Hi. Here is another great chapter! Enjoy!
The Future of Justice
Chapter 36: Regroup
The Talon:
Lois, Jimmy, and Steel, while carrying Chloe, made it back to Smallville safely. Once they've reached the Talon, Lois showed Steel the apartment and had him lay Chloe down on her bed.
It was ironic to Steel that Chloe would be returned to the exact spot she was when she was kidnapped. 'But Lucas will try to get Chloe and her baby back. I have to be ready when he does.'
After Chloe was resting comfortably, Steel joined Lois and Jimmy in the main room. "I think Chloe is going to be alright." Steel said. Lois and Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, thanks to you." Lois replied. Steel smiled.
"But she's going to freak out when she finds out about the baby!" Jimmy stated. "I think what will shock her even more is how far along her pregnancy is." Lois said. "Chloe will definitely be overwhelmed, but as long as she is with family and friends, she'll pull through." Steel said.
"I guess you're right. I'm going to watch over her." Jimmy said as he walked into Chloe's room. "I'll let you guys know when she's awake." Once he had the door closed, Steel then turned to Lois.
"I am glad all three of you were unharmed when I got at Black Creek." Steel said. Lois smiled. "Four, if you count the soon to be newest addition to the Sullivan/Lane family." she stated. Steel nodded.
"Are you going to go back to that madhouse and bring in Lucas?" Lois asked a moment later. "I am. I have a feeling Lucas knows more than he told me back there…" But then Lois interrupted him.
"Oh, you bet he does! But before you take his ass to prison, you might want to take a look at this." Lois then turned around and fiddled with her bra, which made Steel curious.
Lois faced him again and showed him her flash drive. "What's on that?" Steel asked. "Everything you need to know about Lucas' dirty little scheme. And trust me, it'll blow you away." she said ominously as she got out her laptop, booted it up, and inserted the flash drive.
"Does Lucas know you and Jimmy stole information from him?" Lois smirked. "He knows that Jimmy and I know of his plans, but he was too proud of himself to think that we might have proof to take back with us." she replied confidently.
Steel then saw the icons of the three files Lois and Jimmy stole from Lucas. He recognized one of them. "Lucas filled me in on pretty much everything about Project Eve. But Genesis and Apocalypse he didn't mention." Lois nodded.
"What exactly did our ex rich boy say to you about Eve?" Lois asked. "Just that it involved creating a new human race and that Chloe's baby would be the first. He also mentioned something unique about the baby…but he said he didn't do anything to it other than accelerate it's growth."
"Well if you take a look at the file, you'll see how "unique" that baby is." Lois said hesitantly. "I'll look at it in a bit, but first I want to see Projects Genesis and Apocalypse." Steel suggested. At once Lois began opening the files.
In Chloe's bedroom, Jimmy sat in a chair next to the bed. He watched Chloe sleep without ever turning away. He was worried of how she'll take the news that she was going to be a mother.
As he watched her for several minutes, Jimmy promised himself that he would take care of Chloe and her baby, no matter what. He would watch over the baby, whether it was his or not, because that baby's mother is the love of his life. He would never leave her, ever.
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Chloe stir in her bed. She slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them. Jimmy smiled big time. "Morning, Sleeping Beauty." he said playfully. Chloe turned to him and smiled back warmly.
"Morning to you too, Prince Charming." They chuckled a bit. "How are you…feeling?" he asked nervously. "I feel like I've been asleep for a week." she said softly as she stretched her arms. He gave a nervous look. "You're not far off."
Chloe looked at him confusingly. "What do you mean?" she asked. As she started to feel more awake, she finally noticed her attire…and how tight it felt. "What the hell am I wearing? I don't remember putting these on before bed."
Before Jimmy could say answer, Chloe threw of her bed covers. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock as she saw "big" she had gotten. Chloe then looked back at Jimmy, looking afraid.
"Jimmy…I definitely don't remember gaining a few pounds before I fell asleep. What happened to me?" she asked in a fearful whisper. Jimmy got up and sat on the bed next to Chloe. He held her hands and looked into her eyes.
During that time, Steel and Lois had looked over the Genesis and Apocalypse files. When they finally closed them, Steel felt like he got hit by a monster truck. He stood there in plain shock.
He couldn't believe what Lucas had been planning to do for months, and who he had been working with. But most shocking of all, Lucas was not even the master mind behind all of this…it was Darkseid. Steel shook his head.
'Lucas has been working for Darkseid all this time, right under our noses…and we didn't suspect a thing! How could I have not seen it? Their plans take action on the very day Brainiac 5 said Earth would be doomed: New Years. I have to stop them!'
"You okay, big guy?" Lois asked. Steel composed himself. "It's just that…all this information is unbelievable." he said slowly. Lois agreed completely. "I know the feeling." She then opened up the Eve file.
"Most of this talks about what you heard from Lucas. But as for the baby's uniqueness, you might want to scroll down to the bottom." she suggested. Steel did so and read about what was so special about the baby.
Steel was shocked yet again. "Oh my god." he said to himself. He instantly knew what the additional info meant, but was appalled by it. 'It can't be! How could this even be possible?'
"My reactions exactly". Lois said. Just then, they heard a yell from Chloe's bedroom. "I'm WHAT?! How could I be pregnant, and be this close to giving birth?!" Steel and Lois jumped up from surprise. "Sounds like Chloe's awake." Lois said as she and Steel walked in the bedroom
When they saw her, Chloe looked more afraid than she has been in her whole life. Chloe felt a bit relieved when she saw her cousin and best friend, but also felt confused as to why he was wearing his costume.
"Lois? What's going on?" Chloe said as tried to get up. Lois stopped her. "Whoa! Take it easy cuz; you're not as thin as you used to be." she said cautiously. Chloe was breathing in and out very fast.
"Chloe, try to calm down. We'll explain." Steel said. After hearing him, she sat back down on the bed and trying to calm herself. After a moment or two, she breathed easier, but she was still scared.
"Someone please give me the 411 here." Chloe said, edgy. Steel wanted very much to her everything himself, but he felt that Lois and Jimmy, who were closer to her as family, should do the talking. He would talk to her in private later.
"Listen, a lot has been happening this past week and you pretty much missed the whole deal. We'll fill you in." Lois said softly as she sat next to Chloe as well. "But first, let's bring you up to speed about your kid."
Over the next hour, Lois and Jimmy told Chloe about her kidnapping by Lucas, being locked up in a tank, having her baby grow faster than normal, and lastly what Lucas planned for her baby. They left out the part about the unusual nature of the baby to not freak her out too much.
They then went on to tell of how they managed to find her, but ended up being captured themselves. "If it weren't for Steel here, we would still be locked up." Jimmy said, finishing the story. Chloe pretty much felt like tearing Lucas apart. "If Lucas was here, and if I wasn't this big, I'd kick his ass right now." she said after a moment.
"Trust me, we don't blame you if you would." Jimmy replied. Chloe didn't know what overwhelmed her more; her anger at Lucas, or the fact that she was going to be a mother very soon.
"So, I was already pregnant when Lucas arranged my kidnapping?" Chloe asked. Steel answered this time. "Only by a week or two." Chloe nodded. After a moment to digest it all, she asked another question.
"Why would Lucas take me?" Lois and Jimmy shrugged. "He just said that you were the perfect person for the project. He didn't go into certain details." Lois said. Steel knew the real reason though, but he kept that to himself for now.
Chloe then turned to Steel and smiled. "Thanks for saving us Steel." Steel smiled back. "Anytime." Steel then turned to Lois and Jimmy. "Would you guys mind if I talked to Chloe alone for a bit?" Lois and Jimmy, though surprised, nodded.
"No problem. We'll just head downstairs and have some well missed coffee. Let us know if you need anything." Lois said as she faced Chloe. "Sure, thanks." Lois and Jimmy then walked out.
When they were finally alone, Clark took off his shades. "Are you sure you're alright, Chloe?" he asked softly. Chloe nodded. "Besides that I have a belly the size of a foot stool, I'm just fine."
Clark couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you're not in any pain." He then looked very upset. "And I'm so sorry I couldn't save you earlier." Chloe shook her head. "I'm fine now, Clark. Don't beat yourself up about your tardiness."
Clark still felt bad, which Chloe noticed. "Although, I would like to know why you took so long to bust out me, my cousin, and my fiancé." Clark then looked confused. "I told you why. Kara and I were visiting Kandor on the planet Rokyn, remember?"
Chloe now looked confused too. "Kandor? Rokyn? What are you talking about?" Clark seemed stunned. "You were at my house with Oliver that morning about a week ago, and I told you both that Kara and I would spend the next week in a Kryptonian city on another planet. Don't you remember?" he asked.
His best friend shook her head. "I think I would've remembered a conversation like that, but I honestly don't. The last thing I remember was going to bed one night…then I woke up here, after being rescued by you."
Clark looked speechless; an unpleasant thought had passed through his mind a moment later. "Oh no." he said as he started pacing. "What's wrong?" Chloe asked. Clark turned to her, feeling like a complete fool.
"Someone was there with us that morning, but it wasn't you. It was someone who disguised himself to look and sound like you…and none of us knew it." Chloe felt lost now. "And imposter? Who?" Clark sighed.
"Ma'alefa'ak. He's J'onn's twisted brother, and the one who was responsible for wiping out all life on Mars…save for J'onn and himself." Chloe looked stunned now. Clark paused for a bit before continuing.
"It was Ma'alefa'ak who kidnapped you and took you to Lucas at Black Creek. They were in on this together. He must've taken you the night before Kara and I left." Clark explained.
"Why would a renegade Martian side with Lucas?" Clark sighed again. "I don't know, but I do know that this was my fault." "What was your fault?" Chloe asked. Clark looked angry at himself as he continued.
"When he was pretending to be you, he asked me where to find J'onn. I knew I had told you where he was. I thought it was odd that you would forget that, but I never gave it anymore thought. I should've known then it wasn't you."
Chloe became firm. "Listen Clark, Ma'alefa'ak probably pretended to be me so well that nobody would think otherwise. You can't blame yourself for not putting two and two together then." Clark shook his head.
"It's not just that. I lead him straight to J'onn; I told him where to find his brother so that he could kill him! J'onn is gone now and it's all my fault!" he exclaimed softly, trying not to let Lois and Jimmy hear. Clark then sat back down next to Chloe.
"Stop that Clark. Do you even know if J'onn is dead?" Chloe asked. Clark sighed again. "No; his body has not turned up. But he hasn't reappeared either. All I know is that he and his brother had a big fight later and they both disappeared."
Chloe felt confused again. "How do you know that if you were in a galaxy far, far away all week?" "When I got back and found out about your kidnapping and that Lois and Jimmy had gone to find you, I went to Oliver. Only he wasn't there, just a DVD."
He then told Chloe what Oliver said in his message. When he was done, Chloe was shocked again. "So Ollie and the others are being held somewhere by this stalker?"
Clark nodded. "Everyone except Bart and AC. I don't know where the others are, but Lois might. She said Lucas told her and Jimmy that they were being held captive by someone called "Key." I think he is working for Lucas too." Clark suspected.
"That wouldn't surprise me." Chloe said. After a moment, she continued. "by the way, where is Kara? Shouldn't she be here too?" "She decided to stay on Rokyn for a few more weeks. Maybe I had time, I'd tell you the whole story." Chloe nodded in understanding.
"How did you find us at that Black Creek place?" "I talked to Talia to try to find a lead on where Lois and Jimmy could have gone to look for you."
"I'm guessing that you succeeded?" Clark nodded. "I convinced her to let me see the shipping schedule for her supply trucks. The items were black out, but all of them were headed to Black Creek. Besides, it helped that Lois left a hint in a letter she sent to me before she and Jimmy had gone." he said with a small smile.
Chloe was astounded. "But if those shipments lead you to that facility, wouldn't that mean Talia was in on Lucas' scheme about me? Why would she compromise that by helping you?" Clark shrugged.
"I don't know. I plan to visit her again, after I make another trip to Black Creek to clean up the mess Lucas made." "Clark, it's possible that Lucas is probably moving out by now since you know about it." Chloe guessed. "Maybe, but I have to be sure."
Clark then felt very uncomfortable. "Chloe?" "Yeah?" Clark then got up again and looked away. "While Lois and Jimmy were there, before they were captured, they downloaded three files on a flash drive and kept it from Lucas."
Chloe listened as Clark talked. "Lois just showed me the files on Projects Genesis, Eve, and Apocalypse." He paused. Chloe waited. "And?" Clark looked back. "They've revealed Lucas' entire plan and what it could mean for Earth. But most of all, they've shown that he is not the brains of the outfit." Chloe looked stunned again.
"But if whatever Lucas is up is not his plan, then who is pulling his strings?" Clark took a deep breath and let it out before answering. "Darkseid." Chloe's mouth fell open again.
"What?! That megalomaniac alien warlord Brainiac 5 warned us about?" she asked in shock. Clark nodded. "The very same. He is behind everything that Lucas has been doing these last several months. And if nothing is done to stop them, they'll succeed on the day that they plan to put their projects into action."
"New Years?" Chloe asked. Clark nodded again. "From what I've read, the results of their plans would be exactly as Brainiac 5 told us: "He will turn the Earth into a living inferno and take all it's inhabitants as his slaves." Just like that."
Chloe shook her head now. "Why would Lucas sell out his own people to Darkseid? Is he mad?!" "Goes to show how different from Lex he is; Lex would never take the offer if he was in Lucas' shoes." Clark replied strongly.
Clark knew that even though Lex wasn't his friend anymore, he knew that Lex always did things his way, not someone else's. In a way, Lucas was far more dangerous than Lex because of his willingness to serve a powerful evil from another world, probably at a price too.
"Anything else I should know?" Chloe asked. Clark hesitated a minute or two before answering. "I…I know how you got pregnant." Chloe looked stunned. "Clark, I think we all know how babies are made." she said almost jokingly.
"Yours wasn't made the same way." he said clearly. Chloe sat still, confused once again. "Clark, when Lois and Jimmy told me I was already pregnant when I was kidnapped…were they lying?" she asked nervously. Clark shook his head.
"No, they didn't. You didn't get impregnated artificially by Lucas…but that was what he planned to do when he got you." he said. "Then how was it made?" Chloe asked evermore nervously. Clark really didn't want to tell her, but he felt she had to know; it was her baby after all.
"Chloe…you're pregnant because of Brainiac." Chloe started to pale after hearing that. As her eyes widened in shock, she stared at her stomach again. She took several quick breaths.
"Brainiac?" she asked fearfully. Clark nodded. "The file on Project Eve said that a large number of nanites had gathered at your uterus and started fertilization there a few weeks ago. No one at Black Creek could explain the origin of the nanites, but they could tell that they were not like any they've seen or even heard of."
Chloe continued to stare at her stomach, feeling absolutely terrified. "I think those Brainiac nanites got inside you when he attacked you that night months ago." "But if that's the case, then why did Brainiac's micro bugs take so long to do this?" she asked frantically as she pointed at her stomach.
"I have no idea. Can you tell me what you saw and felt that night? It might give a clue." Chloe didn't reply for a long moment. "Well, I do remember Brainiac piercing my skull with his wire like fingers. It was so painful I felt like my head was about to split open." She paused, trying to remember all the details.
"Right before I blacked out, I saw a bright light…the same light that appeared when I used my healing power." Chloe said no more. Clark nodded. "It's possible that your meteor power could've delayed Brainiac's nanites from activating."
"But what would the point be for Brainiac to impregnate a human? Wouldn't he rather possess me rather than give me a child?" Chloe questioned. "Maybe Jor-El has an idea. After I rescue everyone, I'll talk to him."
"But in the meantime, I'll be providing nourishment for the offspring of a evil alien supercomputer." she said disgustingly. Clark held Chloe's shoulder. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise." he said with a reassuring smile. Chloe smiled back.
Clark then got up and put his shades back on. "I'll go ask Lois and Jimmy about the whereabouts of Oliver and the others. Then I'll go and find the rest of the team." "Clark wait." Clark turned back at Chloe.
"Lucas is sure to have warned the Key by now that you might be stopping by. If Lucas knows your secret, it's possible that he might've discovered your weakness and told Key that. He could be waiting for you." Chloe warned.
Clark understood. "You might be right." "Why don't I use the Isis mainframe to track down Key's hideout? That might work." she suggested. Clark bit his lip. "That…might not work." Chloe looked confused again.
"What's wrong now?" Clark looked sorry again. "Shortly after you were kidnapped…the Isis Foundation was destroyed." If Chloe thought she couldn't get shocked again, she was wrong.
"Isis is gone!?" she exclaimed. "Someone blew it up. Luckily, nobody was killed. J'onn got everyone out in time; that was probably the last thing he did before he vanished."
Chloe was breathless. "Oh god, that place was starting to make a difference and some wacko decides to blow it to kingdom come! Lana must've been upset about the news when she heard." "I think so too." Clark said.
After shaking off the latest piece of bad news, Chloe shook her head. "Who knew that so much hell could be happening while you were gone?" Clark looked grim. "And it was only just the beginning."
Clark then opened the door to the apartment. "I'll be back soon Chloe…with everyone." he said before he walked out. Chloe sighed as she looked at her stomach again and began stroking it.
When Lois and Jimmy saw Steel come down, they stood up. "Hey. Is everything alright with Chloe?" Lois asked. Steel nodded. "She'll make it through this, as long as you are there to help her." he said.
Lois and Jimmy nodded. "We won't leave her side." Jimmy said honestly. Steel smiled. "Good." He then asked the big question. "Back at Black Creek, you said that Lucas had the Key capture Green Arrow and his team. Did he say where exactly?"
"Lucas said that they are being held in a hiding place somewhere in the Southern Andes mountains. If that guy is on Lucas' payroll, then his crib must be a hell of a lot of security." Steel nodded. "Thanks Lois."
Before Steel could leave, Lois asked him to wait. "What is it, Lois?" "Before you go off and bust out your super friends, could you ask Clark to come here and see Chloe?" Steel hesitated himself.
He didn't know how long his plan to free his remaining friends would take, and Clark's extended absence is sure to arouse some suspicion from Lois. He came up with the best answer for her question.
"Unfortunately, when I saw Clark after he got back from his trip, he had come down with a bad cold. He insisted that he wanted to help find you, but I told him it was best for him to stay at home and get some rest." Lois and Jimmy were surprised about that.
"It would not be a wise idea for Clark to come visit Chloe while he is ill, especially since Chloe is pregnant. Nor for anyone to visit him; his cold is very bad." he advised. Lois and Jimmy, though surprised, nodded. "Poor CK; hope he gets back on his feet soon." Jimmy replied.
"I'm sure Smallville will be better in no time. Though his timing is a bit lousy." she said. Steel smiled a bit. "Take care. After I find Green Arrow and the team, we'll come up with a plan to taken down Lucas…and Darkseid."
"I hope so, for the sake of Earth." Lois replied as Steel super sped out. As he moved super fast, Steel thought out his plan.
First he will talk to Talia again, and question her about her true objectives. Then he will go back to Black Creek to see if there was anything still there that needed to be destroyed.
After that, he'll put his full focus on finding Bart and AC, and then contact Batman and Green Lantern. With all of them together, Steel is sure to get the drop on the Key and rescue his remaining friends.
He just hopes that nothing will go wrong on the way.
To be continued.