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“Oliver’s in trouble.”
“It’s one life against the city’s.”
Tucking her lips in so she doesn’t scream in frustration, Felicity looks at Ray’s face, trying to find, something, anything, that will allow her to convince him of what they have to do. She can see the indecision, the struggle within himself, along with the determination to follow through on his own mission, to protect the city and its inhabitants.
“Before I met Oliver, I lived in my cubicle. I had very little to distract me from my work, other than marathon-ing TV shows off my DVR and writing code to relax,” she began. She looked down at her hands, the nail polish smooth, but worn and slightly chipped in some places.
“After I became a part of the team, to work to protect the city, I realized how removed, even oblivious, I was from the dangers and undesirable elements that flowed around me in the streets.”
Scoffing, she said with some self-deprecation, “I grew up in Vegas, I know what the seedy underbelly of a city looks like, feels like…” she trailed off before lifting her head to look around, the skyline outside catching her attention.
“But then, I realized just what he was trying to accomplish. How much he gave of himself, so that people would not HAVE to see that side of Starling City. How much he sacrificed, with his own blood, sweat, and tears,” she said firmly, “to protect us all.”
Ray watched her walk to the window, looking out at the city lights, watching them blink and glitter, completely unaware of what was coming.
“To protect people like me,” she said quietly.
Turning to him with purpose, her eyes lit and her voice strong, “He is not just one man. One life. His is the life that stands in front of us all. He is the one that he has shown time and again, how much difference one person can make.”
Ray shuffled his feet, looking down. His own crusade may have not been possible without the idea planted there by the Hood, the Arrow, Oliver Queen, himself. The push to be someone who can protect those who cannot protect themselves may have started with the Siege, when he lost his beloved Anna, but it was built on the foundation that someone else had already put down.
“I am not asking you to choose him over the city, Ray,” Felicity said softly as she walked back to him. Placing her hand on his arm, she drew his attention once more.
“I asking you to recognize that we are all, ‘one life’, and we can all save this city, together.”