Title: Pathways
Pairing/Characters: Tess Mercer/Alice, Lois Lane
Shows: Smallville/The Playboy Club
Rating: PG
Summary: As the Man of Steel's destiny is finally fulfilled, some end up still looking for a greater calling of their own. Like Lois Lane, whose life takes a sudden change when she gets a visit from a special someone who grants her superpowers. Or Tess Mercer, who unexpectedly gets stuck in 1960s Chicago of another universe where now she has to try and find a new life in this feminine repressed era while still trying to find her way back.
A/N: This idea originally came from my mourning of the series The Playboy Club as the series was cancelled right before Cassidy Freeman's character was going to start a relationship with Alice. However since we don't know too much about Cassidy's TPC character Francis, I figure to swap her with Cassidy's other character, Tess from Smallville, to take Francis's place in the series.
A/N2: Story takes place after the series Smallville has ended. If you're expecting a story about Superman, Wonder Woman or Batman, this is not your story. They'll see plenty of action, but it mostly focuses on the four main ladies, lesser exposed characters and some new ones. Obviously for this to work, we're going to have to assume Tess and Green Arrow never dated and were simply friends.
Chapter 1
Tess opens the double doors to her office in the Luthorcorp tower. The chair she had long since claimed as her own is facing away from her, but she can tell the person she anticipated being there is sitting in it. He's looking at the fuchsia colour in the sky due to the upcoming arrival of the planet Apokolips. "Something told me that I'd find you here," she states. "I combed the lab, and I saw what happened."
"Long time sis." Lex spins the chair around and faces his sister.
"Did you always know?" Tess asks him.
"Why did you think I recruited you, treated you like my own flesh and blood?" Lex answers.
"You used me."
"Semantics," he retorts nonchalantly.
Lex gets off the chair and approaches Tess. "I'd say dear old dad did most of the abusing. Wouldn't you? I guess the bullet in his chest answers that question, huh?" He stops in front of Tess.
Not the least bit intimidated, Tess takes a step closer to her brother. "He wanted nothing more than to have you back again."
"And what did you want Tess?"
"Something I'll never have."
"What might that be?" Lex inquired.
"Redemption," she answers.
Lex doesn't say anything. Instead he runs the back of his hand along his sister's cheek then gives her a hug. Despite the awkward tension, Tess allows the hug to continue.
"I love you sis," he says in a seemingly sincere tone.
Tess decides to return the hug. Her right hand works its way around Lex's body and that's when she feels her brother's left hand reaching for something tucked in the back of his pants. Reacting on intuition, she quickly backs away and that's when Lex attempts to stab her with a small but deadly blade. She manages to grab Lex's wrist and prevent the blade from going any further. Tess quickly knees Lex in the gut and throws a left hook that connects solidly to his face.
Lex collapses to the floor and Tess turns to leave, giving one last look as she does. Lex is on the floor looking back The two siblings match stares, their eyes expressing more than they could ever say to each other. After a few moments Tess looks back towards the exit and rushes out.
7 Months Later
Chloe stands on the shore of a beach, looking out into the clear ocean. "Enjoying the view?" a woman's voice ask her.
"I've always loved tropical islands," Chloe answers. She turns around and follows two women dressed in ancient Greek wear.
"Consider yourself privileged Chloe Sullivan, few mortal women are permitted to walk this island and no man has ever stepped foot on these lands," one of the women tells her.
"I consider this visit both a privilege and an honour," Chloe replies back.
The three women trek up a pathway until it leads them to the sight of structures in an architecture reminiscent of ancient Greece. The sight of the buildings combined with the tropical location is quite a breathtaking site for Chloe.
"Right this way. Princess Diana is expecting you," one of the women gestures to a stone walkway. Chloe looks curiously at the woman before following the path.
She eventually comes to an area near a beautiful lake that's situated at the bottom of a majestic waterfall. She sees a stone gazebo at the end of the pathway.
Diana is out of her typical battle wear and in similar clothes like the rest of the women on the island. She's relaxing on an elegant chair when she turns her head and spots her guest. She rises from her seat and looks at Chloe. Chloe smiles as she moves towards Diana.
"What do you think of Themyscira so far Chloe Sullivan?" Diana asks.
"Please, it's just Chloe," she responds. "And I think it's breathtaking. I finally get to see the mystical island of super powered Amazons that you've been telling me about with my own eyes. I can only imagine how it must be like to live on this island with a mother who's the Queen and a father who's Zeus."
"It does have its drawbacks. The no men rule, and there aren't any computers. They don't let us out to explore the world much either," Diana remarks regarding the strict living rules.
Chloe feels an awkwardness but tries to keep up the smile. "Well I guess I should be fortunate this is only a visit then."
"Enjoy your visit while you're here then," Diana smiles back at her.
"I really admire what you're doing for the world," Chloe adds. "You're making quite a name for yourself."
True to her upbringing Diana takes the compliment modestly. "Well mother thought after Millennia of isolation, that it was finally time to start venturing off our island and into the outside world. She believes the time has come to share our knowledge and if necessary, enforcement to try and make Man's world a more peaceful place."
"That brings me to the other reason for my visit Diana," Chloe informs.
"What may that be?"
"I want to know if you'll be interested in joining the League?" she inquires.
At the Daily Planet, it was business as usual.
A member of the staff rushes into the bullpen. "It just came through the wire, Metropolis National Bank is being robbed and the robbers have taken hostages."
The bullpen, always a beehive of noise and activity gets even louder as the reporters nearby react to the news and beginning to scramble.
Lois turns and faces her fiancé. She gives him a look and tilts her head over to the side, signaling him. Clark nods, now it's his job to handle the matter. He rushes off to the rooftop, taking care to move at pace close to a human jog.
The rooftop door swings opens and Clark steps out with his vest in one hand. He tosses the vest on the ground and takes off his glasses, then starts walking dramatically towards the ledge as if there's a symphony playing in the background. Clark takes a quick look around to see if there are any people nearby before he begins picking up the pace. He loosens his tie to the side before finally ripping open his shirt to reveal the red and yellow 'S' underneath.
Back down in the offices, Lois rush to a window. She stares off in the direction of the National Bank and looks to the sky as she spots her fiancé in his blue and red costume flying off to the location.
It wouldn't be long before Lois watches Clark on the television screens. Standing triumphant outside the bank as the police take the robbers into the police cars as a crowds of onlookers cheer and scream his name; Superman.
Roswell, New Mexico
People scatter in fear and panic from the center of the town as a figure in a purple mechanical battlesuit wrecks carnage and havoc. "Power! Give me more power," he shouts to the heavens.
"I'll bring this town to its knees!" He tears electric cables from underneath the street to juice his suit up. The bodies of unconscious police officers foolish enough to try and stop him are strewn around the street.
"Hey, you," a voice calls out.
The man in the battlesuit turns around and sees a man with an aura of glowing green energy around him descending to the ground.
"You're done headcase. Game over man, game over," the glowing man says.
He was clad in gauntlets, boots and a large domino mask all made from some kind of emerald material; it gave him the appearance of wearing armoured gear. Other than the green highlights the rest of his outfit was mostly black, the sole exception being the white chest area. Inside that white area, a black line ran down the left side of his chest with a lantern shaped design that appeared almost like a badge; it was stylized in half green and black like a yin-yang.
"And you're going to be the one to stop me?" The man in the purple battlesuit asks disbelievingly, not waiting for an answer he fires a blast of electricity at the other man.
The man surrounded by the green energy flies off the ground just as the electricity hits the concrete below him. While in the air he dodges another couple of blasts of electricity before a circular sheet of green energy pops up in front of him.
Inside the battlesuit the pilot blinks in derision. "Is that a shield? That's not going to save you!" He remarks as he continues to fire up at his adversary.
On his next volley he manages to break through the green shield, the shockwave sends the man in green spiraling back but he managed to recover before he crashed into the ground. Not to be outdone, he fires off a blast of green energy that staggers and blinds the armoured man.
Just as the armoured man manages to get his sight back into focus, he looks at his opponent and a green pillar comes charging his way like a battling ram. The impact sends the armoured man crashing to the ground.
The green energy man rushes over and fires off a green cutting laser, slicing the armour right down the middle. He manages to get the suit opened and pulls the man out of it, then punches him unconscious.
The green energy man puts a foot on his defeated enemy and holds up to hands in victory. Onlookers clap while others begin to move closer to get a better look at him.
A news crew that had been filming the entire conflict from behind the safety of a police barricade comes rushing over to this superhero. "Excuse me mysterious hero, but do you mind giving a few minutes of your time for the local news?"
"No problem," he answers with a jaunty smile.
The female news reporter looks at the camera. "Alright this is the first ever exclusive with this mysterious hero that until now we only heard a few stories about." She turns to face him, "Well the first thing I should ask is, what should we call you?" the reporter begins.
"Call me Green Lantern," he answers.
"Oh just like the symbol on your chest," the reporter remarks as she points to the image. "I'm a fan of yours Green Lantern, and I can't help but notice the costume you're wearing looks sort of different than in some of the previous amateur pictures posted of you."
"Nice to know I already have a fanbase," he replies back smiling. "And no, you're not imagining things. My earlier costume were basically footie pajamas, but I didn't like the look, so I changed it to something bit more practical and combat oriented."
"Got to say the new costume looks great."
"Thanks, unfortunately I can't stick around for a proper interview, lives to save and all that."
The reporter smiles at his charm, "One more question before you leave?"
"Sure, what's that?"
"Since we're in Roswell, some people watching maybe wondering, by any chance are you an alien?"
The self-proclaimed Green Lantern laughs a bit and thinks about how to answer that. "Sorry but that'll have to remain a mystery for now." He dashes off a bit before taking to the air. He gives the people one more wave while still only about thirty feet off the ground before rocketing off through the air.
Special Author's Note: It will be a while before Lois gets her powers and Tess gets stuck in 1960s Chicago. However once that happens the ball will really begin to start rolling.
