Notes:

First of all thank you to every single one of you who reads this story, it means the world to me.

Just want to point out again that I never really got into the Flash and only saw like the first Season, maybe years and years ago. So, I'm not that familiar with the characters but doing my best here.

We don't make any progress we're stuck at the beginning, don't celebrate quite yet, the storm is coming

Felicity

She had contacted Cisco, as Oliver had told her to, and let him know what had happened. Well, that her equipment had been destroyed and needed to be replaced and if he could help her. He had agreed to come to Star as soon as possible, but that he needed to take care of something in Central City first, just as well. That gave her some time. Oliver and Dig had gone home, the former to talk to Quentin and ask his input, Thea to school and Laurel had needed to make an appearance at work. This gave her the perfect opportunity she's been looking for, for hours. Felicity contacted Alena again, requesting they meet up so she could ask her for help in finding anything about the location from the video Thea and Laurel had brought with them from Opal City.

Felicity still wasn't entirely sure what to make of her friend's offer and whether she should join Helix or not, but she knew they had resources and ways of getting information she didn't have. And every minute they weren't able to locate where Joanna was being held and save her meant it was another minute the poor woman was being hurt. She'd tried everything she could, but she was at her wit's end. Alena and Helix were their best chance to get the information they needed to save Joanna.

And she was sure Oliver and Dig would see it the same way she did. Whatever means necessary, right?

A small voice in the back of her mind questioned the validity of that thought, given her decision not to mention the organization and asking them for help to either of the two men, nor the two women who were usually more open in that regard. Pointing out that Oliver would probably not be okay with this, because she was adding a quantity in the mix he didn't know and involved strangers he wouldn't want to have involved, given his reluctance when it came to recruiting the new vigilantes. Oliver really didn't like to bring in people or organizations he didn't know into their missions. She was shortly reminded of her choice to ask Barry for help after Oliver had been fatally wounded and the repercussions that choice had brought with it, given Oliver's trust issues. But that had turned out great in the end, the two of them being thick as thieves now. So she had been right, and he had been wrong about questioning her decision.

She had told Barry in order to save Oliver's life; she was asking Alena for help, to save Joanna's. This did not differ from the situation with Barry years ago. She hoped if she told herself that enough times, she would eventually believe it.

There was also an internal debate if her choice of not telling Oliver was the right one and if it wouldn't just add more fuel to the fire already burning everything they've had, everything they've been to each other, down. But she knew Helix was their only chance. And Oliver might refuse their help and refrain from involving them simply because of his policy. If they brought the results they were seeking, did it really matter? Maybe he'd see that all she had done, all she was doing, was in order to help. To get them the results they needed to save their city and right now, more importantly, Joanna.

The feeling of doubt and the voice inside of her head that sounded suspiciously like her ex-fiancé telling her that this was a bad idea, that she shouldn't agree to the deal, or she'd probably end up regretting it intensified when Alena explained to her what they expected her to do in exchange for the information she was seeking.

But the beaten and bloodied face of Joanna, helplessly tied to a chair, sprung back to the forefront of her mind and cemented the route she had chosen and made her accept the offered deal. Pushing the intimately familiar voice, telling her that there had to be another way to the back of her mind. What Oliver didn't know would not hurt him. And he had been wrong plenty of times before, and it would be hypocritical of him to judge her for this while he had done far worse to get what he wanted, like making a deal with the actual devil. Two of them, to be exact. So this was really not as bad on a scale of getting in bed with Merlyn and joining the League of Assassins, becoming Ra's al Ghul's heir and Nyssa al Ghul's husband. She didn't even reveal anything about the Green Arrow or his identity to Alena and Helix. She was just telling Alena about a friend, no details. Nothing to make the connection. Not really, anyway. It wasn't like she was sharing their secret. She was just getting some help to decipher the recording. No harm done.

She pointedly ignored the voice in her head again, when it was pointing out that it was not too farfetched to assume they'd know about her involvement with the Green Arrow and his identity if they were able to locate Joanna from that recording alone.

She left a copy of the recording with Helix and hurried back to the Bunker after checking her cell and reading the texts Cisco had sent her, when he hadn't been able to reach her by phone. Frack! Of course, he'd managed to get to Star City sooner than expected when she'd needed him to stay in Central City just a little longer. There was nothing she could do about that now. She sent a quick text back and decided to swing by the Deli on the way back to get them something to eat. It might take them a while to set everything up the way it was before Oliver trashed the place and maybe Cisco could even help her with the task Helix had entrusted her with.

Sara

She looked at her phone when she felt it vibrate while still listening to her dad, wondering who might be contacting her at this time, Ollie had let her know he was back at the Bunker and had no plans of going out again tonight about an hour ago, so she really wasn't expecting to get a text from anyone, really. The name on her screen just intensified her surprise, and the curiosity got the best of her right away. She opened the text and saw the encrypted file that was sent, with a brief explanation that Oliver wanted her to see this and a warning that it was rather graphic. It was sweet, but unnecessary. She unlocked the encryption and opened the video file, recognizing the woman from photos in her sister's apartment.

Joanna looked worse for wear, but she was alive and seemed to be in relatively good shape, given how long she'd been missing and what damage could've been done to her in that time. Not that she was diminishing anything that had happened to her, it was horrible and should've never happened to her to begin with but the condition she was in was not life threatening, at least not from what she saw, the way she held herself and the injuries that were visible. She looked exhausted and terrified, understandably so, but there were no signs of blood loss or severe injuries. Her clothes looked relatively clean and weren't blood soaked or anything like that.

Yes, her face looked like she had been seriously hurt and she was sure there would be more signs all over her body when her clothes were removed but from what she could see, Joanna would be alright, at least physically if the level of damage that was done to her wouldn't increase until she was freed.

So this recording was probably for shock value, to get a reaction out of Team Arrow, or specifically Laurel. She couldn't say for sure. Fact was, Joanna wasn't the primary target, she seemed to be a means to an end and just the bait and she was being treated that way. What was interesting was that Prometheus didn't seem to shy away from killing, even if it appeared that every person he had killed had come with a purpose, the purpose might not be relatable for a normal person nevertheless, it showed purpose and looking at Joanna now, also restraint. He could've killed her. It would've made things easier. It was a lot more difficult to keep a captive than discard a body. And Joanna looked well taken care of, well, given the circumstances.

He wasn't just leaving her to her own demise. He was probably feeding her and making sure she was doing alright. That was an interesting and unexpected twist. He had no issue to kill, if it fit his plan and the message he was trying to convey, but he didn't kill just for convenience.

And true, it could theoretically be possible that the recording had been made shortly after he had kidnapped her and he could've killed her by now but some of her injuries looked several days old, the healing process fit the amount of days she'd been missing. The recording was one, maybe two days old at the most, she was sure of it.

She'd watched it several times already before her dad leaned over to find out what she was looking at that had drawn her focus away from him and why she just checked out of their conversation. She turned on the TV and connected her phone to the big screen, giving them the chance to see even more details that might not be visible on the small screen of her phone.

"Felicity just sent it to me. Laurel and Thea found it while going through Adrian's mother's house. Ollie wanted me to see it." She explained what she knew to him. Wondering what his thoughts about it were. He did have a couple of decades' experience in the matter, too.

It took a while and at least five more viewings of the recording before he shared any of his thoughts.

"She looks surprisingly well given the circumstances and who's holding her hostage." It was nice to have her own thoughts confirmed and given the look on her dad's face, he was also on the same page as her. What had happened to her, what was still happening to her and the situation she was in was horrible and something she should've never experienced, but she'd assumed worse when she learnt who had probably taken her.

Especially given the connection between Adrian and Talia al Ghul, the League taught all forms of torture, both physical and mental, and Joanna seemed to not have been subjected to either, yet. She looked like anyone who was kidnapped would and the injuries she had looked like they could've come from a struggle or Adrian making sure she'd fear him enough not to try anything.

Joanna meant nothing to him.

She had no actual meaning to his end goal. She was simply there to put the next step of his plan into motion. At least that was what it looked like to her. This could both be a good thing or a bad thing.

How much did he lean on the League's teachings? How much did Talia? The League firmly believed in leaving as little collateral damage as necessary, to not leave more bodies than the mission required. If Adrian acted according to this, Joanna would live. If not… she was dead already. If not literally, then figuratively for sure. There probably wouldn't be anything they could do to save her. If Chase wanted her dead, she'd end up dead. Even if they found the location she was at, chances they'd get in undetected to save her seemed slim to none existent given everything she's learnt about him so far, especially his connection to Talia.

The League didn't allow any mistakes, and they trained you accordingly.

She forwarded the file to Roy. Maybe he or Gideon could help find the location. Roy's AI had access to data they didn't and a range that span several centuries. She added a quick explanation to make sure he knew what the situation was and what they were looking for.

Her dad and she were still meticulously going through every frame of the recording, looking for any clues concerning Joanna's actual physical and mental state, anything Prometheus might be giving away in his behavior or anything within the visible aspects of the room that might help them find out where she was being held, when she heard the front door open and close and the familiar sounds of Ollie coming home.

It only took him about a minute to join them in the living room. He nodded at her dad as a greeting while walking towards her and bending down so he could give her a kiss hello. She could feel her father's eyes bore into her inquisitively while Ollie was kissing her, which didn't keep her from deepening it just slightly. She didn't mind the kiss in front of her father, and she understood his surprise and curiosity, given the, to him unexpectedness of Ollie's action, but she also didn't feel like explaining right now, and she was sure neither was Ollie. So she was grateful when her dad didn't bring it up and let Ollie drag him into a conversation about the SCPD showing up at Chase's house and the possible repercussions that would have for him, as the Green Arrow concerning the SCPD's actions towards him. And then move on towards the recording and the thoughts they had after watching it.

Her husband added his own opinion on the matter, and they were all more or less on the same page, including his worry about Laurel and what she might do, which was justified. Laurel was a very emotionally driven person and this might just push her over the edge into recklessness. She hoped they were wrong with that assumption, but they needed to prepare for any possible action from either side. It was about two hours after Ollie got home that they all decided to lie down for a bit and try to get some rest. Her dad stayed in the guest room after some convincing on both her and Ollie's part.

It was while they were having a late breakfast after only about three hours of sleep each, and her dad had already left since he had plans with Donna today, that the vibration of her cellphone asked for her attention once again. She got up and walked to the counter, checking who wanted something from her now. She shared the information she just received with Ollie right away.

"Roy found Joanna's location. Well, at least the one the recording was made at." Didn't mean she was still there. But since she was probably acting as bait, she might as well be. The only way to find out would be to go look, something she wasn't too keen of. This entire thing felt wrong on so many levels, but they couldn't just leave Joanna in Adrian's hands, either. Especially on a simple hunch of hers.

There was just something… it was like something at the edge of her vision demanding her attention, but just out of her sight. The callback to Ollie's first year home and the List with the murder victims, Ruvé and Damien Darhk, Talia and her connection to the League… there was a connection between all of this, there had to be… but how did all of it fit together? Ruvé had a plan, her husband's plan, yet they still didn't know what that had been… how did Adrian fit into it? He had to, right? But then again, he was trained, at least partially by Talia, who even though she and Ra's had had their differences, was still recognized and respected by the League, which Damien had not been. If Adrian and Ruvé were indeed connected… what part did Talia play in it? She wouldn't team up with her father's biggest rival. There was no way. So how… it was like seeing something out of the corner of your eye, but when you turned towards it, it would disappear. This was frustrating to no end and made her worry about Ollie, more than usual.

Something was off with this entire situation.

Why now? Why was Ollie faced with a situation like this now? With enemies like Ruvé and Adrian while she was incapacitated and unable to actually help him, and with his team pretty close to being in shambles. She hated this so much. Hated the knowledge that she couldn't go with him, couldn't provide him with backup, couldn't help him in the field. That she had to put her trust when it came to his safety in the hands of others. And her issue with that was, when it came to Ollie's life, she didn't trust anyone besides herself with it. Because no one loved and cherished him as much as she did. And no one knew his weaknesses in a fight the way she did. She knew how he operated, how he fought and, with that, his vulnerabilities that needed to be covered by someone else. Everyone had them. Ollie knew hers, too. Which was why he'd usually been up high with his bow to cover her vulnerabilities while they were on her missions. They complemented each other in the field. Now he had to cover his own back and keep an eye on half of his team, which again put him at a disadvantage and split his focus at least three ways, which was very dangerous, especially when it came to a foe like Prometheus.

This was why she didn't like the plan he'd come up with. Not that it was much of a plan, really.

"Ollie, are you sure this is a good idea?" Because she really wasn't. Yes, of course, she was all for saving Joanna, and they did finally have the location, so yeah, going and getting her was the only option, but… something just didn't feel right to her, and she wasn't sure. She just had a terrible feeling. But maybe it was just hormones. She'd been overly worried about him for months now. Ollie knew what he was doing, and she knew he wouldn't take any unnecessary risks. And there was no question he was aware that this could be a trap. So, he'd go in prepared for anything and he'd be extra careful. In and out, just getting Joanna. That was what he had told her. So, she knew that was what he was going to do.

Search and rescue, that was all.

He didn't plan on engaging Adrian in a fight, not if he could avoid it. The plan was to hopefully get in undetected, get what they came for, and leave. Come back, regroup, and come up with an actual plan and doing their research before engaging Adrian. Right now, they were going to head to his turf and still play by his rules, and that was no position to start a fight in. They were entirely at the disadvantage, and Ollie knew that. This was not how he operated.

No, he'd wait until they had the advantage.

Ollie knew what he was doing. He wouldn't take any unnecessary risks, he had too much to live for. Her hand automatically moved onto her stomach at the thought. Yes, they hadn't had this much to live for in years.

"I think it's the only way we can get her back, Sara. It's not ideal, but I can't see us getting Joanna out alive if we don't go and get her now." Hearing his voice and just how unhappy he was with the way things were going and their plan actually made her feel better. Sara was sure most people would call her crazy if she'd tell them that. But Ollie not liking the plan, his plan no less, meant that he was aware of just how risky it was and that would put him on high alert and make him extremely careful. So it was a good thing in her eyes. Well, as good as it could get, given the circumstances. She knew he'd wished he'd have more time to stake the place out and learn the ins and outs of it but chances were that Adrian would have Joanna killed as soon as they got too close and he was made aware of their presence so there was no way they could risk that.

"Plus, we're going to have some leverage, which will hopefully work in our favor, in case we can't get to Joanna without him noticing." Leverage was good, but the 'hopefully' was crucial. They assumed it might be leverage, but they couldn't know for sure. Men like Adrian were unpredictable, and one could never know how they'd react when pushed and whether what they claimed to care for was something they'd risk their lives for or something they would willingly discard in favor of winning. There was a lot of hoping in this plan and she was seriously considering spending her time at home praying for them. She still wasn't sure whether she believed in a higher power or not, but it couldn't hurt, right?

Especially since in her opinion, too much of this plan involved chance, hope, and luck. And those usually weren't in their favor.

Maybe she should call Sin, ask her to come over to hang, so she wouldn't spend however long it was going to take them to get Joanna fretting and incapable of doing anything but worry.

Yeah, she should probably do that. Sin always provided some grand stories to distract her, and she usually reciprocated with some crazy shit she, Ollie and Tommy had come up with back when they were younger and life simpler. And if that plan didn't work, she might be able to convince her to pray with her. Two people praying for the same outcome was better than one, right? Maybe they could create an altar and sacrifice some fruit or something to whatever higher power would enjoy the treat and be willing to grant them a favor in return.

She was aware that her thoughts were less than optimistic, but she just had a bad feeling. This didn't feel right. All of it and Adrian was too damn smart, or at least from what they've seen so far to be sloppy enough to provide them with a recording that could lead them to Joanna's whereabouts, unless that was exactly what he wanted. Everything about this screamed trap to her, and she knew to Ollie too. But they really didn't have much of a choice, not if they wanted Joanna back alive. She just wished she could go with him. This was the type of mission the League had trained her for. In and out without a trace.

"Hey, it's gonna be fine, Pretty Bird. I promise to be extra careful. I love you." Ollie pressed his forehead against hers after a rather passionate kiss, his left hand on Mila while his right hand was softly touching her cheek.

"I know you will. I love you too." She pressed another kiss to his lips before stepping away, letting him know it was alright for him to leave, that she'd be okay. He softly caressed her cheek and stomach again before removing his hands from her body.

The way he looked at her before turning around and leaving their home stuck with her, at the foreboding feeling of doom that once again made its presence known, a feeling his eyes had shared with her. This wasn't good. Or maybe she was beginning to go crazy because of her incapability to help.

Sin.

She needed to call Sin. Needed the distraction the young woman would surely provide. Otherwise, she'd go stir crazy and her thoughts would drive her insane.

Felicity

"Did we just accidentally hack a DHS drone system?" Her friend sounded very surprised and disbelieving. They had finished setting everything up a while ago and since he still had time before having to go back to Central City, she'd decided he would probably be helpful while she upheld her end of the deal with Helix.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say accidentally." She looked at Cisco out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his reaction to admitting the intent behind their action.

"Felicity, please explain to me why we're hacking Homeland Security drones instead of finding Joanna's location like you told me we would be!" Maybe not being truthful to Cisco hadn't been her best choice of action but she hadn't been sure about his reaction if she told him the truth and given the look on his face she'd been right not to tell him upfront, not that she'd get around it now.

"Because hacking the drones is what's gonna lead us to Joanna. It's…it's so complicated." He wasn't giving her a choice now, and she had to at least kind of tell him the truth.

"Holy crap. You just sent the receiver false data, and now you are spoofing the GPS system. There's nothing slight about this. This is just straight-up illegal. Spill right now. Right now!" Felicity had never realized the difference between Barry's team and theirs as much as she did right now at the dubious look on her friend's face. Between Barry and Oliver's approaches to a situation, sure, but not the rest of the teams. This was now proving to be a problem for her, given the miscalculation it had led to asking Cisco for help.

"Ok, ok. So I've…I've kind of made some…new friends. And they have access to inaccessible amounts of data and Intel, tons of it. They helped me stop my dad from taking down the entire city a couple of months ago, and now they're willing to help us find Joanna. That's all." She tried to keep it as vague as possible. Chances were that Cisco had heard of Helix and if he had, he'd probably not be willing to keep helping her and might actually go as far as telling Barry, or even worse, Oliver.

"If you redirect a few U. S. border control drones. Felicity, this is straight up illegal. Do you even know why they need you to redirect those border patrol drones? What is happening there while they are directed somewhere else? This can't be good." The concerned look on his face and his words made her falter slightly. Maybe this really hadn't been her best idea. Maybe she shouldn't have asked Alena for help. But at the same time, how else were they going to find Joanna? There really was no other way at this point. They had exhausted all the other options.

"Hey. Don't look at me like that. I don't know. They didn't tell me, but we need to find Joanna. Who knows what Prometheus might do to her? Well, we kinda do, given the footage we found. So the current mood is we're going to do whatever it takes to get her home." It was the truth. Everyone on the team was on that exact same page. And whatever it takes was a different concept for Team Arrow than it was for Team Flash. She knew that. Everybody knew that. And she was aware that this was not the whatever it takes Team Flash would accept, but it was the kind of whatever it takes Team Arrow frequently used.

"That might be true, but I still can't imagine them signing off on you hacking Homeland Security and redirect their border control drones. Do you have any idea what's going on at that border? Pretty much what Oliver has been fighting against for as long as he'd been putting on that hood. What if they're trafficking people, children while you redirect those drones? What if this is a human trafficking ring who gets a free pass while you do what you were told with no additional information? Or what if they're smuggling weapons and drugs across the border while you control the drones? You can't possibly tell me Oliver and Dig would be okay with that. They don't know, do they?" Felicity didn't want to hear Cisco's words, didn't want to think about the consequences her actions to get Joanna might have for other people. She didn't want to think about possible repercussions. She didn't want to acknowledge the uncomfortable feeling his words provoked and the guilt that was crashing down on her at the thought of those possibilities. Sara would be furious if this were the case, even more so than Oliver. She'd made it her goal to stop human trafficking in Star City three years ago.

"Look, they wouldn't… they're not an evil organization. What they want is… I can't get into it right now, we don't have the time. But all Oliver and Dig need to know is that I am a grown woman making my own grown-up decisions." She didn't have time to try to explain the very complicated issues that were currently going on within their team. The way things just seemed to pile up and get worse between all the members of the team and the way Oliver was once again throwing democracy out of the window in order to push his beliefs through. That would take too much time that they didn't have. They needed to focus on finding Joanna, preferably before Oliver and Dig came back and test her theory of their concept of whatever it takes would be right or not. She still firmly believed that they wouldn't care how she got the information if she could provide them with results. So she just needed to get the results before they returned.

Their conversation and actions were cut short by the elevator descending and Oliver entering the bunker, Felicity quickly switched the screens and made sure she was out of the DHS system before he reached them, not wanting to risk another argument with him, even less in front of Cisco. The last thing she wanted was for the entire Team Flash to hear about Oliver chewing her out. It was just too bad that she hadn't managed to finish what she had started or find Joanna.

"Roy just called. He found the location Joanna is being held at. Dig, Laurel and Speedy are on their way here now. Hey Cisco. Thank you for your help." that piece of information surprised Felicity. She hadn't been aware that Roy had been looking for Joanna as well. How…

"And you are sure it's the right location? Roy isn't really much into anything that has to do with IT." She just wanted to be sure they weren't going to waste time chasing false leads. Not that she didn't trust Roy, she just knew how technologically challenged he could be at times, just like Oliver.

"Yes, Roy's sure. Sara gave him all the information, including the video Thea and Laurel had found and Roy had Gideon go through everything piece by piece. She's sure she found the location and Roy trusts her so… besides, he's the Captain of a time traveling spaceship. I think he's doing alright with anything to do with IT." Oliver's explanation made sense. She felt a little hurt at the thought that he and Sara had decided that she wouldn't be able to give them the results they needed and went behind her back and asked Roy for help, she was glad he could help and that they had a lead that would hopefully help them find Joanna, but still. It stung a little. Especially the little dig he had thrown in at the end. She was once again reminded of the last time she had felt that way, when Sara had taken over her spot to analyze the Clock King's blood. Felicity wasn't sure what was wrong with her lately and why her mind was constantly taking her back to Sara's first two weeks back home three years ago.

Notes:

As always I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter. And whether I got the characters right or not.

Since Curtis and Cisco are very similar in a lot of ways I was so free to more or less leave the exchange between Felicity and Curtis the way it was with just a couple of changes and just changed Curtis to Cisco, I tried to tweak it to sound more like Cisco but like I mentioned before, not that familiar with the Flash characters. I hope it isn't entirely out of his character. If so I apologize and please let me know.

Chapter title is from the songs „Dirty Money" by Tom MacDonald and „God we need you now" by Struggle Jennings and Caitlynne Curtis.