Not Until We Are Lost

Felicity couldn't help the twirling. The material begged to be twirled, even if it did earn her a few looks of disdain from the very pretty inhabitants; at least she guessed they were this place's inhabitants. They seem to be too pretty for words, and everything seemed to be something for words. She returned back to Ray after a little twirl away and sighed.

"You know, I can't tell if they just hate what I'm doing or hate me. Or us. The ones that look at us anyway." Her nose wrinkled, and in a need for a little security, she found Ray's hand.

"You don't think they'd want to hurt us? We could hurt them back, but that just doesn't seem right." Fingers tightened on his. "I think I should shut up and hope we find people we know soon. I really want to find people we know soon. I don't like sounding like some fraidy cat because I'm not. Not too much. Not really."

They'd gotten their fill of Christmas carols, candy canes, sugar cookies, hot cocoa and all of the other trappings of the holiday season. Felicity had even shared some Jewish traditions with him while they'd spent their time going between his cabin and hers. Ray still didn't like being taken against their will, but he had to admit that this journey had been one adventure after another. There were things that they never would have seen if it weren't for their abductors. He couldn't help looking on the bright side of just about everything. He knew right away when he opened his eyes that this wasn't the bed they'd fallen asleep in."

"Felicity," he reached over to nudge the blonde at his side, taking a moment to thank whatever powers that be that she was here with him. "Where do you think we are?"

Getting out and exploring was fun, but speculating ahead of time and coming up with some guesses based on what they could see upon just waking up sounded like a fun sort of thing to do. He did his best to contain his glee. He knew that danger could await them with every new world that they visited, but he was the sort that tended to think danger was worthwhile if knowledge and experience could be gained. And he thought that Felicity felt the same in some ways.

Ray knew that he should be more unhappy about the change of scenery. Truthfully, he'd miss the university life. But it was hard to do anything but grin when he woke up in a winter wonderland and encountered actual elves. This whole place was apparently built around merry-making. And he knew that it was possibly concealing something dangerous and he would be ever watchful, but that didn't stop him from enjoying something while he could.

He kept an eye out for Felicity, or any of the others of their group, as he explored the little town. There were shops and restaurants and decorations everywhere he looked. Trees adorned with ornaments and lights lined the walkways. He had to smile as he passed the choir in the town square. It would appear that Christmas carols were the same in this place, wherever it was. If he didn't know better, he might have believed that they'd all ended up in Santa's village. But... Santa couldn't be real, could he?

Then again, if aliens were real, he supposed anything could be. And Santa could be easily explained with advanced nanotech and possibly even time travel devices. There were a lot of scientific explanations for Santa, when one imagined the possible as well as the technology currently available. Not that Ray had spent all that much time musing on the science of Santa. Maybe only a research project and paper in college. Maybe.

He didn't find anyone right away, but he wasn't going to panic just yet. So far, the aliens had kept himself and Felicity together. He had to hold out hope that they'd continue the pattern, even if Laurel had gone missing for their time on the pirate ship. For now, he was getting hungry, so he thought that it might be a good time to check out one of the restaurants. And there was that whole saying about staying in one place if you got separated from your group, because they may just be looking for you too and two moving people had less chance of finding each other than one person staying in one place.

Besides, he mused as he entered what looked like an old fashioned Waffle House, this was a very likely place to find Felicity. He waited to be seated at a little table for two, and made sure to choose the seat facing the door. He kept an eye on the people (and elves) coming in as he ordered a plate of waffles. Now it was just a matter of eating and hoping that she turned up.

It had been a few weeks since she started training with Diana and since Ray and Felicity had started their tests of her ability. And while she was still a little shaky on the whole control thing, she was making progress. She felt a lot more confident in her ability to control the scream than she had when it had first manifested. She still had an uneasy feeling about how it had come about and where she'd really been in the missing time between the resort and this university, but she tried to focus on the things she could change and accepting the things that she had no control over for the moment.

Between training, testing, and teaching classes, she hadn't had much time for rest in the last few weeks. But that wasn't much different from her normal life, and at least she had the chance to sleep next to Roy when they did get sleep.

She'd made a point to tell Diana about her team and to tell Ray, Felicity, and Roy about Diana. She finally thought it was time that everyone meet up. So she'd invited them all over for dinner. She even promised not to cook because those who knew her well enough knew better than to accept anything she'd made herself. Eventually, she settled for just ordering enough pizza for everyone. It wasn't a fancy dinner party, but the dinner wasn't really the focus of this gathering anyway.

Felicity chewed on her thumb as she stared at the screen. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. She had read the available papers on the X gene, the debate on whether or not it existed. She'd paid attention to the leading thinkers, and she'd even read what she could on those who were "changed." Gamma radiation and Super Soldier serum, there was something about toxic waste.

She'd been a little nervous about asking to test Laurel's blood; the hacker didn't want her friend to feel like a lab rat. It was one thing to have a boyfriend who didn't mind being experimented on, even if it was dangerous and exciting. It was a completely different thing to ask to experiment, or to poke and prod in this case. Experimentation with Ray, or his suit more so than him, was testing the suit, not testing him, not seeing what he was made of.

Felicity had been concerned that Roy wouldn't let anything go on, that he'd bring up the very issues that she had with all this - testing Laurel like she was something to be dissected, nothing more than a frog, worm, or shark. Some kids got to dissect sharks in school, or so Felicity had heard.

Roy sat in the corner, giving Laurel assuring glances. He looked ready to help in any way he could, even if it was simply holding his girlfriend's hand. Felicity was getting over how odd this whole situation might be, even the different reality issue. She leaned against Ray a little as they waited for the results of the blood test.

"I've tried to tell it everything we need, but this would be so much easier if the team from STAR Labs was here." Her hand rested on Ray's shoulder. "Caitlin would know what to do."

Felicity's first call wasn't to 911, though they would be her second. She gave Ray a quick "I need you and a laptop" before hanging up and calling 911. She didn't know what was wrong with the man, but she had a feeling if they didn't get him looked at soon, she'd be cleaning up more than whatever it was she was cleaning up.

"Yes, I don't know what happened. There was a loud noise, and when I got where I thought it was, I found this guy. There's a gun on the gr--no, I haven't picked it up. No, I don't know him. Could you please get somewhere here?" Felicity wasn't going to lie so much that she couldn't keep it straight. She was already working out in her head what she'd need to do. Erase any images or videos. Make sure she could document her phone was erased at the time too.

"Yes, I'll stay." Her nose wrinkled. Thankfully, phones could send texts and make calls at the same time, so she did just that. She texted Roy that he should find Laurel, and no, she wasn't sure if Laurel was okay. He'd have to get the whole story from the ADA turned professor. She sent another text to Ray, asking him to hurry and not lie that she called him first. He was her boyfriend after all.

Now she just had to wait.

Big spiders followed by sea creatures followed by a strangely relaxing and familiar hum. She knew she was sitting in front of a computer before she was even fully aware. The once and future hacker sat up, wincing from the pull in her neck that told her she'd been sleeping a little funny. Thankfully there was no drool to wipe off as far as she could tell.

"Ray!" He was not with her, which troubled her. Roy had been looking for Laurel on the boat, and there hadn't been any evidence she was around. Ray not being right where Felicity could see or touch him concerned her greatly.

She was torn. A quick clicking of the keys to see just how much power she had at her command, or go look for her man. She chewed a moment on her lip before doing both, sort of. She did a quick search to see if Ray was somewhere in the world, and was a little bothered to see that the only Ray Palmer she could find was a physics professor at some little university. The same little university she seemed to be at in an office that felt like hers only not. There were bits of her so to speak all over. Even a picture of her and Ray in what looked to be beach wear - as if they'd actually made it to the resort and had had a nice vacation.

"Ray." She grabbed the purse she knew would be close by, as well as the jacket, and headed out. She had to pause to find a campus map, but that didn't take long. She waved off a few students who came to her to ask what they should do, telling them she'd be back. She really wasn't sure she would be.

Her destination was Ray's lab. She just hoped he was her Ray Palmer. She knew she'd find out when she knocked on the door, and what felt like forever later, Felicity was standing at the door, nervous to go in. What if somehow this wasn't her Ray? She had no real reason to think he wasn't, but all this jumping around and alternate reality business along with the strange information Roy had given about his relationship with Laurel...

Felicity knocked, hoping that good news would be on the other side.

A few days in, and Ray still wasn't sure what to make of the pirate ship. He'd peeked over the rails of the ship and seen some pretty terrifying things moving just under the surface. Or perhaps that was little more than his imagination acting up. Somehow, he thought the former was more likely. He was imaginative, sure, but he didn't expect this group to land anywhere safe. Not while they were currently at the mercy of aliens who seemed to thrive on putting them in dangerous situations. Just like the resort, he anticipated that it was only a matter of time before they were forced to face off with the things lurking below the surface.

In the meantime, he'd taken to scouring the ship for anything that he could tinker with. It was slow going because there wasn't much in the way of electronics or any sort of tech at all. This was even worse than what he'd had access to at the resort. At this point, he would give his left arm for the outdated desktops they'd had in the business center at the resort. He needed something to work on, some way to keep his mind active.

He finally settled for taking apart one of the rifles available on board to see if he could modify it. After he'd done his chores for the day, he grabbed a seat on the deck and focused on taking apart the gun to see what could be done with it. There were plenty of guns on board, so he figured that it wouldn't matter if he borrowed one to try to improve it. He didn't pay much attention to his surroundings as he worked, though every so often he muttered an equation or some other insight to himself.

Ray had managed against the swarm of creatures that threatened to overtake the resort, though he couldn't say how much longer he might hold out. He really could have used that suit of his, but he knew that it was about more than just the suit. If the man wearing the suit didn't know how to handle himself in a crisis, the best suit in the world would be little more than an empty shell. He was still learning and the beasts were not exactly the trial by fire that he could have chosen. But he'd done what he could.

And then he'd woken up in a strange bed, in strange clothing. He wore a white shirt with puffy sleeves, covered in a vest that looked like little more than rags, with pants held up by a sash of sorts that again looked a little worse for the wear. Was this really how it was going to be from now on? Not if he had anything to say about it. Though he would need more time to discover who their captors were and time to tinker and build before he really could have anything to say about it.

He felt a rocking sensation and looking out the porthole in the cabin showed nothing but aquamarine water stretching out to the horizon. He drew in a breath and looked again. Then he wandered out of the cabin and made his way towards what he believed would get him above deck. Once he did make it to the deck of the ship, he couldn't help but stare yet again at the view stretching out on all sides.

"Wow." There was a sort of childish awe to his voice.

What little kid hadn't dreamed of being a pirate at some point in time? This might not be a situation of his choosing, but he could still marvel at the coolness of it all.

Not a sound was to be heard and that was fine with her. Inque preferred the silence. Her favorite noise was screaming but this place didn't cater to those types and so she welcomed the silence instead. With confidence Inque strolled down the empty hallway that held the rooms, each door similar to the last one as she passed them. Each held a resident that was currently trapped on this island alongside her. Each room held potential allies and potential enemies. She was curious to see which numbers held her in the favor, the together or the apart. She wasn't used to being forced to work alongside others but she had never been kidnapped and made to maintain a presence in a group of strangers either.

This was not a vacation by any means but no longer did Inque worry about being captive. No. Each step she took was relaxed. While she was still on her guard, something that came with the nature of the beast, it was with ease that she slipped through the shadows. The people here were so different than she was used to. None of them carried insignia of connection with the Bat or Gotham, some knew of the city while others had never heard of the place. Not that she got around to asking, but some did overlook the fact of an extra shadow or two lurking about on a wall or a tree nearby. It was easy to keep herself concealed and listen. Observation was key to survival.

Inque bypassed the vacant information desk at the lobby and pushed through a doorway instead. The empty area of the bar greeted her. It was quite possible she was breaking some unsaid rule about being out of her quarters past a certain time but Inque didn't care. Let them come for her. She would not be taken easily and they would get a fight if they wanted one. If they didn't, then that was fine too. A shame, but fine.

The polymorph made her way through the darkness, not bothering with the lights. There was a warm glow from a neon sign above the bar that rendered all of the light that she needed. Her pace remained easy as she approached the counter and once the destination had been reached, Inque slipped over the bar and settled behind the counter. A flick of an arm and the liquid portion of the limb flipped a few switches, the bar lighting up. Her arm moved back to her side and became normal again. Her eyes swept the slick counter, noticed the glasses stacked on a mat to dry. Overhead hung more glasses with stems from a rack. Behind her a mirrored wall lined with shelves and upon those shelves bottles sat with about any base for a concoction one could think of to mix together. At her shins beneath the counter were ice boxes and coolers with varying drinks chilling inside the glass.

Inque had never been inside of a bar before so seeing the innerworkings of one was quite fascinating. She doubted even consuming the beverages could get her intoxicated, she had a high tolerance to most things. But it was an interesting idea nonetheless. Why she had come here she didn't know. But now that she was here she would poke around and see if there was anything useful. Her room had held a secret shelf designed to hold weapons, she had noticed it entirely by accident simply by bumping into it. Within lay a baseball bat, a wooden one, and she had left it in her room. She didn't need it, but it was curious. Inque wondered if they had secret places all over the resort and if they did she would find them. But why not start at the bar? Wouldn't that be the perfect spot to hide something? In plain sight of anyone else that used this place on the regular? Especially while everyone else was asleep.

Inque crouched behind the bar and began to shuffle through things, taking her time to know each object she touched in case the information would come in handy later on. She doubted it, but one never truly could tell.

The blond hacker sat up quickly feeling very...a lot of things. Disoriented, warm, alone, naked, peaceful in that I just woke up from a very long sleep but now I'm a little concerned because I don't remember going to sleep and certainly not in a place like this kind of sleep. She looked around, noticing that she was indeed alone. Her room was not any room she'd ever stayed in, and she was in a crop top and bikini bottoms. That was different.

Felicity peeked into the collar of her top and relaxed a little to see she was wearing a mismatched top to the bottoms. Matched but didn't. Her brain worked on just how she got into this predicament, and each path it pursued led to a big fat nothing. How had this happened?

The last thing she remembered was going for food at Diggle's wedding. How she'd gotten here? Had they gotten so drunk that they'd chartered a private plane and went to the Bahamas? Wouldn't she remember some of that? Wouldn't Ray be here too? Unless she did something very stupid somehow.

She got out of bed, looked through everything she could open, and even tried a few things that didn't seem openable - that was a word. She checked the bathroom for drugs, for signs of another person along for the ride, for anything. When all she found were some flipflops and a scarf to wrap around her hips- other clothes similar to what she was wearing too, she put "shoes" and "skirt" and headed out.

"Do you..." She tried to stop someone who looked like they were working in the resort - their outfit looked a little uniformish. "Hey, well, see if you're getting three stars, mister."

She walked on and found a map with warnings. That wasn't good. A map that also said Business Center. That was what she needed. She walked quickly to it and stared. She'd seen these sort of computers before, but that had been in movies based on the beginning of the big tech boom. Maybe they were as old as she was, maybe a little younger.

"What the hellos?"