The Consequence of Mercy Chapter 38: Fleeing and Pleading, a smallville fanfic

I'm picking up the pace and I hope you enjoy it :) it's a bit quicker paced than usual, but I like the progression. Tell me what you think.

Their bags were packed, and Chloe came through the front door like a tornado. Clark had stayed in the country, not wanting to venture too far in case she needed him. It looked as though he made the right decision.

She threw open the floodgates haphazardly, spilling the story in its entirety. The panic was clear in her voice and he needed to stay on the ball in order to absorb the entirety of the story. "How soon can we leave?" he asked the moment she finished.

Chloe was relieved that he caught on so quickly. They didn't have time to rehash insignificant details, focus was a must. "We just need a few hours. I need to tell Lois." He nodded curtly.

"I understand."

Chloe felt a surge of affection for Clark, how the hell did she get so lucky? He barely blinked when she told him that all of their careful planning had been in vain and that they were going to have to rely on a man he loathed for some form of protection after the fallout. She knew that he loved her, but with every turn he proved it time and time again.

He didn't have to be involved in this mess, but through a series of choices he wouldn't change for the world here he was. Clark disappeared from sight for a moment, reappearing with two duffels and a fistful of cash. He crouched down and placed the baggage on the floor to free his hands. She looked at the stack of money and briefly wondered where he got it before banishing the thought from her mind. She didn't have the time or emotional capacity to think about that.

Chloe momentarily adopted Lex's habit of aimless pacing. "Everything's in order, right? We have liquid assets and everything, your mom said that she would handle the farm?" He nodded again. "I'm really afraid," she admitted, crossing her arms to her chest.

He stepped forward, coming up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin in the nook of her shoulder. "Me too."

"I'm about 99 point 9 repeating percent sure that Lex's demented colleagues are having me followed everywhere I go." She cut her eyes up to Clark, but it was hard to get a good look in their current position. "They'll kill us," she said gravely, but Clark took it in stride. He had his time to overreact before, and knew that it would accomplish nothing.

"We knew that he was involved in some insane crap but I didn't know how bad it was. But he's willing to help?" Chloe nodded, despite the skepticism in his voice.

"I'll try to buy some time before they notice that I'm gone," she said, sighing tiredly. "Ugh, but I just can't stand the idea of going out and getting all of this in order for Lois." She wasn't certain if her intense paranoia was necessary, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling it. She couldn't bring any of her belongings with her, they couldn't chance the possibility that anything was bugged and even the idea of having to go out and have all of these dangerous documents copied again sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't want them to have to take those risks again.

Clark smiled sadly. "I thought you might want to bring Lois in on it...so I took the liberty of making another copy." She turned around and threw her arms around him gratefully. They were so close to the finish line...but the stakes were higher than they knew.

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When Lex stepped into the Oval Office, he was already waiting for him. Lex expected it, he couldn't just disappear for an entire morning and expect no consequences. His secret service had of course established a perimeter around the area where they had met, and at this point in time he didn't find that to be particularly heartening. With each passing day and circumstance he came to distrust those around him, even those meant to protect him seemed to be playing for the other team...namely his alleged 'allies.'

Lex didn't like the fact that he was finding himself incapable of trusting his own people, and that was always dangerous. He was feeling less and less like the Commander in Chief and more like a pawn on a giant chess board.

He had expected chastising, perhaps a slight slap on the wrist, but he hadn't anticipated this. "My sources indicate the Sullivan is poised to flee." He didn't bother with pleasantries.

Lex inclined his head slightly and stepped forward. "Raul, how are you?" The man waved off his small talk dismissively.

"There are much bigger things at hand than paltry chitchat. We don't know what form of transport she is using but one of our sources indicated that she and her boyfriend are going to attempt to leave the country." He knew in the scheme of things it was petty, but Lex couldn't stop himself from feeling a moment of indignation at Clark's mention.

He shrugged. "Why don't we just let them go?" Lex asked, going against every fiber of his being by saying so. He would have loved to imprison Clark on some trumped up charge but his immense desire to do so made him suspicious of his own motives. As loath as he was to admit it, Lex knew that Clark would do anything to help her, and he'd be an idiot not to take advantage of that. His own hatred aside, Clark would protect Chloe until the end. While it might have been immensely satisfying to imprison him yet again, Lex was on his own and when it came to Chloe, Clark would be more than willing to help and he had to put her before his own wishes and desires.

"If they're out of the US they're out of our hair, and I'm certain that she's too scared to—" Raul waved his hand angrily, interrupting abruptly.

"You are certain of nothing, Mr. President. The only thing you know is what you want her to do, and there are no guarantees there," he said gravely.

Lex contained his panic and merely crossed his arms coolly. The danger with Raul and his associates was that they on first glance appeared completely unthreatening. He was dressed in a button down with dress pants and his receding hair parted down the middle. He looked very much like an amiable uncle, a few years past middle age with a divorce under his belt and three grown kids. No one could know that he was a ruthless and heartless man with few morals and no mercy. Years ago he had been elected orator of the interested group, the rest of them communicated through him, though there was never a formal vote conducted. It was easier that way.

"Let her go, we've got a tap on her laptop, on her cousin's computer, on her work computer, on her cell phone and on anyone's telephone that she might try to contact. You have no proof that she has any intention to go public or cause any more waves and it would be absolutely and completely unnecessary to do anything hasty." He posed a good argument, sighing affectedly to convince Raul of his absurdity. But all of his skillful reasoning and acting was in vain, it didn't work.

Raul shook his head slowly. "No, the others have grown restless with her constant impertinence. We can't be looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives making sure that one girl isn't about to bring ruin upon us all. You were foolish, if you'll forgive my forwardness, in allowing this to happen. This will not do, this cannot stand," he insisted.

The President stepped forward threateningly. "No, I will not forgive your baseless criticism, no matter how politely you try to phrase it. She has done nothing worthy of this immediate and frankly uncalled for action by a bunch of trigger happy money men who wouldn't know the burden of proof if it came up from behind them and starting tap dancing in don't-shoot-me-orange tutus." Lex snarled.

Raul didn't seem to feel threatened in the least. "Don't bother trying to goad me into another philosophical debate. You diverted us once, but you won't succeed again. She is incorrigible and has been a concern from day one. You know what must be done even if you aren't man enough to do it yourself." He turned to leave but Lex grabbed his arm in desperation.

"Don't do this," he pleaded. Raul pulled away, staring him down ruthlessly. "After your stunt with the threatening note did you really think I'd fold so quickly?"

"You can't control your woman and you attempt to make it seem as though I am overreacting? She is a danger to us all who must be handled." That was simply a nice way of ordering a hit.

Lex felt his heart jump into his throat and his mind started racing at a mile a minute. No, this couldn't be happening. "You can't do it. I won't sign off on it."

Raul smiled a horrible and monstrous smile. "It doesn't matter. It'll be done anyway. Of course I would prefer if you saw the light." Lex felt his heart stop. He was in an immovable position, trapped and incapable of doing anything. It was done. He and Chloe had done everything that they could, but they had been outmaneuvered. Check mate.

Lex shook his head adamantly. "No, no, she has nothing. She won't do anything. We can arrest her for something-- anything, scare her with the threat of some prison time and she'll back down," he lied flawlessly. He knew exactly what she knew and that he couldn't scare her if he tried.

"We've got enough background info on Sullivan to know that the likelihood of that occurring is slim to nil. You've had ample opportunity to get her to change her mind and it clearly was ineffectual."

Lex shook his head, wiping the accumulating sweat from his brow. "If she tries, then do what you have to. But this preemptive strike won't accomplish anything apart from raising awareness. Do you really want the country's focus to be on the illegal dealings of glorified mobsters?" he asked, matching Raul's cruelty word for word.

"Do you know something that I don't?" he asked with terrifying stillness in his voice.

Lex succeeded in appearing surprised by the question. "Of course not, there's nothing to know." If he had any idea...any and everyone that Chloe tainted with the evidence would most certainly meet their demise. She couldn't have possibly understood who she was dealing with, that they wouldn't just call it a draw and allow her to flee the country privy to incriminating evidence. It would be a wipe out, and Lex was growing more and more convinced that he was simply the likable and popular figurehead of the regime.

If pressed for honesty, the idea of nosy impertinent busybodies getting what was coming to them wasn't particularly unappealing or frightening. But not Chloe's friends and acquaintances...no matter what he thought of any of them personally, they had gained her esteem and that merited a grudging respect in his book.

The idea of something happening to Chloe, however...he couldn't even entertain the notion. He felt his cheeks go bone white at the very thought. Even if they weren't together, a world without her wouldn't mean much to him. He couldn't quite explain it, but after years of associating with her, knowing her and loving her she was as close to incorruptible as he had ever found. She was human, but she was a good woman in a bad world, and even her existence made the world a better place.

"Mister President...I'm afraid that I don't need your agreement on the matter. But if you have a preference to how it will be handled, by all means, make your sentiments known."

Lex was reeling, his head in a state of confusion and panic the likes of which he had never experienced. "I understand your concern, Raul, but I'm afraid I don't find you justified in ending someone's life over it."

Raul grimaced. "Someone? I doubt if it was just some anonymous someone we would be having this conversation. There have been several occasions with several 'someones' and I never remember you raising an objection then." And he hadn't, he had been a coward and a fool, too absorbed with the prospective of power and title to realize what he was doing.

"You're right, I do have a personal...obligation to Ms. Sullivan and I let you operate as you please for the majority of the time. This is the first time I have ever requested amnesty."

Raul smiled, his teeth white and straight but the expression downright sinister. "And the last, I hope. I am not seeking your approval, Mister President, simply informing you of the inevitable."

If this was any other man, a lesser man, Lex would have thrown him up against a wall and throttled him, not stopping until the last breath of life was extinguished from his putrid corpse. But this was politics, and he had to restrain himself. But his jaw clenched and his knuckles tightened nonetheless. He had to think fast.

"You are going to have somebody in an authority position issue a warrant for her arrest, no bail, no excuses. She will be in custody and it is there she will stay," said Lex. He didn't want to have to compromise, but he needed to protect her.

This gave Raul pause, and he brought his manicured hand up to his chin. The suspense was almost too much for him to take. "That will do for present, but I fear it will not be the solution." It went without saying that the solution would be infinitely more permanent.

He stepped toward the door, ready to leave before a thought brought him to pause. "I do have your consent on this, don't I, President Luthor?" He was sadistic and Lex wanted nothing more than to bash his skull in repeatedly.

Lex felt as close to a panic attack as he had experienced in the past seven or so years. I'm so sorry, Chloe. There was nothing he could do, he was impotent in comparison to these men. Lex nodded sternly, eyes blazing with an emotion that Raul neither recognized nor cared to understand.

"Then it's settled."

"I suppose it is." Lex said gruffly, turning away to conceal his shattered face. He as good as signed her death warrant, though hopefully it had stipulated a stay of execution. But he knew as well as anyone that there were no guarantees.

Raul nodded slowly, the hideous smile spreading across his remarkably average face.

There was no time. Chloe body-checked the front door of the apartment building, waving carelessly to the confused doorman. She sprinted up the main stairwell, clunky flats slapping against the rubber steps. She ignored the dirty look an elderly woman shot her as she brushed past, she didn't care. Chloe adjusted her shoulder length chocolate-cherry wig slightly as she exited the corridor and landed in the hallway.

She pounded on Lois's door tactlessly, out of breath and feeling utterly ridiculous. Of course it had been Clark's idea to truss her up in such an outfit and while she admitted that it was a good idea, it didn't make her feel any less embarrassed. Of course, they were facing death, destruction and the possibility...no, probability of everything they had worked so hard for going straight down the drain and she was overwhelmed with self-consciousness. She heard movement but no action. Even her cousin didn't recognize her in this getup. "It's me, open up."

Lois complied, throwing it open and stepping aside to make way for her cousin. Chloe stepped in, kicking the door closed and ripping her jacket off in quick succession. She rarely went undercover, and she blushed self-consciously as her confused host stared her down. She was adorned in normally loose fitting slacks and a jacket, both stuffed with padding to make her appear thirty or so pounds heavier. Clark had insisted on it.

"What the hell is going on?" Lois finally asked, voice laden with more feeling than curiosity.

Chloe pulled out a folder wedged in the folds of her jacket, hand shaking. She looked down at the offending appendage in surprise, she could hardly assess her own feelings on the matter without dissolving into hysterics. Chloe had yet to allow herself a well-deserved meltdown, there was no time for such antics. She couldn't believe it…she just couldn't believe that this was actually happening, that all of this was finally coming to fruition. She was scared—terrified, actually, and she had no idea whether or not her efforts would succeed.

"Here," she handed the folder over to Lois. "People want to kill me over this, and I'm so sorry to suck you in but I'd bet anything that they already think you're in on it. I think…you may be in danger." There was no time for subtlety and even that proclamation was a drastic understatement.

Lois gaped, leafing through the folder; with every sentence her brow furrowed more and more. "What the hell is this?" She asked to fill the silence, but she continued to read from the folder voraciously.

"It's proof. The guy who's name is on almost every page, Dr. Theodore Randall, he's a bad egg, or he was…but he had some concept of leverage." It didn't do him much good, and it looked like it wasn't going to do much for them either. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest...the quote popped in her head out of nowhere and surprised her.

Lois nodded numbly. "I'll say."

"There's a lot of stuff in there, we've been compiling all of this for a while and I won't go into all of the strenuous and ridiculous things we had to do…" She stopped herself and redirected, not wanting to go into unnecessary detail. "We have all of this information copied and put in a lot of safety deposit boxes, hidden under mailboxes and just about anywhere we could put them. I just…I only hope it's enough." She paced, ready to climb up the walls and rip her hair out.

"What are you into, Chlo?" Lois asked, sinking back into a nearby lounge chair, thumbing through the documents.

"It's all there. Um, transcripts from conversations, the actual tapes went…well, they're somewhere safe. You can…I think you deserve to know everything, if you want. If you'd prefer you can just…hide it or burn it…" Lois shot her a look.

"Like that's going to happen. You're actually going to try to take on Lex?" she asked, unable to conceal the amazement in her voice. "I mean, if there was someone on the planet who has the balls to try that, it's you, but still…wow."

Chloe smiled, but it took a lot of effort. "No, I'm not that crazy. At least not yet, give me a little more time and maybe I'll try that. It's…we're going to leave." She said bluntly, once more surprising herself by her inability to verbalize in an articulate manner.

Her cousin's jaw dropped and the room quickly filled with tension glazed with fear. "Where? We?"

Chloe stepped forward tentatively, locking eyes. "Just me…and Clark, and I think it's better if you don't know." Lois broke the gaze and turned away, hand flying up to her eyes to blot the unseen tears.

"He'll come after you."

"I know." Her voice was steadier than she anticipated it would be, even though she wasn't sure that Lex was going to be the problem. If she had given him no indication of her plans to flee the country...he would definitely throw a tantrum the likes of which she had never seen, but since she was forced to tip her hand she was also forced to realize that she had much greater things to fear.

"Do you need anything? Money…food? Passports?" Chloe almost laughed at the last suggestion, but restrained herself. She could feel herself slipping into the starting stages of hysteria, it might have been better to avoid the emotional scene all together but she wasn't capable of that. Perhaps it was selfish, but she loved Lois far too much to just leave her high and dry.

"We'll be alright." It was as close to a lie as it could be without indeed being one.

"Are you and Clark eloping?" She tried to joke, but her voice cracked slightly and Lois winced at the sound. She and Chloe were more alike than they were willing to acknowledge aloud. It wasn't that they were averse to the comparison, but both felt that it would be an indulgence in vanity if they were to admit that so many of the traits they admired in the other were shared.

"Does this have something to do with his…eccentricities?" Lois asked, and Chloe was stunned. She knew that she must have suspected that there was something 'off' about Clark, but she had always been diplomatic and refrained from asking unwanted questions. Of course she had to be suspicious of his mysterious disappearing acts, how he always seemed to pop out of existence when there was trouble afoot and how secretive he and Chloe seemed to be. But it was easier to ignore and dismiss all of that, for the sake of her own sanity.

"It has more to do with me than him, but you're not wrong."

Lois paused. "Do I want to know exactly what's up with Smallville?"

Chloe trusted her, but didn't want to burden her cousin with knowledge that would only serve to put her in more danger. "No, I don't think you do." If she persisted Chloe was relatively certain that she would cave, but Lois simply nodded.

"How long…wait, I don't think that's something I should know. Does Lex know that you're flying the coop?" Chloe admired her intelligent questions, but time was a factor.

"He knows that I'm planing on it, but he doesn't know the time frame. The only thing I have going for me is that he doesn't think we can act this quickly." She got the hint and placed the folder on the nearby coffee table and came to her feet for the obligatory hug.

Chloe beat her to the punch, throwing her arms around her cousin and embracing her wholeheartedly. "I love you, Lola." She murmured teasingly into her ear, saying the word she had swore she would never utter again, and though Chloe couldn't see it Lois rolled her eyes before wiping them as a preemptive strike.

"I thought I told you never to call me that. That name should have died with my mother," she teased, swatting at her shoulder playfully.

Chloe smiled, tightening her grip. "She just wanted to kiddify 'Lois,' which I'm sure was no easy task." She retorted.

They broke away reluctantly and Lois concentrated her efforts on staying tough and composed. "Yeah, well nicknaming me after a fictional musical tranny didn't exactly do wonders for the self-esteem."

Chloe reluctantly put the heavy jacket back on and readjusted her wig. "I'm sure that's exactly what she had in mind when she combined the first syllable of your first name with the first two letters of your last." Lois lunged forward and hugged her again.

"I'll see you again." She said, shooting for definite but sounding unsure.

Chloe nodded fiercely in agreement. "Of course." Lois stepped back hesitantly and this time Chloe dove in for the third goodbye.

For two girls who weren't hugging people, they were certainly making some strides. They finally broke apart, neither having the slightest clue when they might see each other again. "How do I look?" Chloe asked, straightening her posture for full visibility.

"Hmmm…I really don't know without seeing you pose." Chloe swatted her and Lois relented. "Alright, alright. You look absolutely ridiculous." This earned a smile.

"Be good."

Lois shrugged, taking it as a suggestion rather than an order. "Don't get yourself killed. You're one of the few people around that I can actually stand."

Chloe quirked an eyebrow speculatively, heading for the window without a view. "Ditto." She struggled with the locks for a moment before succeeding in lifting it slightly, glancing down at the fire escape nervously.

"Ditto? I think you're a decade or two behind on the lingo, Chlo." Lois said, and she knew that she was just trying to elongate their time together and that she should be more selfless and maybe help her clueless cousin work the window, but she just couldn't. "Are you actually going out the window? How very Harrison Ford of you."

Chloe smiled at the comparison, but she was too nervous to actually laugh. "Yeah, people keep saying that the resemblance is uncanny," she joked. This was terrifying, in theory she could be brave and daring but now that all the cards were out on the table taking the actual leap was something else entirely.

She felt the irrational desire to explain herself, maybe simply wanting to have a few more precious moments with her cousin. "It's just in case I was followed, hopefully I can buy a few extra minutes." She knew it was silly and dramatic, but hopefully it would be effective. She straddled the windowsill, lingering for a moment to have one last look. "You were right," She said as she swung the last leg out and caught her balance on the fire escape. "This is one kick ass apartment."

Lois cracked a smile. "What'd I tell ya, cuz? And it's rent controlled too. Inflation be damned! I'm still paying what I was paying five plus years ago." Chloe nodded and wiped her eyes, disappearing from sight.

When Lois brought herself to close the window, her cousin was nowhere in sight.

Clark had been waiting in the wings, just as he had been doing for years. Chloe didn't even have to shimmy down a single step when he appeared behind her, scooping her into his arms. "You know, if it weren't for the extenuating circumstances and the possibility of death this would be pretty romantic," he said when she failed to speak. She leaned her head into the crook of his shoulder, and he could feel her smile along with the dampness of her tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm crying all over your flannel," she said, trying to contain the blubbering. "But at least you've got a whole wardrobe full of it at..." Her voice broke as she stumbled over the word 'home.' He didn't have one anymore, and she certainly didn't either.

"There's plenty more where that came from." He assured her, gliding through the air seamlessly. He used his peripherals to scan their surroundings. "We've got to go." She nodded, looking up at the sky before them hopefully. They landed, linking hands and stepping out of the alleyway. It was too early to fly off, visibility was too great and the stakes were too high.

And then it happened when they stepped onto the sidewalk.

Tell me what you think!