Hi. Time for Clark to deliver some payback! Please enjoy!

The Future of Justice

Chapter 35: Rescue

Luthorcorp CEO Office:

"How is business at Luthorcorp, Talia?" "Everything is running smoothly, father. The last few shipments of meteor rocks will be delivered to you very soon." Talia answered. Her father seemed pleased.

"Very good, daughter. Soon, "Project Genesis" will commence…and the world will be better for it." Talia nodded, smiling. "I know it will make a big difference to everyone, especially the ones in…"

Talia paused when she saw her office door open, and was surprised to see Clark Kent walk in. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll talk to you later, goodbye." She then hung up and smiled up at Clark.

"Hello, Mr. Kent. It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked politely, smiling. Clark didn't look happy, which struck Talia as odd. "Yeah, it has." he said in a flat tone. Talia looked concerned. "Is there something wrong?" Clark leaned on Talia's desk.

"Have you seen or talked to Lois recently?" he asked business like. Talia looked at Clark in the eyes. "As a matter of fact, yes. She walked in here yesterday to ask me a question I couldn't answer. I then told her to leave."

"Was that before or after you threatened her with security?" Clark asked. Talia was stunned. "How did you know that?" "I guessed; I've known Lois long enough to know that she doesn't give up that easily."

Talia nodded. "What did Lois ask you when she was here?" Clark asked. Talia straightened herself. "She only asked about our latest truck shipments, but I told her it was none of her business…completely confidential." Clark nodded.

"Why are you asking me about all this?" Talia asked back. "Because she disappeared and no one has seen her…she might've been kidnapped." Clark said, emphasizing the last word. Talia again looked surprised.

"Kidnapped? What makes you believe that?" she asked innocently. "I just have a hunch. I've just been to the Daily Planet, and my boss told me that Lois has not returned since yesterday." Talia looked away, apparently worried.

Clark spoke more determinedly. "Talia, if you know anything about where Lois could possibly be, you have to tell me." Talia focused on Clark again, and she became firm.

"Like I said, what Lois wanted to know I couldn't tell her. You have no more permission to know than she did." "This isn't about your company! It's about Lois' life! She could be in real danger, so please…tell me anything that could lead me to her!" Clark responded angrily.

Talia was taken aback by Clark's heated argument. She could tell that Clark was very determined to find his friend, and she could also sense the worry in his voice. For a moment, Talia said nothing. Clark took that as a hint and proceeded to walk out.

Before he reached the door, he turned back at Talia, looking angry. "I thought you would be better than Lex and Lucas. But I guess I expected too much from a CEO of Luthorcorp." he said harshly as he opened the door.

"Wait." Talia said instantly. Clark stopped and turned to Talia again. Talia got up and walked to him, holding a folder. She then gave it to Clark. "What's this?" he asked.

"Our last shipments from yesterday. The exact contents are omitted, but there destinations aren't. If Lois is as determined as you say, she might have hitched hiked on one of these trucks."

Clark then remembered the part in Lois' letter where it said she and Jimmy would "catch a ride". 'Could this what Lois have meant in her letter?' Clark thought as he looked at the folder. He looked back at Talia, smiling a little. "Thank you."

Talia nodded as Clark opened the folder. He saw that there were three shipments yesterday: One in the early morning, one at noon, and another in the late evening. "What time did Lois see you?" Clark asked after examining the schedule.

"It was around 2:30 in the afternoon." Talia said. Clark understood. "Then Lois could only have taken the evening truck." Clark said as he looked at the schedule again.

He saw that all three shipments would be taken to an airport and flown out to the same location. "Black Creek?" "It's a Luthorcorp facility in Montana." Clark narrowed his eyes. "What is it being used for?" Talia shrugged.

"Typical scientific research. It is being run by Dr. Edward Groll, head of Luthorcorp's Nanotechnology Division. He had been working for Lex since the first Smallville meteor shower and is now working for me." Clark became more concerned.

"What exactly is being researched there by Dr. Groll? What was brought to that place in those trucks?" Clark asked. Talia suddenly became firm again. "Nothing that would be potentially harmful to the public, I can assure you Clark." she said in a strict tone.

Clark then thought about what Lois and Jimmy could've found there. 'Is it possible that Lois and Jimmy never escaped from there? Could Chloe be there as well?' He began to worry about them even more.

Whatever was being "researched" there, if he found out Chloe was part of that research, being used as a guinea pig…he was going to make someone very sorry. Clark handed the folder back to Talia. "Thank you again." he said before he walked out the door.

Talia stood there, seemingly uncomfortable by the whole conversation.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Black Creek:

Lois and Jimmy sat there in there cell, worrying about Chloe's current condition. They still could not believe what they had found out yesterday, and they both knew that if they didn't find a way out and tell of their discoveries…it would mean the end of Earth.

Their thoughts were distracted by Lucas, who had walked down from the stairs nearby. "How are you two doing today?" Lucas asked casually. Lois walked up and spat in his face. Lucas wiped his face off. "I guess that's my answer." he replied.

Lois snarled. "You are piece of trash, you know that?" Lucas chuckled. "Must you always be so feisty?" "Feisty? Try down right ferocious." she said in a dangerous tone. "How can you do this Chloe? Why her?" Jimmy said as he walked up next to Lois.

Lucas smirked. "Chloe is the perfect person for the project…and she already has all the qualifications that "Project Eve" required. You already know everything after your digging around yesterday." Lois and Jimmy felt angrier than they've ever been.

"You keep smirking, thinking everything is going your way. But I know for a fact that there people out there ready to fight back!" Lois threatened. Lucas laughed. "Are you referring to that bastard, the Green Arrow?" Lois did not respond as Lucas began pacing in front of them.

"Well, he's no longer a problem. I've hired a professional to apprehend him and his band of super powered freaks. They are his prisoners now." Lois looked shocked, but regained her fierce look. Jimmy looked confused. "Sorry chump; not buying it."

Lucas shook his head. "I assure you, Lois, Green Arrow and his team have been scratched off my list of possible threats. My "Key" man is holding them all in a impenetrable hideout in the Southern Andes. They have no hope of escape."

While Jimmy was startled by that the Green Arrow had a team and that they were captured by one man, Lois started to feel hopeless. She couldn't believe her last hope for rescue was gone. Lucas then started to walk away.

"Enjoy your imprisonment. I'll give your cousin, and your fiancé", he added as he looked briefly at Jimmy, "your greetings. It won't be long until she is ready." He then walked out of sight. Lois and Jimmy sat back down, more saddened than ever.

"What a scumbag." Jimmy remarked savagely. Lois nodded. "I second that." Jimmy then looked at Lois. "I didn't know Green Arrow had a team of some kind. Did you?" he asked curiously. Lois nodded, which left Jimmy stunned.

"He accidentally spilled those beans one day after…he saved my life once." she answered. She refused to tell Jimmy how she really knew. After hearing that there was no one coming for them, they both lost all their hope.

In his room of the building, Lucas had just arrived to find someone waiting for him. Lucas smiled to see a tall woman who had a bizarre appearance; she looked like a human cat.

Her long auburn hair and black eyes (with a hint of brown) mostly caught Lucas' eyes, rather than the rest of her body. She also held a small box in her claw like hands. "Here it is, Lucas. Just what you asked me to get." she said as she handed him the box.

Lucas opened it and was very pleased. "My master will be pleased about our progress. Now that we have all three of the essential pieces, "Project Apocalypse" will be able to get underway."

"And we can have what Darkseid promised us." said the cat like woman as she wrapped her arms around Lucas. Lucas nodded as he put the box down on his desk. "I would've been here right after I transmitted to you, but I wanted to…freshen up."

She wore a loose, dark purple dress with the arms completely exposed. Lucas seemed to like it. "You look like a knockout, Barbara." Lucas whispered. "I told you…call me Cheetah." She said before they kissed.

Not more than a minute later, Lucas and Cheetah felt a strong tremor that shook the building. "What the hell was that?" Lucas asked. "There must've been an explosion." Cheetah thought. Lucas thought so too.

"Sorry, but we can pick up where we left off later. Now, I suggest you head back to Gateway City. I'll contact you later." Lucas said as he walked out. Cheetah understood, and after pushing a button on her hand, vanished in a burst of light.

Back at their cell, Lois and Jimmy heard the noise too and stood up, feeling afraid. "What was that?" Jimmy asked. "Sounded like a wall just got punched down." Lois replied.

At the other side of the building, several guards had rant to the broken wall, which was the source of the disturbance. As the dust cleared, they saw a man garbed in red and blue with yellow shades. Steel looked around with an determined look.

"Don't move, or we'll shoot!" one of the guards shouted. Steel just inhaled as much air as he could, then let it all blow out. His super breath hit the guards like a battering ram, causing them to fly into the walls. They all fell unconscious.

"You didn't say I couldn't breathe." Steel remarked as he scanned the building with his x-ray vision. He instantly found Lois and Jimmy not too far away. He instantly super sped to them.

When he saw them, he smiled. It was the first time he saw them since before he and Kara left for Rokyn. He was glad to see that both of them were unharmed. Lois and Jimmy were surprised, and glad, to see him.

"Hey Lois, he's one of the two that scared off Ivo's psychopathic android!" Jimmy said as Steel approached them. "That's him alright, thank God." Lois said as she smiled big time. Steel then ripped the door open and tossed it aside.

"Are you two alright?" he asked in his deepened voice. Lois and Jimmy nodded. "Thank you so much. How did you find us?" Lois asked. Steel smiled. "Clark Kent showed me the letter you wrote to him. I couldn't find Green Arrow, so I came after you myself after I found a lead." he answered.

Lois couldn't have appreciated him more. "Remind me to thank Smallville when we get back." She then remembered about her previous chat with Lucas.

"Lucas told us that Green Arrow and his team were captured by someone called "Key". How did you escape?" she asked. Steel paused for a bit before answering. "Lucas must've exaggerated; I was never captured. But I have been away and I'm back now. Sorry for the delay." he said with a warm smile.

Though he didn't show it, Steel was surprised to learn that this "Key" that captured Oliver and the others was working for Lucas. 'Just what kind of connection do they have? He would ponder that later.

"Come on, let's get you two out of here." he said. Lois held his arm. "Wait Steel! There's someone else here that needs saving!" she said urgently. Steel looked at her straight in the eye. "Who?" he asked, dreading he'd hear her name too.

"Chloe Sullivan; she's my cousin." Lois answered. "And my fiancé." Jimmy added. Steel stiffened. 'So Chloe is here after all.' He quickly loosened up. "Do you know where she is?" he asked quickly.

"She's a floor above us; Lab 505." Lois answered. Steel nodded. "Thanks. You two stay out of sight. I'll be back in a second." He then zoomed away before another word was spoken.

Lois and Jimmy looked apprehensive. They wondered if they should've told Steel about what was happening to Chloe. But they knew that he would find out for himself.

A second later, Steel arrived on the next floor and saw a door labeled "Lab 505". Steel saw more guards as he appeared. "Stop him!" one of them shouted as he and the others fired their weapons.

Steel just walked up to them casually as the bullets bounced off of him like pebbles. The guards continued to fire until they were out of ammo. They were astounded that their firepower had left no damage on him at all.

Then with the push of his arms, Steel threw the guards away and knocked them out. He then proceeded to punch through the door to the lab that held his best friend. 'Chloe, I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. But now…I'm making up for it.'

With a powerful punch, the door flew into the back wall of the lab. When he walked in, he finally found his missing friend. But what he saw shocked him. He imagined Chloe being tortured or something, but nothing like this.

Chloe was unconscious in a large tank of water with an oxygen mask on, and wore a tight suit that covered her whole body. But what really caught Steel's attention was how Chloe looked…different.

Her stomach had enlarged a great deal. If Steel wasn't mistaken, and he didn't see how he could be, it would seem that Chloe was… 'Chloe, you're…pregnant?!' Steel thought as he stared at her.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a dark haired man yelling at him. "Hey, you're not allowed in here!" Steel turned to the man and appeared instantly in front of him, and looked angry.

"What have you done to her?" he asked angrily. The man seemed scared, but remained steadfast. "That is classified…" Steel then picked the man up by the collar, lifting him several inches off the ground. The man was really afraid now.

"That is my best friend in that thing! Tell me now!!" Steel yelled. The scientist cowered. "Fine, alright! But first, you should know that both her and her baby are in good health. There is nothing wrong with them at all!" he said in a hurry.

Steel flinched a bit after hearing confirmation that Chloe was indeed pregnant. "Who are you, and why did you do this to her?" he asked, his anger building. "I'm Dr. Groll, the man in charge of "Project Eve", which your "friend" is the center of."

"What the hell is "Project Eve"?" Steel inquired. Dr. Groll shook from fear. "It is a program to create a new breed of humans…and Chloe Sullivan was chosen to be the subject for it." Steel shoved him into the wall, making Groll yelp a bit.

"Why did you choose Chloe? Why did you impregnate her?!" Steel asked, practically yelling. Dr. Groll flinched. "It was my employer who selected her, not me! I was just doing what I was instructed…" "Talia Ducard, you mean?!" he asked. Dr. Groll shook his head. That confused Steel.

"If she wasn't the one who authorized this, then who is?" "Me." Steel turned around to see someone that really made his blood boil. "Lucas." Steel said most unpleasantly. Lucas didn't look so happy himself.

"Can't say I'm happy to see you again, old friend. Now be so kind and put down Dr. Groll." Steel then threw down the doctor and focused all his attention on Lucas. "Why did you take Chloe and make her your lab rat?!" Steel yelled.

Lucas stared at Chloe, still floating in the tank. "Lab rat? Hardly. Chloe Sullivan will soon give birth to the first of a new race of humans, one that will far surpass the old. "Eve"…such a fitting name for a project of that magnitude, wouldn't you say?"

Steel restrained himself from reaching for Lucas' throat with all the willpower he had. "Why her? Why make her have a baby like that?" he asked, trying to compose himself. Lucas gave a look of curiosity.

"That's the funny thing. I didn't have her impregnated…she already was when she was brought here." Steel's anger was then replaced with shock. "What did you say?" he asked, completely stunned. Lucas looked again at Chloe's expanded stomach.

"Yep, your blonde companion has been pregnant for a week or two when she was taken from her bed. I had a friend bring her here, where everything was ready. The original plan was to impregnate her with a child that will fill the Earth with a new and improved race, but to my surprise it wasn't necessary."

Steel didn't want to hear anymore of this. "That still doesn't explain why you chose her out of millions of young women on the planet!" Lucas nodded. "I chose her out of revenge." He then looked directly at Steel.

"You and your cousin were supposed to have died at the hands of Ivo's android, and not only did you two miraculously survive, but you had sent Green Arrow's team to my mansion and literally kicked me out! And particularly after the beating I received, did you really think I'd let you off the hook that easily?!" he shouted.

Steel stared back angrily. "You knew you had that coming, Lucas." "Just like you had this coming!" he spat while he pointed at Chloe. "Your best friend is going to have a baby unlike any the world has ever seen, and the humans you know will be wiped out to make room for it's descendents!" Steel had heard enough.

"That's enough Lucas!" But Lucas did not stop his ranting. "Do you know what the best part is? I may have accelerated the baby's growing process in that tank's specialized water, but other than that…I didn't do a damn thing to it! That baby's unique physiology has nothing to do with me!"

Steel began to walk toward Lucas. "Whatever Chloe did to her child, it was most likely all her fault! She practically made herself the perfect candidate for "Project Eve"!" Steel then smacked Lucas, which sent him flying into the opposite wall. He was unconscious.

Steel felt a little better after shutting up Lucas. He then turned back to Dr. Groll. "Let Chloe out of that tank…now." he said in a calm, but threatening tone. The now extremely nervous Dr. Groll nodded as he ran over to the tank's controls. "It, it will take just a few seconds."

They both watched as the tank emptied itself and Chloe slowly fell down to the bottom. Once all the water was gone, Dr. Groll walked over and opened the tank's door and removed Chloe's oxygen mask. He checked her pulse. "She is fine." he said.

Grateful, Steel carefully lifted up Chloe and turned to Dr. Groll once more. "I'll be back for you and your boss." he said threateningly before he super sped out. Groll sighed deeply as he fell to the floor, completely stressed out by the whole ordeal.

Back at the cells, Lois and Jimmy waited for Steel to return with Chloe. When they saw her, they were filled with shock. "Oh my god, Chloe's baby has been doing a hell of a lot growing!" Lois remarked as she stared at Chloe's stomach.

"Yeah, it looks like it could be born soon." Jimmy said. Steel nodded. "Let's get you all back home. I believe the best place is back at her home." Lois and Jimmy nodded.

"Then let's hightail it out of here already!" Lois said as they headed outside quickly through the whole Steel made earlier. Once they were out, Steel told them to get on his back and hold on.

"Lois, you will get on my back, and Jimmy will be on top of you." he instructed. Once Lois and Jimmy were ready, Steel slowly took to the sky and flew back to the direction of the Talon.

Steel hoped that Chloe will be alright, and just as important, her unborn baby. He was still concerned of what Lucas said about having nothing to do with the baby's condition. Whatever it was, he would worry about it when they got back. And he'll have to remember to have another talk with Talia regarding "her" employee.

Back at Black Creek, Lucas came around. When he saw Chloe absent from her tank, he was most very displeased. Dr. Groll came to help him up. "Are you alright, Mr. Luthor?" he asked. Lucas shoved him off and nodded.

"I've had worse than that." "What do we do now?" Lucas then wobbly headed out the lab. "I'll transfer you, and all the equipment here, at the Kord Industries facility in Hawaii to assist with the other project there." he instructed.

"What about the girl and her baby?" Groll asked. "Then I'll just have to get her and her baby back, won't I?" he asked sarcastically. Groll didn't dare retort. Lucas rubbed his ribs.

"But before I do, I'll call a "friend" of mine to prepare for a possible arrival of our colored son of a bitch…and to tell him to fortify his place with the only thing that can possibly kill him…" he said as he took out a picture of a green rock from his pocket.

To be continued.