Disclaimer: see Chapter 1.
A/N: Thanks to my faithful readers for leaving your reviews. I'm pleased you like the storyline thus far. If this is your first time here or you didn't dare to leave your impressions before, please, I'd appreciate feedback. Don't be afraid to say what you think.
Here's the second part of chapter 2 and, as a bonus, a short chapter 3. Good reading !
CHAPTER 2: Time to Collect-Part B
It was close to one o'clock when the taxi parked in front of her block of flats, and Chloe saw a man get out of a car across the street. It didn't take her long to realise he was there for her and she felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. In spite of all those years, the new face and the new identity, the strongest link with her past hadn't been severed. She had known the day would come when they'd knock at her door to collect, and she wasn't ready- not now that she knew something about herself she had ignored.
" Miss Lawrence ? I'm Agent Clarkson from the FBI, " he said, flashing the badge. " Could I have a word with you ? "
" Clarkson, you said ? " asked Chloe. The name certainly was a joke.
" Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow ? Do you live in a different time zone ? The last time I checked it was one o'clock, and I really feel like taking an aspirin and going to bed. And no, I'm not making a proposition if that's what you're thinking. I'm not that desperate. "
" Have you ever been told you have a sharp tongue, Miss Lawrence ? "
" What do you want, Mr Clarkson ? " asked Chloe exasperated.
" It's not what I want but what the government wants, Miss Lawrence. Why don't we go up ?
"OK. But don't you get any ideas in that head of yours. "
Once inside the apartment, Chloe kicked off her shoes, took off her jacket and sat on the sofa with her feet tucked underneath her.
" Well, Agent Clarkson, let's come straight to the point. What does Uncle Sam want from me ? "
" I assume you've learnt about the recent developments. "
" Recent developments ? "
" The lab accident that left the younger Luthor blind. It was on the front page of every major newspaper in the country. "
" Oh, yes ! I think I've read something about it on the net, " confessed a poker-faced Chloe.
" We need your help on this case. "
" My help ? I don't see how I can help. Remember that I'm part of the Witness Protection Program. I'm not supposed to come near any of the people that were once part of my life- least of all the Luthors.
" I know how you feel, Miss Lawrence, but... "
" You couldn't possibly know what I feel like, agent. Still, I've made my bed and I'm prepared to lie on it. I don't regret what I did. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's not the deed but what I've lost that I regret. "
" You knew that one day we'd ask for your help again. You weren't fit to testify in court and Mr Luthor got away with murder. Now, he's involved in something bigger, and we've got reason to believe he's behind the attempt on his son's life. "
"Knowing the old devil, it wouldn't surprise me. What I don't understand is why he waited thirteen years. "
"He didn't. This wouldn't be his first attempt at finishing Alexander. The day your safe house exploded, the younger Luthor was found dying on the floor of his study. Poisoned wine. Those Luthors are definitely made of strong stuff. He survived a chemical onslaught that would have killed 99.9 of people and he required a very expensive treatment to purify his blood every 72 hours, " explained the agent to a stunned Chloe.
" What is it that you want me to do ? " asked Chloe, trying to hide the effect the agent's revelation had had on her.
" You've got an advantage, Miss Lawrence. You look nothing like your old self, and that charming accent of yours would never be associated with the midwestern girl you used to be. Were you to come near them, they wouldn't recognise you. Besides, you were just seventeen and, judging by the old photos I've seen of you, they could never confuse the girl they knew with the sophisticated woman in her thirties you're now. "
" Well, gee, thanks... I guess, " said Chloe with a smirk. " But tell me, agent, how am I supposed to come near Luthor without blowing my cover ? "
" Alexander's condition'll require him to have a personal assistant that could be his ' eyes', so to speak, and ... "
" Alexander ? Aren't we talking about getting Lionel ? " interrupted Chloe with a puzzled look.
" Getting close to the son would be easier. He's an attractive young man and you're a beautiful young woman- although he wouldn't be able to see that, poor bastard. "
" Why don't you refrain from making hurtful comments, agent Clarkson ? " she exploded." Just stick to the facts, please. "
" I'm sorry, Miss Lawrence. I didn't think you'd be so touchy, considering he's the reason why you're part of the program. "
" Let it rest, agent, " snarled Chloe. " Couldn't you send one of your undercover agents to spy on Lionel Luthor ? "
" We tried that in the past but the old man smells federals from miles. "
" I wonder how he manages to do that. You're the masters of disguise, " she added ironically.
" As I was saying... being Alexander's assistant would put you in a priviliged position. You'd have access to confidential information and be near Lionel Luthor. "
" You're poor judges of character, agent. There's no love lost between those two, and you don't know Alexander as I do. He's been raised to distrust strangers, and there's no one I know who could get close enough to be privy to his personal or business matters. "
" You're right, Miss Lawrence. You know him. You know how he thinks and that makes you perfect for the plan. "
" I'm not spying on him, agent. It's out of the question. My days as an intrepid reporter are over, " she shouted, leaving the sofa.
" It'd be the perfect way to send to prison the man who killed your father, Miss Lawrence. Isn't that incentive enough ? Besides, you owe us. "
" You're asking me to renounce to everything I've managed to build in these last thirteen years. And what's more you want me to deceive someone I used to call my friend, " she said, pacing up and down the room for a couple of minutes. " Let me sleep on it, agent. "
" I'll wait for your call, Miss Lawrence, " he said, walking towards the front door.
" Goodnight, " said Chloe, locking the door behind him.
If you'd like to find out Chloe's decision, the answer's just a click away.
