Chapter 5

Lyla reaches over and cuts the connection with Team Arrow. "There's no point in trying to talk to him about this. He can't see anything but Darhk."

Felicity nods. "He has his reasons." She catches herself tapping her fingers on the arm of her chair the way she knows drives everyone else crazy and forces herself to stop. "Lyla, do you think we're grasping? I've been awake for nearly 30 hours, and I know I said it was no biggie, but now I'm not entirely sure I'm firing on all cylinders. Wiith everything that's happened I don't even know if I can trust my own judgement-"

"Felicity, we're not wrong to consider this. Look, maybe it's a good thing that Oliver stays focused on Darhk. He'll do his thing, we'll do ours, and we'll cover all of our bases."

"Not really used to my thing being different from Oliver's thing. Usually we do our things together."

Lyla leans down and kisses the top of her head, and Felicity gapes.

"What? I can be affectionate. I have a baby. I have maternal instincts, dammit."

That gets a laugh and Lyla smiles in response, then gestures to the stairs. "So let's go with our thing. If we're on the right track and this somehow involves Samantha's parents, do you think she has any idea?"

"No." Felicity scrolls through everything she's been able to dig up on the commune-turned-cult, which isn't much. Former hippies aren't really the internet's strongest constituency. "She seems genuinely terrified. I think if it had even occurred to her that this could be about anything other than Damien Darhk and his vendetta against Oliver, she would've mentioned it. She obviously knew about the shooting and that made up her mind. It was a reasonable assumption."

"Good, we're on the same page. I'm going to go see if I can wake her up and get her down here to see what she can tell us about her family."

"Bet you're wishing you'd reigned in Operation Sleeping Beauty a little." She easily dodges the pillow Lyla tosses at her on her way upstairs. "Missed me! I'm way more nimble in this thing than I ever was on my own two feet!"

oOo

She won't admit it, but Felicity knows that deep down Lyla knows she was right. Sneaking Samantha two of those muscle relaxers was way too much and now she's here answering their questions through heavy eyelids and slurred words. Felicity raises her eyebrow pointedly at her friend, but the other woman ignores her. When they're done here, Felicity is going to flush those pills down the toilet for the greater good.

Samantha starts swaying from her spot on the chair and before Lyla or Felicity can do anything to stop her, she sort of tips over and lands on the floor with a thud. It's a little comical, especially when you consider all the sleep deprivation, but then she's sobbing- the big, snotty, gasping kind- and nothing is funny anymore. She's a mom whose child is missing. Nothing could be worse.

"We will find William. I promise, I promise, we'll find him."

Lyla nods her agreement and sinks down on the floor next to Samantha, wrapping her arms around the other woman.

Samantha brushes the hair out of her eyes and wipes her nose on the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Fel...Fuh…"

"Felicity?" Felicity prods, she can tell from Lyla's face that the she feels really bad about drugging Samantha now."

"Felishuty, I'm shorry. I told, told Oliver...he wanted to tell you. I sh-shaid no. I was the one...I wouldn't let."

"It doesn't matter now. Don't think about it, okay?" And Felicity tries not to think about it either because if she lets herself, she could spend hours trying to work out whether this information makes things better or worse. "So, if, and we admit it's a big if, your parents have William, you really don't think they would hurt him?

Samantha shakes her head. "No, they...they're whole th-thing is to try to shave the kidsh from the world. Not shave like shave...you know what I'm shaying, right?"

"Save," Lyla supplies. "They think they're saving the children. By keeping them separate and sheltered."

Samantha nods, then the sobs are back. "He won't understand. He'll be so shcared. We're never apart...never, never, ever. I can't believe...m-m-my family...my fault….."

A sharp knock interrupts and Felicity lets Laurel in.

"Need some help?"

"You're not out with Oliver?"

"I think I can do more good with you guys." She cuts her eyes to the heap of Samantha over by the sofa. "I was going to ask how she was holding up, but I'm guessing not so good?"

Felicity shakes her head and leads Laurel over to the other women. Samantha sees them and groans.

"L-l-laurel. I'm sh-shorry…."

Laurel takes her hand and squeezes. "You didn't owe me anything. It was Oliver who should've been sorry. And it was a million years ago. All that matters now is getting William back." Samantha collapses into her arms, and Laurel meets Felicity's eyes over her head and mouths "Is she okay?"

"Lyla drugged her," Felicity says simply, and Laurel cringes.

"But let's get back to finding William," Lyla says. "Laurel, Samantha has been talking to us about her parents and the commune. If William is with them, we don't believe he's in immediate danger. I have some thoughts on how we get him out, but we need a little time for some of the searches Felicity setup to yield some results. It would be stupid for us to rush in without some idea of the layout, even if it's old. And we all need sleep-" she holds up a hand to ward off protest. "I'm serious. No one will be able to give William their best at this rate. Oliver might be reckless, but that's not how we're going to handle this. Everyone in this room is going straight to bed and staying there for five hours."

"Baby Sara willing," Felicity interjects.

"You know my girl is a good sleeper. Set alarms and turn the sound off on your phones. I mean it."

Lyla can be really scary when she wants to be. Felicity makes a mental note of that particular tone of voice for future reference, then obeys orders, sending Curtis a message about their plans.

"Everyone find a flat surface and close your eyes. We'll meet back here in five hours and not a minute before."

oOo

In the end they get 4 hours of sleep before Sara Diggle decides it's time for them to face the world. It's not a lot, definitely not enough, but it does all of them some good- most of all Samantha, who can now speak without slurring.

"I'll just go get him. If he's there, I'll just walk into that godforsaken place and take him back. What will they do to stop me? Spray me down with patchouli?" Samantha's face is red with years of pent up fury. "I can't believe I didn't even think of them. I knew they were crazy. Believe me, even when I was William's age it was clear they weren't all there. It was like they got stuck...it doesn't even matter now. When I first got pregnant they found out. When I ran away, I went with a couple of other girls. We stayed close, but one of them...she never could completely cut ties with her family. She told, and my parents started with all their crazy bullshit. They showed up at my house a few times...it was why I left Starling, but it's been years since I've heard anything from them…." She looks to the other women as if seeking absolution. "He was just missing, and I was so sure it was related to Oliver, and with everything I've read about Damien Darhk, I just assumed…."

"It wasn't a bad assumption. And we still don't know for sure that it wasn't the correct one."

"Felicity's right," Laurel says. "This is still just a lead. We don't know anything for certain."

Samantha wraps her hair up into a bun on top of her head. "Well, let's find out. Let's go."

Felicity thinks the other woman looks ready to claw off her own skin. She so clearly wants to be moving, and Felicity knows she'll have to explain the next part carefully. "I know you think they're harmless, Samantha, but my research indicates otherwise. Not that I think William is in any immediate danger," she rushes to add at the panic look on Samantha's face, "but there have been a few tense stand-offs with local law enforcement. They don't seem fond of outsiders. We need to find out if William is with them without provoking them in the process."

Samantha doesn't look happy, but she nods. "Getting William back safely is the only thing that matters. What do you have in mind?"

Laurel looks to Lyla, "Are you thinking about sending in Barry?"

"I still have him checking out...um...sex offenders," Felicity looks apologetically at Samantha. "It's a long list. Longer than anyone wants to really think about. There are so many bad guys in the world it's, yeah...overwhelming. I'd rather not pull him off of that if there's another way."

"So, then are you thinking you and I…."

But Lyla shakes her head. "I'm not sure we need a fighter in this one. I was actually thinking our best bet would be a woman in a wheelchair."

oOo

Lyla offers to let Felicity drive, but Felicity worries that appearing too independent will hurt their cover story- sisters, disillusioned with modern medicine and desperately seeking a cure for the younger one's paralysis. "So it's like I have an autoimmune disorder that's caused my paralysis, and we're convinced it's chemicals or something, right?"

"Yes. Try to channel anti-vaxxers."

"Got it. I don't like it, disavowing science is blasphemous, but I can do this." She brushes lint off of her borrowed tunic. "Also not in love with my undercover wardrobe. You actually wore this?"

"Natural fibers and dyes, Felicity. And yes, okay? Back in my Lilith Fair days."

"I have no idea how to reconcile Lyla Michaels, soldier and secret agent, with this new information."

Lyla grins. "The key to being a successful operative is to constantly keep people guessing. And for the sake of this mission, you can call me Lilith."

"Oh, and you can call me Meghan! That's my undercover name...and my actual middle name. Um, Lyla, do you think they're really going to buy us as sisters? You've got this whole cafe con leche skin tone thing that, to be honest, I'd die for, but I'm over here all blue-eyed and blond, even if it's not my natural color…."

"Hmmm. Maybe you're right. We should turn around and get Laurel. She, too, is an unnatural blond. Besides, the two of you being sisters is nearly a reality, right?"

Felicity groans. "Why would you do that? Why would go there? You know we don't talk about that possibility. Ever."

"Fair enough. But, you know, as far as sisters go, you could do worse than Laurel. We all have our opinions about what went down last fall, but she fights for her siblings."

"That she does." Felicity reaches down to twist her engagement ring- it's become a sort of nervous habit- but it's not on her finger. Meghan isn't engaged; she doesn't have anyone in her life other than her loyal sister. Taking off that ring, even to play a role, had hurt because it hadn't exactly felt temporary. But, hey, it would eliminate the awkwardness of her possible step-sister having slept with her future husband. So there's that.

"There's what?"

Felicity blinks back tears (and this is why she's putting her brain on an Oliver moratorium until this all over). "Nothing. Just thinking out loud."

Lyla gives her a minute then asks, "Were you able to speak to Oliver?"

"Just Curtis." She remembers her friend's strained tone and scenarios of the million different types of danger Oliver could be rushing into at the moment flood her brain. She is so worried for him and angry at him. She wants to keep on doing her own thing, or she wants to find him and scream at him, or she wants to hunt him down and hold him close and tell him how she wishes... No! Moratorium!

"Huh?"

She really needs to work on keeping her thoughts in her mind and out of her mouth. "Nothing." Then she thinks about the little kid at the center of all of this. "I just...I really want to be right about who has William. No matter what, this is bad for him, but I want him to be with his grandparents, even if they're crazy, instead of Darhk or one of those people Barry is looking into. I want us to be right."

oOo

Two hours later Lyla and Felicity are turning onto a steep dirt driveway. There's no gate, which would be surprising for commune/cult, but the schematics and testimony Felicity had been able to pull together from Samantha and various internet sources had made it clear they shouldn't expect one. As they got further up the ridge, they found themselves headed toward a large farmhouse situated in the center of a circle of smaller cabins. As if on cue, each of the doors opened and the buildings' occupants came out onto their respective porches.

"Okay, that was spectacularly creepy," Felicity says under her breath. "And do you notice? No kids."

Lyla is taking in the people on the porches, trying, Felicity knows, to find anyone who looks like an aged version of the photograph Samantha was able to produce of her parents. "It's the middle of the day. They could have the kids at some sort of school or something. Don't look over, but that house, the third on the right. Pretty sure we've found the Claytons." She glances at Felicity. "Ready to begin your quest for a miracle, Meghan?"

oOo

The People of the Corn, as Felicity has taken to calling them in her head in order to make their dead-eyed stares seem a little less terrifying, were as wary of newcomers as expected, but Felicity must have really sold her desperation to walk again, because a man who seems to be their leader (Felicity has named him Man Capris) agrees to let them stay on a probational basis and informed them that healing ceremonies were held nightly after dinner. They are assigned a "Spiritual Guide" (Felicity calls her Zombie Eyes) who leads them to a small room with bunk beds in the farmhouse.

They're unpacking their duffels full of Lyla's Lilith Fair clothes while Zombie Eyes looks on, smiling dreamily. Felicity wonders if maybe all of these people are on muscle relaxers. She imagines what Samantha's life growing up here must have been like, and her opinion of the woman rises. Felicity has always respected a woman with a good escape plan.

"So," Felicity addresses Zombie Eyes, "I notice that there are no ch-" Lyla gives her a sharp look and Felicity get the message. As eager as she is to find William, they can't say anything that would tip their hand, "chickens. There are no chickens here. I thought there might be. I'm assuming we raise our own food...so, no chickens?"

It's not one of her best rambles, and Felicity has to sit on her hands to stop herself from smacking her forehead, but Zombie Eyes doesn't seem bothered. She just blinks a few times, then answers. "We're vegan here. The act of killing, no matter how humanely, releases negative energy. To eat meat of any kind is to poison yourself."

"Ah. Yes. Got it." She exchanges a look with Lyla- if you've got to be kidnapped by a cult, probably best to be kidnapped by one with taboos against killing, right?

"We're so thankful you were willing to have us," Lyla says. "We've tried everything to help my sister. All of those doctors, but they made it worse, didn't they? Meggie and I are just glad to be here." She puts a hand on Felicity's shoulder. "Can you tell us what we should expect tonight?"

"For the healing to begin. But you shouldn't expect to walk this very evening. You've been too long in the world, swallowing everything they gave you. It will take time, but here, with us, you have a chance."

Donna Smoak wasn't a strict parent, she didn't believe in having too many rules. She did, however, believe in offering advice. One of her most repeated pearls of wisdom was "Don't ever accept an invitation to crazy." Felicity would usually take her mother's words with a grain of salt, but not those. Those she'd held onto, and the part of her that spent her life rejecting anyone's invitation to crazy (...except for Oliver's, which is something she's going to have to really think on when she has more time) wants to wheel herself as far away from Zombie Eyes as possible. But she plasters on a smile and stays put. For William.

By dinner, Felicity is worried and though she's working to keep her face neutral, she can tell just by looking that Lyla is too. They're seated at a long table with the other residents eating some sort of barely or something, along with a few vegetables. The Claytons are there, looking old and tired at the opposite end of the table, but there are no children. In fact, no one has even mentioned kids, not that anyone here talks much. Apparently the meals are silent so that "the food is not contaminated by poorly spoken words." This, of course, makes Felicity's tongue itchy and uncomfortable, and she's afraid she'll burst out in giggles and get them thrown out before they can confirm that William is not, in fact, here. She runs her thumb over the secret compartment Lyla had sewn into her chair. Right now it contains a cell phone that will signal Lance to alert local PD should they find William, a photo of William and Samantha that his mom had taken out of the frame before coming to beg for Oliver's help, and a small Flash action figure. Felicity wants to find the owner of that toy. She wants to give it and the picture to him to hold onto until they get him home where he belongs. She wants him to be here, but she's starting to feel relieved that Oliver hadn't listened to her, that he's still out searching for Darhk. Just in case.

An old fashioned dinner bell breaks her thoughts and everyone else at the table stands as one, Lyla a beat behind. Man Capris addresses the group.

"Sister Serenity Blue will be on dish duty tonight. Offer her your thanks." Everyone bows to a woman around Lyla's age who could easily be Zombie Eyes's sister. "We will now proceed to tonight's healing ceremony. Please assist our newcomers."

A middle-aged man with a greasy combover and a look in his eyes that gives Felicity chills (not the good kind) comes up behind her and takes the handles of her wheelchair. Thankfully, Lyla intervenes.

"I've got that."

"The House of Healing is a ways away. Over some pretty rough terrain."

"I always push my sister. I can handle it."

The man holds Lyla's gaze for a moment before shrugging and leering at her. "Suit yourself, Sister. Follow me."

The terrain is rough, and the ride painful. Felicity doesn't let herself cry out, but Lyla keeps whispering apologies each time the hit a rock or an unexpected hole. I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine.

They finally arrive at a log cabin at the end of the property. Several of the men come over and before Lyla can say anything, they lift Felicity's chair up over the stairs. This time she does cry out. She immediately has two thoughts:

This building may be too far into the woods for cell reception, thwarting her plan to signal Lance and call in the cavalry.

There is no easy way out of this building, not for her, not in her chair. So that makes their backup plan of grabbing William themselves and running like hell also thwarted.

She catches Lyla's eye, but the other woman is already silently shutting down Felicity's backup-backup plan, which is Lyla and William run like hell and leave Felicity behind. She appreciates Lyla's loyalty, but thinks she might be overselling it. These people have all drunk some serious Kool Aid, but Felicity doubts she'd be in any serious danger.

"No." Felicity jumps when Lyla whispers the single word in her ear. She adds "Possible Mind Reader" to the list of things she knows about Lyla Michaels.

Fine. They'll improvise if they have to. Right now Felicity's biggest worry is that they've guessed wrong and taken a trip out to Crazyville for nothing. But then the cabin doors are open, and they hear the sound of children singing. Lyla pushes Felicity in as quickly as she can without drawing undue attention.

And there he is. Standing off to the side, looking slightly dazed, is William Clayton. Felicity can't hold back her gasp or the tears that start to fall. Because he looks so much like his father. Samantha had told her that Oliver had discovered William was his during the team's visit to Central City. She said he'd suspected when he saw William in a coffee shop. But Felicity bets he'd more than suspected- he'd had to have known. There's no way he could've seen William and not known. He's got Oliver's eyes. Oliver's jawline. Felicity wants to reunite him with his mother and see him smile a smile she bets will be Oliver's smile. He looks so small and alone up there, but also completely unharmed.

"It's not unusual," Zombie Eyes says, coming over to offer Felicity a handkerchief. "The healing energy here is strong. It can be overwhelming."

Lyla takes the opportunity presented to her and grabs Zombie Eyes into a hug, subtly turning her away from Felicity and making just enough of a scene to draw the attention of the rest of the room.

"I feel it too! We've waited so long. You are the answer to our prayers," She sobs. "We've found our miracle."

And with everyone focused on Lyla, Felicity pulls herself together and presses the button on the phone to signal Lance. She holds her breath, worried about the cell signal, but it goes through easily. They're not going to need a backup-backup plan. She catches William's eye and winks. He gives no response, because he doesn't know her and certainly has no reason to trust anyone here, and that's okay. He doesn't know it yet, but he will soon. The cavalry is coming.