All mistakes are my own, and if you're concerned that Oliver is OOC don't worry, that should be remedied here soon!

Chapter Two: Applied Science

The trip to the doctor happened sooner rather than later for Oliver.

After long day at QC coupled with the hard eye his father kept shooting at him, Oliver decided to give the family physician a call. While he was normally one to tough out an ailment, this one was more of a strategic move. Robert Queen would micromanage him on an insufferable level if he thought Oliver was unable to perform a task. Surprisingly it didn't take a lot for his father to think he couldn't perform an assignment.

Oliver was just glad that his future stature among Starling allowed him the luxury of a family doctor that made house calls. That's where he found himself early the next morning, sitting in the formal gathering room while Dr. Henley flipped through his chart, occasionally noting things rapidly while he rattled the standard series of medical questions to Oliver.

"And where is the severity of your pain coming from when you have these headaches?" He asked as he placed the medical chart to the side and stepped up to Oliver.

"Do you mind?" He gestured with his hands, the question more of a statement to Oliver.

"Go ahead," he muttered to the doctor, trying not to tense as he slipped his fingers along the parietal ridge and temple to feel for any knots, Oliver assumed. It helped that the doctor was a slip of a man. He had the kind of frame that age took inches with, and Oliver wondered not for the first time how long he'd known Robert. This man looked old enough to have tended his grandfather.

When he withdrew his hands from his face Oliver felt marginally better, sitting up straighter from his seat and putting a bigger gap between the two. While he trusted the doctor on a professional level he still felt the deep thrumming of unease. It might have been from his father's unusual elation that he was getting a checkup, or the way the doctor kept jotting his notes so privately, but Oliver still felt the quiet warning to be keenly aware of everyone since that weird hack.

As much as he wanted to trust that nothing was going on he still needed to keep his wits about him. He was beginning to feel a little unstable, and not for the first time since he'd woken with a chunk of his past missing.

Oliver really needed to stop letting something so simple get to him.

But even as he established this thought he could feel his eyes flicker to the opened chart on the small side table, trying to decipher anything he could from his angle. He felt the smallest furrow in his brow twitch as the words, subject and positive results popped up and just as he was translating what he was reading the folder was quickly tossed closed. Oliver looked up sharply to see the doctor pick the folder up quickly and shuffle it into his bag.

Dr. Henley turned towards Oliver with a small clearing of his throat, pulling the stethoscope up and off his shoulders.

"Well there's nothing abnormal from what I can tell going on. It could simply be continual pain due to the recovery process," he placated quickly, a small smile slipping onto his face. "However, that's no reason to suffer in pain! So I'm going to prescribe you Turbiprofen and check back in a couple of weeks to see if that's helped with things. If it doesn't then we can bring you in for some simple scans and see if there's a bigger issue at hand." He continued to Oliver, turning and storing his stethoscope in his bag while pulling out a bottle of pills seamlessly before he began writing the appropriate directions on the label.

He turned back quickly and handed the bottle out to Oliver.

"I know that this is just another pill to add to the mix, but I'm confident that it should only have to be that way for a short while."

The pills in question were the ones Oliver had been prescribed since he'd woken up. They had also been consequentially flushed the moment he came home. This was information his doctor didn't need to know about though and Oliver was mum to tell him.

As much as the illusion of privacy was allotted to him, the one he knew wasn't was his health, and Oliver wasn't foolish enough to believe that this doctor didn't have his own orders.

Orders that came from his father.

He would give the medication a try, but once he felt fine he would probably flush them too.

That had nothing to do with his current paranoia and more to do with his natural obstinate nature.

"Thanks," Oliver conceded while taking the bottle from the doctor. As much as he didn't want to trust him he knew the man wouldn't give him anything that would hurt him.

"I'll be off then, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to call!" Dr. Henley concluded decisively, quickly clicking his bag closed and seeing himself out with a flurry of motions that bordered on suspicious.

Before he could reach the door Oliver called out, giving into the small voice of whispering doubt.

"Hey, Dr. Henley could I see my chart?" He kept his tone light, watching as the man continued to dart out the door with a small wave.

"Of course Mr. Queen! My people will have it delivered to your people!" And with that the slip of a man was gone.

The doubt was now a small roar.

'They look different,' Oliver mused as he looked at the innocuous bottle of pills later that day.

After he'd composed himself from the visit and re-analyzed every gesture and word exchanged he'd gone to his bathroom cabinet, retrieving the small stash that still remained in the other bottles. Some he knew the names of and some he didn't, but they all looked different. Many of them were even jelly pills, compared to the powered ones, and the more he looked at all the different shapes and sizes the more he began to feel foolish.

He had to remind himself that his doctor wasn't trying to poison him.

"What the hell is wrong with me," he growled under his breath, running a frustrated hand through his hair and clenching his fist to prevent himself from scattering the colognes and breakables from his counter top.

He was definitely starting to feel crazy.

Luckily the sound of his phone chiming from his pocket pulled him from his whirling thoughts and without looking he answered briskly.

"What?"

There was hitched silence before Curtis' voice sounded and Oliver felt a bit of remorse for snapping at the man. "Mr. Queen! I'm sorry if it's a bad time," Curtis mollified, and luckily Oliver could tell the man took no offense to his tone, "Ms. Rochev just called to inform you of a tour with you father and Applied Science that was apparently scheduled this morning." He finished quickly.

It was just great knowing Ms. Rochev was back in town. She was his father's full time secretary and a viper in every sense of the word to Oliver.

To say they had a rocky relationship was an exaggeration, and she loved to break bad news to Oliver. He was pretty sure that was her favorite part of the job.

Oliver could hear the hesitation in Curtis' voice then. "And when is it?" Oliver asked slowly, knowing already he wouldn't like this.

"In an hour." Curtis rushed out, pointedly ignoring the sharp swearing in response.

"He's doing this on purpose." Oliver bit out, knowing that his father was playing a game with him, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out to what end.

Why didn't his father want him at the Applied Science building?

He quickly glanced at his watch. Robert probably thought he would still be in the meeting with the doctor and would miss the message, but since he was home he just happened to be closer to the laboratory.

Decision made Oliver straightened.

"I'll be there." He quickly assured Curtis while promptly ending the call. He grabbed the small bottle just given to him and quickly pushed it into his ridding jacket before rushing through the house and grabbing a set of his favorite keys.

He'd take his bike since his father wanted to play.

And he was going to see why his father wanted to keep him out.

Oliver smirked broadly under his helmet at the look that crossed Roberts face when he caught sight of him pulling up on the Ducati he so loved. Oliver defiantly released the kickstand and stood from the bike, pulling the helmet from his head and hooking it over the handle in blatant arrogance.

"Sorry Dad, I just got the call from my assistant of my scheduled tour, and I would hate to have been late," He smiled cordially, though he didn't show teeth. The men standing around Robert looked uncomfortably from one another to his father, trying to figure out what to do, Oliver assumed.

Robert smiled suddenly as if he had not a care in the world, patting Oliver on the back and pushing him towards the entrance of the building. The others quickly fell behind, muttering among themselves in hushed tones.

"Oliver, so good you could make it, we we're concerned that your schedule would be too busy, I'm glad you've made time." Robert declared rowdily, and Oliver knew it was all for a farce. He couldn't tell if it was his dad's lack of trust in his capability to handle Project Overwatch or something else entirely.

"This project is my first in a while, and an important one," Oliver began as he rolled his dad's hands from his shoulders. It was one of the subtle moves Robert loved to do on Oliver to belittle him and he couldn't stand when he did it in the office setting. To add insult to injury his dad knew how much he hated it.

"I wouldn't want to miss my first tour." Even as he said the words though a sense of déjà vu hit him, and if it weren't for the eyes he knew were always watching him he would have paused just to stop and look around.

It was an eerie feeling, one that felt like you were taking a breath of air that was charged with a powerful static. It made his heart pound heavily, that familiar pit starting in his stomach.

It felt like a premonition.

Once they walked into the main lobby they were greeted by Director Kuttler who held his hands out happily, a broad smile on his face.

"Mr. Queen! We're so glad you and your son have a chance to tour Applied Science! We'd love to get to show you what we're working on and our progress with Overwatch." He rattled on excitedly and Oliver felt himself nodding along with his father.

He was interested to see too. This new technology could unite their colony in ways that they never thought possible, and if Overwatch proved to be everything it was supposed to be it would catapult them into a new era.

It was a lot to add up to, and Oliver respectively held his doubt.

While he was curious on the whole concept his father was noticeably more excited. It was strange to see that genuine enthusiasm in his eyes and it made Oliver wonder what else he knew of Overwatch than what was disclosed to him. It wouldn't be the first time and Oliver knew it wouldn't be the last, but he wished that he would at least tell him when it was something of this magnitude.

Maybe they really were close to launching into the new era. Maybe Overwatch really was something to be excited and ready about, but Oliver still held his reservations. He couldn't deny that he was more eager now to see what was brewing in the labs and how far they'd come.

"Director Kuttler, I wouldn't miss something like this for the world." Robert greeted with a smile and firm shake of hands.

Kuttler turned to Oliver with a smile and held his hand out, shaking quickly and then gesturing towards the locked double doors ahead of them. "If you could please follow me, I can show you where the Overwatch research is primarily being done and the progress we've made."

"By all means," Robert instructed, letting the man walk them down the corridor and talking about their top of the line security system.

The Director led the small group through the expansive double doors, and Oliver was surprised when his eyes had to quickly adjust to the sudden change in lighting. The area was mostly dark, making corners easy to lurk in, while the walls were made up of glass panels that ran along the borders and rooms. Blue led lights and soft white lights lined through the occasional cord and lit the walkways in a soft whimsical glow. It also felt as if a sudden chill was in the air, giving an isolated feeling from the outside world to the inside of the laboratory.

"Our labs are kept cool to prevent any components from overheating. We have many high caliber motors that have to stay cool and the technicians prefer the lower lighting to the bright florescence." Kuttler explained before the question could be asked. Room after room it looked much the same to Oliver. Blue, red, and green led flashes occasionally flickering along equipment that ran through the walls, almost as if it were a live vein in the building.

It was a clean area and the general atmosphere held no blatant caginess, but something just wasn't sitting right.

Oliver could feel a slight sweat starting at the base of his skull, the déjà vu creating a nauseous roll to his stomach. He clutched his hands around the ends of his jacket, feeling the bottle his doctor had just given him and with a slight pause he decided now was as good a time as any to see if was effective. If he needed to keep his cool at any time, it was now.

He couldn't miss this and he was sick of letting his body's unexplainable reaction control his life lately.

"—test are showing a positive reaction to cross platform jumps at a smaller lever so we're excited to begin t—"

Oliver was just catching the last bit of Kuttler's speech when he caught his dad's attention. He needed to start being more alert.

"Oliver is something wrong?" Robert questioned him, a slight tilt to his head.

Oliver was quick to reassure him, this was something he was not going to miss. "No, I just need a second," he said with a head tilt towards the beginning of the hallway. Robert nodded with a quick, "very well," and Oliver walked off.

The soft murmur disappeared from behind him as he slipped into the men's restroom, pulling the bottle from his leathers and palming the lid off. He grabbed a complementary water bottle and chased the small pill down, taking a deep breath and trying to calm his nerves. He didn't know why he was having such a response while he was working but he needed to be in control.

Oliver took another dash of water from the bottle and when that washed down his throat it felt as if the cooling water was chilling his nerves behind it. It seemed that whatever the doctor had given him it was fast acting. And for once Oliver was glad for that. He would have to look up what the guy gave him later and make sure it didn't have any outrageous side effects.

With a quick breath he re-settled himself and set out, pushing the door open lightly with his shoulder and pausing as he caught a rapid flash out of the corner of his eye. When he turned more fully he could see it again, and after letting his eyes adjust to the sever darkness he noticed in the shadows that it was a light bouncing against a door he hadn't noticed was there when they first walked in. That normally wouldn't raise any question to anyone else, but just by looking at the setup of the building and the almost total absence of doors, it was curious to see one hidden behind a shadow and wall.

Someone didn't want to bring a lot of attention to it.

With his curiosity peaked he turned and looked over his shoulder, seeing his dad and Kuttler with their backs to him and getting further as they talked about who knows what.

With the risk determined he grabbed the door he was leaning against and lightly closed it, slipping along the darkened hallway and making his way steadily into the engulfing shadows, looking over his shoulder every second or two to make sure his father was still distracted with the director. It was eerie walking towards the door, the flickering LED's seeming to flash faster and casting a strobe of blue around him.

When the door was finally within his full sight he set for it swiftly, wasting no time. He knew his father would be keeping an eye out for him soon and he didn't want him to suspect he was up to something.

He would never get the catch on him if that happened.

Oliver noticed immediately that the door didn't have the same knobs as the others in the building, and the plaited iron looked out of place in a space with so many wires and fiberglass.

It was a strange door to have in such a hidden area and he couldn't imagine what would be the purpose of it. It could be for the servers, Kuttler did say they got hot.

He slid up to the door and rested the back of his hand along it. He didn't know what he was expecting to feel, but the coolness failed to surprise him. It could mean nothing but he wanted to have a better look.

As he slid his hand along the smooth surface he realized his first problem was this was an automatic door, which meant that he wasn't going to get in there without Kuttler, and he had no doubt that he wouldn't be getting a tour in there. He looked to the left of the door and saw the small slit in the wall for a key card and filed that into the back of his mind.

It wouldn't do him any good to hang around an entry way he couldn't get through today, and so with the information catalogued and his curiosity sated he checked his surroundings and crept back to the group, slowing his pace just as Robert turned and nodded at him as he re-joined him.

"Director Kuttler was just telling me of the positive results they were having with an Overwatch simulation and it can cross jump platforms on a small scale so far." Robert filled Oliver in, and finally he felt that small flutter of excitement his father was showing earlier.

"Wow, that quick? When do we move to the next phase?" He asked with some speculation, unsure of the science behind this but knowing just enough of the basics to understand how the jump was theoretical and to see if happen on a small scale elicited some excitement.

"We plan to continue moving at a steady pace. Once we are ready to increase the output on Overwatch then we can start to see where it gets buggy." Kuttler explained with a knowledge of the machine that made Oliver think he was one of the main designers on the project too. He was impressed by the man, knowing he wasn't just the standard lip work that many Directors were.

"Well that sounds exciting," Oliver congratulated to the man, seeing how proud of his work he was.

Kuttler nodded and corralled them to another part of the building, introducing them to the developers and scientist.

And as the tour continued and the technology was flaunted to Robert Queen and Oliver, he began to find himself back in the comfortable groove of things and wondered briefly where his unease had ever come from.

The family affair was actually going great for a change.

Thea, Oliver, Moria and Robert Queen were all gathered around the grand table, their wait staff bringing brightly colored meals and decadent drinks to them while Robert jovially explained to his wife the newest strides they were making.

It was a scene that Oliver hadn't seen in a long time, and though it was one that was happening now, the undercurrent of the family rift was ever present.

Thea was moving her food from one side of the plate to the other, looking at their mother from the corner of her eye while said woman just smiled at her husband in ignorance. The ignorance was feigned of course and everyone at the table knew that.

Teenage angst, his mother would criticize.

As far as great went, this was as good as it could get.

"Oliver, you're doing great. You've made an impressive recovery in the office as well." Robert praised unexpectedly. Nodding towards the quiet man and smiling in pride.

Oliver looked up in surprise before quickly schooling his features. He didn't mean to seem so shocked, it just wasn't what he was expecting to hear from the older Queen. If anything he was waiting for the reprimand from riding in on his motorcycle.

"Clearly you're feeling well enough to ride that barbaric vehicle," Robert added with a chuckle, never one to disappoint.

Oliver smirked at his dad. "Hey old man, I've got to keep up."

Robert laughed at his son wholeheartedly. To anyone watching they were the proverbial family. Sound to the core but not without their faults.

An example to all.

"Thea how is school going?" Moria asked to her sullen daughter.

Thea looked up from her plate and over to Oliver before she slid her eyes to her mother, smiling a bland disinterested smile. "Great, thanks."

The argument between the two of them was always the same and this was only the prologue to the main act. Oliver felt his head begin the warning throb and wondered if it was from the fight he could see unfolding in front of him or if it was time for him to try the doctor's pill out again.

"Oliver, honey, are you okay?" The concerned sound of Moria chimed from his side, her hand coming to rest gently on his arm.

Oliver smiled at his mother, reaching up to pat her hand.

"I'm okay Mom. Just a headache." He assured her kindly, noting the concern he saw on her face. His mother's love for both of her children ran deep, and it was a tenacious love that the best wouldn't go against.

"What about that new medicine the doctor gave you?" She asked with her head tilted in worry.

"You're right," Oliver rushed to re-assure, he wasn't surprised that his mother already knew of the new prescription, "I left them in my jacket but I was just thinking about getting them."

"If you need them you should take them."

His dad again surprised him that day as he was the one who spoke up rather than Moria, a hard concern on his face.

'Odd,' Oliver thought considerably, not so much his father's concern on the matter, but the firmness in the tone.

Robert Queen was a man who always preached of having pure blood as a ruler. Going on for hours at Oliver while he partied through his high school and college years that he could only lead properly when his senses were clear. His blood clear of any intoxicants.

But in firm concerned he sat for Oliver, and it made a small bell chime in the back of his head.

"Sorry, I think I'll go take it now," he excused quickly as he rose from the chair, wanting to get away from the look his dad was giving him. He needed a quiet place to go, and he needed to get under control again.

He ignored the look his sister was giving his back while he retreated to the main hallway. Everyone in his life had an opinion on how he should live, and as much as he loved Thea she was just as opinionated as the rest of his family, and he didn't want to see the looks or hear the comments from them anymore.

He spotted his jacket draped over the chair he'd dropped it over and retrieved the plastic bottle quickly. Just as he took the medicine out and began to turn back to the dining hall he heard an electric alarm going off.

It wasn't a loud one, but it was a soft, urgent beeping.

Oliver looked at the door leading to his family and slipped the pill into his pocket. Usually the alarms on their machines were silent and to hear the constant chiming for attention he was admittedly curious. He had to see what it was first.

The hunt for the machine making the noise didn't take long to find, which was unsurprising, but Oliver could feel his curiosity peak further as he recognized where it was originating from.

He pushed the heavy wooden door to Roberts study open, seeing the a projector cube flashing an erratic red from his dad's desk, the small device having received a message.

With the noise of the dinner progressing rooms away and at his back Oliver padded silently into the dark room, reaching out and pressing the small button in the center of the tech quickly, watching it flicker to life and splash to life in light.

He felt his body freezing in place, words that were familiar to him now playing across the holographic display.

Don't trust them.

The noise from his family fell away as the room descended into a sudden silence, his senses heightening to the point that he could hear the blood rushing through his ears as a new type of trepidation rippled through his veins.

The screen flashed black and Oliver felt himself jump before it flashed a quick bursts of words that had him stiffing in preparation for something.

Don't

Trust

Them

"Oliver?"

Before Oliver could even process the emotions thrumming through his body the voice of his father was like an electrical shock to the system. He spun around as if he'd been caught doing something and didn't know what his father had seen.

Did he just see the words flash on the screen? Was that just for him?

'What is going on?!' Anger licked the palms of his hands. He could do anger, it was easier to deal with.

If there was one thing Oliver hated it was this. This ominous messaging, the uneasy feeling, the accident. He didn't like any of it, and he was going to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

"Ahh, I see you are enjoying the latest stats from Applied Science." Robert said with a smile, looking over Oliver's shoulder to the opened projector. Oliver turned slowly and looked at the display, seeing exactly as his father had just said. The latest stats from the tests were rolling in and he'd assumed Oliver had been reading them.

Robert clasped Oliver on the shoulders, spinning his body to look fully at the projection of charts and numbers with graphs and sprawling lines.

"We're living the dream son." He told him proudly and Oliver could only feel a cold pit settling in his stomach. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the pill, rolling it between his thumb and breaking it in two with barley anger.

Oliver was never one for dreaming.