Arrow: Fracture Part 3

Extenuating Circumstances

The resounding beating of Felicity's heart gave her pause as she stood in the darkness of the Keep. The barren concrete walls surrounding her pushed the darkness closer as she mentally prepared for her task. The phone in her hand was slowly angled to her view as she typed in a single command. The ringing from the other end froze her in her tracks, crippling her mind. A brief pause cut the ringing as silence filtered the phone line. Finally a voice broke the silence and began.

"Felicity?" Whorrsmen's dark and rough voice shook Felicity as she fought to reply.

"I wasn't sure if you'd actually call this number." He added, amazement in his tone.

"What was I supposed to do with a number that you force hacked into my phone?" Felicity snapped, eager to state she had intention of playing nice.

"Well I needed a secure way of speaking with you in case our chat didn't have the effect I intended." Whorrsmen explained.

"That's why I called. I need reassurance that my friends will be protected." Felicity began, all but demanding her terms.

"I'll do what I can." Whorrsmen replied, knowing better than to promise something that he had virtually no control over.

"No. That's not good enough. I want a plan and I wanna meet in person to see it, no games and no lies." She ordered, setting the tone for little negotiations. Whorrsmen sighed as he formulated a strategy, searching for a way to keep his daughter safe at any cost.

"Alright. I'll have something ready by tonight. Where are we meeting?" Whorrsmen asked, knowing better than to suggest a location.

"I'll send you the info when the plan is ready. Come alone." Felicity finished as she ended the call. The surge of adrenaline began to subside as she caught her breath before returning to the main room. Diggle stood waiting as Felicity moved directly to her desk and grabbed a data drive from her computer.

"This is everything he'll need." Felicity said as she handed the small device over to her friend. Diggle paused before taking the object and asked.

"There's no going back after you give me this. Are you sure?" Felicity read her friend's worried eyes and knew he needed to be absolutely certain of her resolve before he proceeded with the plan, for fear of how it would alter both of them. Felicity forced the data drive into Diggle's hand and simply replied.

"Yes." Her unforgiving tone almost disturbed Diggle if not for his own blinding hatred and desire to see their plan through.

The waves gently struck against the cement wall as Diggle stood facing the bay. Thankfully the meeting location for his contact was isolated and out of the way, this area of the docks was mostly used by fishermen. A cool breeze flew up from the water and brushed Diggle's jacket, whipping it around while he scanned the area again for any sign of trouble. It wasn't everyday he went to an ARGUS operative for a matter that he didn't want ARGUS involved in, a tactic that the government used often. A steady pair of footsteps turned Diggle to his side, unsure of how he would react to his guest.

"Well I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it with my own eyes." Floyd Lawton began, a sly grin on his face as he approached from the side.

"John Diggle, coming to me for help. How the mighty have fallen." Deadshot added, clearly enjoying the twisted sense of morality Diggle was most likely dealing with. Diggle ignored the comment and fought to hold back his retort, knowing better than to encourage his guest.

"I must say I'm touched that you thought of me for such an assignment, and here I thought we wouldn't get to see each other again after our last outing." Lawton joked as he leaned against the nearby post.