'm doing this and the majority who don't know- don't care. They just want a piece of the profit… But the ones who do know, know well enough to keep it quiet. So tell me, who was the one who couldn't keep their mouth shut? Was it Walter? Did he find out and tell you or was it Moira? Did she go to you when Walter went missing to figure out a way to stop me? Because I've got to say- it didn't work so well for her first husband" he said as came to a halt in front of her twirling the blade between his fingertips. She let out a hollow laugh.

"Mrs. Queen didn't need to say anything to me. It was never about her. This has always been about finding Mr. Steele, but then when I found out what you were really up to. I couldn't just leave it there. How could I? If I did, then it would mean turning a blinds eye to the thousands that you're going to kill. There was no way that I could do that" Felicity said with tears running down her face.

"Then how did you figure it out then?!" He yelled at her.

"Who cares how I figured it out? Isn't enough to know that I know?" she asked.

"No you see Miss Smoak, I need to take care those you might've told. So in order to do that, I need find out where you got your information from. I can't have anyone getting in the way" Merlyn said bitingly.

"Why? Is it because you know that what you're doing is wrong?" Oliver thought maybe she was trying to reach out to Merlyn's sympathy. He knew Felicity didn't have a very good chance of doing so though.

Merlyn was a man without a moral code. If he wanted to do something as horrendous as his plans for the Glades, then he could. He had power, money and no one to stop him but a lonely IT girl who didn't know what she was going up against in the first place.

"Is it really wrong when there's no one to stop me, but you?... You see me as the villain Miss Smoak. But look around you- There are no Heroes in this world. No one running around with a mask and a cape. Just… you. And really what can you do all on your lonesome?" he goaded.

Merlyn was wrong. There was a hero in this world and she was doing everything in her power to stop him. The only reason she couldn't defeat him was because she was doing this alone. He had to find out the hard way that he couldn't do it alone. The only reason he was able to stop the other half of the Glades from being destroyed was because Felicity and Lance deactivated one of the machines, while he had Digg as back up when he went up against the Dark Archer.

"You're getting really close to figuring out this realization out Oliver. You're really close" Tommy commended from behind him.

"First off, really- a cape? That's a little lame don't you think? I say a mask and leather suit any day. I'm partial to green, but that's just me. And secondly, you're wrong because it doesn't matter what you do to me- You're still going to lose. I'm not going to pretend that there's someone out there that'll save me, I never needed to. I knew from the start that I probably wouldn't make it out of this alive and you know what?" she looked straight into Merlyn's eyes, anger evidently on her face.

"I'm okay with that because either way… you're still going down with me and there's nothing to stop that. So even if you win, you still lose" she stated with a dark smile and quiet laugh.

"What are you talking about?" Merlyn grounded out.

"Oh-no" she said with a dark laugh and a head shake. "This will be the thing I take to my grave, but what I will tell you is what everyone's going to find out. The whole world will discover that you were behind the 'earthquake'; they'll find out everything about the Undertaking; and… the Phoenix account. And there will be nothing to stop that. Not even my death"

Oliver felt the panic threatened to swallow him whole. He understood what she was doing- baiting and provoking Merlyn, when it was the last thing she should be doing.

Felicity was giving up.

While Oliver knew what she was doing, he didn't why.

"Come on Oliver. You said it yourself, no one is going to save her and like I said before- she's smart enough to know what her outcome is… If you knew you were going to die- with no chance of rescue. What would you do?" Tommy asked sadly.

"I wouldn't give up! I didn't give up. I've been in this situation before" Oliver yelled as he was frustrated with Felicity's resigned attitude.

"Need I remind you Oliver? You had Yao Fei, Slade and Shado to rescue you. She doesn't have that. She has no one! No chance at surviving this. So in her last possible move she's going to bring daddy dearest's house of cards down on him because it's the only thing she has left"

Oliver stood stock-still. He suddenly knew what the realization was.

It was profound really. As he saw Merlyn go back to the table and pick up his infamous compound bow- Oliver suddenly saw the bigger picture. Tommy was right, she had no one- she was doing this alone and that was the mistake.

No one could do this alone- not even him.

Merlyn couldn't even do it alone, that's why his parents were his partners, along with several other investors.

He certainly couldn't have done it alone last year, even though he tried his best to push away Digg and keep Felicity uninvolved as much as he possibly could. He would never have been able to deactivate even one device when he had to go up against Merlyn at the same time and even then he needed to Digg as back up.

"So to be clear, what you are saying Miss Smoak is that killing you or keeping you alive will only share the same outcome? Why would you tell me that? Why not just use the knowledge you've procured as insurance? You could've very well just have told me that in the event of your death, the information would be leaked to the public. You could've saved yourself" Merlyn said as he notched an arrow onto his bow and lifted it to aim at Felicity.

She started breathing hard and tears were flowing down her more than before. Even as she was terrified though, she still wasn't backing down.

"Tommy, I figured out what I needed too. You need to stop this!" Oliver rushed to Tommy. This time it was Oliver trying to convince his guide of something.

"Oliver I-" Again Tommy was cut off, only it was Felicity who interrupted him and not his passenger.

"I knew the moment your henchmen got me what was going to happen. And you're right, I could've very well leveraged it, but you see I'm smarter than that. I knew that it only serve as a way for you to lure me into a false sense of security and either way I'd up dead. At least this way…you're going down with me and… no one wins-"

Thwack.

…

Everything slowed. The sound was unmistakable. Oliver heard it countless of times. He's made the sound countless of times.

It took him a few moments to realize what had just happened in front of him and when he did- he never felt anything like it before. Suddenly he couldn't seem to breathe and he felt as if his blood was rushing to head. There was nothing but white sound as his thoughts became chaotic.

"No Felicity! No! What just- what just happened…I- This couldn't have happened. Not Felicity, never Felicity.

"Tommy what just happened?" Oliver whispered as he made his way slowly to Felicity and kneeling down beside her.

He couldn't stop the tears from falling as he saw the damage Merlyn inflicted on her. There was an arrow straight through her heart; her head lulled forward pushing her hair to block out her face. He tried pushing her hair away to look at her, but he couldn't seem to touch her. It was if she was frozen- as if the entire scene was frozen. He looked around and noticed that Merlyn wasn't even in the room anymore. Looking at her chest again, he took another look at the arrow that was now imbedded into her heart.

It might as well have been his. Arrows were his weapon of choice. What he used to hand out justice and protect the ones he loves, so to see one imbedded into her was painfully symbolic for the life he had chosen.

He tried taking shallow breaths to try alleviate the grief that threaten to pull him under, but in that moment he wasn't sure if he even cared to stop it. He hadn't felt this devastated since he couldn't save Tommy at CNRI or Thea from her car accident and Digg from Deadshot. He knew the last ones didn't actually happen, but it didn't stop that from feeling so… painfully real.

No matter what he did, he felt like he would always end up losing someone to this fight. First Yao Fei, then Shado, Sarah and Slade- the list went on and on and he wondered how many more would end up on that list?

How many more people was he going to have to lose?

While he could try and protect them as much as he could, they still had free will. They could still make the choice to dive into danger as he did, to stand by him and fight by his side. What Felicity always reminded him every time she went out in the field played on a constant loop inside his head.

'My life, my choice'

Oliver could accept it, but it didn't mean that he would have to like it. He stood up and faced the one that brought him here.

"Tommy are we done here?" he asked faintly as moved towards him.

"Yeah buddy, we're finished here. It's time to move on" Tommy said, putting his arm around Oliver's shoulder and guiding him out of the room.

Away from Felicity.

"Where are we headed next?"

"As cliché as it sounds it's time to see what your future holds for you and what could happen if you carry on the way you are" Tommy sighed as he ushered them into the hallway.

Like many times before his surroundings started fading away, but this time he was elated to know that it would get him away from the scene behind him. He didn't want to look at the picture of Felicity's broken body chained to chair because he wasn't there to save her any longer then he had to. Oliver faintly wondered the type of future that he was in for. He hoped it wouldn't be as horrific and as bleak as this.

Author's note: Wow longest chapter ever in this story! Longest chapter I've ever written at all actually. So, I was pretty excited about this chapter- this was the chapter I saw first when I came up with this idea and I hope that it didn't disappoint you any because there wasn't any fluff- but eventually there will be some major fluff for Olicity in about two chapters. So just you wait! And I'm going to address this now because I see a few of you asking about it: If you notice any differences here compared to previous chapters then its because they are important, but I also may be too subtle for my own good and you might not even notice. Anyway I'll probably address that in an authors note in the next chapter. Also again any mistakes you see are mine and mine alone, there might be few even though I read it over several times. And thank you everyone for all the feedback and follows since the last chapter- they make me immensely happy!

Next up: Off to the future, which will be split up into two parts. Will the next one be bleak or happy- you're more then welcome to tell me which one you want to see first. I'm open to ideas. And I'm also thinking of keeping the face of the subconscious, but if you guys want a change, I'm more then welcome to suggestions. You will also see quite of few characters in the next chapter. (^_^)*