Chapter Six

She opened the double doors of the Watchtower, still looking at her cell phone. There was nobody to call. She had a feeling that Lois was telling the truth, that she had travelled to the future and brought back someone dangerous who was out to kill her, especially now that the Legion ring was involved.

Normally, she'd call Clark and together, they would take care of it. Or she would call someone on the team. But here she was after sending a mass text to everyone on the team saying that she needed help with something, and nobody had replied. There had been no phone calls, texts back, emails, or flashes of red speeding to greet her. And the worst part was that she couldn't think of a way to prove Lois' story. Or a way to help her.

She came here to try her headset and access a computer to try and see if someone was online. Or to see if she could take a peek at Oliver's belt cam to see if she could spot anything other than the usual darkness and muffled voices. Or if there was some satellite footage from the accident that could help at all.

She stepped inside of the center room in the dark when suddenly lights came on. There wasn't a motion detector here. What happened? Who was there?

She pulled her eyes away from the screen of her phone and looked around her in amazement as the Watchtower, now completely loaded with what looked like brand new computers on the main floor lit up, the screens turning on.

The monitors were flashing with information from her database. There were so many computers, and as she looked up, it seemed like just the beginning. There was a huge projector screen on one of the walls, her desk looked like it was hooked up to everything, equipped with a central keyboard and mouse. There were touch screens everywhere and computers completely covering the upper floor.

There was only one person who could afford this. Oliver had come back. She suddenly felt very stupid for being disappointed in the fact that Emil came around with his phone. Oliver probably abandoned it because he knew how important it was for her to talk to him in person.

Maybe this was some sort of apology gift for everyone bailing after the funeral. Well, if he came here to help her bring the team back together and fix things, then apology definitely accepted. He was strong enough to bring everyone together in the first place, he could definitely do it again. Chloe was surprised that he had been able to bounce back so quickly, but on some level, she must have known that he could.

Oliver could do anything, that's why he came back. He could bounce back after Davis and Jimmy killed each other. And surprisingly, he could bounce back after ending Lex's life. He was probably here to tell her in a cocky tone of voice that he was almost offended that she thought for a split second that he wouldn't come back. Oliver was always stronger than she was, that was why he came back here to fix things.

Clark told Oliver that he wasn't one of them anymore, but this equipment showed that Oliver didn't listen to him. He was strong enough to ignore what Clark said to him. And he would be able to end everyone's separation in the team. Because Emil was wrong, and on some level, Oliver must have known it. Must have known that Chloe was the reason as to why Jimmy died.

Oliver must have come back here to tell her that he was taking over the Watchtower. If he could get over the fact that Lionel Luthor killed his parents and that he took it out on Lex, then he could definitely blame Chloe for being the reason for Jimmy dying.

He made this place beautiful, much more beautiful than she could have done in a lifetime. And now that he was taking over, she wasn't needed anymore. Oliver could kill her, as was only right since she was more of a murderer than anything else- he even told her that she had become one of the bad guys. And since he could bounce back after Lex and Jimmy, he could bounce back after killing her too. It would be over, it would finally be over. She was a murderer, and Oliver would be bringing justice to the world.

The only part that shocked her right now was the fact that she knew her death would be coming around soon and for some reason, she felt completely calm about it. Maybe that was a bad thing, but right now, she didn't care. She didn't care to analyze what she was feeling.

She looked around again. He had done such a good job. She wished that she could operate from here just once before the end. But he could take over- all of her equipment at Isis used to be hooked up to his satellites anyway. He had the technology and the ability. This place would be in good hands.

"Oliver may be AWOL", a voice called out.

Wait a second, that voice didn't belong to Oliver. Oliver didn't do this? She turned around, and saw Emil.

Emil was new to all of this. He couldn't get the job done. It hadn't been Oliver after all. She tried not to let the disappointment show and listened to him speak as he held out a tiny remote control, a blue light glowing as he descended from the stairs.

"But his funds aren't."

Yeah, big words and actions for a guy who said that the team turned on each other and that was why they were gone. Or that she was just a sidekick. There was a bit of anger building up inside of her, and it wasn't just because Oliver wasn't here to finish things.

What was he doing here again? Hadn't she told him to get out of her way? This wasn't exactly following the rules.

"Shouldn't you be mothballing a lab or packing up Oliver's pleather collection?" She asked

"You made a solid argument earlier", he said, walking up to her. "Sometimes we try to forget, but there are things...well, there are people worth fighting for."

She had waited for so long for someone to come back and say that to her. She just hadn't expected it to come from Emil. She barely knew him at all, and was stunned. But at least the words came from someone.

"I don't know what to say", she said, smiling softly.

"I'd be more comfortable if we just got down to work."

And so would she. She spent years hanging out and being friends with everyone in the League, feeling comfortable with talking to them about anything that was on their minds. And spending years at not only the Daily Planet, but the Torch and Talon too, hanging out with Clark and talking about each other's problems. Not anymore. She had learned her lesson. None of that. No more emotions and no more pleasantries.

"Okay", she told him before getting down to business. "My cousin Lois vanished for three weeks, and then suddenly she appeared, claiming that she was being chased by a ninja clad assassin."

"Where was she?" Emil asked

"That, she has no memory of. But luckily, she did leave a souvenir from her trip." Chloe pulled out the bunch of cloth in her purse and unwrapped it, revealing the Legion ring. "Now, I know this might sound crazy to you, but I think I know where she was: the future."

"Transversing chronal anomalies", he muttered before walking past her. "I ran some scans of the time of the monorail crash." He walked over to a touch screen table. "I discovered two rips", he paused, placing two fingers on the screen and waiting for a window to pop up. "In the temporal aperture continuum."

This screen wasn't going to do anything for her. She placed two index fingers on the image and expanded it until it covered the screen on the wall. Whoa. Okay, that was cool.

But that didn't mean that she had a clue as to what Emil was talking about. And that was a first. They used to call her Brainiac in elementary school as a kid, which was funny considering the fact that Brainiac actually possessed her a year ago. She was smart, she was able to work her way around everything.

"Okay, I've never actually said this before", she started. "But could you dumb that down just a little bit?"

"Two rips in the fabric of our universe", he clarified. Oh. Sure. "Okay, well Lois explains one of them. But the other..." she trailed off as she thought about what Lois was saying to her before. Ninja assassin. Oh no. There really was someone out to kill her. She stared at the two blips on the screen. "Maybe she's not delusional."

"Maybe someone came back from the future with her."

And they had no way of helping her. No way of protecting Lois. If Lois was back, then Chloe would bet that there was a certain alien looking down on rooftops, keeping an eye on the city. And since Clark never did stick around to find out that the roof of the Watchtower would be ideal for city gazing, she had a feeling that he would be standing around the next best thing. Especially if Lois was in contact with the Red-Blue Blur.

After all, confided in Lois.

"I have an idea", Chloe said.

"What?" Emil asked

"There's only so much protecting the two of us can do. I think I have an idea as to where Clark is."

She didn't know if Emil would offer to come with her, and she really didn't care. Business only. Even if he voiced an offer, she didn't hear it. Chloe was already out the door.

She had no idea if Clark had sped up the stairs and did a super leap up the building. All she knew was that when she opened the door to the Daily Planet roof, he was right there.

An idea suddenly came to her mind- if Clark was back and she had the Legion ring, there was the possibility that he could turn time and make it so Jimmy had never been killed. Chloe could wake up tomorrow morning like nothing had ever happened, the team would still be together, and everything would be bright again.

Everything was screwed up because of her, but also because she decided to help carry out Clark's plan. Oliver said that Clark hadn't figured out a way to control the beast part. She should have realized that it was the human part that was tricky. And that human part was tricky because of her.

The two of them could change things, but she pushed the idea out of her mind for now. It was the first time seeing Clark since he left her behind at the Watchtower. It wasn't time to propose world altering ideas right now. It was time to save her cousin and think about the rest of it later. Even if said cousin abandoned her at the hospital. Right before she was about to tell her the truth.

She stepped forward as he turned around to face her. She was a bit surprised that he had surfaced. Then again, she shouldn't have been. Lois came back.

"For three weeks, I've been trying to track you down and you're completely off the radar. Lois shows up for one day and you're as predictable as clockwork", she remarked.

He stepped back from the roof. "It wasn't that I didn't want to come by and see that you were okay."

She looked down for a second. Giving up on humanity. Got it. It wasn't like she forgot. "I know."

"Leaving everyone behind...it's not what I wanted."

But everyone else had already left. The team went their own separate ways after the funeral, Lois was already missing. In fact, out of everyone that they had ever known, the only person that was actually still in Metropolis when Clark left was her. But it was for the greater good, she knew it was. And instead of being bitter to the guy and driving him away from the city when he might want to stay, even if it was just for Lois, then that was fine.

She put on a brave face and shook her head. "It's not about what we want, Clark, it's about what the rest of the world needs. I get it."

She remembered telling Clark after Brainiac was removed from her body that if it came down to the rest of the world or her, she would understand it if she couldn't be saved.

Back then, Clark chose her. He used every weird way that he could think of in order to make sure that no harm would come to her, even when the Legion told him that she didn't exist in the future and that maybe that letting her die was the only way to save the world.

And now, he was choosing the rest of the world. Saying that she would understand was one thing, actually doing it was hard. But it was what she needed to do, before Clark became flaky and stopped committing to his training.

No emotions, Chloe. Just cold, hard facts. Don't feel the pain, don't beg him to stay.

"I was lucky to be a part of your life for a little while, but we both know that...you'd have to move on one day."

"I started the training Jor-El always planned for me." So her assumption about how he was spending his time these days was right. Well, it's not like there was super awesome reception in the middle of the Arctic in the Fortress of Solitude.

She blocked a memory coming to mind, and a certain voice. Seriously, who names these things?

"Everything that I've learned and he's showed me", Clark continued. "My old life seems very far away."

She kept her head very still as she spoke. "You're doing the right thing, Clark."

Her old life seemed far away too. "You can't look back", she said, both to him and to herself.

"It's the only way I can stay focused. Stay objective."

Maybe she needed to adapt a couple of pages from the new and improved Clark Kent's book. Stay objective. No emotions.

"Letting go of everyone I've ever cared about and letting go of every attachment that may influence the choices that I have to make."

So why did he come back for Lois? It didn't seem like that was a part of the letting go.

Chloe didn't mean enough to him. Lois obviously meant more to him than she did, even after all these years.

Things get messy when you throw in the Clark- Lana triangle, and I'm speaking from experience when I say that the third point always hurts.

"So what part of that involves skulking around a phone booth looking for Lois?" She asked. If nothing else, Clark was breaking his own rules. And that wasn't staying objective.

"It's not like that", he said. Yeah. Sure. "Yes, I came back to find her, but only to say goodbye."

***Flash***

"Ask me whatever you want", she said slightly afraid of telling the truth.

Instead of asking questions, he leaned in and kissed her deeply. "Do you want that more than you want Clark?"

She answered with a kiss instead of saying the words.

"You have your secrets and I have mine. Deal?"

***End Flash***

She blinked, letting the memories and emotions disappear in a flash. There was a wandering thought that stuck around for a couple of seconds as she felt the cloth in her pocket, the one containing the Legion Ring. Jimmy wasn't meant to die or get caught up in all of this. She could go back to the past and save him.

But in time, even that thought faded momentarily. This is all just business with Clark. That's it. "Well, let's hope you still have a chance", she said, focusing on the topic of Lois' ninja assailant from the future. She pulled out the cloth containing the Legion ring again. "I think Lois found your lucky charm and hitchhiked to the future", she explained for the second time today.

"She", Clark started.

"She's fine", Chloe interrupted, unsure of how she would feel if Clark started the same old I-should-have-been-here-to-stop-her-from-getting-hurt behavior. Because Clark should have been here. Chloe's one friend in the universe, and he should have been here to take care of her when everybody else left.

"She doesn't remember anything", she continued in case Clark thought that Lois knew his secret. "But she didn't come back alone. And it looks like her excess baggage might be trying to kill her."

"I'll take care of it."

"Clark, you don't even-" she was cut off as he sped past her and out the door. "Know what you're up against." She finished, turning to face the door that he had opened but didn't shut on his way out. She walked over to the edge, and looked down the stairwells to the bottom.

She remembered falling down there. Falling, falling, until Clark caught her just before impact. She wondered if Clark would catch her if she just jumped. But Clark was long gone by now. She walked down the flights of stairs and headed straight back to the Watchtower. She had a feeling that whatever happened between Lois' ninja assailant and Clark would take place at the Barn, and then Clark would leave again.

For some sick reason, she wanted to watch him leave again on her cameras at the Watchtower to see if she could survive it a second time.