Hi. The story is really picking up the pace this week. Enjoy!
The Future of Justice
Chapter 51: Gathering
Kent Farm:
The sun was setting as Clark and AC finally returned to the farm. While AC kept his costume on, Clark put some clothes on over his. Though Clark was glad to be home again, he can't relax yet; he still had a lot more matters to attend too.
"You think the girls and Jimmy are alright?" AC asked as he petted Shelby. "I hope so." Clark replied as he picked up his cell phone. But before he made a call after turning it on, he looked over at his home phone and saw a message light on.
"Looks like you got a call or two while you were gone." AC pointed out. Clark pushed the button to hear the message. It was from Lois, and the what she said surprised Clark and AC.
"Smallville, Kara, it's me. The three of us just had a visit from a bunch of psychopathic robots intent on taking Chloe, but thanks to a new hero called "Blue Beetle", we are just fine. We're are hiding out at Oliver's, along with Chloe's parents. Call back when you hear this, bye."
Clark couldn't believe his friends were in danger and, once again, wasn't around to save them. AC comforted him. "Don't worry; Lois said they're alright, thanks to this Blue Beetle guy." "Yeah." Clark said.
The Kryptonian was once more asking himself questions. 'Did Lucas send those robots to capture Chloe? Who is Blue Beetle? And why are both of Chloe's parents staying with them?'
He immediately figured that Gabe and Moira were being used as bargaining chips to insure Chloe's cooperation. "I guess Blue Beetle must've saved them too." Clark said after voicing his thoughts.
"I think's time you gave them a call." AC said as he got himself a glass of water. Before he tried to call Lois, his cell said he had a voice message, and it was also from Lois. Clark sighed after hearing it.
"What's wrong now?" AC asked. Clark looked guilty. "Lois tried to reach my cell earlier today, but was frustrated she hadn't heard from me or Kara after her first call. She left another message on my cell to please call her when I get a chance."
"You got a chance now, bro." AC pointed out, drinking from his glass. Clark nodded as he speed dialed Lois' phone. A few seconds later, he got a hold of her. However, she got the first line in the conversation first and was not happy.
"It's about damn time Smallville! Didn't you get any of my messages?!" Clark sighed again, hearing how angry Lois sounded. She was upset, but Clark was glad to hear her again.
"Lois, I'm sorry I haven't been calling you back; I was trying to get some rest and get better." he said after sniffing a bit to convince her. "I did get your messages. Is everyone alright?"
"Most of us are fine, but Chloe needs you now more than ever." "You're new pal Steel told me about Chloe's…baby. I couldn't believe what happened to her! How is she holding up?" he asked, concerned.
"You can ask her that at the hospital." Lois bluntly said. Clark felt a little numb. "The hospital?" "No, the county court house. Of course the hospital! Chloe's gone into labor!" Clark was very shocked to hear it.
"Oh my god." he whispered, which got AC's attention. "Her dad and Jimmy are driving her there in my car; I'm heading to your place in a cab." "Wait, what about Chloe's mom?"
"Oliver's security are keeping watch over her while we are gone. You and Kara be ready to go when I get there."
"Kara's not here. She decided to stay in Minnesota with her mother for a while." he said convincingly. "Guess it's just you and me then. I'll reach the farm in less than 15 minutes. See ya then. And Clark?" "Yeah?" he asked.
"Good to hear from you. Bye." Lois said in a friendly tone before hanging up. Clark looked deeply stressed now. "What did Lois say? Is everything ok?" AC asked. Clark shook his head and told him of what Lois said.
AC was just as shocked and concerned as Clark was. "Oh man." was all he could say. "I know. I didn't expect Chloe to have the baby this soon, at least not until after we've rescued the others." AC sighed.
"We can't control things like this, man. Does this change plans a bit?" Clark nodded. "I planned to talk to Jor-El about the baby after the rescue, but it looks like I'll need to speak to him much sooner."
"What do you think he'll say?" the young Atlantean prince asked. "Nothing comforting, that's for sure." he said grimly. Clark then dialed a number on his phone. "You calling one of your guys?" AC asked. Clark nodded.
"Instead of meeting here, you and the others will meet at Oliver's apartment; that way, you will all be much closer to me if more of those robots try to take Chloe again. And you will keep watch over Chloe's mother. I'll have one of them pick you up on the way." he said.
AC nodded. "When do you plan on meeting up with the rest of us?" he asked. "Right after Chloe has the baby, I'll sneak out and talk to Jor-El at the fortress. Then I'll head back to Metropolis and meet up with the team." he stated.
"Good idea." AC said as Clark started calling in the troops for the upcoming mission.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
22 Sea View, Coast City:
Hal Jordan just came home after his work on the airfield today. He always enjoyed flying. But since he got that power ring from Abin Sur, his life's gotten even more exciting.
He barely got himself a light snack when his phone rang. This surprised Hal; he hardly ever got any phone calls unless it was business related, and he was done for the day. "Who the hell could that be?" Hal asked himself as he picked up the phone.
"Hello? Yes, this is Hal Jordan. Who am I talking too?" As soon as he heard who he was talking too, Hal got more serious. "I see. I guess my secret didn't get past you, huh? Need my help again?"
He listened what the caller wanted from him, and Hal was surprised. "A team, huh? Well, I guess if things are really that bad I don't see why I can't drop in." Hal then the heard the time and place of the meeting. "Right, I'll be there." he then hung up.
Hal then walked over to his bad and took out his power battery. He was surprised to hear from Steel, or rather Clark Kent, again after so long. He was even more surprised that he learned his secret somehow.
Somehow he didn't feel comfortable of working with others, but if Steel trusted them then Hal guessed he could put up with them. He put his ring on and held it in front of the battery.
"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power…Green Lantern's light!" Hal said as his ring was being charged for the mission to come.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Central City:
Barry Allen was studying for a chemical test in his studies. He was still doing well in his classes, though he is still badgered by being late a lot.
In the past, it was because he was made that way. But that's gotten more complicated when he became the Flash and started protecting his home town. But still, Barry didn't let his life struggles get to him.
He then got a phone call and picked up. He was expecting to hear from Iris, but the caller wasn't his girlfriend. "Clark! I didn't expect to hear from you this soon! Are you alright?" he asked.
Clark then told him that it was time for the team to get together. "Okay. Where and when is it happening?" He was given the time and place for the meeting. Barry understood. "Got it. I'll be there, and no…I won't be late." he said with a chuckle as he hung up.
Barry began to think how dangerous this was going to be and that he'll have to be careful. Then he got another phone call, and this time it was from Iris. "Hi Iris! I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'll cut our date short tonight; something's come up."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Beacon Hill district, Boston:
Princess Diana and her friend, Julia Kapatelis, were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. "Thanks for helping me, Diana." The Amazon princess smiled. "You are welcome." she replied. "Vanessa, would you like to help dry the dishes?" Julia asked her only daughter.
A young girl with two ponytails, Vanessa agreed. "Sure." Together, the kitchen was nice and neat. Julia smiled at her daughter and Diana. When Diana first moved in, Vanessa was against it because she felt she and her mother were better off on their own.
Over time though, they became quite fond of each other. Just then the phone rang and Vanessa, who was nearest to it, picked up. "Kapatelis residence." she replied politely. The caller told her if "Diana Prince" was there.
She told the caller to hold. "Hey Diana, there's someone on the phone for you! Says it's important!" Surprised slightly, Diana walked over and Vanessa gave her the phone.
"This is Diana." She then recognized who it was instantly, and became serious. "It's time?" she asked. After Clark told her the all the needed info, Diana promised to be there. "I'll see you soon. Goodbye." she said as she hung up.
Julia and Vanessa looked confused. "Who was that, Diana?" Julia asked. Diana had a serious look as she answered. "A friend who needs my assistance."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Cave underneath Wayne Manor, Gotham City:
"My god." Bruce Wayne had just finished working on the substance he took from Ra's al Ghul's lair. When he first analyzed it, he was amazed and horrified by what it was capable of.
But that little container was not the only thing he was occupied with. When he returned from Nepal and began experimenting on the substance, he decided to check on the other locations from his huge computer mainframe in the cave.
He easily locked into his company's satellites and looked over the areas where he destroyed the rest of Ra's poison. To his horror, he saw that the poison had not been destroyed at all, but merely…evaporated.
"Is it that bad, sir?" Alfred asked as he came down bringing Bruce his dinner. Bruce shook his head. "Ra's al Ghul is one sick demented man." Bruce then turned to his butler.
"Alfred, he's designed that poison so that in the event of an explosion it would mix in with the water in clouds. Those "poisoned" rain clouds are about to down pour on various parts of the world! Everyone who comes into contact with that rain water will be dead within hours, whether they have superhuman abilities or not!"
The old man nearly dropped the tray in shock. "Good heavens! Lots of people will die!" he exclaimed. "Thousands…maybe even millions." Bruce said grimly as he rubbed his eyes.
"He must've designed this as a back up incase it didn't get sent to people as "sports drinks". That bastard." he cursed. "I couldn't agree with you more sir." Alfred replied firmly.
Bruce then turned back to the container. "But thankfully, I have a way to counteract it." he said as he picked up the container. "Sir?" Alfred asked, confused. "I've reengineered this batch of poison into an antidote. I'll need to send a sample to Lucius to mass produce and…"
The phone on Bruce's desk rang and immediately suspected who it might be. "Is this the "other" phone call I expected from you?" After confirming it, Clark informed Bruce that he needs him to meet up with him and other members of a team.
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "You never mentioned this in our last conversation, Clark. What is this about?" Clark told him that he'll know when meets everyone. "Still want to keep me in the dark are you? Fine, I'll meet you there. Besides, there's something I need to discuss with you too."
When Clark asked if it was anything serious, Bruce closed his eyes. "Let's just say it concerns…the weather. I'll fill you in more when we meet up." After he hung up, he turned to Alfred.
"Seems my work is never done, Alfred." he stated as he began eating from his tray. "Was that the man who called you before your meeting with Talia?" the old butler asked. "Yeah. And it sounds like he'll be the only one I'm meeting."
Bruce then turned his attention to a smile vile which he gave Alfred. "This is a sample of the antidote. Have it delivered directly to Lucius, and tell him what it's for and that he'll need to make plenty of it."
"Very well, sir. In the meantime, I'll say "hello" to Mr. Fox for you." Alfred said as he left with the vile. Bruce laced his fingers and leaned forward, looking pensive. 'From what I overheard from Ra's and Talia…hell is about to be unleashed on Earth. And I have a feeling what Clark wants to discuss with me and these other people has to do with that…'
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Kent Farm:
Clark turned to AC after making his last call. "It's settled; the team will be meeting at Queen Tower after sunset." he stated. AC smiled. "Great. Can't wait to meet everyone. They sound hard core from what you've said about them."
Before Clark could reply, they heard someone knocking at the front door. "Clark! It's Lois, get your absent ass out here!" she shouted. "I'm coming!" he replied before turning to AC.
"Wait out by the barn; one of the our guys will pick you up on the way to Oliver's." he instructed. "Cool. Let me how everything with Chloe goes, bro." AC said as he headed out the back, while Clark made for the front door.
When he opened it, Lois looked positively annoyed. "Ready to go, farm boy?" Clark was used to her attitude. "Ready to take a breath and stop being mad at me?" he asked rhetorically. Lois groaned.
"Just get in the cab." she ordered as they walked away from the house and into the cab. Once they were on their way, Clark began to apologize. "I'm really sorry for being unreachable these past few days." Lois looked over at him, still miffed.
"You sure sound better from your cold." she said, sounding like she didn't hear the apology. Clark seemed amused. "I took plenty of fluids and got lots of rest like any doctor would suggest." he said smoothly.
After a minute or two, Lois seemed to have finally calmed down and, to Clark's surprise, hugged him. "I'm not mad at you anymore, Clark. You're forgiven." she said. Clark smiled. "Thank you. So, tell me exactly what happened at the Talon."
To make sure the cab driver wouldn't hear, Lois whispered everything into Clark's ear as best she could. Several minutes later, Clark was even more shocked than when he heard Lois' first message.
"I'm surprised Chloe didn't go into labor after all that." he said in a stunned voice. "Same here; she's definitely made of strong stuff Clark." "Her baby might be made of strong stuff too." Clark replied.
He began to think what exactly the baby will look like after it is born. Being conceived by Brainiac in an unnatural way, there is no telling what to expect. It could be anything; Clark began to speculate that it might not be a baby at all…
"Well, whatever Chloe's going to deliver, I just hope she knows what she's doing by keeping it." Clark was shocked once more. "What?!" Lois nodded.
"Yeah; Chloe insists on keeping the baby after it's born. I'm there for her, but personally, I think it's a bad idea." "You may be right." Clark said. He then changed the subject. "Who is this Blue Beetle that saved you?"
Lois shrugged. "I have no idea; the guy just popped out of nowhere and saved the day. But from what I could tell, he sounded like a teenage boy. Not a "big boy" per say, but he seemed alright…considering he's wearing that same armor that possessed Lucy."
"But didn't Steel say it's no longer a threat? Maybe the scarab somehow got reprogrammed into being something helpful. And after what he did, that may be the case." Lois shrugged. "I guess. Right now, I just want us to get to Chloe and help her through this." Clark had put a hand on hers. "We will." he said softly.
Lois looked down and, after seeing Clark's hand on hers, squeezed it a bit. This surprised Clark as much as it surprised Lois. Just then, the cab stopped at Metropolis General Hospital.
"Here's your stop love birds." the man said. "We're just friends." Lois said stubbornly as she and Clark got out of the cab and paid him for the trips. "Have a nice night." he said before he drove off.
"Here we are." Clark said as he and Lois stepped inside and asked for Chloe's room.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
El Paso, Texas:
Jaime Reyes, after finishing his homework early, decided to check up on Chloe and her family in Metropolis. He bonded with the scarab and became Blue Beetle again, and then flew off into the night sky. He hoped they were all okay.
To be continued.
