Chapter Thirty Seven: The Temptations of the Devil
His heart pumping in his chest so hard he thought it was about to burst, Jimmy stooped down to pick up the gun. Its touch gave him a feeling of reassurance, the sense that the gamble that he had decided to take was paying off. As he stood up he looked down at Oliver, for a split second gripped by the fear that his attack had not had the desired effect, and that the young hero might be about to come round. Again he was reassured, as Oliver lay unmoving before him. Still, he needed to know for sure – for his plan to work it was essential that Oliver was unconscious. Tentatively he placed his foot against his rival's side, pausing to see if there was any reaction, any sign of a response. There was none. His confidence growing, he then pushed his foot forward and downwards, rolling Oliver over onto his back. Again there was no sign of movement from his stricken rival, whose head lolled lifelessly to the side, his closed eyes giving him a strange air of peacefulness after all the terrors and drama of the previous hours and days.
There was no doubt about it – Oliver Queen was out for the count.
"I had hoped someone might save me from our mutual friend, but never for a moment did I expect it to be you. Jimmy Olsen takes out the Green Arrow – I'm impressed Jimmy, I really am."
Lex's voice, clear and confident, sounded somewhere behind Jimmy. The photographer did not respond, but instead looked down at the gun that he now clasped in his hand. The moment had come, he knew that – the moment when he had to finish what he'd started, and free himself from the nightmare that had trapped him for too long. Could he do it? He wasn't sure. All he did know was that if he didn't do it – if he didn't seize this last chance to save himself – then he would lose Chloe forever.
"I'll see you're well rewarded for this, Jimmy," continued Lex, now a little uneasy at the lack of response from the man who continued to stand motionless in the center of the room. "Preventing leather boy there from getting away – that's something I won't forget, I promise you."
"I don't want your money," said Jimmy, his voice sounding strange and unfamiliar. At last he turned around, allowing Lex for the first time since his attack on Oliver to catch sight of his face. It was a sight that did nothing to quell Lex's growing sense of unease; the young man's eyes blazed wildly, and his features were fixed into a terrible appearance of grim resolution.
"So...what do you want, Jimmy? Get these cuffs off me and we can talk...."
"I'm done talking!" interrupted Jimmy, raising the gun and pointing it directly at Lex's head. "You wanna know what I want, Luthor? I want you out of my life, out of Chloe's life, forever. And that's what this is about, Lex – making sure you'll never be able to hurt anyone ever again!"
Jimmy's voice trembled as he spoke, and even from where he stood Lex could see the gun shaking in Jimmy's hand. The two men stared at each other, neither one speaking as each took in the full meaning of Jimmy's words and prepared for what might happen next. Lex instantly recognised that for the second time in less than an hour his life was in jeopardy, this time from a man whose state of mind was extremely volatile. He'd been foolish to assume that Jimmy was here to come to his aid – why should he? After all, he'd ordered his death, and had betrayed the promises he'd made to protect Chloe with a casualness that now seemed reckless. Jimmy Olsen was a man possessed with a love for Chloe that was nothing less than obsessive, and that was what made this normally harmless individual now so potentially lethal. Lex had threatened the woman he loved, and had the power to ruin him in her eyes by revealing the truth about his betrayals. It was clear to Lex that to Jimmy he was an obstacle to his happiness, a loose end that had to be tied up if he was to retain any hope of making Chloe his own. He was in danger, he knew that, but he could also see an opportunity; the same obsession that now threatened to destroy him could be made to work to his advantage, if only he could channel it in a new direction, away from himself, and towards the man who lay unconscious just a few feet away.....
Of the two it might have appeared that Jimmy held the upper hand. He had the gun, and was apparently master of the situation. However, in his head a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions combined to ensure that it was he, and not Lex, who was in danger of losing it. He was so close to completing the plan that had taken shape in his mind as he had stalked Oliver through the LuthorCorp building. Lex was the one person left who had the power to expose him, to drive an immovable wedge between him and Chloe. He could not allow that to happen – he could not live in a world where Chloe Sullivan hated him, despised him. The conclusion was at once both obvious, and terrifying – Lex had to die. He'd thought that Oliver would relieve him of the responsibility, as he had watched him nearly strangle Lex to death back in his office. Why had he not finished the job! It would have all been so easy then. But Oliver had pulled back, and now, with the discovery of AC, it was clear that Oliver would not do what Jimmy desperately needed. He was going to let Lex live, and it could only be a matter of time before the truth about what Jimmy had done would be revealed. He couldn't allow that – and so here he was, a gun in his hand, staring at a man who he knew he must kill.
And yet he hesitated. He'd already killed once, but Akunin had been different. She'd been threatening Chloe, and had he not acted Chloe would not be alive now. This was something else altogether – standing face to face with an unarmed man, and shooting him dead in cold blood. Could he do it? He had to do it, and yet....
"You don't want to do this, Jimmy," said Lex, his voice calm and measured. He could see the fear in Jimmy's eyes, the uncertainty, and he knew that that was something he could work on, something he could use until he was able to redirect Jimmy's murderous intent.
"Don't tell me what I want!" said Jimmy, his voice no less tense than when he had spoken a few moments earlier. "I'm in control here, Lex, do you understand that? I'm in control!"
"Easy, Jimmy, easy – no one said you weren't in control."
"This is all your fault, do you know that Lex? If you'd just done what you'd promised then none of this would have happened."
"I know Jimmy, I know – and I'm sorry, I truly am. I should never have drawn Chloe and yourself into this, I can see that now. But killing me isn't going to solve anything, Jimmy – you know that."
"That's where you're wrong, Lex – killing you will solve everything! Only you know what I did – with you gone, everything can go back to just how it was before."
"And that's what you want, is it? Everything as it was before? You know that's a lie, Jimmy."
Lex had waited patiently for his opportunity – and now it had come. He could see that his last words – calculated to play on the young man's vulnerability – had hit their target. It was time to press home his advantage.
"What you want, Jimmy, is Chloe – we both know that. And going back to things as they were before, well, that's not going to give you the woman you love, is it?"
"She loves Oliver, not me – I was a fool to think anything else."
"She loves him now, but what about in the future? Time can be a great healer, Jimmy. With Oliver out of the way who knows what might happen? The two of you are already close, and with no one else to cloud her vision perhaps that love that you cherish so much would at last find the response you've yearned for all this time?"
Lex could see the doubts clouding Jimmy's face. He was tapping into Jimmy's subconscious, the instincts that had led him to his betrayal of Oliver in the first place. It was clear they had not gone away, but were just lying dormant. Now, however, those instincts were awakening once more – with a little more encouragement, Lex was confident they would once more be in the ascendant.
"Only one thing is certain, Jimmy – if you allow Oliver to escape, then you will never have a chance with Chloe. I'm not the enemy here, Jimmy – your real enemy lies over there on the floor."
Lex's words, so reasonable, so persuasive, so evil, were working just as their author had intended. To Jimmy, all that Lex said was the truth. He wanted to escape from the nightmare that he had created for himself, but now, being reminded of what that escape might bring, Jimmy could not help but think of the future that Lex predicted. Oliver would make Chloe his own, and he would once more be relegated to the role of loyal friend – good old reliable Jimmy, the man who everyone liked, but who no one loved. It was so unfair! He could make Chloe happier than Queen ever could, but how could he compete against his looks, his wealth, his charm? Once more the anger and jealousy that had so disfigured him in recent days reared its head. He wanted Chloe, more than anything else in the world, and he didn't want to share her, not with anyone...
"You know I'm right, Jimmy," continued Lex, like the devil tempting a good man into the abyss. "But the future is in your hands – don't let it slip from your grasp! One bullet and you could be rid of Queen forever – how good does that sound! No one would ever know – when the others get here I could say he was ambushed by one of my men. They'd never know it was you - it could be so easy! Don't miss the opportunity – kill him, Jimmy! You know that deep down it's the only way you'll ever gain what you really want."
Lex's arguments, so unstoppably seductive, echoed around Jimmy's mind, silencing all others. Why shouldn't he do it – why shouldn't he kill Oliver? It was what he really wanted after all, wasn't it? And Lex was right – it could be so easy! Jimmy turned to his side and looked down at Oliver's body, still and apparently at peace. The sight of Oliver's face, the face that Chloe adored and which she seemed destined to wake up next to for the rest of her life, suddenly filled him with hate. He would change that destiny – he would have the woman he loved! Queen was not worthy of her, and if she could not see that, if she was taken in by his flattery and his superficiality, then he would do them all a service by removing Oliver from the picture altogether.
"Do it, Jimmy! There's not much time – shoot him now!"
Finally succumbing to the darker instincts which Lex had sensed were lurking within him, Jimmy slowly turned the gun towards Oliver, before raising it and levelling it at his head. Jimmy paused for a moment, considering how strange and terrible the last few days had been. Who'd have thought a month earlier that he would be standing where he was at that instant, seconds away from killing the mighty Green Arrow? He, Jimmy Olsen, would achieve what every criminal in Metropolis longed to do – he would kill the vigilante who had plagued them for so long. It seemed so incredible, but also so exhilarating, to hold the life of one so powerful in his hands. A half smile formed on his lips, as he thought of how stupid Oliver had been, to trust him without even considering that darker motives might be at work. Poor, dumb Oliver, always wanting to think the best of people. Well this time, his trusting nature would cost him his life.
The time had come – no more delays. It was time to rid himself of his rival, once and for all.
It was then that he noticed something. His hand – it had stopped trembling. Was it a sign? A sign that the course of action to which he was now committed was the right one?
No more time to think.
Jimmy took careful aim at Oliver's head, just a few feet away. His finger tightened on the trigger....
"Goodbye, Oliver – I'm sorry, but Lex is right, there is no other way."
Sorry for the delay - the site wouldn't let me upload this yesterday.
Another cliffhanger - well, I couldn't finish the story without one, could I? I enjoyed writing about Jimmy's struggle between the light and the shade, and Lex was born to play the role of evil tempter towards the dark side. Will Jimmy shoot Oliver? Will Lex survive? Will Jimmy survive? Not long to wait for the answers, as we've only got two more chapters to go.
Please do post some feedback if you can - I SO appreciate it!