Sorry I have not updated in a while!!!! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO busy!!!! I have seriously NO TIME!!!!

Lol

Also, I forgot to add Kara in this chapter!!! Lol. So I have added her.

Chapter 10: Tension, Green Gas and a Plan First

9:34 pm Thursday

Clark paced anxiously across the loft, down the stairs, and then back up again. He kept repeating this, until Lois snapped, "Will you just stay still. We're all just as nervous as you are."

Jimmy stood up from the hay bale he was sitting on. "Did Bart actually say anything about what the emergency was?"

"No." Lois said bluntly, her nerves still on end. "He wouldn't tell me anything. But he sounded really anxious."

"Let's just not worry until someone comes, okay?" Kara said, turning to face the wall so she could concerntrate.

Tension hung over them like a thick fog and there was silence as they waited. Lois's mind was whirring. That call had really gotten her worried. First of all, Bart, who was normally cool and cocky, had sounded nervous…almost scared. Secondly, what was with meeting in the barn? If it was an emergency, shouldn't they be meeting in the HQ, even if it was like a few hours away…

Something dawned on her.

"Where's Chloe?"

"Probably on her way." Clark shrugged.

"Seriously, she's normally the first here; actually, she always is the first at a meeting. Why is she late now?"

"Lois, calm down." Kara said. "Bart probably called her after us, and she was in Metropolis, while we were all in Smallville."

"You have no idea how much I wish I could tell you that."

Lois, who had been facing towards the door, was surprised she had not notice Oliver enter. "What do you mean?" She asked; eyes narrowed. "Where's Chloe?"

"She's been kidnapped." Oliver said stonily, "by Lex."

Lois's eyes widened in shock. "What!!! When!!??"

"We're not sure how long she has been gone. But the whole HQ had been searched."

"We have to go—" Clark cut Lois off before she could finish; squeezing her arm; silently telling her to calm down.

"Did they find the hidden room?" Clark asked.

"Who cares about the hidden room?" Lois screeched. "Chloe is gone!"

Oliver ignored Lois's outburst, "They didn't find it, as far as we know. A.C is still checking everything out, and before we can go after Lex we have to make a plan."

--

8:04 pm Thursday/ Half an Hour Ago

Chloe's wrists and ankles were bruised and bloody from trying to snap out of the metal clamps strapping her stomach, arms and legs to the shiny table.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed since she'd been kidnapped. Did the others even know she was missing? She hoped the sudden stop of the conversation with Jimmy on the phone would be enough to tell them that something was up.

And her mind was still reeling with the information she had just learnt. She still could not, or would not, believe that Lana was working with Lex.

Despite Lana and Chloe not getting along when Chloe first moved to Smallville, they had still become very good friends. Chloe had thought she could trust Lana, only to find Lana turn around and betray their friendship.

On the way over to Level 33.1, trapped inside the dark, stuffy truck, Chloe was thinking that maybe she should have told Lana about her investigations, that it would have made a difference. But now Chloe realised gloomily, that if she had told Lana that she was investigating Lex and Level 33.1, it would only have meant in an earlier kidnapping.

As Chloe lay there contemplating her thoughts, she decided that all she would think about was Lana. Well, all she wanted think about. She just wanted to keep her mind from wandering to what was really bothering her. Which was what were Lex and Lana going to do to her? Chloe shuddered at the thought.

She knew enough about Level 33.1 to know anything they did inside it was not pretty. Even the room was creepy. It wasn't very big, with only a few machines whirring and beeping and the table in the middle. It had chromed silver walls, a glowing roof and a huge window covering the entire side wall. There seemed to be some sort of control room behind it.

"So, what do you think of Level 33.1 so far Chloe?"

Chloe turned her head towards the window. Lex stood there, arms folded across his chest, a smug grin plastered on his face.

"Inhumane." Chloe answered curtly. Lex gave a low chuckle and fiddled with a few things. Chloe tried to hide her surprise as part of the wall slide open soundlessly and Lex sauntered in. "Oh Chloe, you haven't seen any of it. How can you judge it?"

That bit was true. Chloe had been blindfolded the whole way over to Level 33.1 and the blindfold was only taken off after she was locked down onto the table.

"No matter what, I will shut Level 33.1 do, and if not me, someone else. None of us will rest until you're behind bars and locked up for good."

"Oh will you just stop with all that talk of shutting us down. It's so boring" Lana whined, entering the room. "You have a lot more things to worry about."

"Like where the information you have on 33.1 is. Were giving you one more chance Chloe; tell us where it is and we won't have to resort to more..." Lex narrowed his eyes. "Dire methods."

Chloe would be lying if she said that's she wasn't scared. She was so frightened she could hardly breathe. Her courage had melted away leaving only ice cold terror that wrapped tendrils around her heart.

That didn't mean she had to show it though. She just glared at Lex and Lana with a clenched jaw and hard eyes.

"We didn't want to have to do this Chloe." Lana sighed, and Chloe thought she saw a flicker of grief in her eyes, like she actually meant what she was saying. Like she really was sorry. "But you have left us not choice."

And with that Lana slammed down a button jutting out from the wall.

--

Chloe watched anxiously as Lana and Lex left the room, the wall sliding shut. They didn't reappear at the window. Chloe turned her attention to the room.

Her heart beat forcefully in her chest and panic took over. She glanced at every crevice and corner of the room but couldn't find anything that the button could have possibly activated.

Slowly, her heart beat returned to normal.

That's all it is, Chloe told herself, just a mind trick. Trying to get me to panic. Trying to trick me into telling them.

But no matter how many times she told herself that, she just couldn't believe it. There was no way...

Chloe's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a distant click. Before she could react and try to think what had caused the sound, the room was suddenly brimming with a green gas. It filled Chloe's lungs and swirled around her. It seemed to taunt her.

That's what they're trying to do? Suffocate me? Chloe thought as she coughed and choked. But she had a feeling, like an itch, that that wasn't all. And she was proved right. As she lay there, gasping for air, pain exploded across her chest and in an instant her t-shirt was stained with crimson blood.

Her blood.

Chloe screamed.

The pain was excruciating.

She moaned in agony as she tried to figure out what had happened. She didn't smell burning flesh, so the gas hadn't burnt her skin. It was just like her skin had dissolved, leaving a deep wound. Chloe's eyes stung with tears. She desperately tried to keep them open, to stay awake. But it was too hard; the pain was too much and she was losing too much blood.

There's nothing more you can do, Chloe told herself woozily as the room started to spin.