A/N: Many thanks to bushlaboo for the beta. And thanks to everyone who reads and comments.


The other buildings Jiya identified as possible locations for the Mothership looked at lot like the first one she had shown them. Oliver and Barry leaned over her shoulder and studied photos of two additional warehouses as Agent Christopher and Connor Mason watched from their seats a few feet away. All three warehouses were large and appeared deserted. There were no vehicles nearby and no signs of goods being moved in or out. Oliver guessed that the huge storage facilities had been abandoned when the tech jobs of Silicon Valley replaced agriculture and manufacturing as the predominant source of employment in the area. He wasn't sure if the isolation was going to make commandeering the Mothership easier or harder. On the one hand, he wouldn't have to worry about well-meaning bystanders getting caught in the crossfire. On the other - he'd found that bad guys were more likely to shoot at him when they didn't have witnesses.

After a few minutes of looking at the photos, Barry straightened and turned to Oliver. "Any idea which one we should go to first?" he asked.

Oliver shook his head. "I don't see anything that makes one location more probable than the others. Let's start with the closest one and work our way from there."

"Sounds good."

"Right." Oliver turned to retrieve his duffle bag. Barry was already in his Flash uniform; it was time The Green Arrow suited up as well.

"Hang on," Agent Christopher said. She sounded concerned.

Oliver stopped and gave her a puzzled look. She had seemed on board with taking the Mothership a few minutes ago and he wondered if something had changed. "Is there a problem?" he asked.

She met his gaze and her brow creased. "I'd like to know if there's some kind of plan here, or if the two of you are just going to storm each location and eliminate people until you find the Mothership."

Oliver glanced at Barry and saw that he, too, appeared confused by Agent Christopher. "We'll do our best to be stealthy and avoid hurting people," Oliver replied, "but if it comes down to it, then – yes – we'll fight our way to the Mothership." When she continued to stare at him he added, "Did I miss something earlier? I thought you said that lethal force is acceptable."

She sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I did." Then she shrugged. "I guess I thought there would be more…strategy involved. This feels like you're flying by the seat of your pants."

Oliver did his best to appear patient. It wasn't easy; the clock was ticking and Felicity had been trapped in the past for more than twelve hours now. "Normally, both The Flash and I have teams to back us up," he said tersely. "Unfortunately, a key member of my team is in 1884 and his team is in Central City. We've been doing this a while, though, and have plenty of experience with similar missions. We'll be okay flying by the seat of our pants – trust me." When she didn't reply, he added, "Do you have any suggestions?"

She frowned. "No…not really. Only that Jiya should show you a photo of Emma Whitmore so you can recognize her. You don't want to kill the pilot."

Oliver nodded but Jiya shook her head. "It doesn't matter if Emma gets hurt. I'm going with Oliver and The Flash - and I can fly the Mothership."

"Jiya-" Mason began.

"I'm going," Jiya repeated, her jaw jutting out. "This isn't just about Oliver's wife, Connor. It's about Rufus…and the rest of the team. They should be back by now and they aren't. Maybe there's a problem with the Lifeboat. Maybe Rufus is hurt and can't pilot it. No matter what happens with Emma, Oliver's going to need someone with time travel experience who is on his side. We can't send him to 1884 alone with that…that bitch."

Mason stared at her. "No," he said slowly, "we can't. So maybe we wake up Flynn and get him to go. Flynn's got plenty of time travel experience."

Flynn? Oliver thought. There's someone else here?

Before he could ask, Agent Christopher cleared her throat. "I'd rather not do that, Connor."

Mason turned to her. "Why not, Denise?"

"Because I'd prefer that Flynn didn't know that Homeland Security is teaming with The Flash and The Green Arrow. They're a more powerful weapon if we keep them a secret. Who knows – we may need their help some day against Flynn."

Mason sighed. "Denise-"

"I mean it, Connor. We've been working with Flynn for a few months now, but you know we haven't been one hundred percent sure we can trust him. I don't want to use this mission as a chance to find out where his loyalties truly lie – not when we have a chance of recovering the Mothership."

Mason shrugged. "I don't think it's entirely up to you." He turned to Oliver. "What do you think? Flynn's a tough, experienced agent. Wouldn't you want him on this mission?"

Oliver looked at the worried expression on Agent Christopher's face. "Not if Agent Christopher isn't certain she can rely on him. She strikes me as a pretty savvy operative. I'm going to trust her instincts on this one."

Agent Christopher gave him a grim nod.

"And as for Jiya," Oliver continued, "I think it's her decision whether she stays or comes on the mission. The only thing I will say is that if she chooses the mission, The Flash and I will do our best to keep her safe." He rested his hand briefly on Jiya's shoulder, then walked over to his duffle bag and began pulling out the suit.

"It's decided then," Jiya said crisply. "I'm going."

Mason gave her a disappointed look but seemed to realize there was no point arguing further.

Oliver nodded to the room in general. "All right, then. I'm going to suit up and then we're going to get the Mothership back."


To Oliver's extreme frustration, they were forced to use the car again rather than have Barry carry them. Jiya had no objection to moving at Flash-speed, but Mason insisted that the risk of creating another space-time anomaly was too great if the Mothership was operating when Barry raced into the warehouse. So Oliver gritted his teeth and climbed behind the wheel of Agent Christopher's very un-sporty sedan, his leather suit making squeaking sounds as it stuck to the vinyl seat. Had Felicity seen him, she probably would have gotten a chuckle at The Green Arrow buckled into a mom-mobile instead of straddling his Ducati. He imagined her smile and hoped he would have the chance to tell her about it soon. Jiya sat next to him and pulled the seatbelt across her chest, while Barry slid into the backseat.

As soon as Barry shut the door, Oliver stomped his foot on the gas pedal and willfully ignored the groans of the car's suspension as they proceeded to hit every rut in the dirt track leading from the bunker to the main road. At two in the morning, it was too dark to see the terrain; and even if he could see the ruts, he wouldn't have taken the seconds needed to avoid them. He'd been lucky so far, he thought, in that whatever was happening in 1884 hadn't yet changed his life with Felicity. Her photo on his phone remained as it had always been – her eyes meeting his through her glasses, with a smile on her face. It was reassuring, but it didn't lessen his sense of urgency. He knew well enough that luck could change at any moment.

When they reached the paved road, he pushed the accelerator down further. Now it wasn't just the car's suspension making noises; the engine was whining too, protesting every time he forced it to speed out of a turn. Next to him, Jiya clutched the seatbelt tightly with one hand but never once suggested that he slow down.

"Your wife," she said at one point, her voice tight. "You said she's part of your team?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I ask how she deals with all of this?" She gestured at his Arrow suit and then at the bow and quiver that lay at her feet. "I mean, how does she keep from going crazy with worry, knowing you could get hurt at any time?"

Oliver didn't answer the question. Instead he asked her, "Is that what happens with you? Do you go crazy with worry over Rufus?"

"Yeah. Pretty much every time he goes on a mission."

Oliver wasn't surprised. Whenever she spoke, her first thought was always for Rufus. He wrestled the car around a tight bend in the road, the tires squealing as he did so. "I don't know how she manages to deal with it," he said truthfully. "She just does. We've been doing this for six years now, so maybe she's gotten used to it." The car came out of the turn and the tires stopped squealing. "And anyway," he added, pushing hard on the gas pedal again, "it's a two-way street. Sometimes she's the one in the dangerous situation and I have to worry about her."

"And have you gotten used to it?" Jiya asked.

"No. And I don't think I ever will."

He heard Barry give quiet snort in the back seat.

"If you're looking for advice," he continued to Jiya, "then I'll tell you that my biggest regret is taking a long time to tell Felicity that I love her – too long. It feels funny saying this to someone who works with a time machine, but my advice to you is not to waste time. If care about Rufus, let him know."

"I do," she said quietly.

"Then, you're good. The rest will work itself out."


It took them over an hour to get to the first warehouse and a short exploration of the property showed that it was truly deserted. The second warehouse, however, looked more promising. Low light was visible through several of the windows and Oliver could sense some kind of activity when he placed his head near the wall. He switched the communication link in his ear to on.

"Oliver?" Agent Christopher's voice was there instantly, accompanied by light static. The comms she'd provided were older than the tech Felicity gave the team back home and he had a feeling they were pushing the devices' limits for range.

"We're at the warehouse near the old peach farm. There's definitely someone here," he said quietly. "We'll need to look around a little more to be sure."

"Okay. You'll…" the agent hesitated. "You'll make sure nothing happens to Jiya?"

"We will."

"Good." A little of the tension left Agent Christopher's voice. "Please keep me in the loop."

"Roger that."

As he finished speaking, Oliver heard the light footsteps of the girl in question as she and Barry came up to him. They'd been waiting in the car, listening in on the comms.

Jiya didn't acknowledge Agent Christopher's request. "What now?" she asked.

"There are plenty of skylights," he replied, gesturing at the building. "So now we get up on the roof and do a quick recon. It's probably best if we can find the Mothership first. That way we'll know if it's okay for The Flash to speed." He reached into his quiver, pulled out a grappling hook arrow and fired it over the roof. Then he tugged gently on the cable until he was certain the hook had caught securely.

Jiya eyed the thin line leading to the roof. "Am I supposed to be able to climb that?"

He smiled. "No." Then he pointed to a small box strapped to his belt. "This is a kind of electronic pulley. It will do all the work." He held out an arm. "You just need to hang onto me."

She stepped next to him and tentatively placed one arm around his lower back, then reached up with her other hand to clutch his shoulder. "Like this?"

He lowered his arm to her waist. "Perfect."

"Have you ever done this with Felicity?" She sounded nervous.

He nodded. "All the time. She loves it."

Jiya narrowed her eyes. "I bet that's a lie."

He chuckled in spite of his tension. He was really starting to like this girl. "When we find her, you can ask her yourself."

"What about me?" Barry queried. "I can't climb the building the way I normally would. That would mean using my abilities. You know, Mothership, possible wormhole, blah, blah, blah…"

"You're bloody right you can't use your abilities." Mason's voice came through decisively on the comms. "Heavens knows what could happen this time."

Oh crap. Oliver hadn't thought far enough ahead to realize he would have two people needing help to get on the roof. He really wanted Barry with him. Even without his speed, the guy was a smart, experienced operative. But Oliver also didn't want to leave Jiya alone outside the warehouse. He'd just promised Agent Christopher that they would take care of her.

He looked at Barry and sighed. "Fine. Jiya gets my right side and you get my left." He stuck out the arm that was not clutching Jiya and gestured for Barry to grab hold.

Barry didn't move. Instead, he frowned and pointed to the electronic box on Oliver's belt. "Are you sure that thing can handle all three of us? It's kinda small. How powerful is the battery?"

Oliver shrugged. "I've carried Diggle up with it. He's a pretty big guy."

Barry appeared doubtful. "I think Jiya and I together weigh a lot more than Dig."

He had a point, Oliver thought. Diggle was just shy of two hundred pounds. Logic said that Barry and Jiya together had to be at least two-eighty or two-ninety.

"We can probably figure it out." Mason's voice chimed in on the comms. "Jiya – can you look at the motor? We can calculate the power to weight ratio and then- "

"No!" Oliver interrupted sharply. This was getting out of hand. "No physics calculations – we don't have time for them. We're just going to do this and hope it all works out."

"I knew it. Flying by the seat of your pants." This time it was Agent Christopher's voice on the comms.

"Well," Barry muttered, "I hope we will be flying and not plummeting." He shook his head, but then stepped next to Oliver and grabbed hold of his torso.

"What about you?" Jiya asked Oliver. "Can you carry both of us? It's a lot of weight to have two people hanging onto you."

"Piece of cake." In truth, Oliver had no idea. But it would only be for a minute and he figured he could do anything if it was in pursuit of Felicity.

Before anyone could raise another objection, he clamped the cable to the box and pushed the button. And, God bless it, they lifted. Not with the explosive acceleration the box produced when it was just him hooked to the line, but with a steady, whining crawl. They passed the first story and then the second, with two stories left to go. Thankfully, the warehouse was only four stories high.

"I think the motor's burning," Barry said suddenly. He sounded like he was struggling to keep his voice calm.

Jiya sniffed. "Yup. I can smell it."

"We're almost there," Oliver said grimly. "Just a little more."

They passed the third story, with Oliver's shoulder and back muscles beginning to protest at the strain of holding Jiya and Barry. He could feel the heat from the motor on his abdomen and sent up a silent prayer. "Almost there," he repeated in a whisper.

They were four feet shy of the roof when the motor died. Fortunately, it died with the cable locked, leaving them hanging instead of allowing them to fall.

"What now?" Barry asked.

"Now, you climb up over me, using normal, human strength," Oliver grunted. "And then, once you're on the roof, you help Jiya up. I'll be right behind."

Barry glanced down. "It's a long way to the ground," he said slowly. "And your suit's a little slippery. Maybe we could try lowering ourselves to the closest window?"

Oliver's back muscles had passed protesting and were now into screaming. "I don't think so," he said through clenched teeth. "You've got to climb - I don't think I can hold on to the two of you much longer."

"Point taken," Barry said. "Climbing now." He raised one leg and pressed his foot onto Oliver's belt, like rock climber finding a toehold on the side of a cliff. Then he scrambled awkwardly up Oliver's side, eventually stepping on his shoulder and then on his head as he reached for the edge of the roof.

And all of a sudden, a considerable weight was lifted from Oliver. He breathed out in relief as Barry grinned down at him.

"I made it," Barry said unnecessarily. "Now, Jiya, put your foot on Oliver's belt like I did, keep one hand on his shoulder and lift yourself. If you raise your other hand, I'll grab it and pull you up."

Jiya looked down at the ground and then back up at Barry. "No way in hell."

It sounded like something Felicity would say and Oliver laughed. I think the strain must be catching up with me. I usually don't laugh like this on missions, especially when my wife is missing.

"Never mind," he said. "I can take it from here." Indeed, without Barry's weight, the roof felt attainable, even with Jiya clinging to him. He grabbed the cable with his gloved hands and pressed his feet against the building. Then he climbed the final few feet up the wall and over the edge as Jiya held on tightly.

Jiya let go as soon as Oliver stood on the roof, leaving him free to bend forward and rest with his hands on his thighs. He was breathing heavily and his heart was thumping. "I think I need to amp up my training routine once this is over," he said, more to himself than to Jiya and Barry.

"It was a lot of weight to carry," Jiya said sympathetically. "And being Mayor can't leave you a lot of time for the gym. I'm sure you're in great shape."

Oliver didn't answer – just took a few more deep breaths. Then he straightened. "Okay," he said. "Let's each take a few skylights and see what we can find. Try to walk quietly. And if you see the Mothership, don't yell. Just wave your hand."

Barry and Jiya nodded and the three of them separated to begin looking through the skylights. Like most warehouses, the building was hollow in the center with offices and walkways on the perimeter. This meant that they could see all the way to the first floor through the middle skylights, but only down one story when they were close to the outer walls. In other words, there were a lot of places for people to be hidden. Oliver wasn't happy about that, but he wasn't surprised either.

In less than two minutes Jiya was waving her hand.

"I've found it," she called in a stage whisper. "I've found the Mothership."

Oliver jogged over to her and peered down the skylight. There was a large, white sphere on the first floor; the size and shape made him think of two Volkswagen Beetles, hugging. The sphere looked like it could hold a half dozen people – assuming they didn't mind being in close proximity. The shiny white exterior revealed a door that was similar to the doors on commercial airplanes, but no windows. Probably not a bad idea, he thought. Who wants to look out of a window when you're bending space-time?

Barry joined them at the skylight. "Oh, wow," he said, gazing down at the Mothership. "Somehow I thought it would look more…aerodynamic." He turned to Jiya. "Is it running?"

She shook her head. "No. See that string of lights around the sphere?" When Barry and Oliver both nodded, she continued, "If it was running, they'd be lit up."

Barry grinned. "So, I can speed then?"

"I think so."

"Great."

And before Oliver could say a word, Barry disappeared with a whoosh and a brief flash of light. Jiya's eyes went wide and she sucked in her breath. "Well, that's pretty cool," she whispered.

Thirty seconds later Barry was back on the roof.

"I looked in all the offices and found two armed guards," he said calmly. "I knocked them unconscious and locked them into one of the offices. The only other person I saw was a woman – and I'm guessing she must be Emma Whitmore. She's in an office close to the Mothership. I didn't go near her. I figured you'd want to deal with her yourself ."

"I do," Oliver agreed. "I've got to figure out whether she's going to help us or try to stop us." He reached back and pulled his hood over his head. Until this point, he hadn't bothered with it because Jiya and Barry knew his identity and there had been no signs of security cameras. Now, however, it was time to go full Green Arrow. He shifted the bow to his left hand, ready to fire quickly.

Jiya eyed him. "You certainly are more intimidating with the hood up," she said. "You may need that look for Emma." She paused, then added, "What do you want me to do?"

Good question. Oliver thought about it.

"I want you to come with me," he said, "but be ready to run if I tell you. I'm going to make things happen quickly – I don't want to spend fifteen minutes trying to persuade Emma. Either she agrees right away to pilot the Mothership, with a little help from this," he waved his bow, "or I disable her and you pilot the ship."

Jiya nodded. She didn't appear to have any objection to the word disable…or to piloting the Mothership. There was no dissent from Agent Christopher over the comms, either.

"I'm pretty sure there's a door over there that will open up to a set of stairs," Oliver continued, pointing to a corner of the warehouse roof where there was a small, square shack . "We'll go down that way."

Jiya nodded again.

Barry looked at Oliver apologetically. "It's probably best if I leave," he said. "I don't want to be anywhere near the Mothership, or even speeding away, when you start it up. If I take off now, I can be back in Central City and sitting down in S.T.A.R. labs in a few minutes."

"Good plan." Mason's voice was brusque over the comms. "You've taken enough risk already."

Oliver nodded at Barry. "I understand," he said. "And thanks for your help. Felicity and I will come visit you when this is all over."

Barry smiled. "Like I said earlier, Oliver, it's the least I can do." Then his smile faded. "I think Jiya's right about Emma, by the way. I think you're going need to be intimidating with her. When I saw her, she was cleaning a Glock. She looked pretty comfortable handling the weapon."

Oliver nodded again. "Thanks for the heads up."

He and Barry looked at each other.

"Okay then," Barry said. He stepped forward and gave Oliver a bro hug, slapping him briefly on the back. "Good luck. If anyone deserves to get his wife back, it's you."

There was another whoosh, and Barry was gone.

Oliver turned to Jiya. "Ready?"

She smiled nervously. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He reached out and rested his hand lightly on her upper arm. "You'll do fine. I can tell already. You're as brave as my wife."

She didn't reply, but her smile became less nervous.

He gave her a few more seconds to prepare herself; then he quietly said, "Let's go."

They walked side by side to the small square shack on the roof. The door was locked, but the lock was a flimsy thing and Oliver was able to kick the door in easily. Sure enough, it opened to a set of stairs. He and Jiya moved silently down the four flights, then emerged from the corner stairwell onto the first floor of the warehouse. They could see the Mothership a few dozen yards away, in an exposed location near the middle of the floor. He gestured at the outside wall, signaling to Jiya that they should move around the perimeter and check the offices. She nodded.

The windows of the two closest offices were dark. The third office, however, was brightly lit and its door was ajar. Oliver passed by the window and pressed his back lightly against the door. Then he leaned forward to peer around its edge.

There was a woman sitting in a chair. She had long, reddish-blonde hair and she looked wiry and very fit, although a few years older than Oliver. As Barry had said, she was cleaning a gun. She had part of a Glock in her hand, with a few more parts of it next to her on the floor, and she was working a rag up and down the barrel. He could smell the mechanical scent of gun oil.

Now's as good a time as any, he thought. Better to approach her while the gun is still in pieces and she can't shoot me.

He leaned back from the corner of the door, turned and caught Jiya's eye. Then he tilted his head toward the office to say, I'm going in now.

Jiya nodded. Okay.

He pointed at her; then followed the motion with a stop gesture, like a cop directing traffic. You stay here.

She nodded again. She'd understood.

Oliver turned back toward the doorway, silently nocked an arrow, then pushed the door open and stepped into the office. He raised the bow and pointed it straight at the woman.

She looked up, startled. Then her gaze briefly dropped to the pieces of the Glock on the floor next to her. Oliver recalled his best friend and former army sergeant, John Diggle, telling him that a good soldier could reassemble his gun in ten seconds, so he stepped forward and kicked the Glock parts across the room. Then he moved back a couple of paces.

"Emma Whitmore?" He deepened his voice but didn't try too hard to disguise it. She'd never met him, after all.

She didn't answer. She just stared at him, letting her eyes travel slowly upward; from his boots, to his body, and finally, to his hood and his mask. "Well, I'll be damned," she said. "The Green Arrow, coming to see little old me."

Her voice was steady. Any fear she'd had when he'd surprised her had quickly been suppressed.

"Emma Whitmore," he repeated, this time making it a statement and not a question.

She nodded. "That's me." Then she gave him a curious look. "Green Arrow - your visit is certainly a surprise. We've been following your activities, but I never thought I'd meet you in person – at least not right now."

They'd been following him? Why the hell had they been following him? Oliver stared at her.

"We're always interested in someone who challenges society's rules," she explained, as if she'd understood his thoughts, "someone who isn't willing to be a sheep. You certainly fit that bill – the vigilante of Star City."

"We? Meaning Rittenhouse?"

She nodded again and arched one eyebrow. "You know about Rittenhouse. I'm impressed – your information network must be very good."

He shrugged. "I hear things."

"So what brings The Green Arrow to my door?" she continued. "I've never been to Star City, so I certainly couldn't have failed it. And I doubt you're here to join Rittenhouse, as interesting as that might be." She gave him an assessing look. "My guess is that you want something. Now, what on earth could The Green Arrow want from me?"

She was a cool customer - he had to give her that. He recalled his resolve to move quickly and not get caught up in a debate. He straightened his bow arm to emphasize the fact that he was aiming an arrow at her. "I want the Mothership," he said simply. "And I want you to pilot it for me."

Her eyes widened, and for a few seconds her swagger faded. "The Mothership? You want to travel in time?" Then she laughed and her swagger was back. "Why in hell would I agree to give you the Mothership?"

He shrugged again. "Well, to start with, you probably don't want to get shot. And if that's not enough motivation, then because you don't want to lose the Mothership. And you will lose it if you don't agree to fly it - because I'll just take it myself."

"You think you can fly it?" Her voice was heavy with derision.

Oliver shook his head. "No. But I've got someone with me who can."

"Who?" She seemed genuinely puzzled.

Jiya stepped into the doorway. "He's got me, Emma."

Emma's eyes moved past Oliver, to where Jiya stood behind him. Then she laughed once more. "Jiya? Are you trying to keep up with the grownups again?" She narrowed her eyes at Oliver. "I see you've aligned yourself with Team Christopher. Your judgment is as bad as your threatening skills, Green Arrow. Jiya's just a girl. You'll soon find out that she's useless."

Oliver thought about how young Felicity was when she'd first started helping him. "I've learned not to underestimate the skill and courage of girls," he said flatly. "Some of them can surprise you. I've already seen what Jiya can do and I have no doubt that she can pilot the Mothership."

Emma smirked. "You must have had a few doubts, or wouldn't be standing here asking me to fly it."

"I admit I thought it might make things happen more quickly," he conceded. "I can see I was mistaken." He took his hand off the bow string and retrieved a pair of zip cuffs from his belt, then quickly returned the hand to the string. "In fact, I can see talking to you is a complete waste of time, Emma." He walked the final few steps to her chair, preparing to cuff her to it. "Go get the Mothership ready, Jiya," he said, not taking his eyes off Emma. "I'll be there in a minute."

There was a silent pause.

Then Jiya said, "Um, Green Arrow?"

He pulled Emma's wrists behind the chair and cuffed them together. "Yes?"

"I think we have a problem."

Oliver turned and followed the direction of Jiya's finger as she pointed out the doorway.

A man and a woman were approaching from the opposite side of the warehouse. They were too far away for him to make out their features, but it was clear that both of them were carrying guns. Either they had just arrived, he thought, or Barry had missed them when he'd searched the offices.

Emma grinned. "Oops," she said.

He gave an internal groan. I can see talking to you is a complete waste of time – which was exactly what she had wanted. She had wanted to burn time until her colleagues arrived. Well, screw that.

Oliver raised his bow and stepped in front of Jiya. Without hesitating, he fired an arrow at the man, hitting his hand and forcing him to drop the gun. Then he swiftly nocked another arrow and aimed it at the woman. It was an easy shot. She was closer now, her features becoming more visible.

There was something familiar about her. He squinted for better focus and his heart leapt into his throat.

He lowered his bow.

"Mom?" he whispered.

If the woman heard him, she gave no sign of it. She looked at her comrade, clutching his wounded hand painfully to his chest. Then she looked back at Oliver.

She raised her pistol and fired.