Afternoon
It was the first time that Chloe/Isis had ever been in the Kents house. It was the colour of sunshine and sandy shores, warm and inviting. She heard that Mr. Kent inherited the home after his parents Martha and Johnathan died. Despite being a reporter, Clark had single-handedly managed the family farm in such a way that it had a steady supply for Smallville's mini mart.
"Thank you so much for coming," Lois said as she took out a jug of orange juice from the refrigerator. "Would you like some? Or do you prefer water?" She smiled apologetically.
"Juice would be fine. Thank you." Isis smiled. She sat on one of the stools near the counter. Lois handed her a glass and sat on the other end.
"Did you find anything important?" Lois asked while holding the glass in her hand. She took a sip. "I mean, even if it doesn't look important, it should be, right?"
"We found a key." Isis said. "It had some…. Okay… this may seem a bit hard to fathom but it contained markings from another planet…." She saw the look on Lois's face "…but you knew this already, didn't you? Is there something you're not telling me Mrs. Kent?"
Lois looked down at her glass. Her face slightly crumpled into a sob but she held it back. She looked at Isis.
"Can you keep a secret?" Lois asked. "My husband's life depends on it."
Lois paused for a moment, trying to clear her thoughts. Should she trust this woman to keep the secret that she only discovered 5 years ago?
Lois, there's something I need to tell you.
She had laughed, punched his shoulder and had stepped directly in the crossfire of a major shootout in Metropolis. Next think she knew was that one of the guys fired in her direction, she was swept off her feet and Clark stood beside her with a crushed bullet in his right hand and her brown hair crushed in his left.
"I'll keep your secret." Isis said, "You can trust me."
.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Night
Chloe walked down the street dressed in a black pair of jeans and black leather jacket with a purple halter showing off a coloured tattooed belly button. Slung over her right shoulder was a black purse. A few heads turned and some guy tripped up his friend. Around the corner the headlights off a black GMC Envoy SUV flashed.
She walked to the car as the windows rolled down. She leant against it casually.
"Hey Davis," she said. "What are you doing here?"
Davis smiled. "Get in. Imra told me about the key Bart found. She knows where it's from."
Chloe got in and put on her seatbelt. "Really? Where?"
"A Luthorcorp warehouse near Lake Providence."
Chloe paused. "I'm surprised she knows about it. But anyways it's a start to finding out…"
"Finding out what?" Davis asked. She didn't answer. "Alright I wont ask. It's one of those 'I can't tell you because it's not mine to tell right?'" He smiled at her.
Chloe smiled back "Sometimes Davis, I think you're too good to me."
Davis clicked his earpiece. "I'm right here…. Good….We're on our way now."
"We're going there now aren't we?"
"Yep"
"No wonder I've got more blood flow to my brain."
Davis chuckled "We'll be there in 20. And if you're wondering about Isis, I have your stuff in the back seat. By the way, how many guys tripped over themselves just now"
Chloe smirked.
20 minutes later.
Davis parked his SUV behind a large oak tree and some tall grass a good distance away from the lab.
He clicked his head piece. "Imra, I'm putting you on speaker phone okay?"
Imra's voice came through. Static. "Every…. clear…. Twen… m-."
"Did she say 20 minutes or 20 men?" Davis asked.
"I'm hoping for the minutes." Chloe said optimistically. She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned towards the back with her knees on her seat. She brought the bag to the front.
"Here, I'll hold it." Davis said as he took the bag from her and placed it on his lap.
"Thanks." She unzipped it.
Black wig? Check
Mask? Check.
Knife? Check
Wits? Double check
Isis and Davis snuck to the gate. No one was guarding and it was unlocked. This was easy.
"Bart's gonna be here. For back up." Davis said.
"Aww my.."
"Hero? Chloe?" Bart said as he speed to her side. "I know you love me."
"Isis mode buddy." Isis laughed.
They snuck near the left side of the building. The side door Isis looked up and saw an open window that was small enough to fit her.
"Give me a boost Davis." she said. He interlocked his palms and lifted her to the window.
Isis climbed in and found herself on a balcony. She saw a guard near the door below. She leaned back, hooking the back of her knees to the railing. She used two of her fingers on his pressure points. "Night night." She took a handcuff out of her pocket and latched his left hand to a nearby pole. He slumped to the floor quietly.
Isis climbed down the staircase to the ground floor. No one was around. Twenty minutes then.
She unlocked the door for Davis and Bart.
"Looks like Imra cleared this place out." Bart said. They were all expecting to see some guards around.
Nothing. It was empty. No technology, equipment, guards. Nothing.
"Are we…?" Isis took off her mask. She was Chloe again.
"She did say Lake Providence" Davis said. "And this is the only warehouse around."
Davis took the key out of his pocket. "There's a one in a hundred chance that what we're looking for is here."
"You have doubts too." she sighed. "Something isn't right."
She glanced over to Bart and pointed a finger to the ceiling. He nodded and went in a flash.
The warehouse was extremely bare that she wondered if they were sent to the right place. So far Imra had been out of reach
Chloe saw a few two inch thick tubes running along the sides of the walls to the basement below them.
Davis saw her glance to her feet and then back up at him. The right corner of his mouth turned.
Davis looked at the tubes. They were a translucent white with a dull green centre.
"What is it?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know." Davis said as he touched the tubes. Suddenly his face turned a little pale.
"Davis?" Chloe said and then turned. She gently pulled Davis away from the tubes. "Liquid Green K. Come on."
They were a safe distance away and Davis felt the colour returning to his face. If you could feel colour.
"How are you feeling?" Chloe asked, putting her palm on his neck. "You're burning up, Davis."
"It's okay. I'm fine. I'm just gonna .." Davis stopped in mid sentence.
"Davis. Wha.."
"Get Down!" Davis yelled and Chloe felt herself being pushed hard on the floor. He hovered over her as they both crouched.
Chloe peeped through the space between his arms and saw one blue arrow slicing the air towards her.
"Arghh." Davis said as he took a hit on his right shoulder.
She didn't hear him scream but felt his winces. Suddenly he went limp on her.
"Davis!" She exerted as much force as she could while trying to crawl out from under him. Then she heard someone strain and pull Davis off her. But he didn't let him fall.
"Bart." Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. "What just happened?"
"I don't know." Bart said and Chloe helped him keep Davis upright. "No one was there. It was automated. I dismantled it."
"Davis? Davis?" Chloe steadied his unconscious face in both her palms. "Come on, stay with me! Bart, steady him."
Bart did as he was told and Chloe took out a pocket knife from her jeans. She began ripping Davis's shirt."Blood makes you queasy?"
Bart shook his head decidedly.
"I need you to get Emil okay. Tell him what happened and get him over here. After that I want you to go find Imra. Be careful."
"Always am." Bart said and then he vanished.
"Davis. It's going to be okay." Chloe said as she quickly but gently worked on shredded his shirt. "You have to be."
.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
"Bree… you're home."
Bree would have felt the wind being knocked out of her had she really internalized the effects of her mother's hug. A hug that tight was supposed to make you turn red, return the favour and go "awww mom I can't breathe," with a little giggle on the side.
Inside Bree wiggled out of Leslie's grasp and stated blankly "Yes, I am."
"Baby, what happened to you?" Leslie touched her daughter's forehead thinking to herself that her deadstare was just a reaction to being 'traumatized' "I left you with Rose and then I didn't see you for weeks. No note, no phone call. Nothing."
"What is this? The Inquisition?"
Leslie stepped back. Bree had never taken that tone with her. Sure they argued sometimes, had harsh tones but never one with such undeniable hate. Usually in the midst of antagonism someone would crack a joke and all would be well again.
"I'm your mother Bree." Leslie said firmly but kindly. She didn't want to aggravate her further but she wanted to get close enough to reach the..
"don't even think about going to the phone." Bree snapped. She looked over to the phone on the wall next to the kitchen cabinet. Leslie was standing next to the refrigerator.
"I wasn't…" Leslie looked over to Rose who just walked into the kitchen. She smiled at her, stooped and outstretched her arms "Hi Rosie,"
Instead Rose walked away from her and to Bree who didn't even signal the child. Bree picked her up. Instead of Rose responding to her mother, she looked away.
Leslie was stunned. Just then Richard walked in wearing a blue jeans and grey shirt. He was at home in his office working when came into the kitchen for a drink.
"Bree." He was stunned and happy at seeing his stepdaughter safely back home and wanted to hug her (since they were in that point of their familiarity with each other) but the look in her eyes made him stand close to Leslie. "I'm so glad you're safe."
Bree laughed and cut it short as though it was forbidden "You're scared of me. You're wondering – oh poor Bree. What happened to her? We didn't see her in weeks. Oh dear"
"Bree I.." Richard didn't know what to say. Suddenly he felt small, like being stared at by something much more powerful and dangerous than him. But Richard was furthest from being dangerous. But being a guy who was in his late forties and 6 feet 3 inches tall nothing could really intimidate him. But this?
"Ok. Since we're all out of original things to say." Bree stated matter-of-factly. "And we all know how these conversations turn out here's how it's going down. I am going to walk out of here and take Rose and never return. Both of you will let me. I think we understand each other."
Bree smiled as she turned and walked away from her mother and stepfather as they just stared without reaction. This was so fucking easy.
She exited the kitchen, down the corridor to the living room. Suddenly she heard footsteps and someone coming. She stopped.
No Bree!" It was Leslie. She looked like she was struggling against a force that was working against her will but she kept it at bay. "You're not going anywhere with Rose!"
"This is new." Bree looked amused. Maggie was so easy to get rid off. "Oh well I can fix this. Richard! Can you come here a minute please?"
Richard entered with the same blank stare on his face as if awaiting the command to think.
"Kill her."
Richard turned his direction on his wife and lunged. Leslie blocked his arms from reaching her neck and threw him over crashing against the glass coffee table. She knew he wasn't himself. He got up and she ran down the hall. He heard the basement door slam. He opened it and she pushed him down the stairs and locked it from the outside.
By the time she returned to the living room she heard the car pulling out of the driveway. Leslie gasped and rushed outside and saw Bree driving her silver BMW.
She ran into the garage and got Richard's car a blue Camaro. Bree was already burning rubber but Leslie sped out fast enough just enough to be at her tail.
Bree's not herself. she repeated over and over. There was a bridge a few miles ahead.
Bree kept her hands securely on the steering wheel and never took a second glance at Rose sitting at the back, firmly buckled. She had no time get her into the babyseat.
Suddenly Leslie sped up and overtook Bree. She zoomed out of sight and swerved to face oncoming traffic towards the bridge. Bree's car come into view.
Bree slammed her brakes and Rose gave a little cry.
How the heck did she get the whole force?
Leslie faced her daughter and saw the astonished look in her eyes. Then something told her to glance outside.
As she looked, she saw at either ends of the vehicle she sat in, a set of cars looking exactly like it (colour even) parked in a semi circle. She couldn't explain where they had come out from but she knew that Bree believed they were real.
But even that was useless. Bree could just easily make a three-point turn and be lost to her forever.
Cursing between clenched teeth, while her baby sister wailed, Bree did exactly that not before being engulfed into a huge cloud that swept its way towards her mother.
One by one the other 'cars' disappeared and Leslie passed out from inhalation.
Outside the cloud an unknown figure with a grey white trenchcoat streaming out gently in the wind, grey t-shirt, black jeans and black boots, face hidden, whipped out his blackberry phone and answered. His free hand played with a small cloud the size of a baseball. His voice was low and he sounded like he was in his mid thirties.
"Hello… speaking. They're fine… I know, drastic measures but we have to keep the humans safe… They're not ready to know what's out there. Not yet anyway… You too Rokk."
.%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A few minutes later.
Leslie opened the door to a private hospital room to find her husband Richard about to sit up from his hospital bed and wrapped her arms around him gently. There was a cast and a sling on his left hand.
"Baby! are you alright? What happened to your hand?"
"You know me and my clumsiness." Richard shrugged. "I slipped on Rosie's truck and fell down the basement stairs."
Leslie smiled a gentle admonition just before the door opened again and in came Bree holding Rose. The baby outstretched her arms
"Daddy."
Bree smiled as she leaned Rose forward to hug Richard. Richard smiled back at her as he put his right arm around Rose.
"Will your arm heal soon?" Bree asked
"In a few months. Yeah." he replied.
Bree gave Rose to Leslie and just then the doctor walked in. He was good looking, mid thirties and spoke in a careful low voice.
"Hello Mr. Hunt, I'm Dr. Swift .." he said and then addressed the older woman with the baby. "You must his wife"
"How bad is it?" Leslie stated nervously. "A fall down the basement stairs… I mean… that's serious, right?"
Richard gave the doctor a look that said wives they worry too much.
The doctor returned a good natured look that said and husbands give them too many reasons
"He'll be fine." Dr. Swift continued. "But don't overexert yourself in any way. You'll feel sore for a couple of days. Daily massages can help with the pain."
Richard gave a knowing glance to Leslie that she blushed at.
Bree saw that.
"Gah, too much information." Bree made a face and then chuckled before a flash of pain crossed her face. But her mother and stepfather did not notice.
"Ok, I will leave you guys alone," Bree said "Gotta go call Kate and tell her I have to cancel "sightseeing" with her.
Bree stepped outside and whipped out her phone. She barely noticed the twenty-something year old scruffy faced dark haired guy wearing black jeans and a futuristic black but still ultimately cool looking zipped up jacket walking by her.
Suddenly she felt the pain again and collapsed. He caught her in his arms before she hit the ground. Just then a teenaged looking tawny haired guy wearing a blue jeans and blue yellow sweater was at his side.
"Help me get her into the closet." Rokk said to Garth as the closet door nearby opened soundlessly. Rokk placed her gently propped up against the wall and closed the door behind the three of them.
Garth placed his hand gently against her forehead.
"How much time does she have?" Rokk asked.
"Five minutes, if not less." Garth replied.
"Can you help her?"
"Unfortunately no. I only work on anything with a charge, like what happened with Chloe and Brainiac. We need Roxy for this."
Just then Roxy, an attractive Indian girl about 21 years old appeared out of thin air wearing a short blue and green skirt covering her knees, black wedges and a black halter. Her long dyed dark brown hair was tied clipped up behind her head
"Did someone say my name?"
Roxy was born in Canada to parents who migrated from India but that was in the late 2000s. At the turn of the 31st century she was in her late teens and she had befriended Rokk while he was on one of his missions. She also discovered a special ability of her own – the ability of extraction.
Roxy knew what was going on before they told her. Even though she wasn't exactly psychic she could detect the crucial atmosphere of a situation before deciding on the best course of action.
Rokk and Garth watched as she sat on the floor next to an unconscious Bree. She took her right hand and began lightly but firmly pressing against Bree's head, looking for a certain point. A few seconds later she stopped, her thumb just above her left ear.
"Got it." Roxy muttered. "Guys, hold her hands and feet down. I have no idea how she's going to react to this."
The guys did as they were told and silently watched as Roxy concentrated. A white light shone from her h, barring their vision from what exactly she was doing. But they knew better than to ask. Roxy did her job and it was always acceptable.
Bree shook a little and then was calm.
Roxy took a small silver tube from her pocket and behind her glowing hand she collected whatever would have killed Bree.
"She wouldn't remember anything." Roxy said as she stood up. "Do you guys remember the last thing she was doing?"
"She was about to call someone." Rokk said "Her friend Kate"
"What did you take out?" Garth asked.
"Green kryptonite and some sort of mind controlling device that I liquified" Roxy said. "But I detected another foreign substance. Kryptonian blood."
"But the girl is human. I wonder if it's about the strange happenings going on in Metropolis." Rokk stated. He was silent for a while and then said. "Thanks for your help Roxy. Can you teleport us out of here?"
With a nod from Roxy the four of them disappeared.
A minute later.
"… yeah sorry Kate.. I'm here." Bree blinked a few times now realizing she was leaning against a wall with her phone by her ear. "… I forgot I had this on."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Chloe sat on a cream-coloured stool wearing a knee length Chinese silk gold robe opened over a slightly shorter gold night dress watching Davis as he slept almost restlessly. She had her right hand on his head with a cold compress and one at the edge of a cushion. As she turned away from Davis from a moment she remembered Emil's last words in her head.
"Luckily the virus is not contagious but if a human like me and you were exposed to it, we would be dead by the time Davis's fever breaks."
"But I'm not like you Dr. Hamilton." Chloe said to herself. She had told him about her ability to heal but her resurrection abilities were kept under wraps.
Just keep him cool and rested. I'll be over at your apartment tomorrow.
The air conditioning unit was working so that was one less she had to worry about.
"Chloe"
She turned to face him but he was still asleep. Emil told her he would be drifting in and out of consciousness for hours. Chloe decided she would let Pete handle the work at the Metropolis Torch.
She leaned forward to the coffee table next to her and picked up the phone. Scrolling down - Pete. She dialled. Three seconds passed
"Hello" Pete's voice came through sleepily and like who-the-heck-is-calling-me-at-this-hour
"Hey Pete" Chloe said.
"Hey Chloe" Pete said "Damn girl it's 3am and uhhh why is your number private?"
"Uhh, I must have forgotten to change it." She shrugged. "Listen, I need you to run the torch for a few days. Something came up."
"Is everything okay?"
"Nothing I can't handle."
"Okay no problem"
"Thanks Pete" she hung up and looked at the clock on the wall. Only 3:03am.
Chloe placed the phone back on the coffee table, got up and went upstairs to her bedroom. She covered her mouth as she yawned and took her matching blue pillow and blanket. Davis was fast asleep and he seemed peaceful. She knelt put the pillow under his head and covered him with the blanket.
"Now a little warmth wouldn't hurt right?" Chloe said calmly but her voice cracked. "You know something, if you had died back there, part of me would have gone with you. I mean, what's a girl going to do without her favourite EMT?"
The closest thing to I love you when unconscious
Chloe chuckled and a few tears fell. She sighed and wiped them off as she adjusted the blanket.
"I'm waiting for the snarky comeback Mr. Bloomy. In the morning you'll get back at me right? I'll keep 'em coming all around and you have all night to dream up some witty comebacks. Gotta be streetwise huh."
Davis shifted a bit in his sleep and Chloe rested a hand on his shoulder. She would let him rest. The pain medication that Emil had given him would last the entire night and for a few hours during daylight. She put her hand on his face, gently tracing where his dimples should be.
Chloe, still on the floor, leant against the sofa parallel and drew her legs together. She had no need for sleep because she needed to respond to his every movement, every sound. She would bear this night like no other.
He was her Davis after all.