A/N: Many thanks to bushlaboo for the beta-read.

Agent Christopher stared at the duffle bag on the floor and then back at Oliver with a bewildered expression.

"It's a bow and arrow," she said.

He nodded. "Yes."

They were standing in the computer area of Mason's bunker, with Mason, Jiya and Barry seated a few yards away. Oliver had retrieved his bag from Agent Christopher's car and unzipped it to reveal his bow and quiver of arrows. With all the upgrades Felicity and Cisco had performed over the years, he thought the equipment looked pretty high tech.

Agent Christopher, apparently, thought differently.

"A bow and arrow," she repeated. From her tone of voice, the bag may as well have contained a spatula, or a dozen kittens, or something equally as ineffective and irrelevant.

"You understand," the agent continued, as if speaking to a ten-year-old, "that the people in possession of the Mothership have guns; modern guns - capable of firing dozens of rounds in a few seconds."

"I figured as much."

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Are you sure you're not on some kind of medication, Oliver?"

He laughed – the first time he'd done so since he'd learned ten hours ago that Felicity was trapped in 1884. He'd become so accustomed to the constant veil of suspicion hanging over him in Star City that it felt strange, and a little refreshing, to find someone whose thoughts didn't immediately leap from Oliver Queen to his other identity.

"Maybe this will help," he said.

He reached into the duffle bag and pulled out his green leather jacket, spreading the hood on the floor and arranging his mask on top of it. Then he straightened and looked expectantly at Agent Christopher.

And there was absolutely no recognition in her eyes. She gazed at the jacket with the same expression she'd used for the bow and arrows.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Is that supposed to mean something?"

It was Barry who answered. "He's telling you that he's The Green Arrow," he said quietly.

Jiya straightened in her seat and stared at Oliver. Then she turned to the keyboard in front of her and started typing.

Agent Christopher's brow furrowed. "The vigilante in Star City?"

Oliver nodded once more. "Yes. I'm a little surprised you don't know about it. The FBI has been investigating me for months on the suspicion that I'm The Green Arrow. I figured at this point, that it was common knowledge."

Agent Christopher waved one hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm Homeland Security," she replied. "Homeland Security and the FBI don't really talk to each other."

"ARGUS has known about me for years."

She laughed. "Yeah, well no one talks to ARGUS." Then she gave Oliver a long, assessing look. "Seriously? You really are The Green Arrow?"

He shrugged, and then in one, swift movement, picked up the bow, nocked an arrow, and spun and fired. They all stared at the mouse pinned to the base of the wall, thirty feet away. "Yup."

Jiya smiled. "Wow," she said softly. "The Green Arrow and The Flash on the same day."

Mason didn't look nearly as happy. "Oh bloody hell," he said. "There are mice in the bunker?"

Jiya pointed to the computer monitor in front of her. "Just to give everyone further confirmation, I'm looking at the Star City Gazette and there are a whole bunch of recent articles about the FBI investigating Mr. Queen. And there's some older news, too, about the SCPD arresting him a few years ago on suspicion of being a vigilante." She paused and then leaned closer to the monitor. "It also says that he's the mayor of Star City." She sounded more surprised by that fact than she'd been about The Green Arrow. Suddenly, she giggled. "Apparently the gossip blogs refers to him as Mayor Handsome."

Agent Christopher smiled. "Well, you certainly lead an interesting life, Oliver. If I'm to believe everything I've heard, you're an arrow-shooting vigilante who was missing and presumed dead for five years, as well as the mayor of your hometown, with a wife currently trapped in 1884. Did I leave anything out?"

Oliver shrugged. "I think you've hit the high points."

Agent Christopher's smile disappeared. "Fine," she said to Oliver. "So assuming that you are The Green Arrow-"

"I am."

"—then even with your skills, however good they may be, you're still going up against some highly trained and heavily armed people."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," Barry interjected from his seat. "Oliver's had plenty of training himself. I've seen him in action lots times – you'd be surprised what he can do with basic archery equipment. Besides," he added, "he won't be alone. I'll be there with him." When Oliver shot him a grateful look he smiled apologetically. "I got Felicity into this, Oliver, I'm going to help get her out."

Oliver frowned. "The more I learn about it, the less it sounds like you have any responsibility for Felicity's time trip. It seems more like it was some kind of weird fluke."

He turned back to Agent Christopher. "So," he said, "we've established that The Green Arrow and The Flash are on the team. Are you a little more optimistic now about our chances for getting ahold of the Mothership?"

Agent Christopher gazed at him thoughtfully. "You know," she said slowly, "I actually am. They certainly won't be expecting The Green Arrow and The Flash. We might be able to pull this off." She looked across the room at Mason. "Think about it, Connor. Not only does Oliver have a chance to get his wife back, but we have an opportunity to get the Mothership out of the hands of Rittenhouse."

Rittenhouse? The name rang a vague, ancient bell for Oliver, but he had no idea why, and he honestly didn't care. If Agent Christopher saw a win for herself in stealing the Mothership, then it meant that she'd be more likely to help him with his plan.

Mason cleared his throat. "Before you get too excited, Denise, there are a couple of risks we should talk about."

Agent Christopher looked at him and waited.

"First," Mason continued, "we have to find the Mothership. Rittenhouse has moved its base of operations since you had Wyatt infiltrate it. We don't know where they're headquartered anymore."

"Actually," Jiya broke in, "I think I've got the Mothership narrowed down to three possible locations, all within a five mile radius of each other. It shouldn't be too hard to find."

Mason gave Jiya a sideways glance and didn't acknowledge her point. "And second," he said tersely to Agent Christopher, "we need to think carefully before we put The Flash in close proximity to the Mothership."

Agent Christopher looked at Barry and her brow furrowed. "I'm not sure I follow you, Connor. I would think The Flash would be an outstanding weapon in this situation because they won't see him coming. Why wouldn't we want to have him there?"

Mason sighed. "Because fifteen minutes ago we were speculating that The Flash running at the same time as the Mothership created an anomaly in space-time – an anomaly that lasted long enough to drag Felicity Smoak into the past." He looked at Barry. "You said you were running from Central to Star City?" When Barry nodded, he continued, "Well, the Mothership was hundreds of miles away." His brow furrowed. "If there really is some kind of interaction between The Flash's speed and the Mothership's gravitational field, imagine what could happen if the two of them are within feet of each other. Instead of lasting minutes, the anomaly might become a permanent tear in space-time. Maybe instead of a wormhole, we end up with a black hole."

Oliver frowned. "That's all just speculation."

Mason narrowed his eyes. "It is. But do you really wish to take the chance?"

Oliver dropped his gaze from Mason's face to the floor. He wanted to shout that he didn't care what he had to do to get Felicity back; that he would happily break apart the earth if that's what it took. But the truth was that he did care if he ended up harming hundreds of innocent people in the process. He knew Felicity wouldn't want to be back under those circumstances.

"What if I don't use my speed?" Barry asked. "What if I just move like a regular human?"

Mason shrugged. "Maybe that will help. Your molecular structure is still different, though."

"But if the Mothership is shut down?" Oliver suggested. "Is it a problem then? I mean, if the ship is just sitting there, then it can't be bending space-time. There shouldn't be anything to interact with." When Mason looked up at him sharply, Oliver gave him a self-deprecating smile and added, "I was listening to you and Jiya earlier, Mr. Mason. I may not be a tech genius, but I can sometimes put two and two together."

Mason nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I can see that – and I suppose you have a point. If the ship isn't in operation, then it's probably acceptable for The Flash to be near it. You understand, though," he continued more severely, "that if you are able to recover the Mothership, The Flash should, under no circumstances, travel with you on it. It's just too risky."

Oliver exhaled. "Yes, I understand. Once we get the ship, I'm on my own."

"Oliver-" Barry began.

Oliver cut him off with a wave of his hand. "It makes sense," he said to Barry. "You know it does. If Mr. Mason is right, there are a lot of people who could be hurt if you and the Mothership interact."

Barry met his eyes and nodded reluctantly.

"Why don't you tell us more about what we're up against," Oliver said, turning to Agent Christopher. "How many people will be guarding the ship? Is there anyone we need to be particularly aware of?"

She put her fingers to her temples and rubbed tiredly. Oliver realized that it was late – nearly midnight. Like him, Agent Christopher, Connor Mason and Jiya had most likely put in a long day and could use some sleep. Nevertheless, no one had complained or suggested they take a break. He was grateful for that.

"I wish I could tell you more," the agent said wearily. "The people who have the Mothership are members of an organization named Rittenhouse. They're well organized and well resourced. I think you can assume there will be at least ten of them – all armed."

"What do they want?" Barry asked.

It was Mason who answered. "They want to control the country – run the country."

Oliver resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What was it about bad guys wanting to take over, he wondered. It seemed like every villain he had ever fought was trying to make Star City his own. Why couldn't people just live and let live?

"Why?" he said to Mason. "Is it about money?"

Mason grimaced. "No. It's about Rittenhouse building their vision of the perfect society; a society where the elites make the decisions and tell everyone else how to live."

Oliver thought back to six years earlier, when Malcolm Merlyn had partially destroyed The Glades section of Star City because he'd wanted to rebuild the city into his idea of a better place. This thing with Rittenhouse sounded similar – except on a much larger scale. With a pang, Oliver recalled that his mother had abetted Merlyn in his plan; at least, until she'd had a crisis of conscience over the thousands of people who would die. Then she'd tried to prevent it.

He did his best to push her out of his mind. It wasn't the time to reflect on family sins; and anyway, she'd eventually paid for her transgressions and then some. "Okay," he said to the room in general. "So there are at least ten armed people guarding the Mothership, all members of Rittenhouse." He walked over to Jiya. "You said you'd narrowed the Mothership down to three locations. Any chance you can bring up photos or schematics for those locations?"

She nodded. "No problem." Then she started typing.

He stood behind her as he'd often stood behind Felicity, and watched her fingers fly across the keyboard. It felt familiar, and in a weird way, comforting. He had gone from being helpless to doing what he knew best; planning a mission.

"The sites are all on the outskirts of San Jose," Jiya said, "which means they're less than an hour from here." She pointed at her monitor. "This is the first one."

Oliver leaned forward and studied the photo. It was a large warehouse; bigger than a football field and several stories high. The building didn't have a lot of doors, but there were plenty of skylights; it would be difficult for someone to guard them all.

Barry got out of his chair and stood next to Oliver. "It's a lot of space for ten people to watch," he remarked, voicing Oliver's thoughts aloud. "I'm guessing the guards won't pair up in order to cover more ground. It'll make it easier to take them out if they're by themselves."

Oliver nodded.

Agent Christopher cleared her throat. "There's something I should probably make clear," she said quietly.

Oliver and Barry turned to her.

"Should you find it necessary, lethal force is…acceptable…to use against Rittenhouse."

No one said anything for several seconds.

"You're telling us that it's okay if we have to kill someone in order to get the Mothership," Oliver stated, wanting to be certain he had understood her correctly.

"Yes."

"Denise-" Mason began.

She held up one hand. "Connor – we know that Rittenhouse won't hesitate to kill. They've already tried to eliminate our team on several occasions. I thought these men should know that, and know there will be no repercussions if they have to take a life. I don't want them fighting with one hand tied behind their backs."

Mason studied her face and then shrugged. "Fair enough." After a pause, he said to Oliver and Barry, "There's one person, though, that you'll want to take alive."

"Who's that?" Oliver asked.

"Emma Whitmore. She's the pilot for the Mothership. And you won't get far without a pilot."

Barry frowned. "You can't fly it yourself?"

Mason shook his head. "No. I invented it, but I've never once flown it. I told you before – it's tricky. It takes a lot of training and practice."

"I can fly it," Jiya said quickly. "I've piloted the Lifeboat."

Mason gave her a look that managed to combine annoyance and affection. "A couple of times, Jiya, and you've struggled with the landings. They need Emma."

"I can fly it," she repeated stubbornly.

Oliver sensed an argument brewing. "Why don't you show us the photos for the other two locations," he suggested to Jiya. "Then we can figure out who's going to go on the mission."

She nodded and began typing again, but the resolute expression didn't leave her face.

After everything she'd been through, Felicity figured she should be able to sleep. It felt like days, not hours, since she'd left her home in Star City to work at the loft. She'd been sucked down a wormhole, met Nikola Tesla, interrogated by a group of time travelers, and walked miles in 1884 New York City. It was an exhausting agenda for anyone.

And yet, sleep eluded her, despite the fact that it was nearly midnight.

After Wyatt had firmly reiterated that they were going to check on Tesla in the morning, he had suggested they all get some rest. Rufus had promptly agreed and gone to the room next door to sleep. Lucy had generously offered Felicity the bed and then done her best to get comfortable in a very uncomfortable-looking chair. And Wyatt had remained standing guard.

Felicity lay on the bed and watched with envy as Lucy managed to drift off. Then she turned her gaze to Wyatt.

"You may as well get some sleep, too," she said to him. "You look as tired as I feel. There's no need to stand guard. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere."

He met her eyes but said nothing.

She sighed. "Do you really still think that I'm with Rittenhouse? I mean, look at me; I've got no weapons, no hand-to-hand combat skills, and the wrong clothes. I'm not exactly agent material. I just want to go home."

"Then why aren't you going to sleep now?"

"Believe me, if I could, I would. I can't get my heartrate to return to normal. You may be used to time travel, but it's been a…weird…experience for me." She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "I keep thinking that my husband is probably frantic by now. He can make some pretty impulsive decisions when he's worried about the people he loves."

As if he couldn't help himself, Wyatt smiled. "So you're worried about your husband being worried."

"I am."

He seemed to find that amusing. He gave a small shake of his head and the smile remained on his face. Felicity glanced at the gold band on Wyatt's finger and wondered once again what the story was with him and Lucy. Suddenly, she decided, why not ask? Apparently neither she nor Wyatt was going to get any sleep. The worst he could do was tell her it was none of her business.

"What about your wife?" she asked Wyatt guilelessly. "Does she worry about you when you take these time trips? Does she even know what you do?"

Wyatt's smile faded. He cast a cautious glance at Lucy and appeared satisfied that she was asleep.

"Yeah," he admitted after a moment, "Jessica knows what I do and she worries about me. But before this, I used to go on missions with the army, so she's kind of used to it. She handles it pretty well."

Jessica. So Lucy wasn't Wyatt's wife and they weren't in the midst of a separation or divorce. Wyatt was married to someone else, and very evidently, had feelings for his co-worker. It was an office romance, Felicity thought, with a weird, time-travelling twist.

Wyatt was studying her face. "You're wondering about me and Lucy," he said.

"It's kinda hard to miss."

He sighed. "I know. When I started working with Lucy I was single…or at least I thought I was."

"You thought you were? Isn't that something you should know?"

He smiled wryly. "It's another story that includes an alternate timeline. You know how Lucy told you she lost her sister when the Hindenburg didn't blow up the way it was supposed to? Well, I got my wife back when Rittenhouse travelled in time and got rid of her murderer – or, at least, we think that's what happened. I went on a time trip knowing I was a widower and came back to find my wife very much alive."

Felicity sat up on the bed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Wow."

"Yeah – you can say that again." He exhaled tiredly and lowered himself to sit on the floor, leaning his back against the wall. For a moment he gazed at his hands as they rested on his lap. "I was a wreck when Jess was killed and I mourned her for years," he eventually said. "It wasn't until I met Lucy that I finally started to believe I could care about someone else. And now Jess is back." He shook his head and gave a weak laugh. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

Felicity looked at him sympathetically. "How…close…did you and Lucy get before your wife came back?"

"As close as two consenting adults can get."

"Oh."

They were silent for a few moments. Felicity thought about the twisted road her relationship with Oliver had taken before the two of them finally worked things out. She decided they didn't have anything on Lucy and Wyatt.

"I'm sorry," she finally said, because she couldn't think of anything better to say.

Wyatt shook his head gently. "If there's anyone who deserves your sympathy, it's Lucy. As hard as this has been for me, it's been ten times worse for her. We all live in the same facility back home and she has to see me with Jess every day. And she's been nothing but understanding about it."

Felicity remembered when Oliver had started dating Sara Lance and she had been forced to watch the two of them exchange warm glances and the occasional kiss as they trained together in the foundry. She had a pretty good idea of what Lucy was going through now. "Yeah, I'll bet it sucks for her," she agreed.

"It does," Wyatt said softly.

They were silent again. Wyatt leaned his head against the wall and stared at the ceiling.

"You said you think I'm used to time travel?" he said suddenly. "Well, I'm not. I don't think you ever get used to it. I've been doing this for two years now and I never know how things are going to turn out when I return home. It can be awful or amazing – and sometimes both at the same time."

Felicity lay back down. "So you must understand then," she replied quietly, "why I want to get home so badly. I want to get back to my husband before something has a chance to change."

"If it hasn't already."

"What?" She sat back up quickly.

He regarded her steadily. "You've heard of the butterfly effect?" When Felicity nodded, he continued, "Well, it's the perfect description for what happens when you mess with history. Sometimes the change to the past can be really small or subtle. You don't know it when it happens, but when you return to the present you find out that it had a big impact." He shook his head. "I didn't realize anything had happened with Jessica until I got home and there were texts from her on my phone."

She stared at him in fear. She tried to recall every detail of what she had done since she'd arrived in 1884, looking for tiny events that could serve as the flap of a butterfly's wings.

Wyatt gave a bitter laugh. "Do you know that Rittenhouse once went to the 1930's and tried to kill a blues singer named Robert Johnson? They did it because his music was a major influence on rock groups like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Rittenhouse figured that without Johnson, there would be no rock music; and without rock, there would be no counter-culture revolution in the sixties – no protests, no civil rights marches." He clenched one fist. "Essentially," he went on, "they believed they could eradicate an entire societal movement by getting rid of one man; and not a political leader – just a musician."

Felicity's heart was hammering now. The elimination of one man's life could alter an entire decade of history? She tried to calm down by reminding herself that she had seen and spoken with almost no one; only Lucy, Wyatt, Rufus…and Nikola Tesla.

Wyatt was watching her closely. "I'm sorry," he said abruptly. "I've scared you. You should know that things don't change every time we travel. We've taken plenty of trips where we come home to find that everything is exactly the same." When she looked at him hopefully, he added. "I'm pretty sure that will be the case with you. After all, you haven't met many people – and neither have we. It's beginning to look as though following the Mothership here was a wild goose chase."

She nodded and prayed that he was right.

To her surprise, Felicity was eventually able to catch a couple of hours of sleep. Sometime in the early hours of the morning she dropped off into troubled dreams of returning to a Star City where Moira Queen was alive and mayor, and Oliver had been dead for years. She woke to feel her back damp with sweat, and to see Wyatt still sitting on the floor, gazing at Lucy. She doubted he had slept at all.

Within the space of fifteen minutes, Lucy awoke and Rufus came in from his room. Felicity watched the three time travelers greet each other like family and begin their morning routine.

"How do you want to handle things today?" Lucy asked casually, as she stood in front of a small mirror on the wall and arranged her hair.

Standing behind her, Wyatt looked at his reflection and assessed his unshaven state. "It's early yet," he replied, "just after six. Why don't we see if we can find something for breakfast and then Felicity and Rufus can head to the Lifeboat. You and I can stop by Edison's plant as soon as it opens and make sure Tesla shows up for work." He paused and then added with a hopeful grin, "I assume you know where Edison's plant is, Luce?"

She smiled. "Pearl Street – Lower Manhattan. It's not far from here."

"Great."

Felicity slid off the bed and evaluated her own appearance in the mirror. Her jeans and soft jersey top looked fine, but her mascara was smudged and her hair was a little wild. She dearly wanted to wash her face and brush her teeth. "I take it there's no indoor plumbing in 1884?" she asked the room in general.

"There is," Lucy replied, "but not in the lower east side of New York City. This section belongs to the working class. There are outdoor toilets at street level and we have to carry a bucket of water up to our rooms to wash."

Felicity sighed. "Oh, isn't that just lovely." After a pause, she added more seriously, "Hey - what the hell do you guys do for coffee?"

Rufus laughed. "We do the best we can. Usually we can manage to scrounge some up." He paused and frowned. "Although we once went the Salem witch trials in 1692 when coffee wasn't big in America yet. That kinda sucked."

"You mean the Salem witch revolt," Felicity corrected gently. When Rufus merely stared at her she rolled her eyes. "Oh hell, it's like the Hindenburg, isn't it? It got changed, too."

Rufus nodded.

Lucy stopped fussing with her hair and turned to Felicity. "One of the less glamorous aspects of time travel," she said matter-of-factly, "is that we rarely have the right currency for the time periods that we go to. So we have to beg, borrow or steal necessities like food and clothing. I don't like the stealing, and we try to minimize the impact to the citizens of the time, but we really don't have a choice." She smiled at her colleagues and added, "It's a good incentive for us to finish our missions quickly and get home to the era of credit cards and Starbucks as soon as we can."

"Speaking of which," Wyatt said, "we should probably get this show on the road."

An hour and a half later, Felicity was in Central Park, walking through a densely forested section of the area with Rufus. Breakfast had consisted of a hunk of bread and a piece of cheese, both filched from shops in the lower east side of the city. Sadly, coffee had been a no-go.

"We're almost there," Rufus said. "I think we left the Lifeboat somewhere behind those trees." He pointed at a cluster of maples twenty yards away.

Felicity couldn't help but be excited. She was going to see a bona fide time machine and – if all went well – travel home on it. She strode ahead of Rufus, and then began jogging toward the trees. He followed at a more sedate pace.

When she reached the trees, she stopped abruptly.

She wasn't sure precisely what she had been expecting, but whatever her image of a time ship was, the Lifeboat was something else entirely. She had anticipated a sleek, streamlined machine; like a supersonic jet, maybe, or a submarine. The Lifeboat appeared as weighty as a tank and not at all aerodynamic. The center was a grey metal sphere, large enough to hold several people, and it was surrounded by two huge, mesh gears. It looked like a supersized cross between a watch and a pressure cooker.

"This is the Lifeboat?" she said weakly, when Rufus caught up to her.

He got a glimpse of her expression and laughed. "Yes, this is the Lifeboat. Don't judge her so harshly. She's been pretty reliable so far."

She tried to return his smile. "I just expected something more…high tech. It looks kind of tired."

"She is high tech. And you'd look tired too if you had to lug three people throughout history."

Felicity couldn't disagree with that statement. "Can I see inside?" she asked.

In response, he reached up and pressed something unseen on the sphere, and a circular door swung inward. Rufus scrambled up the smooth metal side of the sphere using the gears as steps, and crawled in through the door. Then he turned and looked at Felicity expectantly.

She imitated what he had just done – shimmying awkwardly up the sphere by grabbing onto the gears. When she was close enough, she grasped the hand he extended and allowed him to pull her into the Lifeboat.

"Oh," she said as she looked around the interior. "This is more like it."

The inside of the Lifeboat was a testament to the difficulties of controlling a precise trajectory through time. There were enough dials, lights and switches on the control panel to make NASA proud; and Felicity suspected the computer onboard surpassed anything she had ever touched. She watched Rufus turn it on.

"Are we getting ready to take off?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. I just wanted to look at some data from yesterday and see if I can figure out anything new about the Mothership. There was a pretty weird shift in the gravitational field – something I don't think I've ever seen before. I'm starting to think the Mothership never really landed."

"Can you bump it up against previous gravitational signatures for comparison?"

He sat down in what must be the pilot's seat and started typing. "This is 1884, Felicity, and there's no internet, so I have no way to access information back home for comparison. I only have the data we store on the ship."

She nodded. "Oh, right."

He pointed to a small metal box that was bolted to the floor. "There are a few modern conveniences that we keep in that box, if you need something. We've got stuff like aspirin, allergy meds and some basic first aid supplies. I think there might be toothpaste."

Toothpaste? Felicity almost dove at the box. Sure enough, there was a half-used tube of Crest. She squeezed a little onto her finger and worked it around her teeth. It didn't have the same effect as her Ultra-Sonic 3000 electric brush at home, but it certainly felt better.

She watched Rufus type. "Do you miss the modern stuff when you travel?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes. Sometimes it's worth the inconvenience when you have the chance to see history being made. Sometimes, it's just damn scary."

Felicity laughed. "Are you married?

"No, but I have a girlfriend."

"Does she know what you do?"

Rufus smiled. "She's part of the team, so she knows exactly what I do."

Felicity nodded. "That's great." After a moment, she added, "Wyatt told me about his wife." She wasn't entirely sure why she said that, other than she thought it might eliminate the need for Rufus to tap dance around the subject in the future.

Rufus turned to her with a surprised expression. "Really? Wyatt isn't usually a sharing kind of guy. He must like you."

Before Felicity could reply, there was the sound of voices. She looked out the door of the Lifeboat and saw Wyatt and Lucy approaching. They were talking animatedly, with Wyatt making chopping hand gestures and Lucy nodding in response.

They did not appear happy.

Rufus joined Felicity at the door to the Lifeboat. "How'd it go?" he called out. "Is Tesla working for Thomas Edison?"

Wyatt looked up as he and Lucy walked the final yards to the foot of the Lifeboat. "No," he said shortly. "Apparently Tesla decided he wants to go out west, where women study the sciences and alternating current is accepted as the future of electricity. He told his supervisor about it this morning, right before he gave his notice." He glowered at Felicity. "I can't imagine where he got that idea, can you?"

She closed her eyes. "Oh, frack."

"I know it may not seem like a huge deal," Lucy said more gently, "but if Tesla doesn't stay in New York then he probably doesn't meet Westinghouse. And if he doesn't meet Westinghouse, who knows when people outside of major cities will get electricity? It could have all kinds of ripple effects. Electricity freed up women from spending all day on household chores; it allowed people to study and work at night…" Her voice dwindled.

Felicity held up one hand. "Yes, I know. Wyatt told me about Rittenhouse trying to eliminate the cultural revolution of the 1960's by getting rid of a blues musician. I get that one small change can have a big impact." She exhaled heavily. "So, what do we do, then?"

Lucy shrugged. "We have to find Tesla and get him to change his mind."

A/N2: Thank you very much for the kind feedback. If anyone reading this is a "Timeless" fan, maybe they can be so kind as to remind me of the capacity of the Mothership? I recall that the Lifeboat can carry 4 people max (used to be 3, but they modified it). I cannot remember if it's the same for the Mothership and I'd like to stick to canon where possible.