November
I'm hopelessly pretending that I know the answer
November 1
Closing the door of their apartment, Chloe immediately headed towards the bedroom to check up on her cousin. Lois seemed content doing research, even though she was supposed to be taking a couple days off work, but upon noticing Chloe in the doorway, she moved her laptop onto the bedside table and pointed at the take-out box in Chloe's hand.
"Please tell me that's for me."
Chloe nodded as she set it down, but Lois soon grabbed it and began to dig in. "Thanks, I couldn't stand anything they were feeding me in the hospital." Still with food in her mouth, Lois narrowed her eyes and asked, "Has anyone done an exposé on hospital food regulations? Maybe it's time that someone forces them to up their standards."
"And leave the Green Arrow story in the dust?" Chloe said, even though she doubted her cousin would abandon it, especially since the town was practically demanding for more information about the identity his identity.
Lois scoffed as she dug her fork into her dinner. "Heck no, but while we're on the topic of our favourite leather-toting vigilante ... I've avoided asking for now, but my editor's dying for details on the Green Arrow save, but I was unconscious the entire time. Anything you can tell me?"
Chloe was walking over to her closet, but stopped upon realizing something. "Other than the fact you've dropped the Bandit?"
"Well, I can't really go anywhere, so I did a little research over the last couple days... turns out you were right."
Pulling a couple hangers out of the closet, Chloe headed towards the bathroom to change. "I told you... the guy's not all bad."
"So help your cuz out here, Chloe... help me clear his name," Lois said with pleading eyes.
"He took out the first guy and helped me take down the second... not much to tell." Other than the fact that you know him as a suit wearing billionaire, Chloe added mentally.
Lois analyzed Chloe's expression as she shut the door to the bathroom. "You're hiding something." Chloe's mouth gaped open to respond, grateful that Lois couldn't see her, but that didn't stop her cousin from cutting off her reply. "I know when you're lying to me... what do you know?"
"Nothing Lois, I swear," Chloe lied. "It was dark and his voice was disguised. At the time, I was just grateful that we were okay."
"Fine," Lois said before sighing. "So where's David taking you tonight?"
"We're just going out for dinner, he didn't mention where," Chloe replied as she opened the door.
"Well, you look nice."
"Thanks Lo," Chloe said as she walked over to the dresser, looking at the black top and violet skirt combo she had settled on. Looking further up though, she noticed one problem with her appearance.
Chloe wasn't sure why she still wore the locket because they both were with other people; maybe because they were still friends when he gave it to her, but the heart shape was deceiving. David had asked her about it, to which she covered it up by saying that her father gave it to her. She didn't have the heart to tell him the truth, because it would only lead to awkwardness that Chloe didn't want to face.
Taking a deep breath, she unclasped the necklace and put it down on the dresser, immediately feeling naked without it around her neck because she never took it off after all this time. However, a knock on the door jolted her back to reality, as she turned her head to say goodbye to Lois before rushing to the door.
November 3
Chloe stopped in her tracks and stared up at the building. This was it, she thought, the place that hopefully held the answers she sought. She knew it was probably wrong to be snooping in Oliver's financials, but while she never questioned the money that AC needed, out of everyone, he was the one acquaintance of Oliver's that Chloe could never explain.
So she started researching AC's past, finding his first year swimming records at USF and quickly making the connection to Aquaman's heroism during the last couple of years. From there, Chloe looked into everything that went into and out of that account and found that this building was the only purchase besides software or supplies.
It made sense to her: the downtown location was great for keeping an eye on the city and it probably provided great rooftop access, so they could sneak in without anyone knowing. Even though it towered above most of the buildings around it, it was less flashy and in a way, hiding itself in plain sight, just like the heroes who likely took residence there.
Walking through the main door, it seemed normal enough, but that wouldn't deter Chloe because she had been around the abnormal long enough to know that everything could more than it appeared. Stepping into the elevator, Chloe pressed the button for the top floor, but it wouldn't light up. A second time, nothing. About to give up, she tried one last time for humour's sake, and this time it did light up and the doors closed.
She backed up to the back of the elevator, waiting as it ascended, counting the seconds, trying to hold herself together. Despite her nerves, she knew that there was no going back now.
As the doors opened, Chloe walked down the narrow hallway to a single set of double doors. Opening them slowly, she peered inside, wondering if anyone was around, but soon found herself in awe.
She took a couple steps inside, analyzing the appearance of the place. With the exception of a couple of couches, the only thing inside were various monitors and keyboards, and, with Vic around, likely a database that rivalled government agencies.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Chloe heard from behind her, causing her to turn around and see Victor approaching her. "Like a tech expert's dream in here."
"You let me in?"
Instead of immediately acknowledging her question, Victor walked past Chloe towards the main keyboard. "Well... we don't just let anyone in. Makes the whole 'secret' part of 'secret identity' kind of pointless."
"So it's true... Oliver... AC... you... you're..."
Victor stopped typing and looked over his shoulder, "I never said that."
She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Come on Vic, how did you think I found this place?"
"Who do you think covered your tracks so Oliver wouldn't find out you were hacking into his system?" Chloe was surprised Victor had cracked, but he just smirked as he added, "You know what you know. The question is what are you planning to do about it?"
"I don't know yet, I just... I wanted to make sure that I was right."
"Well... in that case... hold on a sec, I have a bet to settle." He fiddled with the keyboard again and after a moment, Chloe saw AC's face on one of the monitors. "Pay up fish legs."
AC just sighed as he shook his head. "You're better than I thought Chloe."
"Meaning?"
Vic answered her. "He didn't think you'd find this place until after Christmas. Like I told you... I know better. The moment you gave me that arrow, I knew exactly what you were doing... along with the chances you'd leave this alone."
"So this was what... a set-up to win a bet?"
Chloe could see the gleam in Victor's eyes, but he quickly shook his head. "Oliver insists on protecting you, which I get, but he knows that you attract trouble. Besides, I knew you would be angrier if we didn't tell you anything."
"True, but seriously... how did Oliver find you guys? No offence, but street bums and activist delinquents don't exactly run in the same circles as the corporate leaders of America."
Vic smirked at AC. "You first."
Obliging, AC told her about how he saved Oliver from a boating accident off the coast of Florida five years ago. Being a public figure, Oliver had easily narrowed down his saviour to thank him in person, but he was also aware of the odds that AC could have carried him on his back for that distance. A few weeks later, Oliver saw AC in action and confronted him.
With a smile, AC said, "I thought I was screwed, but he told me that he envied that I was actually trying to make a difference. That's when I told him that anyone could be a hero with the right training and focus. From there, he started honing his archery skills and our friendship was built."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Okay, but I've been around Oliver; I think I would have noticed if he was running around in green leather."
AC pursed his lips before saying, "Nothing until we graduated college...that was the agreement... but then Lionel Luthor got sloppy."
Vic interjected, "Oliver overheard a conversation about the Smallville 33.1 facility at a charity fundraiser about four years ago."
"By that you mean that they were talking about you?"
Chloe slammed her lips together, realizing that she wasn't sure how much AC knew about her past with Victor, but his expression hadn't changed. Instead, he just nodded. "That conversation brought us into action, and while it took a while to track down the building, after the well-documented Blur incident in the facility, we knew."
"Wait... so you were the ones who blew that building up not long after w-... that happened?"
AC nodded again, almost causing Chloe to breathe a sigh of relief. "Luthorcorp abandoned that building, but we weren't taking any chances. We got everyone else out and ensured that they would have no chance of harming others at that facility."
"Yeah, but that doesn't explain how you tracked down Victor, or why."
"We needed a tech expert if we were going to do this right, and having one that hated the Luthors seemed perfect, not to mention that Vic was onboard from day one." AC paused before adding, "Oliver seemed to think that we could offer him some sort of protection too."
"As a student at a university? Lex could find him in minutes."
Victor bowed his head. "Well, that was before they knew I'm not as valuable to him as they thought. 33.1 lost subjects that they needed if I was to serve my purpose."
"Like who?"
"Vic never knew the other subjects at the facility, only their value." AC narrowed his eyes. "Do you remember the article that you did on that for the Torch on the first disturbance at the facility?"
"Of course I remember... wait... so Oliver knew about my articles before he met me?"
AC tilted his head to the side. "Knew of, yes, but he never put a face to a name. You were one of the few who weren't afraid to stick your neck out for the truth, impressive for a high school student. In fact, you were the only one who didn't believe the cover story Luthorcorp fed to the press."
"It made it easier to believe when Lionel 'committed suicide' a few weeks before the Blur incident." Turning to look at Vic, Chloe asked, "So what happened?"
Chloe noticed Victor biting his lip as AC replied, "Luthorcorp filed a missing person's report for a doctor in the facility claiming he had been kidnapped, but the truth was he was the orchestrator behind an attempt getting the test subjects out."
"Was he successful?"
Vic reluctantly shook his head. "I was knocked unconscious before I had a chance to respond, but I doubt anyone else was so lucky. At 33.1, the motto is surrender or die, and once we were out of our cells and free of restraints, there was no way we were going back. "
"But how did the doctor get out?"
Chloe had looked to Victor, but again it was AC that answered. "They probably didn't realize he was a traitor until afterwards, but he definitely had help disappearing."
That statement caused Chloe to whip her head in AC's direction. "Help? Like cops? Feds?"
"FBI," AC replied. "Luckily for us, Oliver had a friend on the inside and managed to convince him to allow him to meet with the doctor in exchange for better protection. It took a fair amount of convincing that we wanted to help the subjects in 33.1. That's when he told us to get Victor out, but the Blur beat us to it."
"How did you find him?"
"Katherine," Victor whispered.
Seeing the pain in Victor eyes, AC continued, "Her name showed up on the grid and was able to track Victor's location. It took a lot of searching to narrow him down, but it was worth it."
"Thanks man," Vic said, barely managing a smile.
"So that's it?" Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow. "How about the notes from the federal investigation?"
AC shrugged as he sported a defeated expression. "It ended six months later. All of our leads ended up with a dead agent, lost notebooks, and a burnt down safe house. From there, it's been all of our own research."
"Wow... there's a lot more to this than I thought."
"Hence why Oliver wanted to keep you out of this. With your curiosity streak, he knew that you'd want to be involved."
"Well... thanks for filling me in."
"No problem, I'm with Vic on this one... you deserve to know...but if that's everything, then I'm signing off."
Chloe grinned at him. "That'll suffice for now. Thanks AC."
"Just remember to pay up when you're in town next," Victor quickly pointed out.
AC smiled as the screen went black. After a moment's pause, Vic turned back to Chloe. "I know you're just dying to know more, so ask away."
"The last two years... you guys have been quiet."
"The supplies were coming in at increments, and so were the payments for this building, hence why AC visited you to ensure we still had money coming. We had to stock things up and establish a decent cover for me to surface in Star City full-time. We kept to petty crimes and stayed off the radar as much as possible, because Oliver usually had the best plans, but honestly, I was pretty busy preparing our database and trying to narrow down each 33.1."
Chloe narrowed her eyes as she asked, "So you believed that he was alive too?"
"We just couldn't believe that we put all this work in and that he wasn't going to see it through. It might have been wishful thinking, but we trusted your judgment more than the tabs." He grinned at Chloe before adding, "Good thing you were right."
She smiled back before asking her next question. "I don't suppose you could tell me if there's someone else on the team?"
"Not yet, but we're trying to recruit someone. That is, if we could catch him."
She raised an eyebrow. "Clark?"
Victor let out a chuckle before answering. "No, and that was a nice cover up job by the way, because neither of them knows his secret."
Chloe felt confused. "Who then?"
He shrugged as he walked away from the computer. "We don't know honestly. He's not much taller than you, but he went from being a petty thief to swooping in before we can save the day."
"As in muggings or Luthorcorp facilities?"
"In a way, both. Usually, it's dealing with the theft of items that we return to the museums or just muggings, but we've been receiving intel about 33.1 from an unknown source recently."
"Unknown source. You can't crack it?"
Victor quickly replied, "I can track it... to internet cafes spread around the country. Before you ask, this person knows what they're doing. They loop the cameras by the time we track it, so we don't even have a face to connect this to."
"But you think it's the same guy?"
He nodded. "We have reason to believe that, but he's not exactly up for chit-chat and we can't stop him from getting away."
"Well, I'll keep an eye out."
"Red blur... just like Clark, then again, I've heard he's moved to black these days."
"Yeah... apparently it's easier to blend in that way... who knows?" Feeling inside her pockets, she pulled the chain out. There was still blood on it, and while she wanted to hold onto it, Chloe couldn't risk Lois finding it in their apartment. "Hey Vic... give this back to Oliver for me... subtly."
"This is how you knew."
"Yeah," Chloe said as she headed for the door. "Don't say you got it from me."
"Where do you suggest that I got it from?"
"With any luck, you won't have to, but say your source. It's clear that he's quick, and that he's on your side, not mention that he likely knows who you are."
Vic sensed a change in tone in her words, not to mention her expression as she dropped it in his hands. "Chloe, are you okay?"
With a sigh, Chloe shook her head. "I don't know," she whispered as she left the room.
November 22
Spreading the blanket over their laps, David said, "This was a good idea, going to the game together."
Chloe smiled at him as she moved her notebook onto her lap. "Next time we'll have to go when I'm not covering for a friend."
She was honestly surprised that it had taken Victor this long to ask her for help, but apparently, their operations never overlapped with a game until tonight.
David wrapped his arm around Chloe as they waited for the game to start. "Speaking of the article, not that I'm complaining, but shouldn't you be in the press box?"
"They told me that I can write from here. I just have to leave five minutes before the end of each half to get downstairs in time to get interviews."
"Hey, since he's here, you think you could introduce me to Clark?"
Chloe found it oddly fitting that out of all the games on the schedule, she ended up covering the Met U match-up, but it would be different from the other years.
Realizing that football couldn't be in his future, Clark had faked a knee injury last term, but he decided to stay on to mentor the current quarterback. It had been a while since Chloe had seen Clark, and while she was a little apprehensive of introducing a boyfriend to her best friend, she did her best to show David that she wasn't nervous.
"Probably, although I warn you... he does tend to be a little overprotective."
He narrowed his eyes at Chloe before saying, "Seems to be a theme in the guys in your life."
"David..."
He patted her hand, showing that he was just teasing. "I know... I just hoping his life is going easier than Oliver's right now."
Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Did something happen?"
"Didn't he tell you?" When Chloe's expression didn't change, he sighed. "The deal with China fell through."
"What?" That had been a deal that Chloe had almost sealed before Oliver came back. Sure, she figured that it would take some time for Oliver to adjust, but she never imagined that he would lose that deal entirely.
"Apparently when they saw the aftermath from the failed Protos deal, they decided to pull out. Or at least, that's what the Register is reporting."
"When?"
"It was on today's front page, which is probably why Lois didn't say anything."
Shoving the blanket off her lap, she picked up her purse. "I'll be right back," she said as she snuck out of the row.
Pulling out her phone, Chloe knew the probability that she would actually reach him, but she had to try. As she dialled his number, Chloe could only pray that he would pick up, but four rings later, she heard the familiar voicemail message.
"Oliver, it's Chloe. I just heard about China. I'm here for you if you need anything." She paused, trying to figure out what to say. Before they used to tell each other everything, but this was just another item on the list of things they kept from each other. Chloe found herself swallowing before adding, "Just... call me, okay?"
November 25
Taking a sip of water, Chloe stared at the woman sitting across from her. She hadn't spent a lot of time with Tess, which was likely why she came by and offered to take Chloe out for lunch, but in hindsight it probably wasn't the best idea. Their conversations died after a few comments and after a few awkward sips, the only conversation topic that hadn't been exploited had been the weather. Food was eaten as an excuse to not converse, but once the plates were lifted away, their eyes met and they had no choice but to try and talk again.
"Has Oliver seemed different to you lately?"
Honestly, he had seemed that way with Chloe, but she understood why with all of the overtime hours he had been working, not to mention the increased presence of Green Arrow in the Register recently. "I haven't seen much of him honestly, he's been busy."
"Really? I always figured he'd make time for you."
Considering she hadn't heard from Oliver since she had called him at the game, Chloe felt a certain amount of concern that he hadn't made time for anyone, but the way Tess said that caused Chloe to fire back, "Is there a question you're trying to ask Tess?"
Tess seemed a little nervous as she chose her next words, but the tone was serious as she stated, "Let's just say that the tabloids have a very interesting way of describing your friendship."
Chloe figured Tess would ask her something along those lines someday, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You and I both know how reliable those are. But, to ease your suspicions, I'm happily with someone else and Oliver wouldn't do that to you."
"He just seems... distant to me, and I figured –"
Chloe quickly interrupted, "Not to be harsh here Tess, but the company is the only thing he has left of his parents. That will always be first in his life, especially now with all the struggles he's going through right now. "
Not allowing Tess the chance to respond, Chloe stood up and put down her tip money. "Truth is... that's probably not going to change, so if you can't handle it, you might want to re-evaluate what you're doing here."
November 28
You can do this, Chloe thought as she approached Oliver's door. It had been too long since they had talked, and she had finally gained the courage to tell him that she supported his night-time activities. Chloe had learned from Clark that waiting for Oliver to tell her his secret would be pointless, and regardless of what excuse he'd feed her... she wanted him to know that he could trust her, that someone believed in what he did.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed her key into the dead bolt and opened the door slowly, finding Oliver on the couch.
When he didn't even turn to acknowledge her presence, Chloe said calmly, "Hey, I was hoping we could talk."
"Great," she heard him mutter, "Are you leaving too?"
"What?" Chloe said before noticing the crinkled up piece of paper next to the scotch bottle on the table. "I'm not going anywhere."
Oliver didn't say anything, instead he just swirled his glass before downing the scotch. Looking at the bottle, Chloe figured it was full when he started, but it was getting close to half-full.
He reached out to pour himself another glass, but Chloe quickly grabbed the bottle. "I think you've had enough."
After a moment's pause, Oliver said quietly, "Tess left."
Chloe's eyes left Oliver as she looked at the paper again, causing her to swallow loudly, the final words she spoke to Tess ringing in her ears. "I'm sorry, Oliver."
"It's not your fault. This whole thing was one mistake I made after another...so you can understand why I need that."
He tried to take the bottle but Chloe pulled it back. "I can understand a couple of drinks, but something's telling me that we're heading towards double digits and I won't let you do that."
"I'm a grown man, Chloe. I can do what I want."
"That's just the alcohol talking, Oliver, but this," she said tightly gripping the bottle, "won't fix anything."
Oliver reached out again, but she took a couple steps back. He got off from the couch and began to follow her. "Just give it to me."
"No," Chloe said, slowly backing up, only to soon realize her had cornered her. It was only a matter of time until Oliver got the bottle back; he was much stronger than her. So Chloe saw no other option and dropped the bottle, letting the glass break and the liquid spread across the floor.
His eyes widened and he walked to her, not even caring about the glass that embedded itself in his feet. Chloe noticed his eyes darkening, but as far as she was concerned, if this was what she had to do to get him back, she wouldn't regret it.
"What did you do?" he asked as he gripped his hands tightly around her arms.
"Stop it," Chloe said, trying to be strong, but his grip caused her to wince, "This isn't you, Oliver."
He shook her against the wall and yelled, "How do you know?"
"Because I know you!" She yelled back. Her eyes softened as she tried to get through to him. "You're going through a lot right now, but you don't want to hurt me. You don't even want to hurt yourself."
She saw him draw back as he let go of her arms, shockingly looking at his shaking hands, wondering what he had just done. Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Chloe placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let me in, Oliver. Let me help you."
Chloe wasn't sure if he had even heard her because he continued to stare at his hands. He tried to smile, and Chloe grinned back at him, lifting her hand to stroke his hair gently. "It's okay, Ollie... I'm here," she whispered.
Finally looking at her, Oliver lifted his hand up, but before he put it anywhere, he dropped it again and backed away from Chloe. "You should go," he said softly.
"No," Chloe said.
"Please... just go."
"No," she repeated with conviction. Chloe could tell that she was getting somewhere and she didn't want to leave him now.
"Fine," Oliver said back, swigging the last of his scotch and then walked around her.
Chloe thought he was just going to ignore her, but she wasn't expecting to hear the creak of the door shutting behind him.
"Oliver," Chloe said as she started to follow him, but by the time she opened the door, the elevator was closing with Oliver inside. Their eyes locked for just a second, leaving Chloe shaking her head after she was too late to stop the door from shutting.
Although she couldn't understand how she could have been that slow, Chloe felt herself stop, realizing that she had to let him go for now. It probably hurt right now, but it was clear that he needed some time alone. He would come to her when he was ready...right?
