Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of 'Smallville' but it would be ferociously cool if I did. I promise to put everything back (in more or less the same condition) when I'm done.
Summary: 'A nighttime drive turns to abduction for Oliver. The police are clueless, and Lex is acting like Christmas came early. Can Chloe rally the troops and convince a reluctant Clark to don some leather to find out what really happened to their friend before it's too late?'
Chapter One "1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught An Arrow Alive"
----------------
Driving along the deserted two-lane highway between Smallville and Metropolis, a dark van barreled along the center of the road, searching for its target.
According to plan, they followed the dark green car from Metropolis, taking a few back roads in order to bypass the target before returning to confront it head on.
Suddenly caught off guard by bright high beams, Oliver Queen swerved to avoid the oncoming van and its disorienting headlights. His convertible skidded along the road, turning a full 180 degrees before stopping just short of the fence bordering the road.
Momentarily stunned, Oliver took a second to assess his situation, thankfully the accident did not set off his airbags. Although his powerful fishtail would certainly have left some impressive skid marks.
Still regaining his bearings, a hulking figure suddenly smashed through his door window. Shaking off fragments of glass he quickly realized this was no accident. Ollie scrambled to unbuckle as the figure wrenched open his car door. Unfortunately the butt of a gun slammed into the side of his head and silenced his struggle.
The figure scooped up the unconscious blond billionaire and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry back to the van. A second thug watched from behind the steering wheel of the van. As his partner unceremoniously tossed their target in the back, he deftly whipped out his cell phone, "Sir we have him."
----------------
'Billionaire Bachelor Believed Missing. Police Suspect Foul Play.'
Chloe Sullivan's stomach plummeted as she snatched her morning edition of the 'Daily Planet' from the counter after the front headline caught her eye. Her requisite coffee was soon forgotten as she quickly scanned the article for more details.
'This morning a dark green Mercedes convertible registered to resident billionaire Oliver Queen was discovered abandoned outside of Metropolis……"
This was not good. Chloe's insides squirmed as she continued to read.
"Signs of a struggle present from massive skid marks and smashed driver's side window…..Unfortunately the police no little of the whereabouts of its owner."
Stunned, Chloe sat rooted to her stool as her brain reeled with the implications of the article. She had just seen him earlier yesterday evening when she dropped off her files from the last League mission. She thought it best to return them, since it would prove dangerous if anyone found her in possession of them later. But she had just seen him! And now he was missing?
'At this time, police investigators do not believe alcohol played a role.'
Shocker there! Just because Oliver hit the party scene occasionally did not mean that he was dumb enough to drive under the influence.
Diving for her phone, Chloe knew she needed help getting to the bottom of this. Her gut churned; something was seriously wrong.
Before she finished dialing, a slight breeze announced Clark's timely arrival and she closed her phone—the call now moot.
"Chloe," Clark began without preamble, pointing to the paper in front of her, "Good, you saw this morning's Daily Planet."
"Good morning to you too Clark," the blond dipped her head toward her friend in greeting, "Yeah I did. And I've got a really bad feeling about this."
Frowning Clark started to share what he discovered, "I stopped by the accident site on my way over. There are huge skid marks all over. It looks like Oliver swerved big time to avoid hitting something. Another vehicle by the looks of a second set of tracks, they stopped abruptly."
"An abductor's car," Chloe concluded. Oliver was not generally missing, but had been taken.
"Or van," Clark added darkly as he paced back a forth in thought, "You don't think this is odd at all?"
"Other than the fact our friend disappeared randomly last night. And it looks like it was intentional. What could be odd about that?" Chloe queried sarcastically. Something was obviously bothering her friend--the pacing an obvious tell--and if she was patient enough he would share.
"It's just—somebody must have followed him out of Metropolis." Clark began hesitantly before plunging into the real reason, "He was on his way out to the farm to visit me. When he didn't show, I figured something came up."
Sighing, Chloe understood what Clark was alluding to, "And you think it's your fault because you didn't do anything when he didn't show up. Somebody could have tried anytime to abduct him in the city."
"No," Clark shook his head, "In the city, Oliver's in his element—in complete control of his environment. His security is tight at work, and the clock-tower. Or he's in the public eye, much too obvious to take. Catching him unawares is too difficult and chancy. That's why they followed him out into the county, out in the middle of nowhere."
Brushing her hair off her face, Chloe stated assertively, "Okay I'm derailing the guilt train here. We'll figure this out and get Ollie back. I'll head over to the penthouse and see what I can dig up. You keep zipping around looking for leads."
Faltering slightly, Chloe added quietly, "My biggest question, though, is whether or not his abductors know who they have exactly."
"If they know Oliver's double identity, then we might only have a short window to rescue him," Clark concluded as he considered the awful ramifications of an enemy knowing the full truth to Oliver Queen.
--------------
Anticipation grew with each floor as Lois paced inside the elevator. Was coming here such a good idea after all? Waltzing unannounced into the loft of her ex who was presumed missing? The investigative side of her clamored for answers after reading the Daily Planet article that morning, and starting at his apartment seemed like a logical plan.
Still, it was a little awkward.
Her journey ended after entering the password that admitted her into the penthouse. Trust Oliver to still have the same access code from when they were together. Oddly enough the couple months from their split did little to heal the rift in her heart after officially calling it quits upon learning his particular brand of extra-curricular activities.
She supposed her confused feelings were the catalyst for her trip here. After all, his disappearance was extraordinarily odd. How could he vanish so easily? Why would somebody abduct him?
Well, Lois admitted to herself, there was the money thing.
And the green-leather-archer thing.
True, he probably had enough ex-girls with grudges out there…..
But he did so much good in the world that is seemed an injustice for someone to purposely take him.
These people had to have some serious skills too, for someone with Oliver's unique skill set to NOT have found an escape route yet. Lois had witnessed enough encounters with Green Arrow (before she truly knew it was Oliver) to know he had no problem defending himself. So, what kind of people were they dealing with?
Suddenly, the ding of the elevator announced another arrival. Immediately Lois darted behind the nearby desk—after all she had little idea whether the newcomer was friend or foe. Besides, she was not actually supposed to be up here anyway.
Grabbing hold of the heaviest looking item on the desk—a metal bookend—Lois crouched down to wait.
--------------
Impatient to get out of the tiny space, Chloe willed the elevator to move faster. She desperately needed access to Oliver's system to look for leads and orchestrate his rescue. There was only so much she could do from her desk at the Planet, since his resources easily trumped her own.
She needed to contact the guys. She needed to look for business leaks. Maybe someone found something they should not have? She needed to review security footage to see if he was being watched. There was so much she needed to do!
Here she could assume the mantle of 'watchtower' uninterrupted. Besides, Ollie had to have given her access codes for a reason!
Finally she reached the top and the grates gave way into the apartment.
However, she was immensely surprised at the sight that greeted her. Never in a million years did she expect to see her cousin leap out from behind a desk.
"Chloe!"
"Lois?" Frowning slightly at the metal object still clasped in Lois' raised hand, Chloe teased sarcastically, "Why are you here? And really, you weren't seriously going to attack me with that bookend?"
Watching as Chloe folded her arms across her chest Lois hastily placed the bookend back on the desk and walked closer to the blond, "No silly! I was just admiring the craftsmanship. I've always been a bit of a decorating buff. Have you seen some of the stuff Oliver keeps in here?"
"Buff?" Chloe replied as she arched an eyebrow. Trust Lois to complicate any situation; especially one that needed her to remain as focused as possible. This was only going to become more awkward.
"Wait a minute," started Lois quizzically, "How did you get up here? I mean I dated the guy, but I hardly realized Ollie gave out the access codes to his penthouse to everyone he knew."
Ball thrown back in her proverbial court, Chloe took a moment to think. How exactly did she want to bring up her part-time involvement with the Justice League? She doubted Lois would just brush aside a weak excuse for her presence there.
Lois bit her lip as she watched her cousin pause in thought. She knew Chloe had secrets, everybody did, but maybe this was a secret they could share if it was in the best interest of getting Oliver back. "Look," Lois began sincerely, "I'm just here looking for clues about Ollie's disappearance. I just don't get why you're here too."
"Lois," Chloe opted for the simplest route, stating firmly with her mind made up, "Sometimes I help Oliver out with business."
"Business that requires house-calls?" Lois volleyed back in disbelief, "Somehow I doubt that my billionaire CEO ex-boyfriend takes business tips from a Daily Planet reporter."
Frustrated and impatient with Lois' persistence, Chloe dropped the charade, "Hey! Look, I am a fairly decent hacker okay and sometimes my skills are needed for some 'off the record' projects. The stealthy and hooded kind, if you get my point."
"The stealthy and hooded kind," Lois repeated using air-quotations to mask her surprise at what Chloe's explanation insinuated. There was no way Chloe knew about Oliver's passion for green leather and archery. "What are you talking about?"
Rolling her eyes, Chloe opened a box on the desk and grabbed a hidden remote. "Lois, sometimes you really suck at covering things up."
"Whoa, what are you doing?" Lois moved to intercept Chloe.
Pressing the button that activated Ollie's secret room in the penthouse, Chloe gestured at all the green glowing glory, "That's what I'm talking about."
"But. I. You. How?" Flabbergasted, it was one of the rare times Lois Lane was left speechless.
Unfortunately, the silence lasted only a few seconds before Lois rounded angrily on her cousin, "You KNEW! How long have you known? Wait, YOU help?"
"Guilty," Chloe replied a little sheepishly, mentally preparing to tell Lois about her Watchtower exploits—sans anything that involved Clark of course. Hopefully, the Cliff Notes version would suffice until she was not so pressed for time to find their friend.
"Tell me you don't have a leather costume too!" Lois exclaimed as she led Chloe over to the couches, intent on getting some answers.
--------------
When one billionaire is missing, Clark figured visiting another might help. With their vast connections and influence, odds are better of them having information than just anybody.
But walking into Lionel Luthor's office was akin to trying to tango with Jello. Grasping hold of the situation almost always proved necessary and holding some kind of leverage against the sly business man did not hurt. However, actually out strategizing the man was near impossible
"Clark," greeted Lionel with tactful courtesy, "It's a little early for a social call isn't it? Why, it's barely ten, but I suspect you're on a mission so it matters little."
Not bothering to sit, Clark opted for the most direct opening, "Oliver Queen was abducted last night."
"That's most unfortunate. I've known him since he and Lex were at boarding school together. Actually, his parents and I worked in close capacity for a time," Lionel's mask outwardly portraying pity.
"Do you know anything about it?"
Smiling coyly, Lionel replied, "Clark, are you insinuating that I had a hand in it? To what purpose would I have?"
"I'm just trying to get information," Clark asserted, hoping to get something from the conversation without getting burned by Lionel's web of deception and tricks.
"Why? If I remember correctly, farm boys and billionaires don't usually run the same social circuit. How is it you feel so strongly about him?" Unfortunately, burning Clark with a verbal spear was ever Lionel's forte—even if he was "helping" him to a degree.
Clark remained silent, staring at the perceptive man before him.
"He knows about your little secret doesn't he?" Lionel summed up as he looked up at Clark from over the tips of his fingers.
Changing tact, Lionel mused, "It's funny, shortly after Oliver arrived in Metropolis Lex was kidnapped. Perhaps karma has come full circle."
"Or someone is picking off the heads of industry in Metropolis," Clark replied innocently, stowing away the clue the elder Luthor passed along in his comment.
"Tell you what Clark," Lionel smiled as he shuffled the papers sitting on his desk before him, "I wish you the best of luck in your search. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for, and of course our friend Oliver."
Recognizing the dismissal, Clark turned to leave. He hoped Chloe's search was proving more fruitful than his own.
--------------
Slowly Oliver came to, rubbing his head ruefully as he looked around. The large goose-egg on the back of his head throbbed painfully as the little men inside hammered on their anvils, but thankfully the room did not spin completely out of control as he sat up.
A concussion muddling his thoughts would do little to help him figure out a way from his current predicament.
Obviously, waking up in a stark, empty cell was not something he planned on for the day. Actually, getting kidnapped was on his agenda just above a dinner date with Lex Luthor.
Groaning he pushed himself up and took stock of his situation. The tiny eight by eight foot, cement coated cell did little to brighten his day. The solid metal door and lack of windows also hampered his attempts to deduce anything about his location. Also, his complete lack of means of defense proved equally disheartening.
Of course, he had to remember, dressed in a t-shirt, sage pullover, and jeans he was Oliver Queen—not exactly the poster boy for escaping from a concrete cell. But perhaps he could use this to his advantage?
Two gigantic reasons existed for why someone would abduct him; money and, or revenge.
Fact; he was a notable billionaire. Perhaps he could buy himself out of this situation.
But, his secret identity and extra-curricular activities would prove potentially dangerous if discovered by the wrong people.
He knew his exploits would eventually catch up to him, but only someone knowing the real identity of Green Arrow would kidnap him.
Right?
Still, for all intents and purposes, Ollie decided to play the ignorance card. The utter lack of restraints indicated that his captors did not exactly view him as a threat. He could play the billionaire, CEO, playboy persona well enough to bide his time until he saw an avenue of escape.
Pshaw, these people did not know the problems that were headed their way. Outwardly he appeared as Oliver Queen, but inwardly his skills of the Green Arrow would prove the ace up his sleeve.
--------------
tbc