Chapter 2: Something is Wrong

Monday, August 28, 2017

"It's a medical practice called 'Helix'," Felicity explained. "Roy's drawing of the logo was spot on."

Oliver peered at Felicity's computer screen at the logo Felicity had found for Helix next to Roy's rough sketch. They were nearly a perfect match: a circle, with a blue, DNA-like helix squiggle in the middle. The word 'Helix' was spelled in all capital letters beneath the image.

Digg asked, "Is Helix tied to the train car heist or the armored car robbery?"

"Um," Felicity said as she clicked on her screens.

Josh seemed to get there first, reporting as he looked up from his own screen, "Yeah, 'Helix' property took up over half of the space on that train car. I can't see a manifest of what was in the armored car, though."

"So, what was in those boxes?" Digg asked, "And what do the Clock King and Clock Watchers want with them?"

Josh said nervously, "We don't think the Clock Watchers are doing medical experiments or something, do we?"

"At this point, it could be anything," Oliver said. "But, at least now we have someplace to start. We can dig into Helix and what kind of medical supplies might have been in those boxes. If we know that, we might be able to catch them at their next heist."

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Roy held his spoon in the air, watching the steam spread in the pleasant afternoon breeze. Satisfied that it was cool enough, he shoveled the bite of boozy broth, sausage, and cabbage into his mouth. He dropped his spoon back in, stirring it within the confines of the earthenware bowl.

Feeling eyes on him, Roy looked across the table to see Thea watching him with an amused expression on her face. "What?" he asked.

Thea drew in a deep breath and said with a slight upturn of her lips, "I just like watching you when you get into the zone. It's like there is nothing in the world but you and that bowl of stew."

Roy smiled, but as he looked over he noticed Thea's bowl was untouched. His brow wrinkled. "Is yours okay?"

Thea nodded slowly. "I'm just a little worn out," she admitted. "Walking around Ilinchenko fortress was beautiful," she added quickly. "It was just a lot more to see than I thought there would be. I didn't know how many towers, and palaces, and chapels were on its grounds."

Roy nodded. The complex had been sprawling and spending a single day hadn't felt like they'd really been able to appreciate it all. By the time they decided to leave the historic hilltop covered in ancient architecture to return to the main city of Galatz, even Roy had felt ready to sit down for the return bus ride.

That being said, Roy didn't have HIV, and if he was feeling the strain from a long day of walking, he was sure Thea was underselling her exhaustion.

"Is your stew okay?" Roy asked in concern. "We can order something else."

Thea gave him a light look, telling him she knew what he was doing. "Really, I'm fine. Sitting down feels good. I think I just need to drink some water."

Roy didn't argue, but slowed down as he ate so he could keep a better eye on Thea.

When Roy finished, Thea had failed to eat more than a bite. Carrying a take-out cup with her stew in one hand, Roy held Thea's with his other, walking slowly down Galatz's tree lined streets. Without a word, they wandered back to their hotel.

As they reached the hotel entrance, Roy paused. "Did you want to sit out on the terrace for a bit?" he asked. The sun was still high in the sky with plenty of daylight left, but Thea looked … worn out.

"You should," Thea encouraged. "I think I might just go in our room and lie down."

Concern pooled in Roy's stomach as he tried to read into Thea's expression. "What's going on, Thea?" Roy asked, his voice deep and demanding an honest answer.

Thea said, "I just have a touch of a headache. And I am really worn out. I promise, I'm fine, I – think I just need to take it easy tonight. We've really been pushing to see a lot the past two weeks. I think it's just catching up to me."

"Thea," Roy said with concern. "You'd tell me if something was wrong?"

"I would, I promise," Thea said sincerely. "I might try to nap, and when I get up we can grab rice pudding from the shop down the street."

Thea did seem to rally after her nap and it was nice enjoying the bright, setting sun while eating rice pudding on the patio of the coffee shop two blocks from their hotel. A few string lights twinkled above them as they sipped at Turkish coffee from miniature coffee cups.

Roy and Thea started back to the hotel, walking hand in hand as they silently took in the sights of Galatz in the twilight. Couples and small groups talked in low voices on sidewalks, parting from each other to maneuver around the trees and patios dotting the sidewalk. Every once in a while, a child kept pace with an adult, or an infant peered out of a stroller as they were ushered by.

Thea's pace was slow and Roy noticed that her chest quietly heaved with each breath. Thea wasn't complaining, but by now, Roy knew what a completely fatigued Thea looked like.

Roy stopped on the sidewalk, pulling Thea's hand lightly so she stopped with him. Thea turned towards him, a question in her eyes.

"Wait," Roy said, with a little grin. "Stay right there."

Roy stepped in front of her, with his back facing Thea, then stooped slightly. He said over his shoulder cheekily, "Your stead, madam."

Thea snorted out a laugh. "Roy," she said, her tone telling him that she saw through him, "I'm fine to walk home."

"But wouldn't you have more fun if you could ride?" Roy asked, shooting her a charming smile. Thea cocked her head like she was trying to read him. Roy added, "I'm not standing up until you're on my back."

Thea said affectionately, "You are such a dork," before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Roy stood up and Thea's feet just barely raised off the ground. Roy put his arms behind his back and under her legs to shove her higher onto his back, causing Thea to squeak in surprise. "Roy!" she scolded.

"Off we go!" Roy said chipperly, resuming their journey up the road.

As soon as they had reached their cozy hotel room with wooden floors, floor-length, curtained windows, and small desk with a minifridge tucked underneath, Thea had insisted she wanted to get ready for bed so they could watch some tv together. That seemed like a pretense, because as soon as she was tucked up next to Roy with an episode of Friends playing with Bulgravian subtitles, Thea fell fast asleep.

Roy smiled affectionately, turned all the lights off besides the light on the table beside him, and pulled out his phone to play Candy Crush. As Roy's eyes began to droop an hour later, he turned the TV off, set his phone to charge, and turned off the light.

"Roy!"

The terrified cry yanked Roy out of his sleep. His heart pounded as he tried to sit up, staring into the darkness. Roy could make out Thea's outline sitting up beside him.

"Something is wrong," Thea gasped out fearfully. Roy's eyes bugged out at the words, opening his mouth to ask for clarification, when the silhouette next to him fell backwards against the bed.

"Thea!" Roy hollered, blindly reaching for the lamp and getting the light on. Roy turned to find Thea staring vacantly, eyes fixed in the distance. Her back arched off the bed while every muscle seemed to strain. She released a tiny puff of air, as if against her own will or control, then another. Roy couldn't hear her drawing air back in and watched as her face began to lose color and her lips became gray.

Roy realized that Thea was seizing, having witnessed an epileptic neighbor in the Glades experience one. But he had been a child that time, and his mom had sprung into action. For the life of Roy, he couldn't think what to do now.

"Thea?" Roy asked in terror, hoping Thea would respond – that she could tell him what to do.

The stiffening changed suddenly and Thea's face came alive, mouth moving, twisting as she released a series of grunts and groans. Her hands clenched and unclenched, arms suddenly drawn up to entwine over her chest. Her legs raised and then dropped against the bed, once – then twice.

A thought settled into Roy's mind - he could call the front desk for help! Roy leapt off the bed to grab the phone, saying as he did, "You're okay, Thea. I'm here – you're fine!"

He pressed '0' for the operator and desperately watched Thea's twitching face as the phone rang. The front desk staff answered the phone in Bulgravian.

"Help!" Roy said. "My fiancé – she's having a seizure! I need an ambulance!"

The voice responded with words Roy couldn't understand, but sounded like a question. Roy, not knowing what else to do, repeated, "Help! Ambulance!" He then imitated the sound of an ambulance siren, "Awhooo! Awhoo!"

The voice seemed to be trying to confirm what he needed, and, not knowing if they were offering to call for emergency services but hoping they were, Roy just hollered out, "Yes! Da! Room 5! Hurry!"

Roy leapt up and, wrenching the door open, propped it for the emergency team he was praying the front desk would send. That done, Roy rushed back to the bed and to Thea's side. The tremors seemed to be slowing and Thea seemed to have some control over her movement again.

Roy asked gently, "Thea? Are you with me?"

Thea couldn't seem to focus her eyes on him, but she murmured something that sounded a lot like his name. Roy reached out to take her hand in his. "I'm right here, baby."

Thea raised her head for a moment, trying to control its movement, before she laid back, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "You're okay," Roy said aloud, consoling himself as much as he was her.

Just as Thea seemed to relax, her entire body clenched again, every muscle stiffening. Roy gasped, not ready to go through this again. Thea made a gagging sound and once more, eyes opened wide, fixing on the wall ahead.

"Oh god," Roy murmured. Then he got hold of himself and rubbed her hand. "Sorry, sorry. I've got you. Help is coming." He hoped.

Thea's body was still shaking sporadically as three men pressed their way into the hotel room, pushing in front of them a gurney. One of the men addressed Roy in Bulgravian and Roy gasped out, "English? Do you speak English?"

The one who addressed him shook his head 'no' and said something to another man. That man stepped away from the bed where he had been checking on Thea to say, "English?"

Roy nodded, "Yes! Please help – she's never had a seizure before!"

The man said slowly, like he was trying to get it right, "Seizure?"

Roy nodded, "Seizure," he confirmed. "She … she doesn't get seizures." He held up a finger. "First time. First seizure."

"One seizure?" The man asked.

Roy tried not to groan in frustration. "No – two seizures. First time!" How the hell did Thea convince him to come to a country where neither of them could speak the language?

The other two men had already transferred Thea to the stretcher and, buckling her in quickly, began to push her out of the room. Roy was shocked – they had barely even checked her over. Thea's lips were still blue!

Roy dashed back and grabbed the nearest phone from the table and a pair of sandals from the floor next to the closet, before running after the men. He stopped, then sprinted back, scrambling to find his wallet, then rushed out the door, shutting it behind him.

Oliver chuckled along with Josh and Laurel as Felicity finished a dramatic retelling of the day's board meeting over take-out Chinese food: Curtis had been presenting his thermal battery when the heat it was emitting caught Curtis' sleeve on fire. Curtis had tried to put the fire out without missing a beat from his presentation – by dunking his fist in the water pitcher left for the board members.

"And the entire table is just gaping at him as if they weren't sure if they were just imagining it," Felicity said, her eyes widened theatrically as she imitated the shocked board members, "and Curtis just asks as casually as if his arm wasn't dripping with ice water, 'Any questions?'"

Oliver asked drily, "Is this the part where I rescind my offer to train Curtis for the team?"

Felicity reached out to pat Oliver's arm. "Sorry babe – that ship has sailed. He's already seen the Arrow Cave and he might actually cry if we make him leave."

Amidst the cheerful banter, Scully snuffled her way up onto the couch and pressed herself down slowly so she was awkwardly balanced on the bit of lap Felicity had remaining which was not taken up by her baby bump. Felicity began to scritch behind Scully's ears as Laurel said with bitter amusement, "Makes sense that Scully chooses literally anyone that's not me."

Oliver was well aware that Scully had made a best friend while being in Josh and Laurel's care … and that that best friend was not Laurel. Josh consoled Laurel, "She's just protective of the baby! See?"

Oliver grasped a piece of shrimp and a lo mein noodle with his chopsticks, drawing them out of his takeout box. Just as he popped them into his mouth, his phone rang from his back pocket. He chewed as he reached back to pull out his phone. Thea was calling.

Oliver swallowed, standing up to take the call away from the group settled in Laurel and Josh's living room. "Isn't it, like, 5 am there?" Oliver chided lightly as he answered the phone.

"Oliver!" a voice distinctly not belonging to his sister responded, panic lacing the single word. Oliver's heart sank.

In a gruff, low voice, Oliver demanded, "Roy, what happened?" All sound from the living room stopped and Oliver was aware that Felicity, Laurel, and Josh were now hanging on his every word.

"I … I don't know!" Roy said, stumbling over his words. "She was fine! I swear!"

"Roy, what's going on with Thea?" Oliver gritted out, losing patience.

"We're at the hospital – the hotel had to call an ambulance." Oliver closed his eyes as he felt the building fear in his chest. "She just woke up saying something was wrong and she started seizing!" Roy's voice shook with emotion. "She didn't come to in the ambulance, and when we got here, they took her away. I can't even talk to anyone! I have no idea where she is, or what's happening!"

"You're still in Galatz?" Oliver asked, trying to set aside the fear for a moment and focusing on Roy's current problem.

"Yeah – we're in Galatz. We're at the district hospital. But no one speaks English! I keep asking, but no one understands me."

Oliver took control. "Go up to the desk or to the nurse's station."

There were shuffling noises. "Okay," Roy confirmed.

"Put me on speakerphone," Oliver ordered.

"You're on speakerphone."

Oliver took a breath and then said in Russian, "Does anyone speak Russian?" There was no response.

Oliver heard soft footsteps approach him and stop. He turned to see Laurel a few paces back, arms hugging around her middle, her face pale. He glanced behind her and saw Felicity and Josh watching Oliver. Felicity's eyes were wide and watery. Oliver turned away, unable to focus with his wife and friends looking on in concern.

Oliver stated again, "Does anyone speak Russian?" Oliver repeated himself a third time before he heard a voice reply, "I speak Russian."

Oliver drew in a quick breath and began to explain. "My name is Oliver Queen. My sister, Thea Queen, just arrived by ambulance. She had a seizure. This is her partner, 'Rob'. Rob and I would like an update on my sister's condition."

There was a moment of silence and the voice responded, "I saw your sister. I will find someone with update. Please wait."

"Wait!" Oliver called out. "Can you take Rob to her?"

"I do not know," the man replied. "I will be back."

"What did he say?" Roy asked, voice laced with panic.

"He saw her come in," Oliver said. "He's going to find someone for an update. I asked him to take you to her, but he said he wouldn't."

"What am I supposed to do?" Roy asked, voice shaking.

"He said he would come back," Oliver gave his best reassurance, even though he wasn't feeling confident himself. "So you have to keep it together, okay? Tell me again, what happened?"

"I swear, Oliver, she was fine!" Roy insisted, sounding terrified that Oliver wouldn't believe him. "She was a little tired today, but we also walked miles around a fortress this morning. She wasn't really hungry and she had a headache, but she took a nap and she said she was feeling better. We turned in to bed early, and then … god, she woke me up saying something was wrong and then she was seizing and when it stopped, it started over again!"

Oliver took a deep breath. "And she's never had one before?"

Roy shot back, "I don't know, man, you tell me – you're her brother! I've never seen her have one!"

Oliver wracked his memories. "No, I'm sure mom or Thea would have said something."

He heard a soft voice from behind him ask, "What?"

Oliver turned to Laurel, pulling the phone from his ear. "Has Thea ever had a seizure?"

Laurel's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Not as far as I know! Never while she was living with me."

Oliver could hear Roy's voice and raised the phone back to his ear. "I think something is really wrong," Roy said darkly. Frustration leaked into his voice as he added, "And I can't even talk to anyone!"

Oliver closed his eyes, trying to stabilize from the spark of fear that whited out his vision at Roy's ominous words. Opening them he turned towards the living room. "Felicity, can we get the Palmer Tech jet ready?"

Felicity stood up, "Yes – of course. I'll make the call, and then I'll grab some things."

"No," Oliver said sharply and Felicity froze. "You are less than two months from your due date – you are not taking a thirteen-hour flight to the Balkans right now."

Felicity opened her mouth to argue, but Oliver responded first. "I can't take care of my sister if I am worried about you and the baby, okay? I need you here and safe." Felicity sniffled and nodded, before stepping towards the hallway with her cell phone out.

"I'll go."

Oliver turned around to look at Laurel. She was eyeing him seriously, daring him to deny her. Oliver opened his mouth to respond -

"I love your sister," Laurel said stepping closer. Her tone was even and logical as she argued, "If you leave me behind, I will be on the next commercial flight. So let me come with you." Oliver studied Laurel. He nodded in acquiescence.

"He's back, Oliver," Roy said through the phone.

"I have seen your sister," the man said. "I can take this man to her."

"Is she okay?" Oliver asked gruffly.

"She is asleep. Gave her anti-seizure medicine," the man said, making it clear that his grasp of Russian was rudimentary at best.

"Unconscious? Or asleep?" Oliver asked.

"Yes – unconscious," the man corrected.

"What is wrong with her?" Oliver demanded.

"I don't know, sir. It is early. When picture team comes to work, they will take pictures."

Oliver reeled in confusion. Picture team? He thought for a moment, his thoughts grasping for an interpretation. "Imaging?" Oliver guessed. "Like … like an MRI?" he added in English.

"An MRI!" the man echoed in English. Slipping into a combination of the two tongues, the man said, "The team goes to work at 8. Will take MRI." Oliver thought again about the time in Galatz. It was 6:30 pm in Star City, so it had to only be 5:30 am there. They'd need to wait hours until they could get an MRI done.

"So, you don't know what's wrong?" Oliver attempted to clarify.

"No, sir. Sorry, sir."

Oliver's heart pounded. So, there was something wrong with his sister – the hospital didn't know what it was, and they wouldn't even be able to do imaging for more than two hours.

Oliver drew in a tense breath of air. "Okay – can you please take Rob to my sister?"

The man agreed, and as Roy walked through the hallway, Oliver relayed, "They said at 8, they'll do an MRI. Laurel and I will be there as quickly as we can. It's a thirteen-hour flight, but we'll have our phones on once we're in the air. I'll call Dr. Ruiz's office on the way." Roy grunted in understanding. Oliver added, "Call me if anything changes, okay? I'm coming."

October 12, 2017, 1 month later

Barry slowed in front of the mahogany desk, observing Oliver, frozen in time as Barry approached faster than the speed of light. Unfortunately, Oliver wasn't alone. Quentin Lance and a young man stood before the desk, appearing to be in the middle of some type of conference with Oliver.

Oliver held a paper in his hand, reading. A stack of papers lay before him on the desk. Frozen in this moment, Barry thought Oliver's eyes looked weighted down, puffier than normal. Creases furrowed his brow.

Barry crossed the room behind Oliver's desk to look at the picture frames before him. One was Oliver and Felicity on their wedding day. The other was a photo of five people: Barry recognized a teenaged Oliver and quickly surmised the little girl on his back was Thea. He guessed the man and woman were his parents. He wasn't sure who the black-haired teenage boy with his hands shoved into his pockets was.

In the last frame was a picture of Thea lounging in the sunlight on the leather couch in Oliver's Loft, a soft smile on her face, eyes shining as she looked at something off to the side. Barry studied it, struggling to imagine that the bright, lively woman in the image was just … gone.

Barry zipped through the door on the left-hand wall and found himself in a large conference room. After ensuring he was alone, Barry stopped his movement and listened. The younger man Barry had seen was thanking Oliver for his time and a moment later, Barry heard the office door shut.

He heard Lance say, "I don't like that kid."

Oliver's voice chimed in later than felt natural - like his responses were delayed, "Who? Gabe?"

"Look, I didn't say anything before," Lance noted in a conspiratorial whisper, "but after ... your sister." Lance hesitated. "Nancy in accounting said that that Iverson kid laughed. He laughed. Now you know, it don't matter what that creep thought of Thea when he knew her in high school, someone dies, you don't laugh about it. And god, Thea didn't deserve having her death be something some stupid kid could cheer about."

Barry held his breath waiting for a response, but there was nothing but silence.

"You do what you want with Iverson," Lance finally said heavily. "Just - I wouldn't trust 'em."

Barry decided he had waited long enough. He flashed through the door and then slowed his speed to normal in front of Oliver's desk

Oliver and Lance both swung their heads in Barry's direction. Oliver noted Barry's presence with nothing more than his eyes before he turned back to the papers in his hand. Lance nodded. "Hey, Barry. Glad you're back," Lance said, reaching out to shake Barry's hand. Barry smiled slightly in response before looking back to focus on Oliver.

Oliver very slowly drew his gaze up from the paper in his hand, the movement purposeful, as if it took effort. With Oliver's eyes on him, Barry could see that there was a slight redness to them, making the blue stand out in painful contrast.

At the corners of his mouth, Oliver's lips twitched ever so slightly upwards – so slight that Barry wasn't sure he could truly consider it a smile. In a voice so gentle it fairly drifted to Barry's ears, Oliver said, "Hi, Barry." Oliver laid the paper down onto the desk and added, "It's good to have you home."

Lance nodded his head towards the door. "I'll just leave you gentlemen to catch up." He turned to Oliver. "Just - call if you need anything."

Barry was captivated by the heaviness in Oliver's bearing. It was a weight Barry knew entirely too well.

Barry's words died in his throat. He had returned from the Speedforce with a new outlook and a new peace. A new energy. But in the face of his friend's grief, all of that seemed to dry up.

Oliver noted in that still too soft voice, "Team Flash was broken without you."

It was like Barry heard his words and knew that Oliver was referring to the loss that Iris, Cisco, and Joe had borne over the previous months, but what he felt, in his heart – was Oliver giving voice to his own loss.

"I heard about Thea," Barry said, voice breaking over the words as his eyes filled. "I am so, so sorry."

Oliver inclined his head forward once, like the movement was taking all of his effort. Barry knew that feeling. The feeling like every action felt harder. That everything was moving in slow motion. Eyes and ears which were slower to pick up on sights and sounds.

Barry walked around and sat on the chair in front of Oliver's desk. Barry saw Oliver's eyes dart to the picture – the one of his family. Barry realized again that Oliver's entire family was gone. A thrill of pain sparked through Barry's body.

It was a special kind of heartache to go through life without a single person who knew you when you were a child. Who held you as an infant, who saw you grow. Or … as with Oliver and Thea … watched her grow.

Heavily, Oliver admitted, "It has been nearly a month and it still doesn't feel real." Barry felt the admission in his chest. An image of his own parents flashed through his eyes – the absolute shock of waking up in Joe and Iris's house each morning those days and weeks following his mother's death, realizing again that it had all been real – she really was dead.

And Oliver was right in the thick of it. The thick of the shock and the realization that his sister was gone. That she wasn't coming back. Tears blurred Barry's vision as he felt Oliver's pain.

"Roy and Felicity are taking it the hardest," Oliver noted softly. "Roy – he scarcely leaves their apartment. We keep trying to get him out with us, but … I just don't think he can find it within himself right now." Barry swallowed and nodded, understanding. Oliver said pensively, staring off at the wall, "I never would have thought it when I first met him, but – he really loved her."

"I'm glad they had that time together," Barry said.

Oliver nodded. "Thanks to you and your team. They had nearly a year together." Was that all it had been? Barry was shocked. It had felt like so much more. He hoped that it had felt like more to Thea and Roy.

"How are you doing?" Barry asked in concern.

Oliver glanced at Barry with reddened eyes and shook his head slowly, "I don't know. It … I don't think it's really hit me yet." Oliver's lip twitched upward in a tragic smile. "So, I'm okay. Worried about Felicity. And the baby."

Barry tried to clear the emotion out of his voice and somewhat unsuccessfully said, "I planned to stop in to see her."

Oliver nodded slowly. He opened his mouth and instead of words he sighed. Oliver allowed his eyes to shut for a moment, and then he said reopening them, "If she's not at the Loft or PalmerTech, she's probably in the park across the street. She spends a lot of time out there." Oliver's lip quirked upward in a shaky smile. "Felicity and Thea used to call it 'Recovery Park'. It's where Felicity built up her strength after Darhk, and Thea … after she was sick."

Barry shook his head slowly, "Was she sick? Is that what happened?"

Oliver stared at Barry with red rimmed eyes, remaining silent.

"I'm sorry," Barry apologized quickly. "I just – I don't really understand what happened."

Oliver croaked out, "Not exactly. It was … sudden."