HOLDING OUT pt7
Pairings
- Not sure yet, Clark and Chloe most likely
Spoilers
- It would help if you've ever Watched Smallville
Disclaimer
- As much as I'd like to, I own nothing and will in no way make
profit from this piece of fiction from the depths of my
imagination.
NOTE – This is going to be a very tough installment for me. I have nothing but fear and an epic level of awe for anything and everything FOS related. So forgive me if this sucks / took a long time to get posted / is not what you expected. I'm going to give it a whirl right about ……… NOW.
September
26, 2013
2:01pm
The North Pole
Everything went white.
And then, everything went cold. Ice cold.
Opening her suddenly frost covered eyelids took a surprising amount of effort. Ice crystals had already begun to form from the sweat on her brow and the tears in her eyes, attempting to freeze her eyelashes shut. The soaked-from-sweat flannel shirt she was wearing provided no protection whatsoever from the sub zero temperatures that her body was suddenly exposed to.
Her breath misting heavily in front of her face, Chloe wrapped her trembling arms around her torso and looked ahead of her.
It's still amazing.
At the top of the next drift was the crystalline structure that replaced his barn as his Fortress of Solitude. Sunlight glared off of it's reflective materials, causing rainbow refractions in every direction. That combined with the all too white snow all around her made for a visually painful combination.
Feeling a nudge at her leg, Chloe glanced down. Shelby was looking up at her expectantly, whining slightly through her muzzle. Her ears were pressed flat against her head and she was visibly beginning to tremble.
At least you've got a fur coat.
"Come on, girl" she muttered through suddenly chattering teeth. Thankful for the work boots she'd chosen to throw on this morning, she began the 100 yard trudge towards the Fortress.
2:02pm
The Kawatchee Cave Entrance
"Listen, man I have no idea what the hell is going on."
"Do you want to be the one to tell the boss that the Sullivan woman got away?'
"Of course not, but …"
"No buts! Do you have any idea how much coverage this debacle is going to cause now? Apprehending a popular retired Senator? Attacking her employees?"
"Dammit, John. This isn't my fault! We got into the caves, there were these lights all glowing everywhere. I could see her all surrounded in light. There was this big flash and then we were all alone in the dark!"
"Do you have any idea just how ridiculous you sound? I thought the bunk story we got from the three stooges who got all mangled up at the Daily Planet were worthless. But this beats getting trussed up by a red demon hands down."
"Fine, whatever. So what are we going to do now?"
"You are going to keep searching around those caves. There's got to be another exit or way out that Sullivan used. We're going to take Senator Kent to the boss."
"What for? Just kill her and dump the body."
"The boss wants her alive for now. Since we can't touch the girl's father and her cousin's still out of the country, we are going to need something to get her to reveal her location."
"I don't know, John. This whole job's starting to creep me out."
"Suck it up you queer. Find Sullivan and report back."
2:05pm
The Fortress of Solitude
No wind. Thank God.
Trudging through the last of the snowdrifts in her way, Chloe and Shelby hustled into the main entrance at the front of the Fortress. The northern wind broke away once connecting with the crystalline structure, providing a measure of shelter and a surprising sensation of warmth. A false sensation though. Her body was still trembling uncontrollably, and after checking her reflection in one of the walls her lips were distinctly blue.
Shelby shook herself out fiercely, before padding on ahead into the Fortress.
Her heart hammering painfully in her chest (Anxiety? Fear? Adrenaline overload?) Chloe stepped forward on very wobbly legs.
Everything was exactly as she remembered, but many things were not.
In the main area, the bank of crystals that acted as the "computer terminal" remained untouched that she could tell. All around her was still the same spacious and coldly alien structure she was used to. But where things changed …
He's clearly been living here a while.
Off to one side of the room, a makeshift hammock had been strung, covered with a variety of comforters and blankets. Across from the bank of crystals was a reclining sofa chair (And doesn't THAT stick out like a sore thumb!) surrounded by piles and piles of books. Off in the back was a small dressing table covered in pizza boxes, and other take out food garbage.
Stumbling over to the hammock, Chloe grabbed the first comforter she could reach and hurriedly wrapped it around her shoulders. Seeing Shelby sniffing away at the blanket, she motioned for the dog to hop up on the bunk. Once she did, Chloe covered the animal in the other blankets and motioned for her to stay put.
Shelby curled up in a ball underneath the blankets, her eyes following Chloe around the Fortress.
Still freezing beneath her comforter, Chloe shuffled across the Fortress from one end to another. Peering in different chambers and down hallways, always avoiding the rooms that seemed to open into big pits. The entire search took maybe three minutes.
He has to be here.
Pacing back to the main room, Chloe stood before the main crystal bank for a few moments. As always, there was some manner of ethereal light emanating from it's core.
Ever so cautiously, she reached one trembling hand out from her Kansas-farmboy-smelling-like comforter and stretched for the nearest crystal.
It was unsurprisingly cool to the touch.
It was also not interested in being removed from its station.
One of these things has to tell me where he is.
Slowly at first, but then more frantically, Chloe tried each and every crystal. She pulled, pushed, cajoled and finally screamed at each one. Without fail every crystal refused to budge at her touch, and refused to reveal any answer to the biggest question in her life at this moment.
"Clark!"
Her voice echoed endlessly, rebounding again and again off the impenetrable walls of the Fortress.
Dropping bonelessly to her knees, Chloe pressed her head against the bank of Crystals and pulled the comforter more tightly around her body. Her body began to shiver again, this time from grief.
"Clark, I need you." Her voice broke into sobs, tears rolling down her reddened and frost bitten cheeks.
Shelby perked her head up, sniffing at the air.
Looking up to the sky, Chloe leaned back until she was sitting on her heels with both arms wrapped around her body holding the comforter protectively.
"Please Clark. You have to be here."
Shelby disengaged herself from her warm cocoon and hopped down, padding over to where Chloe was kneeling. With that canine look of concern prominent in her wet doggy eyes, she rested her muzzle on Chloe's shoulder.
With tears still rolling down her face, Chloe pulled the dog into a comforter-covered embrace and held the dog close.
6:07pm
Somewhere in Metropolis
Surprised to find herself able to feel pain, Martha opened her eyes to the blackness.
With hands and feet bound together with what felt like duct tape and a gag forced into her mouth, similarly taped into place she tried to take stock of her surroundings.
Laying on her left side and being painfully jostled around, her place of captivity was fairly obvious.
Trunk of a car.
A sudden shift in direction lurched her body to the side, sending fresh pain shooting along her left side. Whether as a result of losing control of her truck or because of her not-so-gentle treatment was impossible to tell. It was all just pain to her.
"Yeah, this is John."
Over the hum of the car's engine and the tires trundling across the pavement, Martha could just barely make out the voice in the car. Immediately she recognized it as the voice of the man who'd spoken to her earlier.
"I told you before, there has to be another way out of those Goddamn caves … I don't want to hear another word, Murray! You find Sullivan, or I'll make you disappear in a flash of white light."
Despite her situation, Martha's heart rejoiced knowing that Chloe made it to the caves. Please find him, Chloe she silently pleaded. Please.
"Whatever, Murray. We're just pulling in to meet with the boss now. I can't wait to tell him what a complete screw up you are. Find her."
Murray hung up his cell phone and shoved it back into his coat pocket in disgust. He and his team had been over every inch of the caves, both inside and out in the last four hours. He was tired, his men were tired, and all they'd found for their efforts was a bunch of primal cave paintings and some silver disc that fit into a crevice in the far chamber.
Pulling the disc out of his pocket, Murray studied it again. Obviously, InterGang didn't spend a lot of time dealing with anthropological items and aboriginal history. Normally smash and grab, the occasional insurance scam, and simple brute force in the corporate terrorism department was their specialty.
But I'm sure there's someone out there willing to pay for this gem.
Tucking the disc back into his pocket he heaved a deep sigh and walked back towards the caves to take one more look around.
Heading down into the entranceway, his narrowed his eyes to adjust to the dim light. He didn't know was left for them to check out. There were no tracks coming out of the caves, and no other exits they could find. They had even checked the major cracks and crevices that apparently were once home to some kinda bugs. At least going by the dried up slime and crap in there.
"All right guys, let's give this one more look and then …" Murray stopped in his tracks astonished at the sight before him.
Lying on the cave floor were his tree men arranged in a triangle, tied hand to foot together with what looked like their own shoelaces. All three of them were absurdly barefooted and staring bug-eyed at him. They all began making strangled sounds, trying to talk past the cotton socks stuffed into their mouths.
Murray completely froze, remember the stories from earlier in the week. Of what happened outside of the Daily Planet. And at the hospital.
Drawing his gun, Murray turned on his heel and started back out of the cave. Before he'd taken two steps there was an incredible gust of wind that sent dirt, dust and pebbles flying into the air and peppering him the face.
Coughing painfully and wiping the grit out of his eyes, Murray cleared his vision and looked up.
Standing directly in front of him was a man of average height dressed head to toe in a fire-engine red suit. The lightning bolt emblem on his chest seemed to glitter in the darkness.
"Just one question," the being said. Snapping his eyes upward, Murray looked into the being's eyes, staring at the mask covering his face and the golden ear wings on either side of his head.
"Who … What are you?"
The being smiled.
There was another rush of air and an impossible crimson blurring. Next thing Murray knew, the man was still standing in front of him, but now he was holding Murray's pistol in one hand and his pants in another.
"I'm the Flash. Now where is Chloe Sullivan?"
Later That Evening
The Fortress of Solitude
Chloe woke up to a strangely familiar sensation.
Is that … coffee?
Opening her eyes, Chloe realized that she was now lying very comfortably on the hammock. Totally buried in the blankets and comforters piled in place on top and all around her. Shelby perked her head up at her sudden movements. The large dog was comfortably stretched out beside her, hogging a good third of the hammock's space. She was no longer cold, in fact was even a little on the warm side.
Though I definitely need a shower.
Sitting up as best as she could forced Shelby to jump down off the hammock. A movement that nearly spilled them both to the floor. With a sudden rush of chill air Chloe wrapped herself tighter into the blankets, she looked around the Fortress. Hope written all over her face.
"Clark?" It was barely a whisper.
Over on the dressing table were two Starbucks Venti-sized coffee cups, steam venting into the cold air.
Climbing out of the too-comfy hammock, Chloe padded over to the table. Taking the cup on the left, she carefully pressed it to her lips and drank.
Two cream, and three sugars. Just the way I …
"I hope you're hungry," said a soft but painfully familiar voice from behind her. Chloe froze in place, not wanting to turn around. "Because I wasn't sure if you'd be in the mood for Italian or something more exotic."
Clearing her throat to speak calmly was very difficult, especially with Shelby's happy bark echoing throughout the Fortress. But he's not getting off easy today.
"Well knowing you, anything outside of Burger King or KFC usually qualifies as 'exotic', so I'll keep my hopes in check."
He laughed softly. "Fine. You have the cannelloni, and I'll take the tandoori chicken."
Forcing herself to turn smoothly, still clutching her coffee protectively in both hands, Chloe looked over her shoulder. Pivoting her body to face him.
Clark stood on the other side of the hammock holding onto a large brown paper bag that Shelby was busy sniffing away at. When her gaze met his blue-green eyes, he smiled.
END of Pt7-
