This chapter is certainly longer than the ones before. I'll try to keep it up, so that there's some decent progression. I'm figuring this story out bit by bit, but I'm nowhere near the end in my head. But I'm definitely going to finish it! Please review and enjoy!
Chapter Eleven
She could hear the rhythmic clang of metal hitting metal. Slowly but gradually her mind was clawing its way through the thick fog and back into consciousness. How much time had passed since she'd been thrown into this concrete cage she couldn't say, but the ache in her limbs and the numbness of her exposed skin were proof enough that it had already been too long for comfort. The joints in her neck creaked as she craned her neck to take in her prison. No windows, no ventilation system, just a single aluminum bunk surrounded by rough grey walls and isolated by a solid steel door. She turned onto her back with a heavy sigh, and then swiveled her way across the ground toward the bunk. She was still too weak to push herself up completely, so she grabbed one of the posts and pulled her body into a sitting position, leaning back against the frame, her head resting on the thin mattress atop. The haze had nearly cleared, for that she was grateful, but hunger and thirst were following quickly in its wake. She closed her eyes running her tongue along her brittle lips and dry gums. She didn't know what was going to happen. Didn't know whether there was anything she could do to stop it. Bare fists alone weren't going to be enough. No, she had to be patient. She had to wait, until somebody came, until she had more information - until she found the loophole she could exploit.
cococococococo
Bang! Gotcha! Chloe jumped up from the sofa waving her arms around euphorically. She'd finally broken through all of Victor's thirty-seven firewalls and tagged him with an encrypted code that told her exactly where he was. She was a bloody genius if she had to say so herself. Mindfully, one that had needed a weekend of all nighters, dozens of cups of coffee and the one or other temper tantrum in between, but still, a genius by any definition. She smiled victoriously as she stretched out on her couch and counted the seconds…five…six…seven…beep. Her hands reached out towards her laptop and pulled it onto her lap as a dark blue window popped up on the screen.
V: I forgot how persistent you were.
Chloe chuckled as her fingers glided over the keyboard.
C: One of my better traits, I find.
Of course, she'd known that Victor would catch on to the tracking program almost immediately. She hadn't designed it to remain obscure for a longer period of time. Heck, finding his whereabouts hadn't actually been the priority at all, just the icing on the cake. What she had intended, was for him to find the file she'd planted and follow it all the way back to her. And just in case, he didn't answer, she could create a minor glitch in his system, something akin to an electric shock, by simply clicking enter.
V: Depends on whom you're asking.
C: I come in peace.
V: And to ask a favour.
Chloe frowned at how opportunistic that sounded. She couldn't deny that she had a specific reason for wanting to track down Victor, but just as much she simply wanted to talk to an old friend and find out how he was doing.
C: Yes. We need your help.
V: With what?
C: Lex.
Chloe stared at the blinking white cursor, tapping her fingers nervously on the keyboard. She felt the same gut gnawing feeling that she'd had when she'd first talked to Bart - that indefinable mixture of guilt, and shame and apprehension.
V: I can't go back, Chloe.
Lex had been the one who'd turned Victor in to a living, breathing machine. The one who'd ordered him to be ripped apart and pieced back together. The one who'd robbed him of his former life. It didn't matter that he was the most revolutionary technology that ever existed. But what if he had a new life? What if he'd found a new place to call home? Would he risk it for revenge? Did she have the right to ask that of him?
C: If we take down Lex, you won't have to. Nobody will have to, ever gain. But it's your choice.
V: We don't stand a chance.
Was that true? She seldom allowed herself to think about whether what they were attempting made sense or not. All she knew was that it was the right thing to do. The one thing she had to do.
C: If not us. Then who else?
The reality of her words rung clear in her mind as she read them over. There was nobody else. Just them.
V: All I want is to forget.
Was this it? Had she lost him?
V: But I won't be able to live with myself if I walk away now.
No, he'd come through.
V: Do you think we can do it?
C: Together, yes.
Only together.
V: Give me two days. I need to say, good bye.
Air escaped past her lips in one swift breath as her chest pulled tight. Why was it always the good ones who had to make the sacrifices?
C: Do whatever you need to do. We'll wait.
V: See you soon, Chloe. I'll leave your trap door open.
C: No need. You know where to find me.
Transmission disconnected. Access denied.
Chloe shut her laptop placing it back on the coffee table and ran both her hands across her face in exhaustion. It was dark outside, around four o'clock in the morning. She needed to get some sleep. Question was whether she could.
cocococococo
Stanley Herald pulled firmly at the lapels of his custom-made Italian suit jacket and marveled at the way it accentuated his lean physique. He'd always taken care of himself. Invested money in his appearance even when he didn't have much to spend in the first place. That's how he'd made it to the top. Knowing when and where to place his bets. If growing up in his parents' run down one-story house had taught him anything, then that above all money mattered the most. He pitied all those sticklers who preached that money couldn't buy happiness - because frankly it could. It had bought him his multimillion-dollar house, his expensive car collection, his designer clothes and luxury holidays. Hell, it had even bought him some of the most beautiful women on the planet. And all those things had made him very happy. He'd become the kind of man he'd always wanted to be - a man of prestige and success. But with that came pride. Sinful and treacherous. It would be his downfall if he wasn't careful.
No, he shook the thought from his mind. His time was not over. He would not back down and lay still and quiet only to be forgotten. Nobody could rival him when it came to his job. It was the one thing he'd dedicated his life to and he would not allow his reputation to be buried underneath the rubble. He would make those who'd degraded him pay. And then like a phoenix, he'd rise from the ashes.
He walked down the staircase towards his home office, signaling his security guard that his visitor could be let in. He'd chosen the man specifically because of his inconspicuousness. "Take a seat my boy." Stanley watched as his visitor took a few uneasy steps forward and then lowered himself into the armchair, all the while his eyes remaining downcast. So susceptible these young people, he thought. So, spineless. "Do you know what I want from you?"
The man finally dared to look at him, but only for a few seconds before his gaze averted in fear. "Yes, Sir", he responded powerlessly.
At least he wasn't stupid. Another reason why he'd chosen him. "Then tell me exactly what it is I need from you?"
He rubbed his sweaty palms nervously over his thighs and swallowed visibly. "You need me to be your eyes and ears."
cocococococo
She'd been trying extremely hard to stay awake all morning. After a handful of hours of sleep she'd woken up feeling just as exhausted as before. Not even the triple-espresso had been able to boost her into alertness. Her eyes closed drowsily as she tuned out the monotone voices around her. There really wasn't anything more boring and soporific than listening to somebody talk about stock market trends and statistics for a whole half hour. Her head circled languidly, dangerously close to slumping forward, so she pinched herself to stay awake. Seriously, the idea of sleeping through her lunch break on her office couch was sounding more tempting by the minute. God, have mercy on her and let this end soon.
Soon, turned out to be twenty long-winded minutes later. Oliver had thanked everyone for their outstanding work and suggested they treat themselves to an early lunch and push further matters to tomorrow's meeting. Sometimes, she really could hug him to death. It took a few moments for everyone to clear out, so that she was the only person left. Grumbling inwardly at the prospect of having to stand up and walk all the way back to her office, she leaned back, thoroughly considering trading her office couch for the plush boardroom chair she was currently sitting in. With her eyes closed and her brain already on its way into slumberland, she didn't notice somebody opening the door and walking in again. What she did notice, was the feel of a big, warm hand resting gently on her knee, stirring her awake. She turned drowsily, only to find herself peering into those soft chocolate brown eyes she'd come to know so well.
"Oliver." His name escaped her lips in a raspy whisper and she felt his hand squeeze her knee tightly.
"Hey there, sleepy head." She didn't have to look at him to see his smile. The same smile that sent thousands of female hearts racing and had lust pooling between their legs. That didn't include her, of course. Albeit, the gorgeous dimple in his chin sometimes did make her knees wobble a teeny tiny bit. But she'd never ever admit to that.
Rubbing her eyes, she sat upright, forcing her mind to wake up. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep over the weekend."
He squeezed her knee again and she could feel goose bumps spreading up her leg. "It's okay. You don't need to explain. I just didn't want you to have a sore neck later on."
"Thanks", she smiled appreciatively at him sliding forward in her chair making Oliver pull back. "I just hope nobody noticed me nearly falling asleep earlier."
He shook his head and stood up abruptly nodding towards the door with his head. "Come on, I have something to show you."
Chloe's eyebrows knitted in confusion at the playful expression on his face that told her he was up to something. "Do I need to be worried?"
Oliver rolled his eyes. "No, silly. Now come on."
She pursed her lips, but didn't ask any more questions and then silently followed him out. They had just reached her office when Oliver abruptly stopped and turned causing her to run smack into his chest. She'd known from the looks of him that he was well built, but what she felt underneath her palms right that moment was a lot harder than she'd expected. Cursing inwardly, she pulled back her hands clasping them together nervously. Her tired brain was paying far too much attention to her boss' physique and that was absolutely not okay. She needed to focus. Be professional.
"Close your eyes."
Her head shot up. "What?"
"Humor me." Oliver pleaded with her. "I want it to be a surprise."
Chloe stared at him folding her arms across her chest. "Something you should know about me is that I don't like surprises."
He'd known she'd make things difficult for him. But he hadn't expected her to be so stubborn before she'd even seen what he'd gotten her. "Don't be such a spoil sport, Chloe."
She pursed her lips like a prissy five year old. "You better make sure I don't bump into anything."
Oliver shook his head in bewilderment at her pigheadedness. Things definitely weren't off to a good start and yet he couldn't wait to see how she'd react to what happened next. He'd had to make a number of phone calls over the weekend to make sure everything was ready come Monday. Of course, pulling the 'I'm Oliver Queen' card had made things considerably easier. He watched her close her eyes, waving his fingers in front of her face just to make sure and then placed his hands on her shoulders leading her into her office.
"And remember, no peeking." He squeezed her shoulders, causing Chloe to roll her eyes even if he couldn't see it. She mumbled something in return all the while thinking that the physical contact thing they currently had going on really wasn't helping her focus.
"Lighten up. I have a feeling you'll like this."
"If it's a bed with a nice soft pillow I can sleep on, then I'd say you were right."
Oliver chuckled. He'd force her to take the afternoon off later, but first things first. "Even better actually."
Before she could reply he'd pushed her down into her desk chair and told her she could open her eyes. She had absolutely no idea what to expect as her eyes roamed across her office. The surprise he'd gotten her wasn't hard to miss as it lay right in front of her adorned with a shiny green ribbon. She gasped as recognition clicked into place. No freaking way. This couldn't be. She had to be hallucinating. Her hands moved forward of their own accord wanting desperately to feel its smooth surface. She stopped them knowing there'd be no going back once she touched it. Her beady eyes shifted to look at Oliver and she was lost for words. The excitement in her face was obvious and Oliver couldn't help feeling elated by that. He'd wanted to do something nice for her to show her how much he appreciated what she'd done for him.
"Oliver, this is wonderful…but, it's too much", she shook her head turning back to gaze at the marvel in front of her.
He stepped closer towards her, leaning over her shoulder to take her hand placing it on the matted green surface. "Nonsense, you've deserved this, Chloe."
She smiled up at him as her fingers slid over the edges and then untied the ribbon. As pathetic as it sounded, she'd dreamed about this baby. Queen Industries' next generation state-of-the-art software and hardware all packed into 5.5 pounds with fiberglass casing. Magnificence in all its glory. She was definitely awake now. And this was definitely better than a stupid bed and pillow.
She huffed in exasperation. "Part of me still wants to argue with you about this…another just wants to grab it, boot it up and spend hours finding out what it can do. I'm really torn."
"How about I make things easier for you", Oliver leaned over even further flipping open the laptop and pressing the on button.
Chloe immediately jolted forward trying to stop him. "No, don't…" Too late. The light flickered on and then the user interface in its newest design appeared on the 17-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display. Now, she was officially done for.
Oliver stood back upright stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm not taking no for an answer. Just accept and enjoy."
She eyed the graphics intently running her thumb along the rim of the screen and then absently said, "You don't play fair, Mr. Queen." Taking in a deep breath she looked at him with a soft smile. "Thank you, I love it."
He smiled back at her thinking that all his efforts over the weekend had been more than worth it if it made Chloe this happy. "No, thank you for everything you've done for me. Honestly, this doesn't even come close to how much I owe you."
Chloe's throat tightened at the tingling in her chest. His sincerity had caught her off guard but she still reached out to him, wrapping her hand around his arm. "Believe me, it's more than enough. Just don't buy me a car too, alright?"
She'd meant to lighten the mood but that obviously wasn't the case seeing how Oliver stiffened. He was biting his lower self-consciously as his other hand lifted to rub the back of his neck. Chloe's mouth dropped open in realization as she gaped at him. "Oh no, please tell me you didn't…"
Oliver chuckled nervously, "Actually, I might have…"
She groaned loudly leaning back in her chair shooting Oliver a glare that could kill. Of course, she'd refused. Vehemently. Over and over again. And yet somehow he'd managed to drag her down to the parking lot. That's where she'd gone on her second ranting spree all the while covering her eyes in objection. She would not succumb like she had before. And when he'd attempted to press the car keys into her hand she'd even thrown them back at him, a little to forcefully and with very bad aim may it be said. That's when he'd made his move, his sneaky manipulative move. Feigning a wound in order to feed on her guilt. Flashing his stupid corruptive smile. Talking about company cars and whatnots. And alas she'd crumbled. How Oliver Queen repeatedly managed to break her resolve, she had no idea – what she did know though, was that she didn't like it one bit.
"It is kind of pretty", she finally admitted after it was obvious that she'd be giving in. There really wasn't much else she could say because frankly speaking she was a typical female cliché. No clue whatsoever when it came to cars.
Oliver shoved her towards the car holding out the keys. "It's a Bentley Continental GT with a six litre twin-turbocharged W12 engine producing five hundred and sixty horsepower, accelerates from zero to a hundred kilometers per hour in four point six seconds, has EPS, ABS, Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide ceramic disc brakes….", Oliver paused realizing that Chloe was staring at him with a blank expression, "and a whole lot of other nifty things you probably don't want to hear about."
She looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to spoil your fun but I know just as much about cars as you do about haute couture. Obsessing about them is one of the few things I gladly leave to the male species."
"Fair point", Oliver said opening the driver's door. "Maybe you'll have more to say about the interior", he grinned mischievously.
Oh, and how she did. What horsepower and motors were to men, sleek beige leather seats with heaters, a navigation system, automatic parking, a touch screen display with a hands-free call system, a sunroof and two heated slots for her morning coffee were to her. Oliver had had the last modification built in especially. Yeah, she could definitely live with driving this car.
"So, just tell me one thing, what's up with the whole green mantra?"
Oliver grinned boyishly. "It's my favourite colour actually." And coincidentally also the colour of her eyes, he thought absentmindedly.
"You're spoiling me, you know that", Chloe said teasingly as she stepped back out from behind the steering wheel. "People are going to think you bribed me into this job."
"Let them", he shrugged, his hands still casually stuck in his pockets. "You're worth every damn penny." Oliver had to swallow deeply once the words had left his mouth. It was supposed to be an off-hand-response to her banter, but somehow they'd had an unexpected impact on him. Saying them had made him realize how unimaginable working at QI without Chloe would be.
There it was again, that tingling somewhere close to her heart. Just that now, it had turned into a full on fluttering. She clenched her teeth together willing for it to go away. This was irrational. Like she didn't have her body under control. She poised herself looking at Oliver with a gentle air. "I'd still be working for you even without all these things, you know that right?"
He stilled immediately at the pull in his chest. This was exactly what he was trying to get out of his system. And he would, he had to. But nobody had ever been so genuinely loyal to him and that was something he could never forget. So, he nodded his head in acknowledgment sending her an appreciative smile. Chloe met his gaze intently for a few more seconds, but didn't say anything afterwards as they walked back to the elevator in silence. It was one of the things he liked about her, the fact that she understood him even without words.
cocococococo
She was still sitting on the cold floor leaning against the bunk when she heard heavy boots thudding against the ground followed by the sound of a metal bolt being slid open. Shortly after, the screaming started. At first it had been a wail, mixed with tears and scuffling. Then it had turned into high pitched, terrified, pleading screams that tore at her gut making her nauseas. She hadn't eaten in hours, maybe even days and yet whatever remained in her stomach was threatening to resurface. Something truly horrible was happening here. And even though she didn't know what they had planned, she was certain that that person, that girl, was never coming back. Maybe they'd abuse her or torture her and then simply watch her die. Or maybe they'd kill her. But at the end of it all, she wasn't coming back. Surely, it was only a matter of time before they came for her?
Moments later the thudding returned, getting louder, coming closer. She pulled her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around them. With silent whispers she prayed to whatever God may be listening that they'd spare her for just a while longer. She didn't want to die. Not today. Not in this shit hole, alone and starving. The boots stopped. She could see them through the gap beneath her prison door. She couldn't breathe. Her heart was pounding. But worst of all, she couldn't think. Instead of the door itself a rectangular flap opened up fairly close to the bottom allowing for whoever stood outside to slide a small tray through. She didn't move, didn't even dare look until the boots had left for sure. Then she'd mustered all her strength and crawled forward. It was food, some unidentifiable mash but food nonetheless and a glass of water. Her stomach churned longing for sustenance as her dry lips yearned for moisture. Relief flooded over her and still she hesitated. Perhaps this had been the mistake the others had made - eating and drinking in order to survive. Maybe the only way out was by dying too soon. Dehydration or starvation, both would probably be the better death compared to the one that was awaiting her out there.
cocococococo
The week had gone by so fast she could hardly keep track. Between work at QI and planning the meeting with all her local heroes Chloe had lost track of time. She'd been busy helping Oliver reemploy everyone who had been fired under Stanley Herald's orders and had sat through several hours of discussing the masquerade ball with Gabriel, the event planner. Somewhere in between she'd managed to fit in a lunch date with Rick afraid that he might think she was neglecting him, which she wasn't, she just had a lot on her plate at the moment and she'd explained that to him. Of course, being the nice guy he was, he'd been understanding but still hoped they would be spending a bit more time together from there on out. She'd promised to make the time in future – including coming Sunday - even though she knew it would be tough. They'd left it at that. In the evenings she'd started drawing out mission plans, ruminating on strategies and protocols. If they were going to be a team, they needed a standard system of operating and a communication code.
She glanced at the time. They'd agreed to meet at her apartment in a half hour. Maybe she'd use to the time to grab a bite to eat and freshen up, seeing how she was still dressed in her pajamas. It was going to be another long night, only that this time she was excited about it. They were all finally coming together – it was progress. And she couldn't help thinking that tonight would be the beginning of something extraordinary.
One by one they'd trickled into her little apartment and were currently sitting in her living room all comfortably nestled around her coffee table where she'd laid out various documents and blue prints as well as her new laptop. She cherished her old one seeing how it had been her companion throughout the years. It held memories and she'd never give it away, but the sort of programming and hacking she'd be doing in future for the team was simply too much for it to handle. She thought she'd let the boys get acquainted first, even if they had met each other before at some point or another. Her eyes jumped from one to the other as she studied them trying to get an idea of how everyone was feeling. Bart was munching away again with an already empty packet of cheese balls in his hands listening to Victor and Arthur talk about where they'd been and what they'd been doing since they'd all last seen each other. Clark sat quietly to her right, likewise taking it all in, now and then joining in on the conversation. If this was going to work they needed to be a unit. They needed to know each other and work as one, and by the looks of it they wouldn't have any problems doing that. As far as she could tell everyone was getting along well even if they were a bunch of completely different personalities. It took a little while longer till the talking had died down and then instantly everyone was looking at her.
"Shall we get down to business then", she suggested nervously, rubbing her hands over knees. They all nodded so she continued. "First of all, I just want to say that I'm really happy to see you all again. It's been a while and I didn't realize before how much I'd missed you. So, thanks for coming." She couldn't stop the emotions that had come over her seeing them all together again. It was nice and she couldn't remember being this much a part of something before. "I know it can't have been easy. We all have our histories with Lex, some less pretty than others and going up against him is a big risk. That's why I want you all to consider this carefully. You have your own lives now and even though Clark and I have decided to dedicate our lives to this cause doesn't mean you have to as well. Nobody's forcing you or telling you that you have some kind of unwritten ethical responsibility, because you don't. Being part of this team is a choice you have to make for yourselves. If you don't want to be in this fight, then I don't want you in it either, and I mean that as a friend."
Silence followed as they all contemplated her words and then Victor reached out to her giving her shoulder a squeeze. "We know, Chloe. But I think it's safe to say that we're all here because a significant part of us wants Lex to pay for what he's done to us and who knows how many other people. We owe it to ourselves and to them to put a stop to it. And as much as I'd like to live a peaceful normal life like everybody else, I can't. I couldn't live my life any other way than this. Being a part of this team, and I'm sure I'm speaking for everyone here, is precisely what we want."
A round of approval followed.
"You can count on me, Chloelicious", Bart winked boyishly at her making her smile.
Arthur moved forward in his chair clasping his hands together. "We're in this together and I wouldn't have it any other way."
"You know my answer", Clark added.
Chloe felt her chest tighten as tears stirred in her eyes. She never thought she'd be this emotional, but the amount of support and trust they were offering her was more than she'd been expecting and slightly overwhelming. Taking a deep breath to relax her body, she met each of their gazes sending them a silent thank you and then kneeled down in front of her coffee table booting up the computer screen.
She sniffed and then cleared her throat to speak. "Okay, so, Clark and I have been trying to take down any kind of illegal operation Lex has been involved in, but most of them were fairly small scale and probably didn't even register on his radar. The 33.1 labs on the other hand are a completely different story. As you all know, that's where Lex' sick ideas come to life. We barely managed to take down one a couple of months ago, but ever since then it's been quiet. If you ask me I think a storm is coming."
"So, what you're saying is that we need to find more of the 33.1 labs and burn them to the ground", Victor commented concentration written in his face.
"Exactly", Chloe shuffled the papers around opening up a window on her desktop. "Now, Lex is doing a damn good job at hiding their locations, but I've been doing some digging and I found something that might just lead us to them." She held out a list to Victor. "When I started going over LuthorCorps' finances they mostly added up. I checked every subsidiary looking for shell companies but came up empty. Until two months ago that is when a firm called BioCulture started popping up in the books. Supposedly, they do agriculture with newly developed strings of plants, but judging by the looks of things", she pointed toward the video footage she'd pulled up, "I'd bet every penny that the only thing they're experimenting on there are people."
The guys studied the satellite images for a moment longer each of them scrunching their foreheads in confusion.
"Doesn't exactly look like their plowing the fields", Clark finally said out loud. "There isn't a tractor in sight, the soil looks barren and there isn't even a general water tank for irrigation."
Arthur chuckled catching everyone's attention.
"What?", Clark asked with a raised brow.
"Nothing, it's just that sometimes I forget that the man of steel who can see through walls and runs faster than sound is actually a farm boy at heart."
A chuckle went through the group as Clark feigned amusement.
"Has there been any activity so far?", Victor asked bringing everyone to focus again.
Chloe nodded her head fast-forwarding the footage. "Every other day black minivans show up. But that's basically it. I can't make out what they're transporting from the images, but judging by the cars it can't be anything too big."
"Maybe it's just some kind of storage facility?", Bart interjected hanging his feet over the arm of the chair.
"I considered that, but why would a storage facility use nearly as much electricity and water as the whole of Metropolis' suburbs. It doesn't make sense. And…", she held up a hand shortly as she rolled out the blue prints from underneath the other documents, "…look at these floor plans. It used to be some kind of factory, average size, nothing out of the ordinary. Even under normal operations it's not big enough for that amount of consumption."
Victor leaned back on the sofa folding his arms across his chest. "What are the chances Lex has built himself a subterranean playground?"
"Pretty good judging by this", she placed another document in the middle of the table. "I went through the records trying to find out when BioCulture first surfaced and found out that LuthorCorp had purchased the property nearly a year before the company even existed. So, I checked up on various construction companies that could have been able to take on a project like this and stumbled on Stromberg Works. Not exactly renowned, but they more than tripled their budget in the past quarter without landing any major construction deals."
Clark scoffed. "Looks like they've found themselves a shady benefactor."
"Yeah, and they've been doing some unofficial work for him too. During the months before BioCulture showed up they ordered a ship load of construction equipment and material and this is where they brought it." She clicked on the second video file showing the same building as before surrounded by trucks and other machinery. She let it run for a few seconds and then zoomed in on one of the jeeps parked on the grounds. "They made sure that nothing would visibly link them to the site. Unfortunately, someone was stupid enough to drive a company car there one day, because that sign there is the logo of Stromberg Works."
"Nice work, Chloe", Arthur complimented her. "So, what's next?"
"Recon", she answered pointedly. "We need to find out as much about that place as we can. The underground layout, the on-goings, the security measures and how many people work there and are being held prisoner. If we want to storm the castle we need to know it inside and out."
Clark nodded in agreement. "We need someone to keep an eye on the place on site…",
Bart shot up in his chair. "I'm on it."
"Good", Chloe continued. "Victor, I'll need your help with getting all the equipment together and planning the mission. Arthur, you're in charge of getting the blue prints of the facility. I'll have your new identity finalized by the middle of the week so you can go undercover at Stromberg Works."
"I heard women can't withstand a man in overalls", Arthur grinned dirtily.
"Really?", Bart abruptly turned to his teammate with a mischievous expression. "You think 'licious goes for that sort of thing."
Chloe rolled her eyes at their snickering. "I'm sitting right here, Bart."
"I know", he replied flashing her with his signature grin. "So, do you?"
That boy was never going to give up, so she might as well play along. "I like all men in uniform", she winked at him.
Hopeful excitement immediately flashed across Bart's face. "Nice." And then he furrowed his brows at her making her laugh.
She refocused setting her mind back on task. "Clark, you have to keep an eye on Lex. He'll probably be at the Daily Planet most days, so that makes it a bit easier. Other than that you're free to patrol. I'll monitor the police lines and if you need assistance the guys can help out." She scanned the table for anything she might have forgotten. Nope, all done. "Right, everyone knows what they need to do, so I guess we can call it a night."
Since none of them had any more questions and the boys were hungry, they decided to head out to the Italian restaurant down the block for a late night snack. Chloe hadn't really been hungry but hadn't wanted to miss out on some quality time with her friends either. Sometimes sleep needed to be sacrificed in the name of fun. Besides she still had half a day to rest tomorrow before her date with Rick. Another one of Bart's jokes tore her from her reverie as she slurped the end of her coke while the guys chewed happily on their pizzas. She smiled thinking she could definitely get used to this.