Chapter 3: Free of bonds, Bound to reprisals

'You can learn a lot from someone you hate.' - Lex Luthor, Season 1, Episode 11: "Hug"

16 june 2008. 5:11 PM GMT-6 (10:11 AM Local Time). Verkhoyansk, Russia.

"What are you looking at? You got a problem with me?"

Oliver's poker face had come in handy countless times already in his life but right in that moment, he was glad he was so good at it because if he let anything slip they could get killed the next second.

"Is my presence here bothering you?"

Unfortunately, Clark seemed to be a little slow right now as he looked at Oliver as if he had grown a second head. The latter already knew the alien could be a bit dumb from time to time but he actually expected Clark to blow his cover right there and right then.

Eventually, realization dawned on his face and Oliver didn't know whether to sigh in relief or to roll his eyes. He raised a discreet eyebrow at the farm boy turned slave, silently ordering him to play his game.

"Yeah it's starting to!" Clark replied half-defiant half self-conscious as he looked over to the group of men who were watching the two of them with interest, expecting a fight.

Oliver was never one to disappoint an audience, and now was no exception. He made a show to mock Clark before punching the other man who made a 180° spin by the strength of the blow.

Behind him, Clark could hear the Russians snickering at his plight but he was still reeling in after the effect of Oliver's hit. Being the way he was, Clark hadn't actually expected Oliver to do this but clearly, he was wrong. And boy the man could punch! He'd lost his powers a month ago already but he still wasn't used to feeling that kind of pain. However, if Oliver wanted to play it that way, he would give him a fight.

Shouting in defiance, he turned back and grabbed Oliver, propelling them both on the ground where Clark wasted no time taking advantage of the situation. Raising himself above Oliver, he gave him one blow.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He whispered incredulous as to the fact he and Oliver were actually fighting in a Russian labor camp out of all places.

"Just roll with it!" hissed Oliver. If Clark thought he had the upper-hand, he was terribly mistaken. The next second, roles were reversed: Clark was on the ground with Oliver hovering above him, raining hits on the poor man. The blond hero would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy at all this situation. He'd actually wanted to punch Clark more than once in the past. Now was time to unleash all his pent-up frustration on the alien. That, and another part of him wanted to punish Clark for letting Lex out of control for so long, for making Lois so desperate and for letting Chloe get captured.

A few moments later, Oliver decided the poor Clark had had enough of corrections for one day. He took pity on him and grabbed him by the collar, forcing him up whilst his other hand found a tiny but effective blade in one of his back-pockets, holding it up to Clark's throat. All the while he thought about how terrible of a fighter the younger man was without his powers, something he'd have to remedy in the near future.

"I'll take a hundred cases of Beluga, fifty cases of Osetra and this pathetic little punk here!" Oliver barked as he tightened his grip on Clark. "I want the honor of finishing him off!"

The Russian owner was more than happy to oblige. "Be my guest. I'll throw him in, for free."

"Very nice! Come on!" Oliver replied before throwing Clark ahead of him in the direction of the exit. His eyes kept discreetly looking around for some kind of danger until they both walked out of the camp and kept going again for half a mile to keep up appearances.

They made a stop behind an old gravy building where they met with Bart who was rubbing his hands together gleefully, a glint of excitation in his eyes.

"Hey Stretch, what's up?" the young speedster appeared in front of them. "Shit Ollie, what was that? It was just awesome!"

He'd been surprised at first to see Oliver fight with Clark as he'd thought something had gone wrong. He'd been half-tempted to rush inside and get them both out until he realized that Oliver was just getting Clark out of the Russian's grip... his way.

Seeing Clark Kent and Oliver Queen fight against each other had been so surreal that he had recorded it with his phone. Not that he'd say it aloud, that was something he'd show to Chloe when they got her back so they could laugh at both men.

"It wasn't a fair fight anyway." Oliver smiled arrogantly as he tapped Clark on the shoulder before starting to walk away. "It's good to have you back by the way."

"What do you mean it wasn't a fair fight? I was the one to lead first!" Clark shot back, convinced of his own fighting skills.

Oliver just snorted and kept walking away as Bart shook his head almost pitifully at his other friend. "Man you didn't even realize he was holding back. He could knock you out in a flash if he wanted to..." he then sped away to reach Oliver to fuss over him like a fan begging for an autograph, leaving behind a still unconvinced Clark Kent with a wounded ego.

"You gonna stand there all day? We got a plane to catch!" Oliver's firm voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

16 june 2008. 7:02 PM GMT-6 (6:02 PM Local Time). Montana, USA.

"Slow down Bart, I don't want to end up getting crushed into a wall!" Oliver chided the younger man behind the steering wheel of the black SUV driving the three heroes to meet with the rest of their team.

"Aw, but this car is too damn slow Ollie!" whined the teenager who as usual was feeling restless especially after being forced to take the plane with the two other men.

"Bart could you listen to him, please? You're kind of breaking speed limit by double right now..." added Clark whose hand was firmly gripping the handle at his side.

Oliver watched him with mild amusement as Bart kept complaining about how boring they both were. The young alien didn't seem particularly reassured at the moment and he couldn't blame him. Bart didn't always realize the rest of the world wasn't as fast as him. That was the reason Oliver had always been reticent to let the speedster drive any car but lately, he'd been maturing a lot, getting more responsible. Well, right now he wasn't so sure of that but...

The generic ring tone of his secret cellphone pulled him out of his thoughts and he was quick to answer when he saw Victor Stone's name flash across the screen.

"What's up Vic?"

"We've got a problem." That was blunt and clear just like the man himself.

"What's wrong?" asked Oliver immediately. That didn't sound good.

"I've been trying to reach Dinah and AC for hours, they're not picking up." exposed the cyborg. "Actually, their dots are not even showing on my screen and Dinah assured me they both turned it on when they last checked in. So I can only draw one conclusion..."

"They got caught." Oliver guessed, drawing the attention of both men in the front of the car. "Do you know what happened?"

"I don't Oliver, I'm still in Uruguay here and the motel they last were isn't equipped with any cameras." The desperation in his teammate's voice renewed the archer's concern for his friends.

He cursed. "Listen, we'll check out the place and if they're truly gone then there's only one possibility of where they could be."

"Black Creek." Victor immediately understood.

"Exactly." agreed Oliver. "So, if we've got confirmation then we'll break in there with only the three of us and you'll play our Watchtower this time."

He heard the other man sigh on the other end of the line. "Alright but you better get our original Watchtower back, I'm not okay with standing behind the scenes, especially if I'm needed on site."

"Yeah and you don't really look as good as her either..." joked Oliver.

"Right," snorted Victor before adding, "Call me when you're there." then he hung up.

Oliver smirked slightly but his expression turned serious again as he explained the situation to his two friends.

"We better hurry then!" Bart announced heatedly.

Oliver nodded even as he saw Clark pale. "Go on."

The engine roared with fury as Bart pressed the gas pedal all the way down, making the car speed up way beyond the limit to get them faster to their destination.

16 june 2008. 7:36 PM GMT-6 (6:36 PM Local Time). Black Creek, Montana, USA.

"The way I jammed the security system you got fifteen minutes tops." announced Victor through the coms.

"Any way you could give us more time?" asked Oliver now clad in his favorite suit, the one that made his enemies' blood turn cold as fear overtook them, the one that made him the unforgiving and determined vigilante that every lawbreaker was cursing and afraid of. Today, once again, Oliver Queen was turning into the best part of himself: The Green Arrow was in the place. And he didn't like at all the people who dared to attack his team.

His com sizzled again and Bart and Clark looked at him with similar impatient expressions on their faces.

Victor made a negative noise. "Sorry guys but they've got their entire security system unreachable from the web. What I did was a one-shot."

"Understood, there no time to lose then." The Green Arrow began to stick several tiny devices around the large steeled door of the Black Creek facility.

"Oh, one more thing Arrow." Victor cut in again. "I was unable to deactivate the cameras, they're part of the local security network so... keep your head down."

Oliver sighed. "Roger that, Cyborg. We're going in. Now." He now understood why Victor felt he was more needed on-site. Lex seemed to have learned from the past and made sure they couldn't hack their way through his facilities anymore.

Didn't matter anyway, it was too late to back down. They had no choice but to pursue blindly into the lion's den.

A few moments later, the heavy metal of the door slammed down with a loud thud and the three heroes walked inside quickly, knowing they didn't have all the time in the world.

"Impulse, you know what to do." Green Arrow ordered.

"See you in five, boss." Bart replied with a determination he had been showing more and more lately, that made Oliver proud. The next second, he was gone zooming his way through the corridors.

"Boy scout, you stay behind me." added Oliver but it seemed they weren't on the same page.

"No, we'll cover more ground if we split up." argued Clark.

The Green Arrow turned around to look at the other man, a mix of disbelief and irritation showing on his face. "What are you gonna do if you get caught? Bite someone?" he called him upon the fact that he was now powerless and that his fighting abilities would not get him out of here especially against trained guards.

"I'm not gonna argue with you, Chloe's in danger." said Clark with a hint of finality in his tone.

There he was, Oliver thought heatedly, the self-righteous ass was back even without his powers! "Fine, Clark. You be the hero." Oliver acquiesced angrily. "Just know I might not be there to save you!"

After all that was his choice, and right now, Oliver had more pressing issues to take care of. Like getting his teammates and the other prisoners out of here.

The next minutes were tense and suspiciously quiet on Oliver's side. He hadn't met any guards, doctors or whatever staff they could have in here. It was like the people working there had been told to hide. It felt too much like a trap.

"Cyborg." asked Oliver, a finger pressed to his ear.

"Come in Arrow."

"I got a bad feeling, it's too easy, too calm." explained the hero. "What's Impulse and Scout status?"

"Scout managed to find his way into the heart of the building but Impulse had to help him twice against guards." At that, Oliver snorted. He had told him so. "And Impulse's almost done getting the prisoners out."

"Good, very good." replied Oliver. "Any sign of Tower, Aquaman and Canary yet?" he asked, hopeful.

"Not yet, but we'll find them, Arrow."

"We will." There was no way he was letting anyone in his team down, not ever. "Listen, I'll keep looking but warn the others to keep an eye out."

His request was met by nothing but a constant crackling noise in his ear, statics. "Cyborg, do you copy? Cyborg?!" Damn it! They turned on the scramblers. He thought grimly. He was now sure there was a trap somewhere for him and the rest of his team.

Now extra-cautious of his surroundings, the Emerald Archer moved silently down the empty corridor until he was met by a double door. Their small windows were blurred and it was dark inside. Activating his night vision, he pushed the door open and moved inside at a slow pace.

It looked like it was the abandoned part of the building. The room was bare of any furniture and there were cobwebs at several spots. However, the sound of chains hitting together drew his attention.

Crouching low, he paced soundlessly closer to the sound, all the while gripping firmly his crossbow in his right hand. Now he could hear someone breathing along with faint grunts of pain.

His investigation was fruitful when he turned left to inspect a hidden corner of the room and his eyes fell on two of his partners: Black Canary and Aquaman chained up to their wrists from the cellar.

He was silent but AC was the first to see him. No surprise crossed his face instead he yelled: "ARROW! RUN!"

Instantly, the doors opened and several guards entered the room gun in hand. Oliver now got confirmation of the trap set up on him but as he saw the men closing in on him carefully, barking at him to drop his weapon, a defiant thought crossed his mind.

He wouldn't be called the Green Arrow if he didn't fight back. He never gave up, he couldn't!

A second later, one first guard was knocked out without even realizing what was happening. Two others rushed forward to grab him but he was faster. He jumped onward and wrapped his arm around the throat of the closest one, using him as a human shield. He kicked the second man twice and he was out.

Using his crossbow, he shot three times while squeezing the guard's throat hard enough to make him fall unconscious.

His three taser-arrows hit their targets and there was only two more men to take down when, suddenly, the sound of a gun being cocked filled his ears.

"Give up, Green Arrow." A voice he'd already heard once called from behind him. "Or your friends are dead."

Loosening his grip on the man he'd grabbed, the latter slumped to the ground half-conscious as Oliver raised his hands up and slowly turned around to find Regan Matthews pressing a gun against AC's temple.

Grinning smugly, Regan pointed to Oliver's hand. "Now please lower your crossbow and no one will get hurt."

He had no choice but to oblige otherwise AC would get killed, then Dinah, then him. As soon as his weapon hit the ground, the two guards remaining standing grabbed him and he was expecting them to tie him up somehow instead, he let out a sharp gasp when he felt a needle pierce through his skin. A green fluid being injected in his veins and then, his mind went blank.

"Now, I want you to do whatever it takes to kill the Traveler!"

"Hey boss, I just finished there, any news about Licious or Fish-stick or-"

"Bart look out!" A voice shouted from behind him. He turned around to see Clark standing in the middle of the main stairs.

"Wha- ow!"

The young man fell on the ground, out. Behind him, the Green Arrow lowered his crossbow to get his hands on the large bow attached to his back.

Less than two seconds later, the weapon already had an arrow loaded, ready to fire. A sharp arrow pointed in Clark's direction.

"Oliver, wait!" the powerless alien raised a hand to try to calm him but he was already having a hard time not letting his fear get to him. "What are you doing?"

Oliver would never do that if he were in his normal state of mind. Someone must have done something to him while he was gone.

The Green Arrow's standing figure hadn't moved an inch since he first aimed at Clark, his entire being was focused on his target. A voice inside his head told him to shoot, that it was the right thing to do. Then why did he have the dreadful impression that something was wrong? Horribly wrong?

He blinked, and then, just like that, his doubts were gone, his eyes once again narrowed on the prey in front of him, his fingers tingling with impatience.

Clark's words registered in his brain and without even realizing it, he replied. "I'm just killing the Traveler!"

It wasn't much more of a whisper but it froze Clark on his feet. There was nothing he could do as he watched Oliver release the arrow, letting it fly straight into his chest.

A piercing pain made itself known close to his heart and he looked down at the arrow embedded in his flesh. Not quite realizing what was happening, he reached and pulled it out before throwing a disbelieving look in Oliver's direction who hadn't moved at all.

A flash of green invaded Oliver's eyes for a second and then, he felt the drug leaving his brain, letting him take control again over his own body. He felt much better at that however it didn't last long as he looked up and came across Clark's weakened form, collapsed on the ground. A pool of blood under him.

Everything shattered in him as he realized that he was the one who shot him. Oh no, no, no! What have I done?!

Without a second thought, he pulled his hood back and took off his dark glasses, rushing at Clark's side whose groans of pain were becoming weaker by the minute.

"God, oh God!" in an instant he was crouched at the dying man's side, trying his best to stop the hemorrhage, vainly. "Clark, come on!" He felt the tears building up in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," his broken whisper was doing no good but he didn't know what else to do.

"Sorry, Clark, please! Clark!" The other man was slipping quickly and it literally tore at his heart that there was nothing he could do to fix what he'd broken.

"Oh, God!" A soft voice gasped from behind them. Oliver blinked several times and looked up to find Chloe Sullivan running down the stairs in their direction. "Oh, no!"

Oliver's hand were shaking uncontrollably as he stood up slowly at her arrival, looking at her with a mix of grief, hope and fear. He was afraid that she could think he was a murderer but he also knew that if someone could save Clark, it was Chloe.

"I couldn't stop myself..." explained Oliver, his entire being filled with horror and self-hatred. What was she going to think?

Chloe looked up at him with glassy eyes but there was no accusation on her face, just the fear of losing her best friend. "Oliver move back! I can save him." she said with more assurance than she felt.

The blond hero didn't waste time making room for her at Clark's side. The alien was already half-gone at the moment, it was just a matter of time before the battle was lost.

He heard Clark protest faintly and Chloe tell him he was going to be okay. He didn't know what she was going to do but he trusted her. She put her hand softly over the wound on his chest and then, they waited.

One, two, five, ten seconds. Nothing!

"It's not working!" exclaimed Chloe, a hint of panic in her voice. "Clark?"

It was too late, Oliver knew that judging by the look on Clark's face, he was living his last moments before his dying breath. He fell to his knees and watched, powerless, the life leaving the alien until...

"I'm here, Kal-El." A firm yet caring voice pulled Oliver out of his trance and the three of them looked up at a tall black-skinned man sporting a reassuring expression on his face.

Right at this moment Clark expired, the man took him in his arms and Chloe and Oliver watched in amazement as he flew away through the window, leaving a red fluorescent trail behind him.

He didn't know how long they stood there, just the two of them, still watching the spot on the sky where the two aliens disappeared. He hadn't even fully processed everything when Chloe turned towards him and he was fully expecting her to yell at him, telling him he was a murderer.

She did none of that. Instead, the pain on her face was gone, replaced by a relieved yet still uncertain smile on her face.

He stared at her tearfully. "I didn't want to... I'm sorry..."

"It wasn't you Oliver." she took a step closer and put a hand on his arm to show him he wasn't responsible.

"I killed him."

She shook her head. "No you didn't!" she said firmly. "The drug forced you to shoot him, and he isn't dead."

Oliver opened and closed his mouth several times before eventually asking: "How could you know?"

She smiled softly at that. "Years of experience taught me that Clark Kent is definitely hard to kill."

Despite everything he returned her smile by a faint of his own. "Then I believe you." He was already feeling much better but he would
only be reassured the next time he was going to see Clark, alive and well.

They looked at each other for a long moment until a faint groan caught their attention. "Oww." Bart moaned as he rubbed the back of his head miserably. "What the heck was that boss?" asked the young man pitifully.

Chloe just grinned. "That's a long story. Now let's get AC and Dinah and get out of here."

16 june 2008. 8:17 PM GMT-6 (7:17 PM Local Time). Black Creek, Montana, USA.

Regan Matthews wiped the sweat off his forehead nervously as he dialed a number on his cellphone with his other hand before lifting it to his ear.

The man on the other end of the line didn't waste any time before answering.

"I hope you made the call from a secure line."

The words were spoken calmly but Regan didn't miss the hidden threat. He gulped. "Yes Mr. Luthor."

"Are you done with Miss Sullivan?" asked Lex.

Regan cleared his throat. "About that..."

"Yes?"

"We ran into a little problem here..." explained Matthews anxiously as he tugged at his collar.

"Elaborate!" Lex ordered tensely.

The other man took a deep breath before speaking. "The Green Arrow and his freaks broke her out." he blurted out and braced himself for what was coming next.

There was a moment of silence. "Are you telling me you had them all within reach and you let them go?!" hissed Lex, not even trying to hide the venom in his voice anymore. He was seething inside.

"Mr Luthor-"

"You're an incapable, Regan!" his boss exploded. "I warned you about them and you still didn't take the needed precautions!"

"Mr Luthor..." he tried again without much success.

"You know what this is? This is sloppy work! That's how I call it!" Lex's anger was beginning to drain his precious strengths. He breathed sharply a couple of times before resuming his rant. "I swear to you there will be consequences to your actions!"

"Mr Luthor-"

"What is it?!"

Regan swallowed hard. "I think I have something that... will interest you."

"I don't think so, Regan!"

"I just sent you a footage of Black Creek's video security feed." Lex's right hand exposed before his boss could yell at him again.

"It better be good!" with that, he hung up.

16 june 2008. 7:04 PM GMT-6. Cadmus Labs, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.

At the same time in the secret underground level of Cadmus Labs, Lex Luthor breathed in deeply to calm himself. Dr. Groll had told him he needed to stay calm otherwise he could compromise his operation and that wasn't what he needed at the moment.

Opening Regan's video footage on the large screen in front of him, Lex watched as the image of a part of Black Creek's facility appeared on screen.

His eyes widened as his interest was peaked when Clark Kent's form fell into sight. He looked injured judging by the pool of blood beneath him. Had Regan managed to finish what he had started? He first thought that the interest of the video was Clark Kent's death until, to his surprise, a green silhouette appeared at the bottom of the screen.

Lex's eyes narrowed with hate. The Green Arrow.

His breath was cut short when the vigilante pushed his hood back, revealing an extremely familiar blond head. Was it possible that...?

His question was quickly answered as the blond man ran to Clark's side to fuss over him. The camera caught a shot of his profile and Lex paused the video.

A loud cry of rage escaped him, he sent the many boxes of pills of his side-table on the ground.

Back on the screen, was the unmistakable face of Oliver Queen. The two men Lex hated the most were in fact one and only. Star City's irresponsible playboy was a terrorist. That gave Lex one more reason to wish the end of Oliver Queen and he swore in that moment that he was going to turn his life into a living hell.

No matter what,

No matter why,

For justice,

For vengeance,

There was no going back.

16 june 2008. 10:49 PM GMT-6. Queen Tower, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.

"Oh, it's so good to be home again!" exclaimed Bart as he slouched on the nearest couch. Behind him the rest of the team were walking out of the elevator to enter Oliver's penthouse.

"Uh, technically this is my penthouse, Bart." pointed out Oliver. He opened his mouth when he saw his entire team walking into his apartment like they owned the place. "At least that's what I thought." he mumbled.

"Oh come on, Ollie! You've got like five different places across the country." AC chimed in.

"Yeah and could you hit the door on your way out, please? We'd appreciate!" Victor pressed the teasing.

The billionaire in the room rolled his eyes. "You're all hilarious. Remember who's the one signing your paychecks."

"Pfft!" Dinah dismissed him, waving a hand in the air. "We all know that Chloe's been taking care of that lately." she reminded him.
"Anyway; I'll hit the showers first!" she announced.

AC was quick to protest but she was already far ahead when he left the room to try to steal the first place. In reality there were two showers in the penthouse but since the very beginning Oliver had never ceased to remind his teammates that his private shower was his and only his. The one for the guest was theirs.

Oliver was a well known face in the entire world, both for his business and his playboy achievements. He was alright with the public obligations his two famous personas had, and he was never alone for long. There was always someone around him to watch, spy even on, what he was doing and planning to do.

These people either were members of Queen Industries' Board of Directors who didn't quite trust him on certain matter, and mostly, they didn't want him to mess up the company's image like he did in the past.

There were journalists too, along with paparazzis and a few insane fans from time to time. The list was as long as his arm but the point was, he was never alone.

And his shower was one of the only places he could be himself and enjoy a simple thing like feeling the water pouring on his body without worrying about anyone who could watch him. Despite his reputation, Oliver could be a very private person and only his closest friends knew that.

A soft chuckle he hadn't heard for a while brought his out of his head. A smile appeared on his face without even realizing as he turned around to see Chloe looking up at him, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"I don't think I even want to hear you, right now!" he told her, his voice filling with laughter despite the scowl he was trying to maintain.

Chloe opened her mouth to protest but closed it when Oliver pinned her down with his glare. "Not a word."

She bit on her inferior lip as if to stop herself from talking. She managed to stay quiet for a maximum of ten seconds and then, she gave in.

"They're... kind of right, you know?" she spoke while raising herself a bit on her toes for emphasis. "What?" she asked with raised eyebrows when she saw the way Oliver was looking at her. "You're the billionaire in this club of tight wearing heroes-"

"They're not tights!"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself here?" she shot back sweetly.

He just dropped his head and sighed dramatically in response. "And here I thought these jokes were over..." he whined but he couldn't say he hadn't missed it, it was like their own private joke.

"Already regretting my liberation? I can go back to Black Creek by myself if you'd like." she teased.

Oliver's eyebrows shot up in alarm, "Don't you dare!" he ordered with a pointed finger. "This team was a mess without its Watchtower and I was going to strangle Bart with my own hands if I heard him say his 'Licious' let him do whatever he wants when she's bossing us around!"

"That's because she's the real boss, Boss!" Bart's sleep filled voice interrupted their moment. "She's like... you know, the woman in the shadows, this kind of things." he waved his hand in the air before falling back asleep."

"Yeah well, I'm sure this woman in the shadows right here," he turned back to the feisty blonde. "would trade just about anything for a cup of coffee right now." he whispered conspiratorially to her.

Chloe's eyes widened and filled with hope. "Coffee?" she asked as if it were something she'd been forbidden to for a hundred years. "And why trading? I'd literally kill for a cup of coffee right now!"

Oliver laughed, really laughed for the first time in weeks. "That's what I thought!" he grinned as he tapped her nose and began to lead her towards his kitchen, all the while his hand rested innocently on the small of her back, the both of them oblivious to it.

However, Victor hadn't missed it and he'd been watching their banter since they started a good ten minutes ago. He had just enjoyed every second of it but there was something else that caught his attention. Something he hadn't seen before and he was sure it had been there for a while but he hadn't seen it until now. The two blonds seemed awfully close without even trying to. When they talked together they were in their own bubble.

He had seen the way they both blinked in confusion for a second when Bart cut through their conversation earlier, it was like an intrusion in their moment. However, it wasn't long before the bubble came back and he now watched as they reached the kitchen and flirted happily.

"Why such violence?" Oliver asked. "I got everything you need right here!" he announced proudly as he showed off the numerous bags of coffee resting on the kitchen island, unaware of the second meaning of his sentence.

"Really?" Chloe asked with a raised eyebrow.

He just grinned back at her like he'd been doing for the past ten minutes.

16 june 2008. 10:54 PM GMT-6. MetGen, Metropolis, Kansas, USA.

It was very late in the afternoon and today was a pretty uneventful day for Metropolis General Hospital, which the nurse at the reception desk supposed was a good thing but she was actually too bored at the moment to really believe that.

As soon as the thought formed on her mind she cursed herself and wondered if she was started to become cynical. Probably another side effect of the job that her employer hadn't considered worth informing her of. Just one of many, she reminded herself, just one of many.

Her poor line of thoughts was interrupted when a tall, broad man approached her desk. A polite, tired smile crossed his attractive face.

"Hi," he sounded exhausted. "I'm the new paramedic, I was supposed to start today but my bus got immobilized when we reached the Riverfall tunnel."

A huge fire had invaded the long tunnel at the south-east exit of Topeka and the firemen squad spent nearly twelve hours trying to put it off.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I saw the fire on the news." the nurse replied, welcoming the distraction despite the subject of conversation. "It sounds like you had a long journey." she commented as she began to search for his identity in the hospital's database.

"Yeah, I come from Maryland." The paramedic answered vaguely.

The woman looked up at him, then at her screen and smiled. "Welcome to Metropolis Davis Bloome, things may be weirder than Maryland here but I think you'll like it."

Davis smile thankfully. "I look forward to it."

I'm posting this chapter even through the others aren't even written yet but I wanted to show that I am still alive and thinking about this story. I stand by my promise, I WILL finish all of my stories no matter how long it may be, will you still be there by then? I hope so!
I see the Chlollie community is slowly fading and even though I am not an active member, I wanted to show you that I am still here and will be for a very long time.
I first posted this story in 2011 (wow already) and I plan to end it on 2013. Once again, none of my stories will stay unfinished.
Thank you for sticking by!