Technical Assistance

Chapter 4: Initial Computer Setup

He continues walking, but he turns to look at her for a moment.  She's not disappointed when he frowns, eyes narrowed in confusion as he asks, "Leads to where?"

Felicity groans.  "Never mind," she assures him quickly, coloring at her own stupidity.

He stops this time.  "I'd like to know," he says quietly, trying to smile even though it doesn't reach his eyes.  "No one makes references to television or movies around me anymore."  He doesn't add anything else, but he doesn't have to:  it's clear his family doesn't want to upset him about the missing five years of his life.

Always a sucker for a sad face, Felicity answers, sighing, "It's from a TV show called Avatar," she answers finally.  He starts walking again as she adds, "And it has nothing to do with the James Cameron movie with blue people that is also amazing.  But M. Night Shyamalan did make a movie out of it."  She clears her head by shaking it.  "Anyway, there's an episode in season two—called "The Cave of Two Lovers"—where they're trying to get into a city called Omashu, and the main characters go through a series of tunnels that keep changing.  Like a living maze, which is what your house is starting to remind me of."  She stops babbling as they get to the door, and she can see just a hint of a smile on his face.

He opens the door and ushers her in, and as she takes in the opulence of the room, she mutters, "I keep thinking I'll see a miniature giraffe around here."  It earns her a questioning glance from Oliver, but she ignores it as she takes in the room and he shuts the door.  It's such an impersonal space; it wouldn't surprise her if he didn't spend much time here.  "Where should I set up?" she asks casually, trying to pretend she's in just another office and not Oliver Queen's bedroom.

Oliver waves a hand toward a nice mahogany desk that definitely didn't come from an Ikea.  "Over here will be fine," he says, before attempting to clear a '90s model monitor off the top.

Felicity stops him.  "No," she says a little loud, startling him, and she winces.  She tries again, "No, that's all right—I can disassemble that old system."  She's about to say more but she stops, biting her lip.

Oliver offers her a tentative smile as he coaxes her.  "And?"

"And," Felicity continues as prompted, "if you don't have use for the old computer and monitor, I can maybe re-purpose them for parts."  With a self-conscious hand gesture, she finally adds, "I have a few side projects going."

"Go ahead and take them, then," he assures her.  "I'll just throw them out, anyway."  As she attempts to shut down the still-running computer, he changes the subject.   "That reminds me—we still haven't discussed your fee."

She's confused for a moment, but then she realizes that the Queen family is used to flashing money to get things done.  "I'll have everything up as soon as I can," she assures him.  "The old one might be a little stubborn to move out of here, but setting up the laptop shouldn't take too long."

To her surprise, he shakes his head.  "No, how much money do I owe you for your labor?"

She shakes her head.  "Nothing," is her response.  "You paid for the parts, and an IT nerd playing with computer parts is a happy IT nerd.  No charge necessary."  Since the computer is shut down, she unplugs the CPU and the monitor from the wall socket before crawling under the desk to untangle wires and devices.

She's surprised when she sees Oliver sink to his knees on the other side of the desk.  "How can I help?" he asks, and Felicity has to admit that the sight of Oliver on the floor in a pair of jeans that cost more than she makes in a month, frowning adorably at the clutter of wires, is a sight to behold.

She directs him to the monitor hookups, and they work their way through the wiring together.  Felicity neatly gathers the cables, the tower, and the monitors in the corner of the room for now.  "Thanks for that," she says, but he doesn't respond because he's interrupted by the knock on the door.